Monthly Archives: October 2015

As a Regulation Violator Is Indicted For 29 Deaths, Republicans Plan a Deregulation Frenzy

After the Upper Big Branch Mine Disaster, an explosion in West Virginia that left almost 30 miners dead, authorities finally began to assess the safety of Massey Energy’s Mines. Upon investigation they discovered that not only were the mines run incredibly dangerously, but that the managers were fully conscious of it and insisted that the employees disregard the unsafe conditions that they were working in. Donald Blankenship, the CEO of Massey Energy, is now facing criminal charges for violating safety standards and impeding inspections of their mines.

This scandal begs the question, at what point is production valued more than human life? The shock with which this incident was received leads us to believe that the majority of people understand the severity of this type of issue and would not partake in similar behaviour. There are, however, still some who are more concerned with making a profit than the safety of their employees. This calls into question the ethics of all managers at this mine, and makes us wonder how they can be okay with taking advantage of their workers. Safety standards in mines are becoming more and more strict, which is certainly shown when examining the number of mine related deaths over the past 100 years. According to the United States Department of labour, there were 16 miners that passed away in the United States in 2014. Looking back 50 years, there were 242, which shows us that we have significantly advanced. This leads us to believe that it is not the safety standards that are in place, but the corrupt managers that choose to ignore them. While I’d like to believe the Massey Energy scandal was an isolated incident, these types of mines exist all around the world and I believe it is time that we take a more serious approach to stopping them so that we can reduce the number of scandals that lead to completely preventable deaths.

Sources:

http://www.businessinsider.com/massey-ceo-to-stand-trial-2015-10?pundits_only=0&get_all_comments=1&no_reply_filter=1#comment-561115886da811c601f91146

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Upper_Big_Branch_Mine_disaster

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2014-11-13/ex-massey-energy-ceo-blankenship-indicted-over-disaster

http://www.mining.com/former-massey-coal-executive-sentenced-to-three-years-in-prison-for-endangering-miners-lives-76340/

http://www.politicususa.com/2014/11/20/regulation-violator-indicted-29-deaths-republicans-plan-deregulation-frenzy.html

How much money are countries spending on the Syrian refugee crisis?

Accepting Syrian refugees has become a growing topic of controversy around the world. Many feel that not accepting them would be cruel due to the massive death toll we’ve seen over the past year. On the other hand, some individuals are more concerned about the potential negative economic impacts their acceptance may have. While I am strongly in favour of accepting these refugees, I believe it is important to consider the possible negative side effects this could have on those supportive countries so we can prevent them.

Lebanon is one of the countries that has accepted the most Syrian Refugees. According to the International Labour Association, although there have been some positive aspects to accepting these refugees, it has also taken a major toll on its economy. One of the most serious repercussions has been the growing competition for jobs in Lebanon, particularly because Syrians are generally willing to work for lesser pay and subpar working conditions as they are desperate for jobs. This is, however, somewhat beneficial to Lebanese business owners in that they are saving money on employment. On the other hand, Syrians are opening their own businesses and selling goods for much cheaper than their Lebanese counterparts, taking customers away from them and creating a growing tension between the two populations. There are many theories on how to fix these problems, mainly suggesting the need to create more local jobs, help educate the population, and implement new policies to help prevent Syrians from being exploited, although it is uncertain whether they will work. As I stated before, I am strongly for allowing these refugees to come to our country. I feel that with such a large country full of a variety of cultures, values, and a very strong economy, by implementing new laws and regulations Canada would be able to create a favourable environment for these refugees.

Sources:

http://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—arabstates/—ro-beirut/documents/genericdocument/wcms_240130.pdf

https://www.wilsoncenter.org/event/humanitarian-crisis-impact-syrian-refugees-lebanon

http://carnegieendowment.org/2013/06/25/syrian-refugees-in-lebanon-impact-and-recommendations/gb0z

http://www.brookings.edu/blogs/future-development/posts/2015/09/16-economic-impact-refugees-cali

http://www.vancitybuzz.com/2015/09/money-countries-spending-syrian-refugee-crisis/

   Equality in the Boardroom

More and more people in today’s society have become advocates for gender equality, and the movement is rapidly spreading around the world. Although most of society has progressed immensely, there is still an extreme gender gap in the business world that isn’t being acknowledged. The Conference Board of Canada informs us that in Canada, the average difference between a man and woman’s income is 19%. In addition, men in the United States hold 83% of the executive committee positions, while women hold just 17%. This inequality is not only present in North America, but can be seen around the globe. I believe it’s important to not only examine the statistics, but also to consider why we aren’t moving forward. The Guardian looked into these questions, and found that one of the biggest factors is that plenty of companies are resisting the change because many simply don’t in fact see the benefit of pushing for gender equality.

In my opinion there are many advantages to hiring women; studies show that they are generally more detail-oriented, better at working in teams, and many women intend to stay in their community for a long time, making them a reliable employee. However, the combination of the difficulty of receiving a high level position as a woman, as well as the income gap, means that working in the business world is simply not a favourable environment for women. Various different groups like The 30 Percent Club have taken on the initiative of not only raising awareness but also making sure that changes are happening. Unfortunately, we can’t rely solely on these groups to change the situation; it needs to be a global initiative. It’s time to change the way corporate executives see female employees and help them realize that hiring women can be a competitive advantage, and not just a quota they’re being forced to meet.

Sources:

http://www.conferenceboard.ca/hcp/details/society/gender-income-gap.aspx

http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/women-leadership-companies-equality-jobs

http://www.swc-cfc.gc.ca/rc-cr/bc-cb/index-en.html

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/report-on-business/video/video-just-2-percent-of-tsx-listed-firms-have-set-targets-for-female-representation/article26570751/

http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/top-stories/content/20131015TST22325/html/Equality-in-the-boardroom