Aftermath of the Rana Plaza Tragedy: Through a Gender Lense

The Rana Plaza building collapse on 24th April 2013 resulted in the death of over 1100 garment factory workers in Bangladesh. This paper examines the current scenario of Bangladeshi women’s livelihood pursuant to safety measures implemented by retailers, manufacturers and other organizations globally under a Corrective Action Plan (CAP) to improve the situation of ready-made garment (RMG) industry workers. Notwithstanding persisting issues with labour standards and working conditions, the RMG sector is still the main source of employment and economic survival for Bangladeshi women. Although this sector does need reform in working conditions and labour standards, implementing the CAP could lead to a decline in women’s employment, negatively impacting the overall economy. A collective commitment and agreement among all stakeholders, including the Bangladesh Government, to protect women’s employment through medium- and long-term strategies is essential to ensure the sustainability of the Bangladeshi RMG industry. Keywords: Ready-made garment industry, workplace safety, compliance, women’s livelihood, rights, corrective action plan, Bangladesh, Rana Plaza

Can international alliances influence sustainable fashion practices: a UK/Bangladesh experience?

The presentation will outline current work that has been undertaken as part of a three-year British Council funded Development Partnerships in Higher Education (DelPHE) project that brings together international collaboration between London College of Fashion (LCF), the BGMEA Institute of Fashion Technology (BIFT) in Dhaka and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). As retailers are increasingly under pressure to ensure that ethical and environmental standards run all the way through the supply chain, there is a need for research projects to explore best practice and ways forward to improve the competitiveness of the Bangladesh manufacturing sector to add value in this area

A Field Study of Older Adults with Cognitive Impairment using Tablets for Communication at Home: Closing Technology Adoption Gaps using InTouch

This article describes how a tablet-based communication technology designed for older adults was explored for its adoption and impact on family relationships. A case study methodology was employed to collect and analyze interviews, field notes, observations and messaging activity over a 12 week period. Twelve participants, eight with a Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) score suggestive of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), were paired with a student to learn and use InTouch. 1212 messages were sent, from which text, audio, photo, and video data types were used 705, 280, 143 and 84 times, respectively. Most participants voiced that personalized text messaging was not the easiest feature to use, but was their preferred mode. Two participants used audio more than text, highlighting a need for feature customization. Older adults view a simplified tablet-based interface as a valuable means of enhancing communication with friends and family. With guided weekly support older adults learned to use this technology independently and integrated its use into their daily lives.This work was supported by AGE-WELL NCE Inc., a member of the Networks of Centres of Excellence program

Growing Sustainable Fashion Economies: Innovating Sustainable Fashion Practices: A Collection of Entrepreneurial Case Studies in the UK/Bangladesh

This paper is an outline of current work of a three year British Council Project called Development Partnership of Higher Education (DelPHE) funded by UKAid that brings together international collaborationbetween London College of Fashion (LCF), the BGMEA University of Fashion Technology (BUFT) in Dhaka and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO). As retailers are increasingly under pressure to ensure ethical and environmental standards run all the way through the supply chain, there is a need for research projects to explore best practice and ways forward to improve the competitiveness of the Bangladesh manufacturing sector through adding value in this area. The aim of this research project is to identify the sustainable practices that companies have in their business operations and raise awareness between their trade offs, and the opportunities that the Bangladesh/UK fashion industry faces in creating stylish produces for niche and mainstream markets that have sustainable values. This research work is a Collection of Entrepreneurial Case Studies in Bangladesh and in the UK companies and the experience will be used to analyze the sustainable landscape. It is intended that the knowledge gained during this 3 year funded project will foster new business models, new curriculum programmes and support the drive to better industrial practices