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Purpose: Grounded in the theoretical concepts of utilitarianism and deontology, this paper aims to evaluate the issue of child labour from an ethics perspective. By linking utilitarianism with normative stakeholder theory, relevant stakeholder groups are being identified in order to examine their influence on and role in the occurrence of child labour allowing for a practical reference. The findings may serve companies in particular as a basis for decision-making in the development of their value chains.
Design/Methodology/Approach: The author uses a literature review in order to analyze the findings of existing literature on the topic of child labour in an ethics context, thereby drawing on literature, indexed in Web of Science and Google Scholar by employing forward and backward citation analysis.
Findings: The investigation of child labour in terms of ethics yields conflicting results. From a deontological perspective, child labour can never be ethical and should always be rejected as it is not wanted to become a general law. In contrast, according to a utilitarian sentiment, child labour is ethically justifiable as long as the beneficiaries of the labour are greater in number than the children working or suffering.
Originality/Value: The examination of child labour from the perspective of deontology and utilitarianism in conjunction with normative stakeholder theory constitutes a novelty in the ethics literature. The integration of theoretical findings into a practical business context provides additional value for managers and global supply chain managers.
The dark side of Samsung’s value chain: The human costs of cobalt mining “BLOOD, SWEAT AND COBALT”
(2021)
Samsung has been implicitly linked to human rights abuses and wider social downgrading propagated within the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Reports by different studies have shown artisanal cobalt mines (ASM) to exploit child labour and subject workers to perilous conditions. The IT multinational is dependent upon Congolese cobalt as a key element in lithiumion batteries used to produce their array of electronics. However, irresponsible cobalt sourcing practices undertaken by Tier 1 suppliers, Glencore and Huayou, have resulted in ASM operations being incorporated into Samsung’s global value chain, as Tier 2 suppliers. Analysis of the relationships underpinning Samsung’s cobalt value chain theoretical framework, highlights the presence of a relational governance structure, with captive elements among upstream Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers. Samsung is thereby reliant upon both Glencore and Huayou to transmit and enforce private codes of conduct down the value chain to expel human rights abuses. In conjunction, the DRC’s weak and unstable institutional environment has facilitated corruption and the improper enforcement of laws across the ASM industry. It is thereby imperative that Samsung takes ownership of the issues present within its value chain, as both Tier 1 suppliers and the Congolese government have failed to ensure responsible cobalt sourcing practices to date. This report recommends that Samsung adopt a holistic action plan, not only utilising their own resources and capabilities, but also those of critical stakeholders including Tier 1 suppliers, NGOs and the DRC and South Korean governments. Most prominently, this report suggests that supply chain transparency can be improved using certificates of origin and blockchain technology. Furthermore, it is recommended that poverty alleviation is targeted as a key measure through “Cobalt for Development”, an action plan designed to instigate both social and economic upgrading within ASM operations and the wider community. By employing a multi-scalar approach and addressing the issues inherent across multiple governance levels, Samsung can ensure a responsible source of cobalt be sustained.
Global vernetzte Supply Chains (SC) führen bei den Unternehmen zu geringeren Kosten, aber zugleich erhöhen diese auch die Abhängigkeit ggü. den Lieferanten und die Störanfälligkeit der SCs wird erhöht. In den vergangenen Jahren haben zudem die Unsicherheiten für die SCs stark zugenommen. Treiber waren hier u.a. der Brexit, Handelskonflikte oder auch die Corona-Pandemie. In diesem Zusammenhang steht verstärkt die Entwicklung neuer SC-Strategien im Fokus der Unternehmen. Dabei wird stark auf die Verbesserung der Resilienz der SCs geachtet, um dadurch u.a. die Risiken für die SCs zu reduzieren. Die Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit den Auswirkungen steigender Unsicherheiten auf das Design sowie die Resilienz von SCs und hat das Ziel zu ermitteln, ob es Änderungen in der SC bedarf, um auf die Auswirkungen steigender Unsicherheiten zu reagieren und wie die Resilienz zukünftig sichergestellt werden kann (Trade-off zwischen Resilienz und Kosteneffizienz). Im Rahmen der Untersuchung erfolgte eine qualitative Forschung in Form von Experteninterviews, da so u.a. spezifische Meinungen oder auch Begründungen und Einstellungen von bestimmten Personen zu den vorliegenden Thematiken ermittelt werden können. Die Ergebnisse zeigen, dass die Kosten weiterhin meist der entscheidende Aspekt sind und es mehr Transparenz, Flexibilität sowie ein besseres Risikomanagement nötig ist. Des Weiteren bedarf es zukünftig u.a. einer größeren Berücksichtigung von Unsicherheiten, eine Erhöhung von Sicherheitsbeständen sowie eine Verringerung der Komplexität der SCs und u.U. mehr Local Sourcing. Es empfiehlt sich eine weitere Untersuchung hinsichtlich der Kosten, die durch Resilienz-Instrumente sowie durch fehlende Resilienz entstehen können, durchzuführen.
Railroads, roads, rivers, and airways are the most common modes of transportation for people and commodities. The cost of different ways of transportation varies according to distance, luxury, size, fragility, and other factors. When the following factors are accounted for, the vehicle might become prohibitively expensive for many individuals. A new means of conveyance has been developed. Elon Musk initially proposed it as the fifth mode of transportation in 2012. For commuters and goods, Hyperloop offers a quick and cost-effective way of transportation. The Hyperloop is essentially a vacuum tube train that transports people or products at incredible speeds while efficiently. Compared to traditional forms of transportation, the Hyperloop is ideal since it is highly energy-efficient, quiet, and self-contained. Increased cargo delivery speeds will be the most evident benefit of this idea to the industry. Hyperloop also has the potential to make a significant contribution to green supply chains. It is a carbon-free form of transportation that has changed inland freight transportation and maritime and air freight transit. It can move freight below, above ground, and under-water. The aim of this paper is to explain this new innovative technology as a development for logistic concepts.
The integration of genetic algorithms to optimize the networks of value chains could enormously improve the performance of supply chains. For this reason, this paper describes in more detail the application of genetic algorithms in the value chains of the automotive industry. For this purpose, a theoretical model is built up to evaluate whether the application of the model can optimize the value chain. This option is described, analyzed and its restrictions are shown. Instead of looking at the entire network, individual finished goods and their bill of material are used as a basis for optimization, which greatly reduces the complexity of the original problem. The original complexity of the supply chain networks can thus be reduced and considered based on the bill of material.
Irrigated paddy rice agriculture accounts for a major share of Asia Pacific’s total water withdrawal. Furthermore, climate change induced water scarcity in the Asia-Pacific region is projected to intensify in the near future. Therefore, methods to reduce water consumption through efficiency measures are needed to ensure the long-term (water) sustainability. The irrigation systems, subak of Karangasem, Indonesia, and the tameike of Kunisaki, Japan, are two examples of sustainable paddy rice irrigation. This research, through interviews and an extensive survey, comparatively assessed the socio-environmental sustainability of the two irrigation management systems with special reference to the intensity and nature of social capital, equity of water distribution, water demand, water footprint, and water quality, etc. The prevailing social capital paradigm of each system was also compared to its overall managerial outcomes to analyze how cooperative action contributes to sustainable irrigation management. Both systems show a comparable degree of sustainable irrigation management, ensuring an equitable use of water, and maintain relatively fair water quality due to the land-use practices adapted. However, the systems differ in water demand and water efficiency principally because of the differences in the irrigation management strategies: human and structural. These findings could help devise mechanisms for transitioning to sustainable irrigation management in the commercially-oriented paddy rice agricultural systems across the Asia-Pacific region.
This study will describe how the robotics industry evolved increasingly and a new phase of advanced robotics has emerged, and the relation between humans and robots in the same workplace. Problems of designing safer robots in human-machine interaction systems are urgent research topics in the field of industrial robotics. Many of the problems in industrial robotics are related not just to technological issues, but also to human-robot collaboration also will be discussed as an effective method to tackle this issue is the invention of Collaborative robots.
The data presented here contain information on cheating behavior from experiments and general self-reported attitudes related to honesty-related social norms and trust, together with individual-level demographic variables. Our sample included 493 university students in five countries, namely, Germany, Vietnam, Taiwan, China, and Japan. The experiment was monetarily incentivized based on the performance on a matrix task. The participants also answered a survey questionnaire. The dataset is valuable for academic researchers in sociology, psychology, and economics who are interested in honesty, norms, and cultural differences.
Agility and digital trends go hand in hand, but the advantages of digitalization perform a high pressure on the established automotive companies. For years now, automotive groups have no longer been innovation drivers in the industry. This status is reserved for radical companies like Tesla. But is there any chance that conservative companies will reinvent themselves, establish leaner structures and thus regain market dominance and innovation?
The future of German pharmacy business models with retail clinics as USP against online pharmacies
(2022)
Purpose: This study aims to discuss the chances of in-store pharmacies through in-store health services, e. g. vaccinations or Covid-19 tests, in Germany. As a result, retail clinics could lead to a USP against online pharmacies. Additionally, the study will show how possible retail clinics could look like and how the acceptance in the population is.
Research Methodology: To conduct the survey, Google Forms was used together with MS Excel for the analysis. Various studies were reviewed, and care was taken to work as closely as possible to practice and its figures from e. g. associations, companies, or statista.
Results: The launch of retail clinics could give German stationary pharmacies a new boost and differentiate them from online pharmacies on the market. Pharmaceutical services are in great demand among the population, hopefully, the legal framework will soon be in place, and the proper services will have to be offered to be able to fully generate the large sales potential.
Discussion and Conclusion: The study only points to a general overview of how health services can help store pharmacies in the competition with online pharmacies in Germany. Yet there are also other possible USPs for store pharmacies, which are not concluded in that study. In addition, the legal framework under which pharmacies operate must be analyzed in detail by legal experts to obtain a precise overview of what is possible for pharmacies in the area of pharmaceutical services and retail clinics. The study is useful for pharmacists, business economists in general as well as in health care management.