The research project discusses the ethical aspects of governance focusing on formalisation of ethics within a state owned enterprises as a mechanism to improve governance practices.

The research project discusses the ethical aspects of governance focusing on formalisation of ethics within a state owned enterprises as a mechanism to improve governance practices.

Master of Science / Department of Apparel, Textiles, and Interior Design / Joy Kozar / China is the world’s largest apparel producer, exporter, and maintains the largest domestic apparel market. Since economic reform in the 1980s that opened up the Chinese market for foreign investors, China’s domestic apparel market has attracted many foreign (Western) apparel brands (Shenkar, 2005). More than 10,000 different international apparel brands share China’s domestic apparel market, including brands from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the United States, Britain, and South Korea, among others. Around 2,000 Chinese domestic apparel brands have experienced difficultly surviving in China’s domestic apparel market. Besides the large number of foreign (Western) apparel brands, counterfeit apparel products have grown faster than China’s government can control. As a result, China has become the world’s largest counterfeit market. This has become a secondary threat to China’s domestic apparel market and national economy. Additionally, because of economic growth and modernization in China, Chinese consumers have accepted more Westernized values, but also retained their traditional face-saving values. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to explore how their attitudes toward counterfeit apparel products, China’s domestic apparel brands, and foreign (Western) apparel brands are influenced by their level of perception about knowledge and attitudes toward counterfeit apparel products, face-saving values, materialistic values, and ethical values. This study utilized a sample of males and females between the ages of 18 and 64, who reside in Guangzhou, Shanghai, Chengdu, and Wuhan, China. A questionnaire was utilized as part of this study and data was collected online by SOJUMP Survey Company. A total of 1,192 participants (736 males and 456 females) participated in this study. There are in total nine significant relationships that have been found in this study. First, the researcher found a positive relationship between Chinese consumers’ perception about knowledge of counterfeit apparel products and their attitudes about counterfeit apparel products. Second and third, the present study also discovered that Chinese consumers with favorable attitudes of foreign apparel brands or negative attitude of China’s domestic apparel brands would similarly hold positive attitudes of counterfeit apparel products. Fourth, the present scholar concluded that Chinese consumers with favorable attitudes of China’s domestic apparel brands tend to hold negative attitudes of counterfeit apparel products. Fifth and sixth, it was found that Chinese consumers with high level of face-saving values show positive attitudes of foreign (Western) apparel brands and counterfeit apparel products. Seventh, Chinese consumers with high level of face-saving values also possess strong materialistic values. Consequently Chinese consumers with strong materialistic values tend to hold positive attitudes of counterfeit apparel products and foreign (Western) apparel products, but negative attitudes of China’s domestic apparel brands. The findings of this study show that Chinese consumers have a very low level of perception about knowledge of counterfeit apparel products. It is necessary to connect educators, government, apparel industry, and brand owners to develop and enhance anti-counterfeit educational programs. These programs should clearly explain the perception about knowledge of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), trademark, and the negative causes of counterfeit products are warranted. Also, it is better for China’s domestic apparel brand companies to develop better brand images and improve product quality to meet Chinese consumers’ face-saving standards and materialistic values.

Since the early 2000s there has been a growing awareness of the indivisible link between ethical conduct on the one hand and business practice on the other. A spate of corporate scandals, due to poor ethical management and deficient ethical decision making, has increased public scrutiny of organisational conduct. This indivisible link between ethics and management warranted investigation; consequently some aspects of managerial ethics in the corporate environment of South Africa were analysed and the role of training in sensitising managers to ethical decision making was examined. Both a comprehensive literature review and an empirical investigation were conducted in order to satisfy the objectives of the research study. The literature review provided insight into some of major concepts relating to managerial ethics, while also providing an overview of the global and South African ethical situation. It also revealed some pertinent current issues regarding managerial ethics training and ethics training in general. The empirical investigation was based on a quantitative research approach and was conducted through a questionnaire. A diverse group of managers who are all furthering their managerial studies at an accredited South African business school formed the study population. A total of 108 respondents completed the questionnaires, which were then statistically analysed, by the North-West University’s (NWU) Statistical Consultation Services. Both the literature review and the empirical investigation indicated a growing perception that ethics and ethical leadership is deteriorating, while the prevalence of ethical conduct breach has been on the increase. On a positive note there are strong indications that a favourable climate is being created in South African organisations, by the establishment of formal ethical codes and the development of business values. However, further investigation revealed that while formal policies and codes are in place, the implementation of these policies is lacking. A lack of understanding of the importance of ethical management was also identified, along with indications that current managerial training does not provide managers with the practical tools for real world application of ethical codes. Recommendations regarding possible action steps to start bridging the gap between the stated business values and ethics codes and the physical implementation of these guidelines are made, along with suggestions for further research. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Since the early 2000s there has been a growing awareness of the indivisible link between ethical conduct on the one hand and business practice on the other. A spate of corporate scandals, due to poor ethical management and deficient ethical decision making, has increased public scrutiny of organisational conduct. This indivisible link between ethics and management warranted investigation; consequently some aspects of managerial ethics in the corporate environment of South Africa were analysed and the role of training in sensitising managers to ethical decision making was examined. Both a comprehensive literature review and an empirical investigation were conducted in order to satisfy the objectives of the research study. The literature review provided insight into some of major concepts relating to managerial ethics, while also providing an overview of the global and South African ethical situation. It also revealed some pertinent current issues regarding managerial ethics training and ethics training in general. The empirical investigation was based on a quantitative research approach and was conducted through a questionnaire. A diverse group of managers who are all furthering their managerial studies at an accredited South African business school formed the study population. A total of 108 respondents completed the questionnaires, which were then statistically analysed, by the North-West University’s (NWU) Statistical Consultation Services. Both the literature review and the empirical investigation indicated a growing perception that ethics and ethical leadership is deteriorating, while the prevalence of ethical conduct breach has been on the increase. On a positive note there are strong indications that a favourable climate is being created in South African organisations, by the establishment of formal ethical codes and the development of business values. However, further investigation revealed that while formal policies and codes are in place, the implementation of these policies is lacking. A lack of understanding of the importance of ethical management was also identified, along with indications that current managerial training does not provide managers with the practical tools for real world application of ethical codes. Recommendations regarding possible action steps to start bridging the gap between the stated business values and ethics codes and the physical implementation of these guidelines are made, along with suggestions for further research. / Thesis (MBA)--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

Os resultados insatisfatórios que as escolas públicas brasileiras têm apresentado nas avaliações nacionais evocam notícias, manchetes, e causam grande preocupação em pais, professores e autoridades - mas tal fato não significa que não existam boas escolas. Apesar da reconhecida crise educacional, alguns sistemas funcionam bem, como os colégios militares, as escolas do sistema S (SESI, Senai etc.) e os Institutos Federais (IFs), assim como algumas escolas estaduais, municipais e do setor privado (religiosas ou não). O presente trabalho visa identificar as possíveis razões do sucesso alcançado por essas escolas e, para viabilizar a análise, elegeu as escolas do Sistema Colégio Militar do Brasil. O estudo propõe que o bom desempenho dos alunos egressos dessas escolas se deva, primordialmente, à existência de projetos alicerçados em uma arquitetura de valores éticos. Tais valores não são exclusividade da formação militar, estando certamente inseridos também nas escolas civis. O que ocorre nos ambientes educacionais militares é que tais valores são explicitados e vivenciados diária e intensamente, por meio de projetos específicos, dentre os quais destaca-se o Projeto Valores, que sistematiza as atividades desenvolvidas junto aos alunos, na conscientização de valores éticos, como: disciplina, hierarquia, responsabilidade, camaradagem, dedicação, espírito de corpo, patriotismo, civismo, respeito, honestidade, solidariedade, tolerância, lealdade, coragem, integridade, cooperação, justiça e culto às tradições. Outra característica dos colégios militares é a crença na meritocracia são valorizados o esforço individual, as atitudes, as ações na sala de aula e nas atividades extraclasses, e todas as conquistas obtidas pelos discentes. Cria-se, com isso, a ética do mérito, importante no desenvolvimento do caráter, visto que reforça e dá suporte ao crescimento pessoal. Todas as atividades desenvolvidas buscam incentivar relações de afeto e de orgulho dos alunos com seus colégios. É importante destacar, porém, que os colégios militares apresentarem estruturas pedagógica, institucional e física excelentes, dentro do universo das escolas da Educação Básica. Para a realização do trabalho foi adotada, como orientação metodológica, a pesquisa bibliográfica para analisar as múltiplas acepções dos valores éticos cultivados no Sistema Colégio Militar do Brasil e na Educação Básica. Foram coletados, também, depoimentos de ex-alunos do Sistema, que corroboraram com a hipótese do trabalho. A partir das informações, foi realizada uma análise dos valores éticos cultivados nos colégios do Sistema, e a explicitação de algumas convergências possíveis. Este trabalho não tem a intenção de esgotar o estudo sobre os colégios militares, nem pretende sugerir que toda escola seja um colégio militar, mas sim, visa identificar o que esses colégios bem-sucedidos apresentam, que poderia ser expandido para outras escolas, particularmente no que diz respeito à existência de um projeto orientado por um conjunto de valores éticos. / The unsatisfactory results that Brazilian public schools have presented in the national evaluations evoke news, headlines, and cause great concern among parents, teachers and authorities - but this does not mean that there are no good schools. Despite the acknowledged educational crisis, some systems work well, such as military schools, S-system schools (SESI, Senai, etc.) and the Federal Institutes (IFs), as well as some state, municipal, and private sector schools. The present work aims to identify the possible reasons for the success achieved by these schools and, to make feasible the analysis, elected the schools of the Military School System of Brazil. The study proposes that the good performance of students graduating from these schools is primarily due to the existence of projects based on ethical values, pillars of military culture. These values are not exclusive to military training, and are certainly also inserted in civilian schools. What happens in military educational environments is that these values are explicitly and experienced daily and intensely, through specific projects, among which the Values Project stands out, which systematizes the activities developed with students, in the awareness of ethical values, such as discipline, hierarchy, responsibility, camaraderie, dedication, body spirit, patriotism, civility, respect, honesty, solidarity, tolerance, loyalty, courage, unity, truth, cooperation, justice and praise of traditions. Another characteristic of military schools is the belief in meritocracy in which individual effort, attitudes, classroom actions and extraclassic activities are valued, and all achievements achieved by students. This creates an ethic of merit, which is important in the development of character, since it reinforces and supports personal growth. All activities developed seek to promote relations of affection and pride in the students about their colleges. It is important to emphasize, however, that military schools present excellent institutional and physical pedagogical structures, within the universe of Basic Education schools. In order to carry out the work, a bibliographical research was used as a methodological orientation to analyze the multiple meanings of the ethical values cultivated in the Military School System of Brazil and Basic Education (SCMB), and also the testimonies of former students of the System, which corroborated the work hypothesis. From the information obtained, an analysis of the ethical values cultivated in the schools of the SCMB was carried out, and the explanation of some possible convergences with other schools. This work is not intended to exhaust the study of military schools, nor is it intended to suggest that every school is turned into a military school, but rather seeks to identify what these successful schools present, which can be expanded to other schools, particularly in relation to the existence of a project guided by a set of ethical values.

This qualitative research aims to explore what different faculty-member at different Swedish and British Universities think about the role of sustainability in the finance industry and education. The investigation is mainly focused on education part of finance. Majority of participants are actively involved in determining the course contents that they teach which influence the teaching environment for students and how they are prepared for their future career. As a whole, this thesis sheds a light on how faculty-members are involved in integrating sustainability in their teaching to be able to influence finance students. In order to justify the need for sustainability emphasis in the academic finance and the finance industry, relevant examples and explanations have been provided to support the idea. One of main highlights of this thesis is that personal values and ethics are the determinants of the understanding of the concept of sustainability. Hence, it has been observed that there is a lack of sustainability understanding and integration in the finance education system as well as a lack of emphasis on personal ethics in universities that are subject to this research.

This work explores the expressive potential of plant dyeing techniques in relation to weaving by proposing a method in regard to non-toxic containment, biodegradable materials and ethical values. Textile design and ethical values have been combined to create an “Textethical Design Method”. The personal ethical values that have been used in this project are based on a “diversity perspective”. These consist of openness in material choices that wish to expand the view of quality in relation to textile material, but also by connecting and evolving the expression through knowledge between the material selections, production and aesthetics. This project focus on finding plant dyes that are uncharacteristic for the earth tones that plant dyeing techniques often are associated with, where red cabbage was the most successful pigment. The textile techniques that will be used are plant dyeing on a multiplied layered weaved surface to investigate depth through color and three-dimensional shape. The project strives to contribute with development in design methods, sustainability and broader the field of plant dyeing techniques.

Background This thesis explores the role of ethics in negotiations within the international defence industry. Existing gaps in literature are identified by using two existing literature reviews: one concerning negotiations and one concerning ethics. The gaps in existing literature lead to the need for a number of areas of development: the need for new negotiation models; the need to include ethics in international negotiations; and the need for studies to included negotiation professionals, opposed to students. Methodology and Method The method used consists of a single-case study using interviews to gain insight from those responsible for negotiations and ethics at Saab, a Swedish International defence company. Theoretical Framework To explore the possibilities of an ethically based negotiation model, two existing models were examined. The first used is the Value-Based Negotiation Model (VBN) by Gan (2017) and establishes a negotiation framework. The second model by Erwin (2010) offers perspectives on the effectiveness of documents used to establish ethical foundations in organizations. Proposed Research Framework The research framework that is established is the Sanfran Ethical International Business Negotiations Model. The model incorporates the steps needed for successful integrative negotiations with aspects aimed at increasing ethical collaboration and to reduce the risk of unethical behaviour. Findings and further research. The research has fulfilled its two goals by adding to existing literature surrounding negotiations and by developing a conceptual framework to be used in international defence negotiations that uses ethical requirements as a foundation. Implications for theory and practice are discussed and future research directions are offered.

Increased consumer awareness together with the importance of sustainable consumption is currently a highly debated topic. Frequently, the media reports scandals from strong international brands, revealing information regarding deficiencies linked to the brands social sustainability efforts. As a consequence, some consumers are starting to put higher demands on social sustainability by spreading condemnations. This is to prevent injustices such as child labour and modern slavery. The condemnation can be in the form of negative word-of- mouth or by boycotting the brand. This is something that can affect the brand strongly by damaging the consumers perception of the brand, which can be fatal to the consumer-brand relationship. However, this is something that seems to affect some brands to a greater extent than other brands This study explores the strength of Keller’s brand resonance level as a possible explanation to the above mentioned anomality. It shows that brands resonance operates as a countermeasure against negative information in relation to the brands indiscretions regarding social sustainability. Brand resonance can contradict the consumers ethical values and self-imagery, leaving the consumers perception of the brand unscathed. The results showed that brand resonance can become so strong that it can make the consumer abandon their ethical values, even for consumers whom consider themselves as highly ethical. This study has been conducted by a hypothetically deductive methodology. To determine the significance of the result it has been verified with a Z-test that applied a 5% significance level.