Critically evaluate the strategic role of global information systems Essay

Critically evaluate the strategic role of global information systems for organisations and discuss the management issues associa - Essay Example Information systems have, therefore, had a profound effect on the performance of global businesses by transforming their ability to deliver value to customers (Czinkota et al., 2005). However, the application of information system has unfortunately stemmed on the basis of companies’ internal operations with little focus of the global paradigm. This means that international requirements, including cross-cultural differences, have yet to be fully materialized into the information systems used by these global businesses. Most often global information systems are evaluated from the same perspective as their local counterparts; however, the former demands attention to some particular aspects. An integrated and holistic information systems approach has enabled organizations conduct business processes online (e-business), co ordinate upstream and downstream supply chain partners (e-commerce) and enable entrepreneurs streamline their innovative ideas and creativity (Pearlson & Saunder s, 2009). The key to competitive advantage in today’s world, therefore, does not lie in traditional cost reduction or differentiation techniques but in rapidly adapting to changing customer tastes and implementing learning and innovation to product offerings in real-time (Phillips & Haag, 2009). As an extension to Porter’s resource based view, researchers explored the direct positive relationship between effective information management and company success by explaining how information used could enhance the organization’s learning, innovation and creative abilities. The virtual value chain is centered on the notion of seamless flow of information across all levels of the organization that enable it to deliver value to its customers. Therefore, information systems have been linked to the dramatic improvement of the value chain, marketing strategies, customer service and internal communications framework. However, â€Å"global† information systems go far b eyond just that. Global businesses face a number of constraints on the number of locations in which they decide to operate internationally. Challenges such as those related to networking and communication, socio-economic and political risks, differences in culture as well as unfamiliarity with the market all limit organizations’ capacity to operate effectively in the global marketplace (Czinkota et al., 2005). It is here that information systems have truly transformed global businesses. Researchers who highlighted the strategic importance of IS demonstrated the relationship between IS and business strategy and went on to state that information systems were necessary in achieving a competitive edge for the firm (Peppard & Ward, 2004) (Pearlson & Saunders, 2009). There have been various studies examining the relationship between successful firms and effective use of information systems. However, it is not clear whether these systems have a direct relation with the firm’s success or whether they are merely a part of a portfolio of resources that enables firms achieve competitive advantage. Furthermore, most companies have now started to outsource IS in their organizations. This handing over of IS to third parties in itself contradicts the view that IS serve a strategic function in organizations. Despite increased popularity of outsourcing of IS in organizations, the slogan of keeping IS intact with the

U.S. intellectual history since 1877 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

U.S. intellectual history since 1877 - Essay Example Reinhold Niebuhr suggests there is a persistent flaw in modern American thought that underestimates the power of evil and predatory self-interest. In this way he finds that American liberalism is limited. Dr. Martin Luther King and Allen Ginsburg show how American liberal and progressive thought was challenged, renewed, and expanded as understood through the insights of Reinhold Niebuhr. Yet Malcolm X was almost defeated by the human flaws of which Niebuhr writes, and the writers of the Port Huron Declaration went too far in accepting methods of the children of the darkness as explained by Niebuhr. In his Letter from a Birmingham Jail which he wrote April 16, 1963, Dr. Martin Luther King rooted his thoughts to a tradition of philosophers and theologians, including Niebuhr. King expressed how difficult it was to get privileged groups to change. He wrote, â€Å". . . as Reinhold Niebuhr has reminded us, groups tend to be more immoral than individuals.†Niebuhr felt that liberalis m essentially lied to itself. Dr. King could see this. Bourgeoisie society, in the south had advanced because of those lies. Niebuhr identifies the ugly powers of self-interest as pulling the chords of individuals outside any real beliefs in community. The morality that the racist South put forward was a cynical one. It was one that could not stand true from the way it dealt with black people. But the point is that this was not merely a feature of the South. As long as the segregation policies existed it was also a feature of the entire country. Hence, from Niebuhr's view, democracy did not have any adequate cultural base. It had one that was built on a house of hate. This is why Dr. King's letter was important. Building on a principle of progressive liberalism in action, King's letter extended the cultural base of the country with some honest truths. One of these truths reflects the human flaw that Niebuhr saw in man. In this letter Dr. King noted this as the inner conflict of man. He explained that he had been disappointed with his Christian and Jewish brothers. He pointed out how they allowed a "negative peace" to exist in the absence of justice. In a way this is similar to Niebuhr's thought of 'the children of light' who, in this case, were somehow led to believe that the progress of black people, according to Southern standards, was okay. Drawing further from Niebuhr, it is possible to say that Southern racism reflected an order that was cynical on the top, and laid upon Niebuhr's "perils of chaos". Dr. King pointed to this chaos. He pointed to it in the white church and its leadership. He made some exceptions. But what stood out were the members of the white religious establishment that opposed the civil rights movement Dr. King led. Dr. King was actually forging the cultural revolution that exemplified an expression of Niebuhr's ideas. It was a revolution that pursued unity while expressing a freedom and participation of formally denied people into a sy stem of democracy. In the active outplay of the Civil Rights Movement, Dr. King led black and white forces to demonstrate how it was possible for America to reflect a real culture of community. That was what King sought and what, while he was living, did. Dr. King stood as the leader who influenced thought and action. There is also a way in which an artist, who has freed his or herself from the limiting confines of human prejudice and self-interest, may also illustrate some of the themes of Niebuhr. Allen Ginsberg is one of these artists. Allen Ginsberg was one of the main poets during the beat generation. He was also a public homosexual during the 1950s when homosexuality was illegal. Ginsberg was at the extreme end of the poets in that he criticized a lot about American society that Niebuhr criticized. Niebuhr, being a Christian, would probably not accept Ginsberg extreme view of homosexuality. But maybe he could have. The important thing is that Ginsberg in his poetry, especially 'Howl', attempted to turn America upside down and look into her. In order to do this all the

Significance Of The Representation Of The City English Literature Essay

Significance Of The Representation Of The City English Literature Essay In this essay I will be discussing three very diverse texts which will allow me to bring into light a various number of views and interpretations of the city. I will be focusing on D. H. Lawrences Women in Love, T. S Eliots The Waste Land, and finally Virginnia Woolfs Mrs Dalloway. All texts will help me come across the different insights, views and personal feelings towards the city the authors felt. Many of these authors develop their ideas and emphasise on the affects of the city through their characterization, this essay will further help me develop the representation of the city and look into it in more detail. I will focus on a number of areas such as characters, settings, thoughts and views in the texts in order to gain an answer as to what the significance of the representation of the city may in fact be in connection to its authors. As we read on through the poem, Eliot continues to present the Waste Land as a very complex poem; it tackles and confronts a variety of contradictory ideas and understandings. The intended meaning of the poem may come across as something different to both critics and readers; it can in effect be seen as a text that can have a variety of meanings and can be interpreted by anyone in their own ways. The text can be seen as being interpreted through the person and society, or can also be interpreted on a personal note where Eliot may seek to reveal his own feelings and intentions as to why he wrote the poem. The main theme of the poem can be distinguished through the way in which Eliot portrays modern life as a Waste Land. He supports this theme by showing what was wrong with society in the early twentieth century. He demonstrates the lack of faith in the poem through a number of ways; he puts into words the weakness of society by presenting a certain lack of faith, lack of communication , and corruption of life, alcohol and sex. At one point he shows one of the characters saying I can connect nothing with nothing.  [4]  This indicates the character having no faith or confidence in them self; there seems to be no connections and no meanings to her life, it seems to come across as though her life is just a waste. In the text Eliot speaks about the crowdedness of the city many of times. The Unreal city, Under the brown fog of a winter dawn, A crowd flowed over London Bridge, so many, I had not thought death had undone so manyà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ The fast paced text conveys allusions which create a sense of crowding in the city. London is depicted as a very busy city, a place where something is always happening; it is illustrated as being different in contrast to what you would experience in the countryside. The Waste Land creates an unattractive image of London, we feel appalled by the amount of industrialization taking place as the surroundings are described as being encircled by the brown fog. The depiction of the industrialized city can become so shocking and brutal that it can in some ways be seen as a character. Furthermore The Waste Land conveys several distinct images that help to present a deeper meaning to the text. As we read through the poem, we come across the lines Sweet Thames, run softly, till I end my song.  [5]  This sentence conveys a feeling of sadness and obscurity. This frame of mind is related to the lines that follow which talk about death and sorrow, the mood of the text comes across as very dark and threatening. One of the main points seems to come into light through the portrayal of the River Thames. This river can be seen as symbolising death, it is like a bridge which the dead spirits need to cross over in order to face death. By saying that this person wants the river to run softly before the song ends indicates that this character is near death, and after his story has been said, he will be ready to accept it. Death in itself is a very dark topic in relation to the title of the poem; this passage can be seen as linking the time and the place together before death . The place is shown not to exist in the living world or the dead; it is conveyed as being something which is in between. This area can be seen in many ways as a Waste Land just as the poems title suggests. The Waste Land can be linked to many things in this poem, in this case it can be where the river Thames lays, a place where the living and the dead do not inhabit. The imagery bought across in these lines is very effective in relation to the mood and themes they set in the poem. They give the mood of sadness and mourning which gives deeper meaning to the rest of the text. All the way through the preceding lines after the Sweet Thames, there is a sad mood which flows in the course of the text. As the readers read on in The Waste Land, they get a feeling which indicates that even if they were to read something happy and cheerful in the poem it would still have a dark effect. The imagery of death, sorrow, sadness and gloom is very effective in this case as it allows the poem to set a feeling for the rest of the text. In the Waste Land à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦the images and symbols fall broadly into two categories-firstly, images drawn from myth and religion, and secondly, images taken from the common aspects of urban life.  [6]   The modern city in contemporary literature is shown to be very complex in the 20th century. Within literature there are a number of writers who move towards the physical reality of the modern urban life and surroundings; Virginnia Woolf in many ways is a good example of this. In her novel Mrs. Dalloway, we are presented with the citys obscure feelings that link the perception of the two main protagonists together. The characters Woolf looks at are the the centre of life itself  [7]  . On the contrary, D.H. Lawrence has been the most provocative of modernist authors  [8]  , he shows his own understanding of the city as a place of desolation and division. His text Women in Love illustrates London as a corrupted city which is populated by outward characters who can only find their pleasure and happiness in sex, drinking and taking part in criminal activities. Both of these modernistic texts allow us as the readers to identify the different representations of urban life in a chan ging city; we are presented with images of the actual London and the illusory London. Both of these texts can in many ways portray similar themes, feelings and ideas towards the city which The Waste Land has previously been seen to do in this essay. In addition Mrs Dalloway and Septimus are characters in Woolfs novel who capture the passing moments of their lives in a city. Both of these characters are shown to be walking through the city and feeling the liveliness of London. Their responses to the same city symbols vary from one another. Septimus Smith says everything had come to a standstill  [9]  whereas Mrs Dalloway shows us she is amused by the noise and high energy of the city life. The opposing reflections both of these characters present show how their everyday city-occurrences result in a contradictory presentation of the city life; it offers an accurate sense of reality within this way of life. We can see this being present in the novel as Woolf uses free indirect speech. Her form of expression is a good linguistic technique in the novel; it acts as a verbal counterpart to the mental moments of uncertainty within the reality of urban life. In this sense, the contrasting reflections on the same incidents and Woolfs new form of expression result in an overlapping of the characters consciousnesses which at the same time link to images presented in the novel. In D.H Lawrences work on the other hand, traditional language is not enough to show his understanding and feelings towards modernity. The city is illustrated as a complex, and socially diverse place, the new forms of expression are essential in order to work in opposition to the growing sense of isolation. Lawrence is shown to be using repetition in his work in order to bring across the crowdedness and light-headedness of the atmosphere in the city. Birkin says I always feel so doomed when the train is running into London. I feel such despair, so hopeless, as if it were the end of the world.  [10]  The diction Lawrence chooses to use is very interesting to look at, he uses hopeless in different contexts and repeats himself in order to bring across Birkins emotions towards the city. We can say that the actual meaning of the diction he dec ides to use may in fact change and be a connection to the modern city and environment where it bears a resemblance to the new time of order and effectiveness. The characters in Women in Love are shown to undergo different experiences and feelings in relation to the modern city, for example they are shown to feel misery and corruption in the text. Lawrence brings across the unattractiveness of the urban and industrial city and establishes the citys mentality into the minds of the miners. As a result, he creates a perfect, inhuman system of machines, where the miners begin to deny their humanity in feeling satisfied to belong to the great and wonderful machine, even whilst it destroyed them  [11]  . There is a lot of depiction of the state of mind in Women in Love; Woolf also brings across this mental absorption of the citys characteristics through the characters she presents in Mrs Dalloway. Doing everything on time and being exact is something which is part of most modern minded people, this is symbolised by the way in which time is shown on Big Ben in the novel. Virginia Woolf presents the city as a physical place presenting the menta l state of mind of the characters. For Mrs Dalloway à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦silence falls on London; and falls on the mind  [12]  , this in many ways indicates a deep connection between the inner thoughts and emotions and the outer world. Septimus consciousness reflects the understandings of the outer world. He did not want to die. Life was good.  [13]   There are many ways in which we can see that the link between the city and the mental life is illustrated through the character of Peter Walsh. On one hand Peter suffers from the loneliness in London as he feels a strangeness of standing alone, alive, unknown, at half-past eleven in Trafalgar Square.  [14]  However he also uses this feeling to keep track of the young woman before she is lost in the city crowd. Peter chasing the young woman may in fact symbolize the change of social behaviour and interactions between the two sexes within the restrictions of the city. In Women in Love a new directness regarding sexuality is presented as a consequence of the changing cultural environment in the city. Alcohol and sexual excitement are presented as the main occupations of the Pussum and the other residents of the flat. Although Gudrun regards London as a foul town, it is within the urban city where her new understanding of art is recognized. In the flat, a weird number of modernist wo rks of art and influences are shown to symbolise the directness to non-traditional art. Within this environment of the modern city, we are presented with the Brangwen sisters as having much better chances to live their eminent individual personalities than within the well-known closeness of urban Beldover. Although Birkin and Gudrun detest the masses, Mrs Dalloway looks at the small crowdà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦gathered at the gates of Buckingham Palace  [15]  from the distance it becomes striking and beautiful. It is the sense of an endless society and quality which attracts Woolf, Lawrence nonetheless is shocked by the crowds single mindedness. It is interesting to note that the characteristics of the crowd are not obvious for all citizens of the city. In conclusion we are able to identify the significance of the representation of the city in all three works by Lawrence, Eliot and Woolf. There are many different modernist representations of the city which come across in all three texts. What T.S. Eliot pictures as an isolated, distressed area, is in fact for Virginia Woolf a symbolic landscape of life and vibrancy, and for D.H. Lawrence an urban area of despair. All three diverse understandings and ideas of the city are reflected in the characters presented in the texts by the modernist authors. For this reason we are shown how Mrs Dalloways consciousness presents an optimistic image of the city, which is contrasted by both Birkin and Gudruns negativity. On the other hand, we do not only get the general approach of the presentation and its significance, the authors are shown to be expressing their personal and individual understandings and views of the city. The citys attitude of precision is symbolised within Geralds modernization of the coalmines which introduce the perfect inhuman machines to Beldover. Exactness can also be found in the strikes of Big Ben in Mrs Dalloway. Furthermore, in Mrs Dalloway the cities characteristics are mirroring the state of mind of the characters and give therefore another perspective of the urban landscape. In addition, Lawrences and Woolfs new modernist techniques of expression have the ability to cope with the progressively altering conditions of modernity within the city life. Woolfs free indirect speech gives a full meaning and insight into the awareness of the characters, therefore giving them a much better and accurate understanding of their own individual views of the city. Lawrence uses repetition in his language in order to improve his conventional understanding of particular terms and provides the city with new characteristics. As a result, the individual and subjective experiences of the authors offer a complex and deeper picture of the reality and unreality of a w eak city. WORD COUNT: 2732

Essay on The Holy Bible - The Nature of God in the Genesis

The Nature of God in the Genesis  Ã‚   Genesis is the first book of the Bible.   It begins with the story of God’s creation of the universe.  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Lord is the Almighty Creator of the world, skies, heavens, seas, animals, man, and woman.   He governs the universe and develops relationships with man.   Throughout Genesis, God acknowledges the fact that human beings make mistakes, and accepts their imperfection.   Throughout Genesis, God changes from one who does not tolerate disobedience, to one who shows clemency.   Early on in Genesis, God punishes Adam and Eve for disobedience.   After making the mistake of flooding the world, the Lord realizes that even He is not perfect, and does not allow Jacob’s deceit of his father to taint his future. In the story of Adam and Eve, God severely punishes the first two humans for disobeying his orders.   Upon placing Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, God commands â€Å"†¦the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, though shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.† (15).   After Adam and Eve disobey, God is outraged and punishes them severely.   â€Å"I will greatly multiply thy (woman’s) sorrow and they conception†¦and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.   And unto Adam he said†¦cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life;†¦And unto Adam he said, in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, til though return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return† (16-17).   God’s punishment to women is especially harsh, for he makes childbirth treacherous for them, and appoints man as their ruler. To Adam, the Lord says that man is not imm... ...h can be seen from the story of Adam and Eve.   After creating a flood that destroys the entire world, God realizes that He has made a mistake.   He assures Noah that He will never do it again.   The Lord learns from his blunder, just like humans learn from theirs.   God accepts the fact that no one is flawless, and no longer punishes every wrongdoing.   He is aware that if even He, the Lord, can sometimes show poor judgment, humans should have the privilege of a second chance.   For example, God gives Jacob a second chance when he does not punish him for deceiving his father.   Rather than penalizing Jacob, God ignores his sin, and blesses Jacob, allowing him to prosper. As is frequently the case with humans, God’s nature changes as He is exposed to new experiences.   Throughout Genesis, the Lord transforms from on who does not tolerate disobedience, to one who shows mercy.  

The Change in Relations between the U.S.A

One of the factors that caused the relationship between the USSR and the USA to change was the fact that the USA were Capitalists and the USSR ere Communists. This meant that they supported and believed different things. America wanted people to live a free life – earn as much money as they want, allow the public to vote freely for the Government they want – where as Stalin did not agree and thought that everyone should earn the same amount of money and that the public were only allowed to choose Communists for the Government.This put a big strain on their relationship because it meant that both sides wanted different things to happen in the world and it meant that they couldn't agree on the same things. Another factor which caused the frosty relationship between the two powers, was the Berlin Blockade which Stalin thought would make him more in control of the Eastern/ Soviet part of Berlin. Stalin feared that the Western allies were planning the permanent division of G ermany.The Western allies also began to develop a new policy such as new currency and a new German assembly which would develop a new constitution, which Stalin did not like. Stalin thought that by Blockading his part of Berlin, it would keep the Eastern part of Berlin separate and protected from the Western and that it would make him look more powerful. A third factor which caused the relationship to significantly change was the Truman Doctrine.The Truman Doctrine was a promise which President Truman had made to help any country which were threatened by Communism, by sending troops or economic resources such as money or military equipment. Truman feared that the Soviet Union would spread Communism so he thought that by making a promise, it would prevent Communism from spreading anywhere in the world. This could have put a strain on the USA and USSR's relationship as Stalin could have felt as if he was being threatened by the USA.The factor which is most important, significant and w as the causation for the relationship to change, was the fact that the USA were Capitalist and the Soviet Union were Communist. This is the most important factor because if it wasn't for both the USA and USSR to have different beliefs, then the Berlin Blockade and the Truman Doctrine may not have existed in the first place. It may also mean that there may not have been a historical event – such as the Cold War – if Capitalism and Communism did not exist. The Change in Relations between the U. S. A. and the USSR: 1943-1956 By sorayha98

Night World : The Chosen Chapter 17

Hunter's yacht was bigger than the powerboat Quinn had brought to the island. There was a salon down in the cabin and two separate staterooms. Right now, Timmy was in one of them. Nyala was in another. Quinn had put them both to sleep. Quinn and Rashel were in the cockpit. â€Å"Do you think any of the vampires got out?† Rashel said softly. â€Å"I don't know. Probably.† His voice was as quiet as hers. He was filthy, covered with sand and soot, burned here and there, and wildly disheveled. He had never looked more beautiful to Rashel. â€Å"You saved Nyala,† she whispered. â€Å"And I know you did it for me.† He looked at her and some of the tense focus went out of his eyes. The hardness in his face softened. Rashel took his hand. She didn't know how to say the rest of what she meant. That she knew he had changed, that he was changing every minute. She could almost feel the new parts of his mind opening and growing-or rather, the old parts, the parts he'd deliberately left behind when he stopped being human. â€Å"Thank you, John Quinn,† she whispered. He laughed. It wasn't a savage laugh, or a bitter laugh, or even the charming Mad Hatter laugh. It was just a real laugh. Tired and shaky, but happy. â€Å"What else could I do?† Then he reached for her and they were holding each other. They might look like two refugees from a disaster movie, but all Rashel felt was the singing joy of their closeness. It was such comfort to be able to hold on to Quinn, and such wonder to feel him holding her back. A feeling of peace stole over her. There were still problems ahead. She knew that. Her mind was already clicking through them, forming a dim checklist of things to worry about when she regained the ability to worry. Hunter and the other vampires. They might still be alive. They might come looking for revenge. But even if they did†¦ Rashel had spent her whole life fighting the Night World alone. Now she had Quinn beside her, and together they could take on anything. Daphne and the girls. Rashel felt sure they were safe; she trusted Annelise and Keiko. But once they got home, they'd be traumatized. They would need help. And someone would need to figure out what they should tell the rest of the world. Not that anyone would believe it was real vampires who had kidnapped them if they said so, Rashel thought. The police would pass it off as a cult or something. Still, the girls know the truth. They may be fresh recruits for the fight†¦. Against what? How could she be a vampire hunter now? How could she try to destroy the Night World? Where could a reformed vampire and a burned-out vampire hunter go when they fell in love? The answer, of course, was obvious. Rashel knew even as she formed the question, and she laughed silently into Quinn's shoulder. Circle Daybreak. They'd become damned Daybreakers. Granted, they weren't the type to dance in circles with flowers in their hair, singing about love and harmony and all that. But if Circle Daybreak was going to make any headway, it needed something besides love and harmony. It needed a fighting arm. Somebody to deal with the vampires who were hopelessly evil and bent on destruction. Somebody to save people like Nyala's sister. Somebody to protect kids like Timmy. Come to think of it, Circle Daybreak was where Nyala and Timmy belonged, too. Right now they need peace and healing, and people who would understand what they'd been through. I don't know, Rashel thought, maybe witches can help. She hoped so. She thought Nyala would be all right-there was a kind of inner strength to the girl that kept her fighting. She wasn't so sure about Timmy. Trapped in a four-year-old body, his mind twisted by whatever lies Hunter had told him†¦ what kind of normal life could he ever have? But he was alive, and there was a chance. And maybe there were parts of his mind that were bright and warm and aching to grow. Elliot and Vicky and the other vampire hunters. Rashel would have to talk to them, try to explain what she'd learned. She didn't know if they'd listen. But she would have to try. â€Å"All anybody can do is try,† she said softly. Quinn stirred. He leaned back to look into her face. â€Å"You're right,† he said, and she realized that he'd been thinking about the same things. Our minds work alike, she thought. She had found her partner, her equal, the one to work and live and love with her. Her soulmate. â€Å"I love you, John Quinn,† she said. And then they were kissing each other and she was finding in him a tenderness that even she hadn't suspected. But it made sense. After all, the opposite of absolute ruthlessness is absolute tenderness-and when you ripped the one away, you were left with the other. I wonder what else I'll find out about him? She thought, dizzy with discovery. Whatever it is, it's sure to be interesting. â€Å"I love you, Rashel Jordan,† he said against her lips. Not Rashel the Cat. The Cat was dead, and all the old anger and the hate had burned away. It was Rashel Jordan who was starting a new future. She kissed Quinn again and felt the beauty and the mystery of his thoughts. â€Å"Hold me tighter,† she whispered. â€Å"I'm a little cold.† â€Å"You are? I feel so warm. It's spring tomorrow, you know.† And then they both were quiet, lost in each other. The boat sped on through the sparkling ocean and into the promise of the moonlit night.. [The End]

Free Essays on International Labor Organization

The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in developing countries – at least 120 million full time. Sixty-one percent of these are in Asia, 32 percent in Africa, and 7 percent in Latin America. Most working children in rural areas are found in agriculture; urban children work in trade and services, with fewer in manufacturing, construction and domestic service. Only an estimated 5 percent of child laborers work in export industries. Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child protects children from economic exploitation and work that is likely to be hazardous to the child’s development, or to interfere with the child’s education. It calls on states to take legislative and other measures, including sanctions and penalties, to guarantee this protection to children. Those addressing the issue of child labor are sometimes divided on how to proceed and consider a range of different approaches. Some urge that child labor be eliminated quickly and aggressively, including through the use of trade sanctions when countries or industries fail to act decisively. Some call for reforming the conditions in which children work with a view toward gradual elimination. Some believe that work plays an important and positive role in children's lives and in their relations with their families, and seek reform, but not an end to child labor. A simple approach of requiring employers to discharge all child workers can lead to devastating results for children removed from the workplace. Children discharged from work can find themselves on the street in prostitution or crime, or working in even worse conditions and for less pay. In tackling the issue of child labor, consideration of the immediate and direct consequences for working children and their families cannot be underestimated. The removal of children from the workforce can have devastating results fo... Free Essays on International Labor Organization Free Essays on International Labor Organization The International Labor Organization (ILO) estimates that 250 million children between the ages of five and fourteen work in developing countries – at least 120 million full time. Sixty-one percent of these are in Asia, 32 percent in Africa, and 7 percent in Latin America. Most working children in rural areas are found in agriculture; urban children work in trade and services, with fewer in manufacturing, construction and domestic service. Only an estimated 5 percent of child laborers work in export industries. Article 32 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child protects children from economic exploitation and work that is likely to be hazardous to the child’s development, or to interfere with the child’s education. It calls on states to take legislative and other measures, including sanctions and penalties, to guarantee this protection to children. Those addressing the issue of child labor are sometimes divided on how to proceed and consider a range of different approaches. Some urge that child labor be eliminated quickly and aggressively, including through the use of trade sanctions when countries or industries fail to act decisively. Some call for reforming the conditions in which children work with a view toward gradual elimination. Some believe that work plays an important and positive role in children's lives and in their relations with their families, and seek reform, but not an end to child labor. A simple approach of requiring employers to discharge all child workers can lead to devastating results for children removed from the workplace. Children discharged from work can find themselves on the street in prostitution or crime, or working in even worse conditions and for less pay. In tackling the issue of child labor, consideration of the immediate and direct consequences for working children and their families cannot be underestimated. The removal of children from the workforce can have devastating results fo...