Case Study the Kader Toy Factory Fire

Case Study the Kader Toy Factory Fire GROUP MEMBERS : SHAIKH MOHD AIMAN BIN SEFF AHMAD MUHAMMAD SUHAIL BIN MOHD ISA   MUHAMMAD ABDUL FATAH BIN ABDULLAH   MOHAMAD ZHAFRI BIN ZAILAINI MUHAMMAD ARIF BIN MUSA Case study the Kader toy factory fire Kader toy factory which located near Bangkok, Thailand was a fire on 10 May 1993. It can be considered the worst-ever factory fire in history. There were 188 workers died and 469 others who were injured. Most of them were young female workers and from rural area. The factory was owned by a Thai transnational corporation, Charoen Pokphand (CP) Group and one of Asia’s largest agribusiness firms. The Kader toy factory used to manufacture stuffed toys and plastics dolls mainly planned for export to the United States and other counties. There were produced forDisney,Matteland others. The site that owned and operated by Kader has been destroyed in the blaze of fire. Kader has another two sister companies that on a contract that operated at that location. PART A There were several factors that lead to this fire. Firstly, the factory was designed and built poorly. Fire exits drawn in the map or building plans were not exists; in fact not constructed, and the existing exit doors were locked. Furthermore, the building was strengthened with un-insulated steel girders which rapidly lessened and crumbled when heated by the flames. The malfunctions of fire alarms were the other factors that lead to the fire. There were four buildings on the Kader site, three of which were destroyed by the fire. The three buildings were designed a single E-shaped structure (see figure 1). Close at hand were a one-storey workshop and another four-storey structure pointed to as Building Four. Three buildings which involved in these incident Fire alarms in Buildings Two and Three had sounded and all the workers from these buildings were able to escape. Unfortunately, for Building One, the fire alarm did not sound. This part of the building was wholly committed to the storage of finished products and the fire spread quickly. The other factories were full of raw materials which also burned very quick. The fire spread extremely quickly when the Firefighters arrived at the factory, and found Building One nearly ready to collapse because of the occurrence of the combustible plastics and fabrics. Next, although each building at the plant was provided with a fire alarm system, none of the buildings had automatic sprinklers. The portable extinguishers and hose stations were installed on outside walls and in the stairwells of each building but none of the structural steel in the building were fireproofed.In addition, Kader factory did not provide its workers with decent fire safety training and the rigid security procedures. Fire drills and fire safety training were also minimal. Figure 1.Site plan of the Kader toy factory In Thailand, the Kader fire incident made a great deal for the country’s fire safety measures, especially its building code design requirements and enforcement policies. Thai Prime Minister, Minister Chuan Leekpai has made a tough action for those who violate the safety laws regarding the fire safety issues. According to theWall Street Journal(1993), Thai Industry Minister Sanan Kachornprasart is quoted that saying that â€Å"Those factories without fire prevention systems will be ordered to install one, or we will shut them down†. The leaders, safety expert and officials said that this incident would help fasten building codes and safety regulations but unfortunately, that lasting progress is still far off as employers scoff rules and governments permit economic growth to take priority over worker safety. The fire has also attracted international debate about foreign investors’ obligation for ensuring the safety of the workers in their sponsoring country because foreign interests owned majority of the shares of Kader Industrial (Thailand) Co. Ltd. 79.96% of the Kader shareholders are from Hong Kong, 20% are from Taiwan, and only 0.04% of Kader is owned by Thai nationals. A tragic industrial fire in Thailand the Kader Toy Factory fire was a fire on 10 May 1993 located in the NakhonPathom Province of Thailand. It can be considered the most focused worldwide industrial factory fire in history where officially 188 workers were killed, and over 500 were seriously injured, many seriously and also permanently. To avoid being burnt to death, they were forced to leap from second, third and fourth floors of the buildings. Most of the victims were young female workers from rural families. Moreover, this disaster was assumed as worst accidental that related to the loss of life fire in industry in history of Thailand. In addition, many of the articles was pointed due to the underlying the world changes capitalist economy that causes such a tragedy accident ever. As we all know, the previous worst industrial fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist factory in New York in 1911. Despite the years between these two disasters, they share striking similarities. In order to take the advantages of newest area of low cost labour, the company such as Kader Holding needs or should replace their operation regularly. As the result the Kader factory outside Bangkok was never intended to be a permanent structure just a temporary structure only as an instance the cheap shoddy buildings, which detected failed to achieve even the minimal Thai construction requirements, were simply packed to overflowing with workers and with their machines. Vitality safety precautions were deemed not necessary overheads. A decade later, the condition that Thailand’s workers and other Asian countries have significantly worst. Moving into a global economy connote that products are manufactured at specific location and used at other locations end-to-end the world.Having a temptation for competitiveness in this new market should not head to settle by concession in fundamental industrial fire safety provisions. There is a moral responsibility to provide workers with a sufficient level of fire protection, no matter where they are located. PART C Three proposals can improve factory safety: 1) the government need to create an independent occupational safety and health (OSH) group with regulatory powers because the government cannot generate enough money to allow civil servants to enforce OSH laws, it is doubtful that an independent group could finance itself, because it would have to be enormous, and consequently cost a fortune, to inspect all the factories concerned. Furthermore in 2000 more than two thirds of Thailand’s factories employed less than 10 workers, who are not legally protected by the Workmen’s Compensation Fund. It is unlikely that OSH standards in these factories could be policed by an outside group. 2) Increase trade union involvement in education and participation unfortunately it is improbable that campaigns by existing trade unions could effectively improve OSH accident or incident rates, since only three percent of workers in Thailand are organised into unions – the prevalence of factories with less than 10 workers as already noted, is a huge obstacle to serious improvement in the rate of worker organisation. 3) the company should Reform the OSH laws, the proposal to reform OSH laws misses the point. In both the Triangle Shirtwaist factory disaster and in the Kader fire, death tolls were so high because the buildings were illegally built or illegally operated or both. Had the laws been followed in 1911 New York and 1993 Bangkok, the fires would not have broken out in the first place, and in the case of Kader, the building would not have collapsed before the workers had escaped. These ideas are valuable components of an OSH system, but the only effective solution is for companies and governments to tackle OSH by letting workers control their own safety. Instead of repressing independent democratic trade unions, they must instead discourage the small companies that are often sweat shops, and alternatively advocate worker participation in democratic trade unions that represent all workers, and allow workers to inspect and bargain working conditions with employers. PART D References

americanisation of australian television Essay -- essays research pape

The Americanization of Australian Television is a sad and terrible thing. It is a process whereby ordinary Australians are bombarded every day with images of American lifestyle, so much that it merges almost unnoticed into their own lifestyle. It is a process whereby our home-grown entertainment industry is overwhelmed by the enormous powerhouse of the American economy, with drastic effects upon the modern Australian nation. Not only is Australian free to air TV being dominated by American produced shows, but a lot of the content on the Australian TV shows is sourced from America. American culture is part of Australian mass consumer culture, It dominates our television. If we look at the early history of Australian television, virtually all program material until 1963 was of foreign origin, of which eighty three percent was American and the rest British (Cited in an article by Cunningham Stuart ,â€Å"History, Contexts, Politics, Policy†.) Philip Bell discusses in his article that even in the first two decades of television ‘American programs and formats dominated commercial channels’ ( Cited in an article by Bell Phillip, ‘Television’). So Americanization of Australian television is not just a recent development. This problem has been there right from the beginning with American shows like Leave it to Beaver and I love Lucy dominating the TV screens of Australian households. Many are concerned with this issue, a good example is shown in an article written by David Dale, readers were asked if they were shocked by the revelation that all the most popular dramas and comedies on Australian television were made in America, and whether they thought TV stations should be forced to show more stories from other countries, including Australia. Carolina Peters talks about her concerns over this issue, she quotes, â€Å"I am not at all shocked that so much of the drivel on our TV screen comes from the US. I am, however, deeply concerned that so much of our programming is either direct from or heavily influenced by the US. The influence is clearly seen in the way kids today are affecting US accents and using US terms. I have heard many kids lately referring to their mothers as 'mom' instead of 'mum'.† ( Cited in the Sydney Morning Herald, David Dale).Whilst people like Terry North disagreed, Terry North talks about how the Australian networks should not be for ced to show mo... ...ence, and now talk and act like American teenagers. Australian television is threatened by the influx of American culture. Phillip Bell talks about the rise of Australian ‘soaps’ in his article, for example Neighbours which began in 1985, he talks about how the show deals with ‘Australian’ issues. (Bell Phillip, ‘Television’), this isn’t necessarily true. In fact many of the storylines in Neighbours are taken from American soaps like Day of our lives or Bold And The Beautiful. Our screens are increasingly filled with disturbing storylines which continually push the boundaries of human depravity. Australian commercial television has imported American formats (Bell Phillip, ‘Television’). Even the Australian Logies are becoming Americanised. At the 2005 Logie awards, there were at least two American celebrity guests, CSI Miami actress †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦ was given a lot of attention at the Logies, because of her famous American celebrity status. The Logie awards which were supposed to be awarded to shows that are produced in Australia, this year awarded a Logie to the OC for the best overseas program. The influence of the American culture on Australian television was clearly evident at the Logies.

Intangible Assets †Woolworths limited Essay

Intangible Assets: An intangible asset, despite not having a physical form to it, has great value to a company and is to be disclosed in the financial reports. Some companies only disclose the brand and goodwill as their only intangible assets, while others include more such as software and the company trademarks (Loftus et al. 2012). The Accounting Standard AASB 138 advises businesses on the accounting treatment of these intangible assets, but only if the specific criteria have been met for an asset to be recognized as intangible. An intangible asset must encompass three characteristics: Identifiable: An asset has to meet one of the following in order to be considered identifiable. It has to be separable, so that it is recognizable to be different than goodwill. This means it is capable of being sold, licensed, rented, transferred or exchanged, resulting with separation from the business. Or it has to arise from contractual or other legal rights, whether it is separable or not (AASB 2010). Non-monetary in nature: The asset has to be non-monetary. This characteristic is required so that receivables are not considered as an intangible asset by businesses just because the money has been recognized but not received yet (Loftus et al. 2012). Lack of physical substance: This is required so that tangible assets of property, plant and equipment are not being recognized as an intangible asset (Loftus et al. 2012). Also, an asset is strictly only recognized as intangible if it meets both of the following in the recognition criteria: (a) It is probable that the expected future economic benefits that are attributable to the asset will flow to the entity; and (b) The cost of the asset can be measured reliably (AASB 2010) Classes of intangible assets: A class is a group of intangible assets that are of similar nature. Some examples of classes include Brand names, Computer software or Licenses and Franchises, just to name a few. Compliance with Accounting Standards: There is a set of disclosing rules that has been set out for Woolworths to apply to their reporting of intangible assets. It is stated in AASB 138 that for each class of intangible assets, the following shall be disclosed by a business: If the useful lives of the asset is either indefinite or finite and the useful lives or amortization rates if it is finite; Woolworths have clearly stated in their annual report a description on whether the useful life of each class is indefinite or finite. 4 out of 5 classes (excluding goodwill as it was reported separately from the other intangibles) were stated as assets with an indefinite useful life, so no amortization was charged (Woolworths Limited 2012). The method used for amortization on intangible assets with finite useful lives; The research and development class of intangible assets for Woolworths had stated that any spending on development activities where their research results are applied to a development for a new or improved product is to be capitalized if the plan is deemed to be commercially possible, and the business has sufficient resources to complete it. It is explained that this capitalized expenditure is expressed as cost less accumulated amortization and impairment losses (Woolworths Limited 2012), however no specific amortization rates were defined. The gross carrying amount and any accumulated amortization and impairment losses at the beginning and end of the period; The line item(s) of the statement of comprehensive income in which any amortization of intangible assets is included; A reconciliation of the carrying amount at the beginning  and end of the period (AASB 138); Woolworths Limited provided a reconciliation of movements in Intangibles (Appendix 1) from 2011 to 2012 in their 2012 financial report to shareholders (Woolworths Limited 2012). The report was presented with each class of intangible asset separated into their own headings with their own amounts written under it before the total amount of intangibles. This made the amounts of amortization and impairment more recognizable from where it had arisen. This reconciliation provided a carrying amount at the beginning and end of the period as requested by the Standards. Also included were the additions arising from acquisition of businesses, other acquisitions and disposals that were required to be shown in the reconciliation. 2011 ($M) 2012 ($M) Carrying amount at end of period $5236.6 $5282.0 (Woolworths Limited 2012) Woolworths had applied the relevant Accounting Standards, AASB 138, towards the treatment of their intangible assets and disclosure of them very well. Their intangible assets presented in the reports were separable, non monetary in nature and didn’t have physical substance. Woolworths could have explained the amortization rates used for their intangible assets, but that was the only limited information provided by Woolworths limited. The disclosure rules were applied into their financial reports, showing that Woolworths Limited’s treatment on their intangible assets conformed to the relevant accounting standards. Recommendations: The guidelines in the AASB 138 seem to already make companies scrutinize their intangible assets intensely and reveal every bit of it in their financial reports. An improvement could be to state in the guidelines which type of report and where in the report that this information should be  disclosed so users can have access to all the information in one go without having to search through many files to find certain information about a company’s intangible assets. AASB 2010, AASB 138 – Intangible Assets, Available on: http://www.aasb.gov.au/admin/file/content102/c3/AASB138_07-04_ERDRjun10_07-09.pdf [25 September 2013] Loftus, J, Leo, K, Picker, R, Wise, V, Clark, K 2012, Understanding Australian Accounting Standards, Wiley, QLD Woolworths Limited 2012, 2012 Financial Report for Shareholders http://www.woolworthslimited.com.au/annualreport/2012/pdf/WW_AR12_FinReport.pdf Appendices Appendix 1:

Biography of Cory Booker, Democratic U.S. Senator

Cory Booker is an American politician and rising star in the Democratic Party who is considered a likely candidate for president in the 2020 election. He is a former  mayor of Newark, New Jersey, who once considered challenging the most popular governor in the U.S.,  Republican Gov. Chris Christie,  but chose instead to seek election to the U.S. Senate. Booker has taken credit for reviving one of American most notorious failed cities and emerged as one of President Donald Trumps fiercest critics.   Early Years Booker was born to  Carolyn and Cary Booker, both executives at the IBM computer company, on April 27, 1969, in Washington, D.C. He was raised from a young age in Newark, New Jersey, and earned a football scholarship to Stanford University after graduating from Northern Valley Regional High School in Old Tappan, New Jersey, in 1987. He had been a football standout in high school but decided that athletics would be his ticket and not my destination. Booker earned both a bachelors degree political science and masters degree in sociology from Stanford University and an honors degree in history at Oxford University. He was a Rhodes Scholar and completed his law degree at Yale University. Political Career Booker began work  as a staff attorney for the Urban Justice Center, a nonprofit legal-services and advocacy agency in Newark, after earning his law degree. He was stationed in East Harlem at a time when police were aggressively sweeping many of the areas young people into the criminal justice system. Booker was elected to the Newark city council at age 29 and served from 1998 to 2002. In 2006, at age 37, he was first elected Newark mayor and heads the states largest, and perhaps most troubled, city. He was re-elected Newark mayor in 2010. He turned down an offer from President Barack Obama in 2009 to head the newly created White House Office of Urban Affairs Policy. Booker said he was considering a run for governor against Christie, whose  popularity surged  largely due to his handling of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 and  was seeking a second term  in 2013. In June of that year, he announced he would seek the U.S. Senate seat left vacant by the death of U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, who died at age 89. In 2011, Time magazine named Booker one of the 100 most influential people. He was a prominent surrogate for Obama in the  2012 election  against  Republican Mitt Romney  and spoke at  that years Democratic National Convention. Presidential Aspirations Booker has said he will not run for the White House in 2020, but many observers believe he is laying the groundwork to unseat Republican Donald Trump, who was elected to a first term in 2016. They believe Bookers first signal at a 2020 candidacy we his unprecedented testimony against a colleague in the U.S. Senate,  Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, who was nominated for attorney general by Trump. Bookers speech in opposition to his colleague was compared to former President Barack Obamas soaring rhetoric. Said Booker of his decision to testify against Sessions: In the choice between standing with Senate norms or standing up for what my conscience tells me is best for our country, I will always choose conscience and country. ... The arc of the moral universe does not just naturally curve toward justice. We must bend it. Obama often referred to the arc of history and often used the quote: The arc of the moral universe is long but it bends toward justice.†Ã‚   Critics saw Bookers decision to testify against Sessions a clear sign of his intention to run for president in 2020. Wrote Republican U.S. Sen. Tom Cotton of Arkansas: â€Å"I’m very disappointed that Sen. Booker has chosen to start his 2020 presidential campaign by testifying against Sen. Sessions. Booker also made high-profile visits to states that are considered vital to presidential candidates including Iowa. Personal Life Booker is single and has no children. Controversies Booker has developed a reputation as Newark mayor for being plainspoken and blunt - characteristics that are somewhat rare in politicians and occasionally land them in hot water. During the 2012 election, Booker caught some flak when he described his partys attacks on Republican Mitt Romneys work at Bain Capital nauseating. The Romney picked up on the comments and used them in the campaign. Legacy Booker is an outspoken advocate for boosting the quality of public education in his city, and has led some particularly successful reforms as Newark mayor. He is also known for shining a light of poverty. In 2012, he embarked on a weeklong campaign to live on food stamps and lived on less than $30 worth of groceries. The constrained food options I have for this one short week highlight for me ... what many hardworking families have to deal with week after week, Booker wrote. Booker said he embarked on the food stamp project following a complaint by a constituent that nutrition is not the governments responsibility. This comment caused me to reflect on the families and children in my community who benefit from SNAP assistance and deserve deeper consideration, he wrote. In my own quest to better understand the outcomes of SNAP assistance, I suggested to this specific Twitter user that we both live on a SNAP equivalent food budget for a week and document our experience. In 25 Accomplishments in 25 Months, Booker and the Newark city council proclaimed successes in adding more police to the city streets, reducing violent crime, expanding public parks, improving access to public transportation and attracting new businesses to the area and creating jobs. Critics, however, have suggested the notion of a reviving Newark was just a mirage and Booker was merely a cheerleader who cared more about his image than getting things done. Journalist Amy S. Rosenberg wrote in 2016 that Booker left behind bruised feelings in the neighborhoods where residents wanted jobs more than cheerleading. And to the residents who forked over big increases in fees and taxes, there remains a gnawing suspicion that Booker cared more about the optics of a social media moment than actually delivering on basic city services. In 2012, Booker saved a woman from a burning house, news of which spread rapidly across social media. On the social network Twitter, users elevated Booker to a sort of hero status, writing that he could win a game of Connect Four with only three moves and that super heroes dress up as Cory Booker on Halloween. He became known as Supermayor. Notable Quotes â€Å"Before you speak to me about your religion, first show it to me in how you treat other people; before you tell me how much you love your God, show me in how much you love all His children; before you preach to me of your passion for your faith, teach me about it through your compassion for your neighbors. In the end, I’m not as interested in what you have to tell or sell as I am in how you choose to live and give.† â€Å"There are two ways to go through life, as a thermometer or a thermostat. Dont be a thermometer, just reflecting whats around you, going up or down with your surroundings. Be a thermostat and set the temperature.†Ã‚   â€Å"Tolerance is becoming accustomed to injustice; love is becoming disturbed and activated by another’s adverse condition. Tolerance crosses the street; love confronts. Tolerance builds fences; love opens doors. Tolerance breeds indifference; love demands engagement. Tolerance couldn’t care less; love always cares more. Sources Ross, Janell. â€Å"Six Noteworthy Things about Cory Booker.†Ã‚  The Washington Post, WP Company, 25 July 2016.Wogan, JB. â€Å"But What Did Cory Booker Actually Accomplish in Newark?†Ã‚  Governing Magazine: State and Local Government News for Americas Leaders, Governing, 1 Dec. 2013.Rosenberg, Amy S. â€Å"Cory Bookers Newark Mirage.† Politico, 8 July 2016. Fast Facts:  Cory Anthony Booker Known For:  U.S. Senator from New Jersey and potential 2020 presidential candidate.   Born:  April 27, 1969, in Washington, D.C. Parents:  Carolyn and Cary Booker. Education: Stanford University, B.S., M.A.; University of Oxford, honors degree; Yale Law School, J.D. Fun Fact: Booker became a social-media sensation after he entered a burning home in Newark, New Jersey, to save his neighbor in 2012.