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Haydn W

What are multinationals doing to champion rights of millions trapped in modern-day slav... - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...ations-compliance-human-rights

Multinational Corporations The Guardian Fair Trade Slavery

shared by Haydn W on 10 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • What are multinationals doing to champion rights of millions trapped in modern-day slavery?
  • With almost 21 million people working in forced labour conditions in the global economy, companies are being made to clean up their act
  • In a world of complex supply chains, migrant workers, sub-suppliers and a constant squeeze on costs, corporate leaders and their stakeholders are keenly aware of the risk of labour exploitation.
  • ...18 more annotations...
  • No industry or region is fully insulated from the social deficit which has emerged from the rise of the modern global economy.
  • Given the influence and impact that multinational corporations have, there is significant scope for corporate leaders to champion reform and action in this area.
  • However, the ILO estimates that 44% of those working in forced labour are also victims of trafficking (pdf).
  • The fight to eradicate the scourge of forced and child labour, sometimes referred to as modern-day slavery, has re-emerged as a defining issue in this century
  • The International Labour Organization (ILO) estimates that almost 21 million people are currently working in some form of forced labour, with 14.2 million in economic activities such as agriculture, construction, domestic work or manufacturing (pdf).
  • Beginning in California in 2012, following effective campaigning and lobbying to then-governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, mandatory corporate disclosure of a company’s non-financial activities has been on the rise.
  • From US President Obama’s executive order on trafficking and federal procurement, to the UK Modern Slavery Bill’s recent amendment to include supply chain disclosure provisions, to the EU’s adoption of a non-financial reporting directive, compulsory transparency around global corporate practices – including human rights, labour and social impacts and policies – is the latest tool being employed by legislators to place social expectations on corporations.
  • multinational corporations have grown significantly in terms of size, assets, resource control and revenue, not to mention societal influence.
  • This growth has been accompanied by growing expectations by society and government.
  • It is, of course, critical to recognise that the global corporate supply chain can be a force for good.
  • However, with their multiple levels of subcontracting, particularly throughout impoverished regions where labour laws are non-existent or not enforced, global labour and product supply chains also provide fertile ground for inhumane practices and working conditions.
  • The United States Department of Labor, for example, has produced a list of 136 goods produced in 74 countries using forced labour, child labour, or both.
  • Many leading companies already understand that their strategies shape the lives of millions. The most forward-thinking believe that business is an integral pillar of society and recognise that the people they rely on at home and abroad are central to building sustainable and lasting businesses.
  • And since mandatory disclosure requires all multinationals to take notice and action rather than just the industry leaders, this ultimately helps level the playing field.
  • Some believe supply chain transparency laws do not constitute any real change from the prevailing corporate-driven model for CSR, while others oppose increased regulation and oversight as unnecessary state intervention, believing that industry led efforts have the best chance of success.
  • it is a combination of corporate leadership and regulation in this area which will help ensure all market participants rise to acceptable standards.
  • The trend away from voluntary reports towards mandatory social reporting for global corporations is here to stay and may represent a first step towards increased legislative requirements
  • No matter where one believes the solutions lie, the ultimate goal is a global economy free from forced labour, trafficking and other abuses. For the millions of victims who go out into the world seeking work in the hope of building better lives, we must commit to seeking the best path forward.
Clemente F

US special forces launch raids in Libya and Somalia - 0 views

inagist.com/...386692672846852097

Supply

shared by Clemente F on 06 Oct 13 - No Cached
  • Clemente F on 06 Oct 13
     
    I wasn't able to take this article from the Newsstand but I found it on the web. This may increase the Demand and therefore the supply because of the Government Intervention. If the US force launches in Libya the supply in the weapons sector and all the complementary products because the Us's army will need some supplies.
Marenne M

HPGCL starts process of slimming power generation bills - Economic Times - 0 views

articles.economictimes.indiatimes.com/...forced-outages-chief-engineers

production cost

shared by Marenne M on 18 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • improve efficiency of its thermal power stations and bring down cost of generation.
  • power distribution utilities in the state were turning to non-state players due to the high variable cost.
  • ring down the cost of generation at Panipat, Hisar and Yamunanagar.
  • ...1 more annotation...
  • analyse performance parameters, cost, heat rate, efficiency and safety at the plants every month.
  • Marenne M on 18 Jan 14
     
    This article describes how the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) is trying to bring down the cost of generation after an increase of competition due to the electricity act of 2003. Power Distribution companies in the state are turning to non-state generators due to the high variable costs of HPGCL. They are now trying to bring down these costs by more closely monitoring the heat rate, the efficiency and the cost.
  • Marenne M on 18 Jan 14
     
    This article describes how the Haryana Power Generation Corporation Ltd (HPGCL) is trying to bring down the cost of generation after an increase of competition due to the electricity act of 2003. Power Distribution companies in the state are turning to non-state generators due to the high variable costs of HPGCL. They are now trying to bring down these costs by more closely monitoring the heat rate, the efficiency and the cost.
Fiete M

Lidl takes Coca-Cola off shelves in price war - 0 views

www.thelocal.de/...-cola-off-shelves-in-price-war

Pricewar Production Cost

shared by Fiete M on 21 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Fiete M on 21 Jan 14
     
    This article shows how a lower revenue due to external circumstances of the market forced Lidl to lower the prices for Coca Cola.
Daniel B

Rising costs of production of coffee - 0 views

www.economist.com/...-few-drinkers-brewed-awakening

production costs

shared by Daniel B on 20 Jan 14 - No Cached
  • Daniel B on 20 Jan 14
     
    Farmers started to invest but also they were forced to decrease the price of their product. It means that they receive smaller and smaller revenue what leads to unbeneficial situation of running own business on coffee market.
John B

A Fair, Free Market Or The Copyright Monopoly? - Falkvinge on Infopolicy - 0 views

falkvinge.net/...rket-or-the-copyright-monopoly

Monopoly

shared by John B on 09 Feb 14 - No Cached
  • The copyright industry likes to pretend that making copies is somehow “stealing” and that on a fair and free market, everybody would be forced to buy from them.
  • the copyright industry deliberately confuses the goods that they offer for sale with the service of duplication, which is a completely different kind of offering. The service of duplication is what’s on an immoral, anachronistic monopoly, not the goods themselves.
  • In my world, and in a fair and free market, any entrepreneur or executive that claims a moral right to prohibit others by law from competing with them can fuck off and die.
  • John B on 09 Feb 14
     
    this article wants to tell us that the copyright monopoly is something bad. That it slows down the development in the future. Personally, I would say that this article is not thought through since it is contradicting and use language like "can fuck off and die". The writer aims a lot on the right of duplicating, and that copyright monopoly stands in its way for that. I would say that duplicating something that a company has put a lot of money and time on, would not be morally right, because the one that is duplicating it will spend a very little fortune and time on doing this compared to the real producers. It is actually a pretty bad article, it feels like the writer tries to promote the duplication right of copying movies, programs, etc. and then share it on for example pirate bay.
John B

Government Backing Of Cable Oligopoly Shuts Apple Out Of TV Market, Says VC Stewart Als... - 0 views

www.forbes.com/...v-market-says-vc-stewart-alsop

oligopoly

shared by John B on 02 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • The government endorses a cable TV system that makes it extremely difficult for any innovation to happen
  • Alsop thinks that if any company can find a way to force monopolies or oligopolies to open up, it’s Apple, not just because of its history of doing so in music but because it’s one of the most influential and innovative companies on the planet
  • John B on 02 Mar 14
     
    This article deals with the oligopolies of cable TV and that Apple would be the company to open them up.
Zuzanna G

Minimum wage madness - 0 views

www.realclearpolitics.com/...nimum_wage_madness_119954.html

price controls labor force prices

shared by Zuzanna G on 17 Nov 13 - No Cached
  • Zuzanna G on 17 Nov 13
     
    This article discusses the relation between minimum wage laws and unemployment.
John B

Technology Eases the Ride to Higher Tolls - New York Times - 0 views

www.nytimes.com/...04leonhardt.html

Price mechanism

shared by John B on 14 Oct 13 - Cached
  • I imagine that some of the children being driven to the Jersey Shore today won’t even look away from their DVD players as they glide through a toll.
  • As a result of E-ZPass and its ilk, even many adults don’t notice the cost of a toll.
  • Which raises an interesting question: If you don’t know how much you’re paying for something, will you notice when the price goes up? Or has E-ZPass, for all its benefits, also made it easier for toll collectors to take your money?
  • ...3 more annotations...
  • fter an electronic system is put in place, tolls start rising sharply. Take two tollbooths that charge the same fee and are in a similar setting — both on highways leading into a big city, for instance. A decade after one of them gets electronic tolls, it will be about 30 percent more expensive on average than a similar tollbooth without it. There are no shortage of examples: the Golden Gate Bridge, the George Washington Bridge and the Tappan Zee Bridge, among them.
  • “You may be less aware you’re paying the toll,” said Ms. Finkelstein, now an associate professor at M.I.T., “but you’re paying a higher toll than you used to.”
  • The E-ZPass economy is indisputably more convenient. It saves time and frustration. But the old frustrations that came with cash also brought a hidden benefit: they forced you to notice that you were spending money. With electronic money, it’s much easier to be carefree.
  • John B on 14 Oct 13
     
    In this article we read about how ignorant we can be for the taxes we pay when entering cities due to the electronically tolls. It is very easy for the E-ZPass company to raise the cost when going through a toll since it is payed with electronic money. Still we get something out of this. We save time and we don't get frustrated on waiting to pay the toll. That is a demand that is very high since everyone has very little time to spare and we really don't Want to become frustrated. So this company use these demands in to their benefits.
  • John B on 14 Oct 13
     
    In this article we read about how ignorant we can be for the taxes we pay when entering cities due to the electronically tolls. It is very easy for the E-ZPass company to raise the cost when going through a toll since it is payed with electronic money. Still we get something out of this. We save time and we don't get frustrated on waiting to pay the toll. That is a demand that is very high since everyone has very little time to spare and we really don't Want to become frustrated. So this company use these demands in to their benefits.
Samuel Choi

The Return of the Supply Side - 5 views

www.economist.com/...obamacare-and-employment

supply-side obamacare government

shared by Samuel Choi on 03 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • Pip Dop on 03 Oct 14
     
    This is a very interesting article because it presents a well-known health care reform in the context of a supply-side policy. The article is about how Republicans have been blaming Obamacare for having negative supply-side effects on the economy and the labour force by reserving budgets for subsidising the system.
  • ...1 more comment...
  • Clemente F on 04 Oct 14
     
    This article discusses the return of the supply side policies..
  • Sungmin Lee on 05 Oct 14
     
    Republicans believed that supply rather than demand was to be blamed for the economy's state. However, there has been clear evidence that the job market was held back due to low demand. The article then starts to delve int Obamacare and how it had negative supply-side effects on the economy.
  • Samuel Choi on 07 Oct 14
     
    Obamacare is nothing new - it has been debated about for months, if not years, in one shape or form. This problem with Obamacare is that it has negative supply-side effects. These effects were offset by a half, with the presence of Medicaid, but now that the subsidies for health care have shrunken, the marginal tax rate would rise, thus discouraging people to find work and keep working. Politicians are pushing for supply-side reforms, but the Congress isn't budging due to the possibility that Obamacare, an expensive and time-consuming venture, might be scrapped.
Haydn W

South Africa at 20: Storms behind the rainbow - Opinion - Al Jazeera English - 1 views

www.aljazeera.com/...-behi-2014320155339545752.html

Aggregate Supply South Africa GDP Mandela

shared by Haydn W on 30 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • April 27 marks the 20th anniversary of South Africa's first democratic elections.
  • Many things have improved in South Africa since 1994, to be sure. State racism has ended, and the country now boasts what some have described as the most progressive constitution in the world. People have rights, and they know that there are institutions designed to protect and uphold those rights. Still, everyday life for most South Africans remains a struggle - a struggle that is infinitely compounded by the sense of disappointment that accompanies it, given the gap between the expectations of liberation and the state of abjection that the majority continues to inhabit.
  • South Africa's unemployment rate in 1994 was 13 percent - so bad that most were convinced it could only get better. Yet today it is double that, at about 25 percent.
  • ...15 more annotations...
  • And that's according to official statistics; a more reasonable figure, according to most analysts, is probably closer to 37 percent. The situation is particularly bad for young people. The Economist recently reported that "half of South Africans under 24 looking for work have none. Of those who have jobs, a third earn less than $2 a day."
  • South Africa also boasts a reputation for being one of the most unequal countries in the world. Not only has aggregate income inequality worsened since the end of apartheid, income inequality between racial groups has worsened as well.
  • According to the 2011 census, black households earn only 16 percent of that which white households earn. About 62 percent of all black people live below the poverty line, while in the rural areas of the former homelands this figure rises to a shocking 79 percent.
  • The ANC's Black Economic Empowerment programme has succeeded in minting new black millionaires (South Africa has 7,800 of them now), but can't seem to manage the much more basic goal of eliminating poverty.
  • during the negotiated transition of the 1980s and early 1990s. The apartheid National Party was determined that the transition would not undermine key corporate interests in South Africa, specifically finance and mining. They were willing to bargain away political power so long as they could retain control over the economy. And so they did.
  • The ANC was forced to retreat from its position on nationalisation and an IMF deal signed just before the transition deregulated the financial sector and clamped down on wage increases.
  • Still, when the ANC assumed power in 1994 it implemented a progressive policy initiative known as the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP). The RDP was designed to promote equitable development and poverty reduction
  • Despite its successes, this policy framework was abandoned a mere two years later. Mbeki and then Finance Minister Trevor Manuel held clandestine discussions with World Bank advisors toward drafting a new economic policy known as GEAR (Growth, Employment, and Redistribution, even though it accomplished precious little of the latter).
  • Given these contradictions, it's no wonder that South Africa is ablaze with discontent, earning it the title of "protest capital of the world".
  • Early this year some 3,000 protests occurred over a 90-day period, involving more than a million people. South Africans are taking to the streets, as they give up on electoral politics. This is particularly true for the young: Nearly 75 percent of voters aged 20-29 did not participate in the 2011 local elections.
  • The government's response has been a mix of police repression - including the recent massacre of 44 striking miners at Marikana - and the continued rollout of welfare grants, which now provide a vital lifeline to some 15 million people.
  • So far the protests have been focused on issues like access to housing, water, electricity, and other basic services, but it won't be long before they coalesce into something much more powerful
  • as they did during the last decade of apartheid. There are already signs that this is beginning to happen. The Economic Freedom Fighters, recently founded by Julius Malema, the unsavory former leader of the ANC Youth League, is successfully mobilising discontented youth and making a strong push to nationalise the mines and the banks.
  • It seems that the ANC's legitimacy is beginning to unravel and consent among the governed has begun to thin. It is still too early to tell, but the death of Mandela may further widen this crack in the edifice of the ruling regime, as the ANC scrambles to shore up its symbolic connection to the liberation struggle.
  • In short, the situation in South Africa over the past 20 years opens up interesting questions about the meaning of democracy. What is democracy if it doesn't allow people to determine their own economic destiny or benefit from the vast wealth of the commons? What is freedom if it serves only the capital interests of the country's elite? The revolution that brought us the end of apartheid has accomplished a great deal, to be sure, but it has not yet reached its goal. Liberation is not yet at hand.
  • Haydn W on 30 Mar 14
     
    From Al Jazeera I chose this article about the poor state of the economy in South Africa, 20 years after Nelson Mandela and the ANC came to power, ending the system of political, social and economic segregation, Apartheid. Despite reforms in the 90's the majority of wealth and power is still held by rich whites. With around 30% unemployment rate and young people struggling to find work many feel only anger and resentment to the current ANC government led by Jacob Zuma. Economically speaking South Africa's imports are up and exports down, reducing GDP as AS is shifted left. This is especially evident in industries like mining and banking which many are now calling for to be nationalised. 20 years on from Nelson Mandela's historic victory in the 1994 general election, South Africa, despite being free of the shackles of segregation is not in the boom many predict. The ANC must be careful in there actions, should they, following the death of Madiba lose contact with his legacy and what he stood for.
Haydn W

Ukraine Uncertainty Depressing Growth and Investment | The Moscow Times - 5 views

www.themoscowtimes.com/...495734.html

Macroeconomic Activity Moscow Times Ukraine Russia

shared by Haydn W on 08 Mar 14 - No Cached
  • As world leaders increase or trash their political clout depending on their audience and the statements they make about the situation in the Ukraine, some analysts were revising Russian GDP growth estimates to as low as 1.1 percent for the year.
  • Wednesday was a calmer day on the stock markets, following a dip of 10.8 percent Monday morning that vaporized near $60 billion of valuation from Russian companies.
  • Although Russia has seen some short-term budget benefits from ruble devaluation and increasing oil prices, the current impasse is not helping to fight stagnation or attract investment.
  • ...6 more annotations...
  • The ruble strengthened slightly to 36 against the dollar and 49.4 against the euro Wednesday evening. This was well above the lows reached on Monday
  • Tightening fiscal policy was topped by possibly impending U.S. sanctions, including economic ones, followed by President Vladimir Putin's claims that Russia may use force in Ukraine if necessary.
  • The heap of these latest events has caused some analysts to revise their overall economy forecasts.
  • PSB Research said Wednesday it would decrease its initially modest GDP growth estimates for the year from the range of 1.5 to 1.8 percent to 1.1 to 1.3 percent.
  • Political standoff will also further stimulate the outflow of capital, Fedotkova said, as investors are reluctant to channel their money into the country that may be possibly involved in any kind of military activity
  • As for businesses, a recent survey done by the Gaidar Institute suggests that more than a third of CEOs and owners of private companies would consider investing in production this year if the price for equipment went down and if the macroeconomic outlook were more certain, Vedomosti reported Monday. At the same time macroeconomic uncertainty was a headache for only 10 percent of surveyed state-controlled companies. No margin of error was given for the survey.
  • Haydn W on 08 Mar 14
     
    This article explains how the recent stand-off crisis in Ukraine is having a negative effect on the Russian economy, with the Rouble taking a further fall and GDP growth estimates being revised downwards. Predictably sanctions imposed by the west on Russia in response to the occupation of Crimea, an autonomous region of Ukraine populated largely by ethnic Russians, have affected businesses in Russia. We learn from the article that some $60 billion valuation has been lost by Russian companies in light of the tensions. This article relates to the macroeconomic concept of circular flow being a complex process with international trade and governments being involved majorly in proceedings.
Haydn W

IMF warns UK of lingering housing and mortgage market risks - Business News - Business ... - 3 views

www.standard.co.uk/...gage-market-risks-9780019.html

Supply-Side London UK Housing

shared by Haydn W on 07 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • IMF warns UK of lingering housing and mortgage market risks
  • The UK faces lingering risks from housing and mortgage markets despite remaining on track for the fastest growth among the world’s leading economies this year, the International Monetary Fund said today.
  • has pencilled in growth of 3.2% this year — unchanged from its last July update despite a slew of downgrades for several members of the stagnating eurozone.
  • ...8 more annotations...
  • This is the highest rate forecast among advanced economies, although the IMF has trimmed global forecasts amid fears over a “weak and uneven” recovery in Europe and parts of Asia.
  • The body, led by Christine Lagarde, said the “US and the UK in particular are leaving the financial crisis behind”
  • The Bank of England has identified the housing market as a “blinking warning light” on the economy’s dashboard following the introduction of the Help to Buy scheme last year
  • In June it introduced limits on high loan-to-income home loans to prevent borrowers over-extending themselves, while tighter mortgage lending criteria are slowing runaway prices.
  • The Bank’s latest credit conditions survey found a “significant” fall in the availability of home loans in the past three months after eight successive quarters of expansion.
  • The IMF also warned that more measures such as tax incentives and freeing up land were necessary to improve the rate of housebuilding and keep a lid on runaway house prices.
  • “Supply-side measures are crucial to safeguard housing affordability and mitigate financial stability risks,” it added.
  • Household debt levels remain high at 140% of GDP and, if the Bank’s limits on the lending market fail to gain traction, it may be forced to raise interest rates instead
  • Haydn W on 07 Oct 14
     
    This article from the London Evening Standard details how the IMF have warned the UK government over remaining household debt and the dangers it poses to the economy. The IMF have also called for 'supply side measures... to safeguard housing affordability' - a growing problem in both London and the UK as a whole.
Hardy Hewson

WikiLeaks' free trade documents reveal 'drastic' Australian concessions - 0 views

www.theguardian.com/...drastic-australian-concessions

Free-Trade Trans-Pacific Partnership

shared by Hardy Hewson on 19 Oct 14 - No Cached
  • Sungmin Lee on 19 Oct 14
     
    Secret negotiations over the Trans Pacific Partnership (TPP) free trade agreement have apparently been breached by another leak of material which shows Australian consumers could pay more for cancer medicines and face criminal penalties for non-commercial copyright breaches.
  • Hardy Hewson on 21 Oct 14
     
    The article concerns the recent reveal by WikiLeaks of free-trade agreements between the nations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (members include the United States, Japan, Australia and Singapore). The article states that Australia has made considerable concessions to nations such as Japan and the US by permitting increases in regulation over intellectual property, specifically for cancer related drugs. The new regulation could mean that government permitted monopolies could be extended, meaning patients may be forced to pay more for treatment for longer periods of time.
Haydn W

Greece's leader warns Merkel of 'impossible' debt payments - FT.com - 0 views

www.ft.com/...b5-11e4-982a-00144feab7de.html

Foreign Debt Greece EU

shared by Haydn W on 24 Mar 15 - No Cached
  • Greece’s leader warns Merkel of ‘impossible’ debt payments
  • Alexis Tsipras, the Greek prime minister, has warned Angela Merkel that it will be “impossible” for Athens to service debt obligations
  • The warning, contained in a letter sent by Mr Tsipras to the German chancellor and obtained by the Financial Times, comes as concerns mount that Athens will struggle to make pension and wage payments at the end of this month and could run out of cash before the end of April.
  • ...12 more annotations...
  • just before Ms Merkel agreed to meet Mr Tsipras on the sidelines of an EU summit last Thursday and invited him for a one-on-one session in Berlin
  • Mr Tsipras warns that his government will be forced to choose between paying off loans, owed primarily to the International Monetary Fund, or continue social spending.
  • He blames European Central Bank limits
  • “Given that Greece has no access to money markets, and also in view of the ‘spikes’ in our debt repayment obligations during the spring and summer . . . it ought to be clear that the ECB’s special restrictions when combined with disbursement delays would make it impossible for any government to service its debt,” Mr Tsipras wrote.
  • He said servicing the debts would lead to a “sharp deterioration in the already depressed Greek social economy
  • Mr Tsipras was rebuffed in efforts to secure quick financing from either the ECB or eurozone lenders at Thursday’s Brussels meeting
  • In an interview, Luis de Guindos, Spanish finance minister, said his eurozone counterparts would not sign off on any new bailout funding until a full set of approved reforms was passed
  • Mr Tsipras’s five-page letter is particularly critical of the ECB
  • The Greek prime minister insisted the ECB should have returned to “the terms of finance of the Greek banks”
  • Far from going easier on Athens, the ECB is considering whether to give its guidance to Greek banks more authority by making it a legally binding requirement not to add to their T-bill holdings.
  • He also criticised the ECB for only increasing the amount of emergency central bank loans to Greek lenders “at shorter intervals than normal and at rather small increments”
  • Mr Tsipras wrote that Athens was “committed to fulfilling its obligations in good faith and close co-operation with its partners”, he also warned Ms Merkel that a failure to find short-term funding could lead to much bigger problems.
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