The Work-Family Interface - Assignment Example

1. For this assignment, please refer to page 112 in our textbook, “The Work-Family Interface.”
2. It is better for parents to remain in the active workforce and have their young child receive the care of professional care centers. With professional care providers, the parent can be sure of the child’s physical health and safety as well engagement with peers in a good environment. Furthermore, they get to interact with the child in the evenings after work as well as during weekends.
3. If the United States opts for paid family leave, it should be up to six weeks. There should also be incentives to encourage parents to take this kind of leave. Benefits should include medical and holiday insurance coverage while away.
4. I think the US should regulate working hours to se to shield workers in both public and private sectors from being exploited. An eight hours working day should be acceptable and employees should only work for five days. Any overtime should be a request and compensated commensurately. In setting such a law I will consider ILO and other international organizations as well as the UN guidelines on work hours.
5. Closing borders is a good measure that will help prevent illegal immigration into the US. However, focusing on the demand side for labor by illegal immigrants you see a need for punishing employers. Firstly, sneaking into a country to earn a living is less grievous a crime compared to sneaking around fair labor to employ low-wage immigrants. Sneaking around fair labor standards encourages the employment of illegal immigrants on poor wages. Such employers should be fined heavily so as to bar them from repeating their unethical acts.
6. Answer each question about the country of your choice (each worth 15 points)
7. What were the best notable differences among nations?

Nations differ markedly in a number of issues. One notable difference among nations is culture; all nations of the world have unique cultures which not only influence development but also the way of doing business. In China for instance business is greatly influenced by strong relationships and trust while in the West the business environment runs on the principle of capitalism where contractual agreements are influential. Approaching business can therefore differ significantly from the West. Another notable difference is the legal environment; some nations encourage free markets while others such as China protect certain sectors perceived as being important to the national economy. Labor laws also differ with some nations focusing a lot on the rights of employees while others don’t. in China for instance laws on copyright are not well developed and therefore proprietary issues can easily arise when doing business.

1. In what ways is the US similar or dissimilar to developing nations?

The United States differs from developing nations for instance when it comes to employee training. These nations are faced with problems; that depends on the introduction of new techniques and knowledge transfer. The US is sufficiently industrialized and does not depend on aid while these nations rely so much on foreign aid. Intellectual property laws in America are well developed while the developing nations still struggle to organize themselves on this end. The United States has shorter and more direct distribution channels as compared to developing nations. The United States also is a leader in technological innovations and therefore is a net exporter whereas most developing nations are net importers.

1. In what ways is the US similar or dissimilar to Western European nations?

The US is similar to European nations in terms of the business environment. In both cases technologies have grown to facilitate production and as such are net exporters. The business environment in both the US and European nations is also based on capitalism where contract law and intellectual property laws are very advanced. The industrialization has also supported both the US and European in expanding economically. Labor laws in the US just as in the European nations are advanced and are based on basic human rights.

1. Are countries diverging or converging over time? Support your answer.

As time goes by, nations of the world are converging; globalization has turned the entire world into a global village. Today doing business with partners, buyers, or sellers on different continents is easily convenient. Communication has made this possible and with the internet whatever you do from any part of the world can be known far away. Modernization also seems to harmonize cultures and laws are increasingly becoming based on international agreements. It increasingly becomes apparent that nations must depend on one another.