International Human Resource Management in a Global Context - Essay Example

SURNAME TUTOR COURSE DATE The international labor standards are laws set and aimed at protecting human beings from labor conditions which involves hardship and injustice. It ensures that rights of human beings at work are respected. This is irrespective of whether they are rich or poor or the development level of any member state. International labor standards (ILO) are the agency which has being given the mandate of developing this standards. The organization was developed in 1919 and has 174 member states both developed and developing countries. The ILO, in its constitution has set four fundamental labor standards which should be followed by all the member countries. These are Issues that affect human being in relation to work and employment. Abolition of all forms of forced labor, Compulsory work or service given to people in form of penalty. work that a person has not offered him/herself voluntarily. This has been the (ILO) main priorities from the days of inter-wars their main concern back then being to protect the people in the colonies who were providing the work force from the worst abuses. To negotiate or establish minimum standards for the Inhabitants of those colonies. In 1998 the ILO established declaration of fundamental principles that every member state should follow, promote, respect and realize a state of association. They strive for the elimination of discrimination in relation to occupation and employment. This is core to achieving greater social justice at the same time promoting greater social development and Peace by allocation of resources efficiently. The laws states that no person should be discriminated because of his color, ethnic back ground, gender, his political affiliation, race or national extraction which has the effect of impairing equal treatment in employment. This has been one of the obstacles in many underdeveloped states hindering growth. Promoting hate and tension between communities which eventually can lead to social wars. Child labor the work that deprives the children their dignity, denies them their potential and child hood. All this can be harmful both to their physical and psychological development. Work that can keep them away from attending schools and also keep them away from engaging themselves in activities like playing. Lack of educated citizens has an adverse effect to the economy and perpetuates poverty in a country. Though not all work done is considered for elimination, it only applies to those works that can hinder growth and appropriate development. Freedom of Association and collective bargaining. This fundamental principle ensures that workers and employees can with no hindrance participate freely in bargaining for their interests in an organization. Employers should allow their employees to join and start organization of their choice without fore authorization. Signatories also agree that they should promote a mechanism that will ensure that there is an establishment of dialogue between the employers and the workers organization. Labor standards in relation to human capital have always been a source of strong controversy since they are in the center of strong economic, social and even political interest. Creating a point of consensus on labor standards therefore could assist in improving the laws governing an expanding world economy. The prevention and elimination of the worst child labor can help in improvement of health and education in small children. The children will eventually get skills which will spark economic growth. But after successfully being able to prohibit child labor the ILO gets a major task, helping those families to be able to recover the income which was being gained from the children . The Families might have been depending on these children for survival, or maybe the earnings from the adults might not be to cater for all the families needs. Problems may arise which may lead to the sprout of illicit labor markets. The ILOs international program on the elimination of child labor has been given the mandate to cater for the adverse effect this program has. Helping children get education and assisting in improving family income. International labor standards have helped a lot in eliminating poverty in member countries through various ways. By encouraging freedom of association and the right to effective bargaining, this has been a leaning power by it self and it can also make the other standards strong. By creating a workers organization that is strong it presents a chance for the rights of workers to be respected effectively. It brings forth a chance for for the workers voice to be heard and also to be considered in the economic growth. Employees thus are able to bargain for their payment and prevent them from exploitation by their employers. National and international economic policies will be effective and sustainable if they include the voices of workers financial, business and other interests. ILO elimination of discrimination will improve opportunities for women and other groups like minority groups who might be discriminated due political affiliation or even due their racial background. Elimination of discrimination helps this group to improve their income and also help to boost their human capital. This standards help in eliminating the continuing cycles of poverty. Compliance and the adherence to international labor standards always bring improvement in production and economic growth. Good wages and equality respect will translate into satisfied employees who are willing to work effectively. Employment protection can encourage workers to take undertake risk schemes and to try to innovate. This is some of the ways that international labor standards assist in to reduce poverty in developing countries. Question 2 Corporate social responsibility statements (CSR) which is also known by other terms like responsible business, corporate responsibility, corporate social performance, and corporate citizenship. These are policies that functions as in built method where corporate business can monitor and regulate them. This ensures that they follow the law, adhere to principle standards and international criterion. Accordingly businesses are supposed to take obligations for the impacts its activities has on the environment, the employees in that business, the consumers of their products, the stakeholders of that company , the effect it will have on different communities, and all other groups of public domain. Businesses which are CSR focused will pro-passively advance public interest by promoting progress and voluntary abolishing those undertakings that can bring harm to public domain no matter the legality. Inclusion of public interest in corporate and business decision making essentially is very important to ensure that public interest is considered when businesses make their decisions. It prompts corporate to avoid involving themselves in risky business that can bring ruin to their business. Building up good reputation takes years to achieve and they can be ruined in few days or hour by making few mistakes, corporate engaging themselves in scandals like corruption, ruining of the environment, nonstandard products. Such misbehaves will tend to draw unwanted attention from various centers like the media, regulators, and government. CSR will prompt businesses to have a genuine real culture of doing things in the right way which can set the corporation in the right path and be able to keep them away from risks. In areas where the competition is high and the market is overcrowded many corporate will try for the most unique proposals. Proposals that will set them above the rest, away from the competition, unique ways that can separate them from other businesses in the minds of the consumers. Corporate social responsibility statements will play a big role in building a lasting and strong consumer loyalty This is achieved by having distinctive ethical principles. Most of the major brands are built on ethical principles. Business organization too can rip big rewarding benefits by creating a good reputation for good practice and dealing with high integrity. This can be the most valuable asset that corporate business will acquire for they will have brought the level of risk down, by building a strong, lasting bond of loyalty with its customers. Corporations try their level best to exempt themselves from business interferences like regulation and taxation. By taking essential self-imposed steps they can manage to influence the government and the public as a whole that they are taking social issues such as health, safety and diversity even the environment seriously as good and responsible corporate citizens. All this in respect to the international labor standards and care for the impact of their activities to the environment. Critics of CSR and also the advocates argue a number of interests related to it. Some of the concerns include CRS's relation to the underlying intention and the business nature and motivation which are refutable for pursuing the CSR, including the interests about untruthfulness and feigning. United Nations special representative John ruggy and his team had recently published a report on business and human rights. The final report that they have given too the UN seems to offer a springboard to all the organizations with concerns of raising standards of their business on human rights. It has now been a decade since the United Nations embarked on its continued endeavor to support the corporate activities with morals which are based on the universal resolution of human rights. The ruggy report seeks to join the best mechanism of economy that the world knows so far with the universal agreed principles of society. The most recent report rests on model of three principles: The duty of the state to protect the rights of human from abuses by third parties, this is done through proper regulations and working policies: Responsibility of the corporate to maintain respect for the human rights and to act diligently to avoid trampling on the rights of others; and proper access by victims to operational relieve, judicial and also non-judicial. Question 3 The role of international financial institution simulates substantial importance in any plan of poverty alleviation plan. It has been generally been put to agreement that the development assistance should support the incorporated strategies that are set by the receiver countries themselves. Financial institution has been playing a pivotal role in helping poor countries through financial loans and donations by providing loans to build their infrastructures like roads and support sectors like the agriculture and the informal sectors. This has enabled governments of those developing countries be able to offer funds and support to various nonperforming sectors. Creative people and especially the youth form the largest percentage of the population have been offered loans by their government which has assisted in the poverty alleviation and also in growth of economy in those countries. International financial institution helps the governments of poor nations to cover the deficits in their budgets. Deficits which could lead a country to fall into social crises, human catastrophe and stunted economical growth. This financial assistance goes to areas like health to support programs like the free ARVs for those people living with HIV/AIDS, support of free education, food programs for the hungry in arid areas. This financial assistance focus mainly on education which is considered as the springboard to greater economic growth. Free education in most third world countries is sustainable through funds offered by international financial institutions. Educated people are able to bring right growth as since in the case of Kenya. Lack of education will lead people to life of crime brought about by higher rate of unemployment and hopelessness this in-turn sparks-out to social crises and economical crises. Though international financial institutions has been heavily criticized, for the reason that many of their policies have left many states in debt and in deep poverty! In addition there has been heavy dependence on richer countries by the third world countries not withstanding the worlds bank and IMF statement that they are going to elevate poverty. This financial institution has been really of great assistance in poverty reduction. Reference Goldman Michael,(2005) Imperial Nature: The World Bank and Struggles for Social Justice in the Age of Globalization. New York: pp.60–63 Evans A.A (1995) My Life as an International Civil Servant in the International Labor Organization. Geneva. Saether Kim; Ruth Aguilera (2008). Corporate social Responsibility in a Comparative Perspective. Oxford Fried John (2009) "Relations Between the United Nations and the International Labor Organization," American Political Science Review. NEW YORK Read More