Financial Rationale for Decision to Close Jerzees de Honduras Factory by Russell Corporation - Headquarters Investigation

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.FLA_Financial_Rationale_JerzeesdeHonduras.pdf: 34 downloads, before Oct. 1, 2020

Women in the Workplace: Which Women, Which Agenda?

Much of the work family literature that has blossomed over the last decade has focused on professional women and has emphasized policy changes that would be of less utility to many other working women and men. In this symposium contribution, we explore the recent data on working time to demonstrate that in today\u27s economy more women are underemployed rather than overemployed. We also demonstrate that although professional women tend to work the longest hours, they also tend to have the greatest means, both in income and workplace benefits, to support them in achieving a workable balance between their work and family demands. We discuss the most prominent policy proposals for helping attain this balance, including a greater emphasis on part-time work and shorter workweeks, and critique them for their failure to address the needs of most working women. Finally, we suggest several alternative proposals, including lengthening school days, addressing domestic violence, and challenging the stubborn gender norms that prevent further progress for equality in both the workplace and the home

The Dihedral Genus of a Knot

Let $K\subset S^3$ be a Fox $p$-colored knot and assume $K$ bounds a locally flat surface $S\subset B^4$ over which the given $p$-coloring extends. This coloring of $S$ induces a dihedral branched cover $X\to S^4$. Its branching set is a closed surface embedded in $S^4$ locally flatly away from one singularity whose link is $K$. When $S$ is homotopy ribbon and $X$ a definite four-manifold, a condition relating the signature of $X$ and the Murasugi signature of $K$ guarantees that $S$ in fact realizes the four-genus of $K$. We exhibit an infinite family of knots $K_m$ with this property, each with a {Fox 3-}colored surface of minimal genus $m$. As a consequence, we classify the signatures of manifolds $X$ which arise as dihedral covers of $S^4$ in the above sense.Comment: 19 pages, 10 figures, 3 footnotes. Final versio

Computing Ribbon Obstructions for Colored Knots

Kjuchukova's $\Xi_p$ invariant gives a ribbon obstruction for Fox $p$-colored knots. The invariant is derived from dihedral branched covers of 4-manifolds, and is needed to calculate the signatures of these covers, when singularities on the branching sets are present. In this note, we give an algorithm for evaluating $\Xi_p$ from a colored knot diagram, and compute a couple of examples.Comment: 14 pages. 0 footnotes. Changes to exposition and new example. To appear in Fundamenta Mathematicae. Originally part of arXiv:1710.1156

Organic agriculture and rural livelihoods in Karnataka, India

The research explored the effects a change from conventional to organic farming had on the livelihoods of a group of farmers in Karnataka, South India. It involved semi-structured interviews with organic farmers, NGOs, consumers, marketing organisations, and the State Agricultural Department. The farmers in the case study perceived that they had improved their livelihoods over the long term by the conversion from conventional to organic farming. Reduced costs for external inputs and reduced labour requirements together with similar or higher yields and premium prices resulted in higher net-farm incomes. The conversion to organic farming reduced the reliance on credits and the risk of crop failure due to pests, diseases and droughts, thereby reducing vulnerability. In addition, the farmers mentioned enhanced natural assets, reduced risk of pesticide poisonings, improved food safety, higher levels of self-sufficiency, and the access to networks supporting knowledge exchange and political participation as important benefits of the conversion. However, almost all the case study farmers noted that the conversion period was difficult due to temporarily declining yields and a lack of information and experiences. This is likely to be a major constraint preventing asset-poor farmers from adopting organic agriculture