Friday, October 25, 2019

Free Speech on the Internet v. United States Constitution

The internet became a very popular and huge way of getting millions of different kinds of materials and information for everyday use in the later 80's early 90's. It became easy for anyone to access millions of different kinds of materials ninety nine percent of which is decent according to our governments standards and one or less percent which is considered to be material the is indecent or harmful to minors.(ABC) These facts maybe deceiving however because there are millions of internet sites so the internet may only be one percent indecent but that means there are thousands upon thousands of sites that are indecent.(ABC) The biggest question is how can we protect our children from these indecent sites? The government believed that passing a bill banning indecent material from the internet would help in the protection of the children who use the internet. So in 1996 Congress passed the CDA (communications decency act) along with the TCA (tela communication act).(Lewis) The TCA wa s purposed and passed by congress in order to band indecent material from the radio and television and the CDA was a last minute add onto this bill.(Greenhouse) The CDA was never heard before congress and many of the members questioned its constitutionality. Clition did signed the bill however it was understood that he was hopping that the courts would declare the bill unconstitutional.(Greenhouse) It became obvious very quick that this bill was going to cause problems. In June of 96 the same year the bill was passed a New York internet based paper filed a law suite against the CDA saying â€Å"‘This bill is a violation of the rights of not only myself, but a violation of the rights of the American people. Long live the net,’ said Joe Shea, editor in chief of The American Reporter, the electronic newspaper that challenged the law.†(Lewis) This case however was not the first. In Philadelphia a group of some 50 organization filed a lawsuit against the CDA and the court also ruled in their favor. (Lewis) More and more cases began popping up in federal courts until December of 96 when it was finally brought before the Supreme Court in Reno v. American Civil Liberties Union.(ACLU v Janet Reno) The problem with the CDA was the fact that it didn’t clearly define indecent material. Many thought the broadness of the terminology used i... ...gle to â€Å"safely protect† the rights of the men and women of America. Works Cited "American Civil Liberties Union v. Janet Reno." 11 May 1996. 2 May 2005 Childs, Kelvin. "Problems Persist Despie CDA Ruling." . 05 July 1997: 19 Apr. 2005 "Communications Decency Act; Gina Smith, Charels Gibson." Good Morning America. ABC. 19 Mar. 1997. 19 Apr. 2005 Dlouhy, Jennifer A. "Ruling Suggest an Alternative For Online Pornography: Mandate Use of Internet Filters." 3 July 2004. 2 May 2005 Greenhouse, Lina. "Court,9-0, Upholds State Laws Prohibiting Assisted Suicide; Protects Speech on Internet." New York Times 27 June 1997. Kids and Civil Rights. Talk of The Nation NPR, Washington DC. 06 Apr. 1998. Lewis, Peter H. "Opponents of Indecency Rules on Internet Win Another Case." The New York Times 30 July 1996. eLibrary. 19 Apr. 2005 "Policing Cyberspace." Editorial. The Nation 1 Mar. 1999: n. pag. "Supreme Court Affirms Preliminary Injunction of Child Online Protection Act." . 01 Sept. 2004: eLibrary. 2 May 2005 "Supreme Court Rules on Child Online Protection Act." . 1 July 2002: eLibrary. 2 May 2005

Wednesday, October 23, 2019

Organisational behaviour of ‘Breadtalk’ Essay

Question 1: What is Corporate Social Responsibility and how could this influence the organisational behaviour of ‘Breadtalk’? Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is where corporations or organisations are obliged to inter-relate their businesses with behaving in ethical and moral ways. It is where such corporations have notions towards having responsibility to the society that upholds them. Examples of ethical and moral ways varies from giving back to needy groups in terms of monetary funding and healthcare, to integrating CSR strategies directly into the business tactic of an organisation. By means of integrating is having â€Å"employee-friendly human resource policy where safety in workplace, social security benefit, flexible office hour, recreation and other benefits are included† (cited in The Financial Express, 2010). ‘Breadtalk’, well-known for its commitment in providing the best for its customers in different countries, have given back to the society and providing internal support throughout its company. ‘Breadtalk’ continuously provides on-the-job training and supervision for its employees, awarding opportunities for head departments to hold higher positions abroad; such as overseeing business processes. Having close human relations have forged strong ties into branching out its brand even more till ‘Breadtalk’ now operates across 17 countries and all of which are carefully chosen locations. Overseas operations are guarded by key players who are chosen with good qualifications and competent ones that work well with other key players in the company. In commemorating its 10th birthday, ‘Breadtalk’ donated $50,000 to needy school children of The Straits Times School Pocket Money Fund in Singapore from 5 cents from the sale of each Floss bun. Organisational behaviour is the study of understanding the behaviour of individuals and to see them so that organisations can relate to such behaviours that come in a variety and find solutions for them. For ‘Breadtalk’, there are many positive reviews about the company and none is seen to lead to any pitfall that might occur. On the other hand, having an uncertain future does not mean that constant learning is stopped; upgrading oneself is key for future success. Organisational behaviour for ‘Breadtalk’ have moved from traditional to re-engineered values of which have cause a more globalised mindset for the company, changing nature of work due to upgrading technology, improved knowledge management, understanding different cultures, improving employee-employer relations, having work-life balance, and all these due to an ethical managerial behaviour called Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The efforts to find solutions for a good Organisational Behaviour have allowed proper group dynamics and a sense of motivation within the company, a few examples of such solutions, which have been evaluated from CSR. (412 words) Questions 2: Why is an understanding of cultural differences important to the Business Managers at ‘Breadtalk’? To assist the Managers of ‘Breadtalk’ to decide if they should expand to Australia, briefly describe the Australian culture? Understanding cultural differences can help avoid acts of ethnocentrism, being aware of a country’s elements of culture – language, religion, values and attributes, customs and manners, material goods, aesthetics, education; complying to cultural dimensions – power distance, uncertainty avoidance, individualism, masculinity; and preserving social structure. Understanding the elements of culture can avoid ethnocentrism. These elements help the understanding of cultural differences by relating to the country’s way of life. Cultural dimensions help the understanding of how people from various cultures behave and its uniqueness. In business, managers must understand the culture of other countries and l earn to accept them. In this process, managers have to fight against ethnocentrism and understand the social structure of the host countries. The Aussie culture is a fast-paced, self-absorbed society, typical in the urbanized world. The influences of aborigines’ culture give the outlook of Australia as casual and friendly. It’s a fair country allowing its people to make their own decisions at a young age. Both men and women gain equal rights in education and work. At young ages of 18 can one enter into a full-time profession of their choice. Retirement has no obligatory age. In terms of time and punctuality for business engagements, Aussies are deemed acceptable. In business, it’s generally â€Å"expected that production and service deadlines will be met whilst long delays are considered unacceptable† (cited in Australia Society and Culture Complete Report, 2010). Social engagements are equally important to be on time. The pros of expansion will be tapping on a wider consumer experience, increasing benefits in many areas, increased popularity, increased chances of joint-ventures and opportunities. The cons of expansion will be on-going competition if unresolved at lower stages of expansion, increased capital costs, reduced performance from foreign agents, conflicts of interests and objectives. Thoughts of expansion can be pondered on. From an interview with ‘BreadTalk’s’ management personnel, the brand would not branch abroad to a country unqualified in meeting the standards and demands required. Looking at the consumer size, it is rewarding if outlets branch into Australia. Although, looking at the needs and demands of the Australian community for food sources, specifically bread, competition is highly foreseeable. ‘Breadtalk’ having its many successes as of now is seen sufficient for the company. Its culture of branching out in Asia is seen a lot. Many hope to see the company’s success diverts into that direction. If it is for the best of ‘Breadtalk’, expansion into Australia can be a future food for thought. (410 words) (Total: 822 words) References Tan, Mindy. (2011) Active in talent management : BreadTalk Group CFO Catherine Lee tells MINDY TAN why CFOs are most suited to take on this important task. The Business Times, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Bayoud, N., M. Kavanagh, and G. Slaughter. (2012) Corporate Social Responsibility Disclosure and Employee Commitment: Evidence from Libya. International Journal of Economics and Finance 4, no. 5, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Tan, Benjamin. (2012) Deft dough-maker. The Business Times, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ BreadTalk Group Limited â€Å"Our Company†. http://www.breadtalk.com/business-overview.html Peck Ming, Chuang. (2012) PM has straightforward message for companies and workers :Firms must think long-term, workers must upgrade skills. The Business Times, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Express, The Financial. (2010) CSR soars, benefits all. 2012. The Financial Express, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Wei Sheng, Lim. (2012) How important is ethics in business strategy? The Business Times, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ McGraw, P., and S. Dabski. (2010) CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY REPORTING IN AUSTRALIA’S LARGEST COMPANIES. Labour & Industry 21, no. 1: 390-409, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Nair, Suja R. (2010) Organisational Behaviour. Mumbai: Global Media Express, The Financial. (2012) Nestle’s own style of CSR. The Financial Express, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Ngee Ann Polytechnic. (2011) Cultural Awareness. International Business: Chapter 4-6. Singapore: Ngee Ann Polytechnic Press, World Trade. (2010) Australia Society and Culture Complete Report. California: World Trade Press Sharmayne Saunders. (2012) Corporate Social Responsibility: A Helping Hand for a Better Belize. International Journal of Business and Social Science 3, no. 9: 174-175, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/ Wright, N., and H. Be nnett. (2011) Business ethics, CSR, sustainability and the MBA. Journal of Management and Organization 17, no. 5: 641-655, (accessed May 10, 2012) http://www.proquest.com.libproxy.nlb.gov.sg/

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Structural Transformation Example

Structural Transformation Example Structural Transformation – Book Report/Review Example Macro & Microeconomics Structural Transformation Gary Gereffi’s article â€Å"Development Models and Industrial Upgrading in China and Mexico† explores the development strategies that China and Mexico employ in the quest for national development and industrial upgrading. Gereffi presents the dissimilarities and resemblances that exist between the models of structural transformation that the two countries use. While Mexico’s development model focuses on extensive privatization, foreign direct investment, and open markets, China’s development approach is statist and strategic in a way that promotes global value chains and economies of scale.I have learned that structural transformation drives regional job creation and growth, as evidenced in China and Mexico. In addition, advancements in structural transformation enable a country to provide ideas and opportunities to other countries undergoing development. There are several parts of the transformation proces s that are applicable in other countries learning the basics of structural transformation. Even so, before integrating structural transformations, it is necessary to address economic and social challenges that may affect a specific country. Factors such as corruption and wage inequalities are detrimental to the appropriate implementation of efficacious development models. It is obligatory to identify necessary policies that augur well with any intended structural transformation. For instance, policies on foreign direct investment and international trade must interrelate well with structural transformation. China has been prosperous owing to the appropriate political climate that promotes development and growth. In addition, technology is at the forefront of structural transformation, which results in industrial upgrading (Gereffi 46). Owing to the technological advancements, China has advanced its infrastructure, which reduces costs of transportation. In time, the whole process leve rages economies of scale, and results in lower labor costs from the available labor market, and an increased growth rate for a country. Gereffi, Gary. Development Models and Industrial Upgrading in China and Mexico. European Sociological Review, Volume 25, Number 1, 2009.