Primark s Corporate Social Responsibility - 954 Words

Summarize the Ways in Which PRIMARK have Lived Up to their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Policies and Ways in Which They could or should have Done Better. Primark, an Irish clothing retailer company was set up and headquartered in Dublin in 1969. Nowadays, there are over 250 stores across the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe and the United States. Moreover, Primark operates with about 700 suppliers in China, India, Bangladesh, Turkey and Eastern Europe. Primark takes corporate social responsibility for the shareholders, owners, customers, suppliers as well as employees. Corporate social responsibility is that a company not only creates profits for the shareholders, but also undertakes the social responsibility for customers, employees and environment, including complying with business ethics, rights of workers and the rules of environmental protection. In order to develop continuously, corporate social responsibility plays an significant role in a company, which drives stakeholders have reliance on the company. This essay focuses on the ways in which Primark taking its duty to society and the ways in which the company should have done b etter. Primark meets the corporate social responsibility to environment at large. Firstly, Primark establishes a partnership with CottonConnect aiming to improve the farming technique that growing cotton with fewer resources. In this way, the farmers can earn more money for themselves. Secondly, in order to promote a green productionShow MoreRelatedEthical And Socially Responsible Business Practice1662 Words   |  7 Pagescorporations and the strengths that are drawn from their ethical and socially responsible business practice. In today s business world, it is difficult for corporations to define what is regarded as a responsible business practice in the areas of ethical and social responsibilities. The hallmark of a good company is to maintain a strong ethical practice, values, policies and social responsibilities that guides its conducts as well as the activities of its employees. Taylor (1975), defined ethics as the inquiryRead MoreTaking a Look at Primark1488 Words   |  6 PagesPrimark is an Irish retailing company that is widely established in the value fashion sector. The company is a subsidiary of ABF plc (Associated British Foods) and its main headquarters are in Dublin, Ireland, where the first store opened on Mary Street in 1969 under the trading name Penneys. Primark now operates in 9 countries, 268 stores, in Ireland (branded as Penneys), the United Kingdom, Spain, the Netherlands, Portugal, Germany, Belgium, Austria and France. The company employs more than 48Read MoreSocial Compliance And Environmental Concerns1691 Words   |  7 PagesSOCIAL COMPLIANCE AND ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERNS Social compliance refers to how a business or an organisation treat its employees, the workforce and the environment on social responsibility. It refers to a code of conduct that directs how employees should be treated in regard to wages, work hours and work conditions. To ensure that the company meets with the standards of various environmental laws, it may be necessary to conduct a compliance audit. The various codes of conduct now available are:Read MoreCorporate Environmental and Social Management7337 Words   |  30 PagesCORPORATE ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL MANAGEMENT Unit 46 Assignment Table of Contents Introduction............................................................................................................................ 2 I. The development of global, European and national policies relating to sustainability. 2 1. Changing attitudes of public, politicians and businesses to the environment since 1945 ..........................................................................................Read MorePrimark Corporate Social Responsibility5880 Words   |  24 PagesUK: Primark cuts three suppliers following child labour claims A News item from Business Respect, Issue Number 130, dated 17 Jun 2008 UK clothing retailer Primark has ended its contracts with three suppliers in India following allegations channelled through a BBC documentary that they used child labour to finish garments with embroidery and sequin work. The company said that the work had been improperly sub-contracted against the companys code of conduct, and it had taken action accordinglyRead MoreWhy Do People Shop at PRIMARK Regularly? 1337 Words   |  6 PagesBefore I came to the UK, I had never heard of Primark before. Some students from last year recommended me to buy socks, stockings and accessories there and they used â€Å"cost-effective† to describe it, but this â€Å"word-of-mouth† still not persuasive enough to motivate me to take an action. The first time I went to Primark was last September. I passed by the Primark flagship store on Oxford Street, I was extremely surprised at the crowd in front of the outlet because almost everyone bought loads of thingsRead MoreThe Social Reporting Methods And Activities Of 2 Fashion Companies2522 Words   |  11 Pagesthat Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a top priority in the business world. It is no longer enough for a business to measure its high performan ce against key business ethics that includes profitability, level of sales and operational efficiency. â€Å"Corporate Social Responsibility is a commitment to improve community well being through voluntary business practices and corporate resources† (Kotler and Lee, 2015). The prominence of CSR is reflected when a search of the phrase ‘Corporate SocialRead MoreImpact Of Corporate Social Responsibility On A Companys Performance1127 Words   |  5 Pagesextent is Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) beneficial to a company’s performance? Sub-prompt: Evaluate how CSR can be beneficial to company’s financial performance. 1. Introduction Corporate social responsibility (CSR) has become more influential when making company’s decisions. 53% of the SP, an index based on market capitalizations of 500 U.S. companies, has published CSR reports in 2012 as compared to 19% in 2011. An approach, suggested by Business for Social Responsibility, considersRead MoreExplain the ethical issues a business needs to consider in its operational activities3515 Words   |  15 Pagesfrom the beginning to work ethically and ethics from a part of its strategic aims. What Is Business Ethics? Business ethics is an organisation which works to achieve corporate aims. The aims are dictated by the kind of organisation itself. A public service organisation, for instance, must deliver government services such as social services. A private business seeks profit for the benefits of its owners. Business managers in these organisations are paid to make decisions that will help the businessRead MorePest, Swot And Porter s Five Forces Model Of Competitive Advantage1646 Words   |  7 Pagesoverview of the renewable energy industry and some other background, a critical environmental analysis of the industry will be examined using PEST, SWOT and Porter s Five forces model of competitive advantage. 3.1 Political, Economic, Social and Technological (PEST) Analysis 3.1.1 Political Factors The continuing decline in the UK s oil and gas industries has led to an increasing need to import oil and gas (Keynote, 2010). Resulting in the UK competing in the world markets for its oil and gas requirements

Source Critique The Most Important Part Of A Yoga Pose

Source Critique: The Most Important Part of a Yoga Pose At the age of fourteen I started to practice yoga, and because of what it has been able to do for me I continue to practice almost daily. It all began as I wanted a way to relieve everyday stresses with a form of exercise that I could do at home on my own schedule. I started my journey by purchasing a yoga mat and VHS showing the basic poses and technique to practice at home, while the mat is used to keep sure footing during practice. Although, I have to admit initially following along with the pleasant woman on the TV screen, I felt the poses she asked of the viewer were just like regular stretching. The positions seemed almost too simple to being doing any major changes.†¦show more content†¦Subsequently, with continued practice for about two years, there came a time that I was able to obtain that calmness whenever and where ever I needed it. Which brings me to present day when life’s stresses only seem to grow in stature as we â€Å"grow up† and we take on more and more in life, it begins to weigh us down. With this in mind, my own curiosity about how yoga was able to let me free myself from our over stressed world. Coupled with the staying power it has had in my life over an extended period of time has lead me to further my research on the subject of yoga. More specifically though I wanted to see how yoga can relieve stress and therefore assist in overall health and wellbeing. During many interesting readings that I have encountered in my research, I read a particular article that I chose for my source critique, The Most Important Part of a Yoga Pose, written by Jill Miller. I chose this article because Jill answers some of the original questions I had when I started yoga years ago. In this article, Jill presents information to help answer the question that often comes up during the practice of yoga. That question is, what’s the most important part of this yoga pose? Her main thesis is that there are several detailed ways prior to and during the practice of yoga to get the full effect out of each pose, during each and every session. She focuses on how we need to saturate our minds with relaxation prior to posing. Stating

The Dutch Health Care System Free Essays

string(49) " that it is totally managed by private insurers\." Introduction Providing equitable access to quality healthcare is a basic obligation of the state. However, the implementation of this obligation is far from easy for countries across the world that are struggling with raising healthcare costs and the budgetary constraints associated with recession. Policies are the key driving forces in delivering quality healthcare. We will write a custom essay sample on The Dutch Health Care System or any similar topic only for you Order Now (Naidoo Wills, 2005) Even developed countries with powerful infrastructure in place are struggling with issues such as administrative overhead costs, accessibility and equitable distribution of healthcare services. With government sponsored healthcare becoming an unsustainable solution in the long run, most countries are switching over to private insurance based health care provision. Healthcare is not a commodity and hence it cannot be managed as any other business with a pure profit oriented focus. There is also a mismatch between the need for service and the ability to pay for the same. Developing a model that is both sustainable and providing equitable access to all citizens is therefore a critical national agenda. This paper focuses on one of the widely touted health care reforms of the millennia. The Dutch Healthcare reforms and in particular the ‘Health insurance act’ of 2006 is the subject of this paper. Rationale for Choice The choice of Netherlands as the country of study was due to the fact that the country was consistently among the top three nations in the European heath consumer index (EHCI). Notably, Netherlands topped the 2012 EHCI rankings (Arne BJornberg, 2012). Analysts report that this consistent performance is mainly due to the policy reforms and the introduction of the ‘Health Insurance act’ of 2006. Not only did the Netherlands top the EHCI which is generally regarded as measure of ‘consumer friendliness’ of the national health care policy, but it also ranked among the top three nations when measured for outcomes related to critical and chronic conditions such as cardiac problems, diabetes, HIV and Hepatitis (Arne BJornberg, 2012). The appendix A includes graphical figures showing the performance of Netherlands in some of the important healthcare metrics such as infant mortality levels, elective surgery waiting time, etc. Reports suggest that though there is s ome scope for improvement in terms of reducing the waiting time and the overall accessibility of services, the Dutch healthcare system has hardly any weakspots (Arne BJornberg, 2012) The success of the Dutch model has bought increasing global focus on its model of care delivery. This paper therefore explores the vital aspects of the Dutch health care system. Methodology This is a secondary research and involved searching for national reports and health policy documents and journal articles pertaining to the health care policy of Netherlands. Pubmed database was searched for a combination of keywords such as Dutch Healthcare system, health insurance, structural reforms, etc. Google search was also conducted on these keywords and this provided access to comprehensive national reports. Since the search resulted in a wide array of documents only those reports and articles which were authentic sources such as the Dutch ministry of health and articles from peer reviewed journals and magazines were selected for use in this report. The Dutch Health Care system (The problems that existed) The healthcare system in the Netherlands was totally different before 2006, when it was restructured with the introduction of the ‘Health insurance act’ (Zorgverzekeringswet, Zvw). A brief overview of the earlier system would help us better understand the evolutionary response and the introduction of the much touted ‘health insurance act’ of 2006. Earlier, universal health coverage was achieved by a combination of government funded and privately funded insurance systems. Social health insurance (ZFW) funded by the government provided coverage for all those who were under the prescribed income limit. The vast majority of the Dutch population was under the ZFW coverage. Another government funded program known as the AWBZ (exceptional medical insurance act) provided coverage for long term care and other exceptional medical treatments. Around 30% of the Dutch population who were above the prescribed low income level to qualify for the ZFW were encouraged to purc hase coverage from private health insurance services (PHI) (David, 2008). These private health insurance schemes were mostly funded by the employers or in some instances directly by the individuals. While the Dutch system was working good in providing universal access to coverage there were systemic problems. Sustainability of the system was one of the pressing issues. For instance, the aging population and the growing health care needs implied that the majority government- funded health coverage would consume a significant portion of the national GDP. (14% and above). Secondly the model did not provide sufficient quality incentives for the care providing organizations and there were also growing concerns about the accessibility to some services. Particularly, there was a tendency to postpone elective procedures at the end of the year for pure accounting purposes. Thirdly, insurance premiums under the PHI or private providers were rising considerably for those with chronic conditions and this, in fact, discouraged many from the PHI schemes and such people went without insurance. Last but not the least, was the problem of insurance portability(David, 2008). Owing to participation of numerous small insurance companies in the PHI scheme, there were significant coverage limitations. To eradicate all these problems the Dutch government came up with fundamental changes in the delivery model with the majority government funded social insurance system giving way to a privately insured, yet government regulated, model of care delivery. This has greatly improved the healthcare system by addressing the above mentioned problems. The Health care Act (2006) (A sustainable solution) This act structurally redesigned the Dutch healthcare system by introducing private social insurance (ZVW) as a mandatory coverage for all citizens above 18 years of age while the government covers all those below 18 years of age. The important feature of the ZVW scheme is that it provides universal coverage for all citizens without any restrictions based on their age, health status, pre existing conditions, etc. Also the distinguishing feature between the ZVW and the earlier ZFW is that it is totally managed by private insurers. You read "The Dutch Health Care System" in category "Essay examples" This act is a significant move towards the private free market. However, it is regulated by the government and the price for the basic benefit package under the ZVW is stipulated based on annual projections. The ZVW covers all routine checkups, hospitalizations, medication and doctor’s fees. Other services that do not come under the ZVW such as dentistry, cosmetic services, physiothe rapy, etc could be optionally covered through supplementary policies (Maarsse, 2011). The following illustration depicts the prevailing health care insurance system in Netherlands Fig : Health Insurance system after the 2006 Health Insurance act (Maarsse, 2011) The ZVW (A hybrid system) Health care as a market service is not recommendable as governments do not see health care as a business but as a social provision. Under these circumstances the introduction of the private ‘for –profit’ business entities to provide insurance coverage creates undesirable consequences that might affect the equitable distribution of health care. Such discrepancies in service provision by private insurance entities in the US offer a clear case that confirm the fears that markets are not the ideal way to deliver health. (Angell, 2008) However, one of the highlights of the Dutch healthcare system is the uniformness of coverage that it allows. Dutch lawmakers have incorporated several legal features that protect the consumers and ensure that the ZVW is a hybrid form of the social insurance and the private insurance (VWS, 2012). Since the Dutch government compensates the insurers for high risk patients in the form of the risk equalization fund the system avoids â€Å"cherry picking† which is a pressing problem in countries such as the US where private insurers are very selective in covering high risk patients. (Angell, 2008). The Dutch model on the other hand, by compensating insurers for enrollees with a higher risk prediction, encourages them to provide coverage for everyone without a risk bias. The concept of risk equalization therefore helps to achieve universal coverage even under a ‘for –profit’ private insurer based system. As Michael Borowitz, a senior health policy analyst with OECD says, this system provides insurance companies â€Å"no incentive to pick people who are only healthy†. (PBS, 2009) This is a key policy control mechanism that aids with the success of the universal coverage and the absence of such a policy control in the US created a pure business like approach where the goal of profit maximization naturally discourages private insurers from providing coverage for people under a higher risk category (Angell, 2008). Insurer Competition and Consumer Freedom Another aspect of the thoroughly regulated Dutch private insurance system is that it creates healthy competition between insurers. The government permits health consumers to switch between insurers once every year. Thus the privately administered and government regulated insurance model provides choice to the consumer and serves to improve the quality of services by the insurance providers. The health insurance act also provides sufficient freedom of choice to the consumer. For instance, enrollees can opt for policy in- kind or a restitution policy. In the first instance, the insurance company itself takes care of all the details including finding the appropriate health providers and the payments etc. In the restitution option the enrollee can choose his/her own providers, at their own time, and also pay up for the services. The cost of such services is then reimbursed by the insurance provider. The later option is referred to as the personal care budget (pgb or persoonsgebonden bu dget) (Daley Gubb, 2013). On top of this flexibility, the Dutch ZVW insurance scheme also provides for compensatory features such as deductibles. Deductibles apply to any enrollee that has not utilized the health services beyond a minimum cost during the year and these are automatically applied to the premium in the next year (David , 2008). This feature adds to the solidarity of the Dutch insurance system. GP’s as Gatekeepers As in the UK, the Dutch also adopt the gatekeeper approach when it comes to availing specialist care. The General Practitioner (GP) is the primary care provider of the patient and is usually the family physician. Any consultations with specialist service providers operating in secondary and tertiary care units is made possible only through a referral from theGP. This method is applied in order to contain health care costs associated with unnecessary specialist consultations (Daley Gubb, 2013). Quality of care is a high priority in the national health policy. The policy allows insurers to select hospitals or care providers based on the quality of their service. If any providers are found wanting in quality, insurers have the option not to contract such providers. Furthermore feedback from patients are considered and promptly attended to. The General administrative law act makes it a priority for the AWBZ implementing body to promptly assess and address any customer grievance. If the customer is not satisfied with the response from the AWBZ body then he/she could lodge a complaint with the national ombudsman which would not only assess the provider for upholding contractual provisions, but also verify if the patient was meted out equal treatment, reasonableness and proper care. Furthermore, if the Ombudsman received many complaints of similar nature the problem is referred to the health ministry which would take it into consideration for further changes to the health care policy(VWS, 2012). These feedback systems ensure that the experience for the patient at the point of care delivery is motivating and positive. Conclusion The health insurance act of 2006 bought a significant reform to the way healthcare is delivered in the Netherlands. Widely praised as a successful evolutionary response, the health insurance act created a move away from the segmented structure of insurance towards a mandatory single scheme for all citizens. Equity of access, quality of health services and financial risk protection are the key aspects that govern universal coverage. The inclusion of social preconditions such as the provision of equitable coverage for all citizens, as well as insurer and consumer friendly components such as ‘risk equalization fund’ and ‘deductibles’ have made private insurance based universal coverage a reality. In Netherlands, strict government regulation of private insurance has created a level playing field, stimulating healthy competition among the insurers while at the same time providing freedom of choice for the health consumer. References Claire Daley James Gubb (2013) , Healthcare Systems : The Netherlands , viewed March 26th 2013, www.civitas.org.uk/nhs/download/netherlands.pdf Arne BJornberg (2012), Euro health consumer Index, 2012 report, published by Health Consumer Powerhouse Maarse, H (2011), Dutch Health Care Reform at the Crossroads, The Hastings Centre, viewed March 26th 2013, http://healthcarecostmonitor.thehastingscenter.org/files/2011/06/Maarse-Dutch-health-care-reform-at-the-crossroads-long-version1.pdf Marcia Angell (2008), Privatizing healthcare is not the answer: Lessons from the United States, CMAJ 179 (9), 916-919. Naidoo J Wills J (2005), Public health and health promotion: Developing practice, London, Elsevier. PBS (2009), Comparing international health care systems, viewed March 27th, 2013, http://www.pbs.org/newshour/updates/health/july-dec09/insurance_10-06.html Perott, David, (2008), The Dutch Health care system: Possible model for AmericaPhysician Executive, 34(6), 16- 8 20-3 VWS (2012), Health insurance in the Netherlands, Ministry of health and sports publication, viewed March 26th 2012, www.government.nl/†¦/health-insurance-in-the-netherlands.pdf How to cite The Dutch Health Care System, Essay examples

The King of Pop- Michael Jackson free essay sample

You say you understand Michael Jackson. Maybe you do not as well as you think you do. As a child, Michael was forced into the music career by his father into the Jackson Five and forced out of his childhood. He would be home schooled and then after that he would not watch the TV or go outside with the other kids, but go to practice for hours on end until he went to bed. There in practice his dad would sit and when one of five boys would make a little mistake, they would be smacked. Then Michael in adolescence would be teased about his large nose and he had terrible acne. People did not like the grown Jackson. He began to feel embarrassed and uncomfortable with his new look. He left The Jacksons and made his first album off the wall. Then he was not known as just the cute singer for The Jackson Five but him self, Michael Jackson. We will write a custom essay sample on The King of Pop- Michael Jackson or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page He made several great songs and then fell face first one a stage and broke his nose and had a nose job preformed to get it fixed. He also later on had another nose job to be able to hit high notes while singing. Then in 1982, he sold the biggest-selling album, Thriller. He was then known, with his instantly identifiable voice, astonishing dance moves and his wardrobe. The red leather jacket with all the crazy zippers, the white sparkle glove, and the socks. The album had many great songs that showed his great talent such as Billy Jean, Thriller, â€Å"Beat it† and so many more. With his videos, Michael broke the color barrier by having his videos played on MTV. Then on May 16, 1983, he sealed his talent by performing the â€Å"moonwalkâ€Å". The move became as much as a signature as his white glove or his vocal hiccups. Then he came out with the anthemia song We Are the World for the all-star famine-relief effort USA for Africa. 1987 Bad was released; with much anticipation, the fans were not expecting the album to be any less great than Thriller although it was. 1991 Dangerous was release and Black or White shot up to the top of the charts. 1995 HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book 1 came out. It was to be of all his great songs but the album never made it that well because everyone already had those hits. 2001 Invincible was released. However, this whole time making music, Michael was going through some trouble with his image and the press. He was a bizarre man who never had a childhood and was never loved as a child by his family. He bought Neverland Ranch witch was filled with amusement rides and pets such as Bubbles the chimp. He surrounded himself with children and invited them to come to Neverland Ranch. Michael would even let the children sleep with him, because they needed love. He would tuck them in and put some music on, even give them warm milk. This was not a good image to be making although it was harmless the press and world did not see it as him just showing the children that they are loved but more than that. Michael had this reputation with him for the rest of his life until his dieing day. No one will truly understand the man completely, but hopefully now the world can look at him for all the great memorable things he did and not the little mistakes he made. 2009 we lost a legend, an icon, and a king. We lost Michael Jackson.