Tailored Wages: Are the big brands paying the people who make our clothes enough to live on?

This document is part of a digital collection provided by the Martin P. Catherwood Library, ILR School, Cornell University, pertaining to the effects of globalization on the workplace worldwide. Special emphasis is placed on labor rights, working conditions, labor market changes, and union organizing.CCC_2014_Report_Tailored_Wages.pdf: 491 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

A Critical Scan of Four Key Topics for the Philanthropic Sector: A study by the Rockefeller Foundation and Accenture Development Partnerships

The study aims to identify problem areas in the developing and developed world, as well as areas of dynamism and convergence that will, over the next five to 10 years, present opportunities to make a greater impact in the development sector. The study, which made use of a consultative process, investigates four key topics central to human wellbeing. These are: natural ecosystems, health, livelihoods, and urban environments. In each of the four identified topic areas there is a greater need to foster innovation and shift paradigms in order to expand opportunity for the vulnerable and those living in poverty, and strengthen their resilience

Living Labs as a navigation system for innovative business models in the music industry

Media industries and other rapidly evolving, complex, uncertain markets have a hard time to survive if they do not optimize or radically change their business models. This paper analyses the potential of involving all relevant stakeholders of the value network in the development of a business model by means of a panel based multi-method Living Lab approach. Using an in-depth case study analysis, a critical analysis of both the potential value and the weaknesses of such an approach are being assessed. Although some difficulties exist, opening this innovation process and involving external actors in a structural way has the potential to increase the value creation and sustainability of the business model. This paper also stresses the importance of multidisciplinary research on multi-stakeholder involvement in business model innovation

Suitability of coir fibers as pulp and paper

This study was to investigate the suitability of coir fibers as an alternative material in making pulp and paper. Maceration process was used to characterize the fiber. Soda-AQ pulping with various combinations of active alkali (18-22%) and cooking time (90- 150 minutes) at fixed temperature was done. Physical properties evaluated were density, brightness, opacity, scattering coefficient, tear, burst and tensile index. As concentration of active alkali and cooking time increased, the physical properties values also increased, except for the opacity and scattering coefficient. The optimum condition for producing the strongest paper is using 22% active alkali in 120 minutes

Thought for Food: the impact of ICT on agribusiness

This report outlines the impact of ICT on the food economy. On the basis of a literature review from four disciplines - knowledge management, management information systems, operations research and logistics, and economics - the demand for new ICT applications, the supply of new applications and the match between demand and supply are identified. Subsequently the impact of new ICT applications on the food economy is discussed. The report relates the development of new technologies to innovation and adoption processes and economic growth, and to concepts of open innovations and living lab

Research on the Application of E-commerce to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs): the Case of India

SMEs account for a large proportion and play an important role in the development of each country in the world, including India. The globalization will bring many advantages for enterprises however SMEs will face fierce competition at the local, national and International level. In order to maintain and promote the important role of SMEs in the context of increased competition, SMEs have to change and adopt new technologies. E-commerce and digital technologies are bringing opportunities to help SMEs improve their competitiveness, narrow the gap with big enterprises thanks to their fairness and flexibility of the digital business environment.       According to UNIDO (2017), India is one of the countries successfully applying e-commerce to SMEs. Contributing to this success is the important role of the Indian government. Therefore, this paper focuses on researching the application of e-commerce to SMEs in terms of the role of government in promoting and creating an ecosystem for SMEs and e-commerce development

Food sovereignty and consumer sovereignty: two antagonistic goals?

The concept of food sovereignty is becoming an element of everyday parlance in development politics and food justice advocacy. Yet to successfully achieve food sovereignty, the demands within this movement have to be compatible with the way people are pursuing consumer sovereignty, and vice versa. The aim of this article is to examine the different sets of demands that the two ideals of sovereignty bring about, analyze in how far these different demands can stand in constructive relations with each other and explain why consumers have to adjust their food choices to seasonal production variability to promote food sovereignty and so secure future autonomy

Hardware Pioneers: Harnessing the Impact Potential of Technology Entrepreneurs, Executive Summary

Technology has been a powerful driver of humanity's development over the past few centuries. It continues to hold great potential to help us live longer and in better health, as well as raising our productivity and standards of living.Yet many of these benefits remain out of the reach of the global poor.While people living in the developed world have enjoyed the benefits of electric lighting since the late 1800s, nearly 1.3 billion poor households in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia still live in the dark today. Without electricity, many poor households are not able to make use of household appliances common in the richer world, like refrigerators, televisions,or computers.Modern sanitation technologies -- flush toilets and sewerage systems -- are another example. These technologies have existed for hundreds of years but are still not available to 2.4 billion people around the world. This lack of sanitation infrastructure leads to contamination of water sources across large stretches of South Asia and Africa. Water-borne diseases such as cholera, typhoid, and dysentery claim 3.4 million lives every year.Modern machinery and information technology have also changed the way we work. In advanced economies, large commercial farms enjoy the benefit of improved seed varieties, farm machinery, modern irrigation systems, and post-harvest storage systems. In stark contrast, many smallholder farmers in developing countries lack similar solutions and struggle to improve their crop yields and livelihoods.Against this challenging backdrop, inventors and entrepreneurs are developing new breakthrough products tailored to the needs of the global poor. These hardware pioneers are helping to improve lives and livelihoods by pushing the frontiers of technology and business. They are bringing reliable electricity to remote villages, safe drinking water to neglected slums, productivity gains to struggling smallholder farmers, and life-saving health services to sick children