Some retail companies have been facing boycotts and negative criticism due to their association with sweatshop practices and human rights scandals. In order to deal with such criticism, it has become common for these garment sector businesses to implement corporate responsibility projects in countries in which their independent suppliers are located. These projects fall within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework, more specifically on how the private sector can contribute to the achievement of the 8th goal, which is related to decent work and economic growth. In this sense, this work analyzes how the understanding of problems related to work processes influence the design and outcome of an initiative partially implemented by the private sector. A project implemented in Cambodia by H&M, the International Labour Organization (ILO) and the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) was used as case study.

This study sought to examine whether the use of tax incentives to boost investment into the SME sector is an effective policy for economic development. More specifically, the study focused on the Section 12J tax incentive of the Income Tax Act of South Africa, which underpins the current venture capital companies' (VCC) regime for this country. This VCC regime is aimed at addressing the challenge of lack of access to finance by SMEs, and it does so by incentivising venture capital investors to provide equity capital to qualifying SMEs. These SMEs are, in turn, expected to grow and help reduce the economic challenges of poverty and unemployment in South Africa. A mixed methods research approach was adopted for this study. It was also inductive in nature, based on primary data collected from a survey of various stakeholders of the VCC regime using a convenience sampling method. The data variables of the study were based on factors relating to the impact that the VCC regime has had on SMEs in terms of financial performance and creation of decent employment. The study concludes that the VCC regime has had a positive impact on the South African SME sector in terms of financial performance and creation of decent employment. As a result, the VCC regime has shown to be an effective tool for addressing various economic challenges, such as: lack of access to finance faced by SMEs, high failure rate of SME businesses, and poverty alleviation through provision of decent employment by SMEs. Thus, the resultant recommendation submitted in the study is that the VCC regime should as such be extended beyond its current sunset date in order to ensure the South African economy continues to enjoy the benefits that the regime has to offer.

Digitalisation, and the related idea that digitalisation will cause a technological transformation that will lead to a “fourth industrial revolution” (Industry 4.0), is a global major topic with a huge impact on many parts of our life. Related changes in the labour market are to be expected, with implications for the working conditions of employees, for example due to the introduction of robots in production areas. Current research analyses how digitalisation can impact working conditions, however, there seems to be a gap in the research related to the impact of digitalisation on working conditions of women and older employees specifically. Therefore, my aim is to analyse how digitalisation changed and can change working conditions in the manufacturing sector in a way that promotes decent work and equality for women and elderly. Considering a theoretical background of the concept of decent work, gender equality and age-related issues at work, as well as a brief historical view of the impact of industrial revolutions on working conditions, I analyse the research questions for the case of Industry 4.0 in the German manufacturing sector. Methodologically, I combine expert interviews with qualitative content analysis of publicly available documents, to get a broad view of this case. My results indicate that digitalisation was, in fact, already able to improve working conditions and promoted the integration of women and older employees in a few selected areas, especially through reducing physical demands of labour by implementing assistive digital technologies. Correspondingly, digitalisation seems to provide the tools and opportunities to further change working conditions in a way that promotes decent work and equality for women and elderly. However, when it comes to key areas of inequality and discrimination in the labour market, the horizontal segregation of the labour market for women, as well as the lack of qualification of older employees, it remains uncertain whether digitalisation will actually improve these areas. The tools, however, seem to be there, and companies seem aware of them.

This study explores employee welfare and working conditions in relation to ethical HRM practices from the employees’ perspective in the Bangladeshi Ready-Made Garment (RMG) sector. This research is inspired by the need to understand the challenges that employees face in their practical work settings and the unfair Human Resource Management (HRM) process that they experience in their work. The interpretivist philosophical approach and the qualitative research approach have been adopted in this research study, while the semi-structured interview method has been applied for primary-data collection. A total of 25 semi-structured interviews with General Employees, Informal Representative Leaders, Employees, Middle and Senior Managers have been undertaken in this process. Five focus-group discussions have also been applied to corroborate the data generated from the 25 semi-structured interviews. The case-study strategy has also been implemented as a research strategy and thematic analysis has been applied to the data-analysis process. The findings of this research study show the need for deeper understanding and application of ethical HRM practices in particular national and sectoral contexts, specifically in the Bangladeshi RMG sector. These ethical HRM practices include, but are not limited to, the initiation of rights-based understanding and respect-based perception, the inclusion of welfare facilities, the implementation of a fair payment policy, the equitable recruitment and selection policy, and the initiation and equality of training and development facilities. These new ethical understandings contribute to the field of ethical HRM in the context of the development of employee welfare and decent working conditions in this sector.

Esta pesquisa tem como objetivo geral descrever o tipo de trabalho oferecido por duas Cooperativas de Trabalho Associado à luz do conceito de Trabalho Decente postulado pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho. Com este intuito, se buscou descrever o conceito de flexibilidade na produção, as modalidades que esta apresenta, bem como a precarização das condições no trabalho que gera. Posteriormente, se apresenta o cooperativismo, e em especial as Cooperativas de Trabalho Associado CTAs- como alternativa para contrabalancear a flexibilização do mercado de trabalho. Na seqüência, se expõe o conceito de Trabalho Decente como ferramenta que permite identificar a existência de precariedade no trabalho, e seu instrumento para a análise do nível micro. Os dados desta pesquisa foram coletados e sistematizados sob a ótica do Trabalho Decente, cuja diretriz se fundamenta nos sete tipos de segurança indicados pela Organização Internacional do Trabalho. A investigação teve como eixo principal o estudo de caso de duas cooperativas de Trabalho Associado nas cidades de Medellín Colômbia- e São Paulo Brasil. Foi uma investigação de tipo descritiva, com dados coletados por meio de pesquisa bibliográfica e aplicação da Pesquisa de Segurança das Pessoas ESP. Com relação ao tipo de trabalho exercido em ambas as cooperativas analisadas, dada a heterogeneidade dos resultados, conclui-se pela impossibilidade de se afirmar de maneira categórica de tratar-se de Trabalho Decente ou Precário, sendo necessária uma conclusão específica para cada um dos tipos de segurança. / The general objective of this research is to describe the sort of work offered by two associated work cooperatives under the concept of Decent Labor proposed by the International Labor Organization. With this intention, we want to describe de concept of flexibility in production and the existing modalities to the cooperativism, especially the Associated Labor Cooperatives -ALC- as an alternative for balancing the flexibilization of the labor market. Therefore, the concept of labor is presented as a tool that helps us to identify the existence of precariousness in the work and as an instrument for analysis at the micro level. The collected data was processed and presented under the perspective of decent labor, whose guideline is based on the seven types of safety identified by the International Labor Organization. The core of this research was the study case of two Associated Work Cooperatives in the cities of Medellin, Colombia, and Sao Paulo, Brazil. It was a descriptive investigation with data collected through Bibliographic research and application of the People\'s Security Survey -PSS-. Regarding type of labor in both of the analyzed cooperatives, and given the heterogeneity of the results, we conclude the impossibility to affirm categorically whether it is a decent or precarious work, since is necessary a specific conclusion for each kind of security.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:29:23Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Victor Hugo Nazario Stuchi.pdf: 1074011 bytes, checksum: b207f8a4c427a2f2c29328a2b3eac392 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2009-06-19 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico / The choice of the theme for this Dissertation Decent Work has arisen from the certainty that every worker has the fundamental right a work clerked in the same conditions. Therefore, considered to be the decent work as a productive and adequately remunerated work, performed in conditions of freedom, equity, and security without any form of discrimination, and able to guarantee a dignified life for all people living in their work. The possibility of being able to reach an ideal decent work is captured in four strategic objectives: employment and income opportunities for men and women, fundamental principles and rights standards; extension of the social protection and social security; and promotion of the social dialogue. To develop the theme, discussing the history of human labor and labor law, examining the context in which the International Labor Organization was created. Also, look through the study of national and foreign doctrine the concept of decent work, discusses its characteristics. Finally, address the effectiveness of the theme. We hope that this work may contribute to better study, development and implementation of decent work / A escolha do tema da presente dissertação Trabalho Decente surgiu a partir da convicção de que todo trabalhador tem o direito fundamental ao trabalho. Para tanto, analisou-se o trabalho decente como um trabalho produtivo, remunerado de forma digna e exercido em condições de liberdade, eqüidade, e segurança, sem quaisquer formas de discriminação, e capaz de garantir uma vida digna a todas as pessoas que vivem de seu trabalho. A possibilidade de se atingir o ideal de um trabalho decente é substanciado em quatro objetivos estratégicos: criação de emprego de qualidade para homens e mulheres, respeito aos princípios e direitos fundamentais no trabalho, extensão da proteção social e promoção e fortalecimento do diálogo social. Para o desenvolvimento do tema, analisamos o histórico do trabalho humano e do Direito do Trabalho, verificando o contexto em que a Organização Internacional do Trabalho foi criada. Além disso, examinamos através do estudo de doutrina nacional e estrangeirada o conceito de trabalho decente, discorrendo sobre suas particularidades. Por fim, abordamos a efetividade do tema. Esperamos que o presente trabalho possa contribuir para o melhor estudo, desenvolvimento e aplicação do trabalho decente

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:48:30Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Claudemir Ramos da Silva Sugahara.pdf: 873046 bytes, checksum: cbeebd8e5e0fa752fb3ec98f9a87569f (MD5) Previous issue date: 2010-10-15 / This research discusses the relationship between development and environ-ment, aiming to define and quantify the Green Jobs in Brazil. In order to achieve this goal, concepts of development and sustainable development were approached and politics for implementation of strategies for environmentally sustainable growth were presented. It was also observed that, tied to the notion of "development", the notion of "sustainability" redefines the former one, even implying a change in the pre-analytic vision of the economy. In fact, the green economy needs the scale of the traditional economy resizing it as a subsystem of a larger system, namely the envi-ronment, which leads to the discussion of a sustainable economy. All these argu-ments are based on analysis of the results of Agenda 21, a document that would have officially started the discussion of economic sustainability as a practice of gov-ernment policies in Brazil. According to ILO (International Labor Organization), the term ''green jobs'' refers to occupations that both promote economic progress and contribute to the restoration of environmental quality. This term comprises occupa-tions that help protect the flora and fauna, and also reduce the consumption of ener-gy, natural resources and water, minimizing the impacts that nature has suffered over the centuries by the process of transformation of factors of production into goods and services . The classification of green jobs also requires decent work, which is sup-ported by worker‟s achievements in the social protection of labor and wages as well as in safe working conditions and labor rights. To introduce and to subsume Green Jobs in Brazil, the best data about jobs are provided by RAIS. Finally, we discussed ways to green jobs in the world and Brazil departing from the alternatives of energy supply and investments in alternative energy in the world and in Brazil, forestry activi-ties and going through buildings, transportation, basic industries, food and agricul-ture. The final remarks attempts to point out ways that would minimize the conflicts that distinguish and limit the classifications surrounding the green jobs, making them impenetrable islands in the Brazilian economic scenario / Esta pesquisa discute a relação entre desenvolvimento e meio ambiente, com o intuito de definir e quantificar os Empregos Verdes no Brasil. A fim de se alcançar esse objetivo, levantaram-se os conceitos de desenvolvimento e de desenvolvi-mento sustentável; são também apresentadas algumas políticas de implantação de estratégias de crescimento ambiental sustentável. Observa-se também que, ligada à noção de desenvolvimento , a noção de sustentabilidade rede-fine a primeira, e, até mesmo, implica uma mudança na visão pré-analítica da economia. De fato, a economia ecológica precisa da escala da economia tradicional redimensionando-a como subsistema de um sistema maior, justamente o do meio ambiente, o que leva à discussão de uma economia sustentável. Todos esses argumentos são fundados na análise dos resultados da Agenda 21 brasileira, documento que oficialmente teria iniciado a discussão da sustentabilidade econômica como prática de políticas governamentais no Brasil. Segundo a OIT, o termo ''Empregos Verdes'' se refere às profissões que, ao mesmo tempo em que promovem o progresso econômico, contribuem com a restauração da qualidade do meio ambiente. Abrange as ocupações que ajudam a proteger a flora, a fauna e reduzem o consumo de energia, de recursos naturais e de água, minimizando os impactos que a natureza vem sofrendo ao longo dos séculos pelo processo de trans-formação dos fatores de produção em bens e serviços. A classificação de emprego verde pressupõe ainda o trabalho decente, amparado nas conquistas pela proteção social do trabalho, com salários adequados, condições seguras de trabalho e direitos trabalhistas. Para apresentar e classificar os Empregos Verdes no Brasil, a RAIS é que melhor fornece dados sobre os empregos no país. Finalmente, são abordadas as formas de Empregos Verdes no mundo e no Brasil, tratando desde as alternativas de oferta de energia e os investimentos em energia alternativa no mundo e no Brasil, às atividades silvícolas, passando pelas edificações, transporte, indústrias de base e alimentos e agricultura. Nas considerações finais, tenta-se apontar caminhos que diminuam os embates que distinguem e limitam as classificações que cercam os Empregos Verdes, tornando-os ilhas intransponíveis no panorama econômico brasileiro

Os aspectos que envolvem a moradia vêm sendo discutidos pelos órgãos internacionais como a ONU desde o fim da segunda guerra mundial. Isso ocorreu, tendo em vista a situação desumana em que a população sobrevivente da guerra passou a viver. Mas antes disso, a população de países como Brasil e Chile, já sofria com a ausência do Estado no tocante à habitação. Por este motivo, também viraram pauta de discussão perante a ONU, o que veio a ocorrer por meio das conferências internacionais de habitação, que por sua vez, promovem uma mobilização em prol da prática da moradia como um direito humano em todos os países. Estudos foram realizados desde então, apontando a América Latina, como merecedora da atenção dos órgãos internacionais, assim como das recomendações para melhoria da condição de suas habitações, isso por ser uma região bastante povoada e detentora de um crescimento significativo de suas cidades. O Brasil e o Chile foram dois desses países Latino Americanos que conseguiram promover políticas habitacionais semelhantes e que se destacam perante as demais, mas que também sofrem críticas, como o desvio de suas finalidades e conseqüente promoção da chamada segregação socioespacial, discutidas no presente estudo. Assim, esta pesquisa, que se vale da revisão literária, tem o objetivo de criar uma relação entre recomendações gerais da ONU sobre moradia digna, com as normas nacionais e políticas habitacionais recentemente implementadas no Brasil e no Chile. Desta forma, serão analisadas as normas mais importantes sobre moradia digna de âmbito internacional e as nacionais do Brasil e do Chile para que se verifique se teoricamente estão em harmonia e verificar se as últimas políticas habitacionais vão de encontro com as recomendações da ONU. / Housing issues have been discussed by international organizations, such as the UN, since the end of World War II. This occurred in view of the inhuman situation in which the surviving population of the war came to live. But before that, the population of countries like Brazil and Chile, already suffered with the State absence regarding housing. For this reason, its also became the discussion subject towards UN, which came to be through international housing conferences, which in turn, promote a mobilization for the practice of housing as a human right in all countries. Studies have been done since then, pointing to Latin America as deserving attention of international organizations, as well as recommendations for improving the condition of their housing, since it is a very populated region and has a significant growth of its cities. Brazil and Chile were two of those Latin American countries that managed to promote similar housing policies that stand out from the others, but also suffer criticism, such as the deviation of their goals and the consequent promotion of the so-called socio-spatial segregation discussed in the present study. Therefore, this research, which uses the literary revision, aims to create a relationship between general UN recommendations on decent housing, with the national norms and housing policies recently implemented in Brazil and Chile. In this way, will be analyzed the most important norms on decent housing of international scope, also, Brazil and Chile national norms in order to verify if they are theoretically in harmony and if the last housing policies are in agreement with UN recommendations.

In simultaneously pursuing commercial and social goals, specialist microfinance organisations (MFOs) are leading examples of social enterprises working in development. Yet evidence of the feasibility of such ‘double bottom line’ management is limited. The thesis takes a comparative case study approach to investigating the dynamics of a social enterprise model of microfinance, with particular emphasis on its role in promoting employment related goals. Case study material consists primarily of the experience of two Central Asian MFOs that participated in an action research project ‘Microfinance for Decent Work’ implemented by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). Data was obtained through participant observation, staff interviews, client level surveys, and it also includes reflective practice arising from my participation in the ILO project as a consultant to both MFOs between 2008 and 2012. The findings are mixed. One of the MFOs was more strongly internally motivated to achieve social goals, and was more successful in implementing social performance management initiatives. The other was motivated more by the goal to demonstrate social performance to external stakeholders, and was less responsive to the evidence generated. The thesis also illustrates both path dependence in the evolution of social performance management, and the limited capacity of external agencies such as the ILO to influence the institutionalisation of development management within MFOs.

Submitted by Filipe dos Santos (fsantos@pucsp.br) on 2017-08-30T12:55:20Z No. of bitstreams: 1 Augusto Grieco Sant_Anna Meirinho.pdf: 3134563 bytes, checksum: 99263cf9a24679118226c809cb207f4d (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2017-08-30T12:55:20Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Augusto Grieco Sant_Anna Meirinho.pdf: 3134563 bytes, checksum: 99263cf9a24679118226c809cb207f4d (MD5) Previous issue date: 2017-08-24 / This study describes the Brazilian Social Security System by the theory of neoconstitutionalism. This subject reveals important as a current issue and as consequence of the growing debates about labor and social security reforms that is ongoing in Brazil by the pendulum movement towards the neoliberalism. The hypothesis is that the ongoing changes will reduce the worker protection, being a mechanism of deterioration of labor relationship between employers and employees and weak the Welfare State. Being the labor right a fundamental right and that the unemployment degenerates the human dignity, recognizes that the State should creates public policies to the expansion of the employment level with qualities, which means to implementation of the Decent Work Agenda from de International Labor Organization. The study also proposes as theoretical and methodological reference to the research the concepts of the minimal existential as a barrier to the changes that implicate a social decline and threats the Social Security systemic balance. This research aims to demonstrate that the minimal existential is insufficient to reduces the poverty and the inequality, because its reductionist concept. Defends the improvement of the worker’s labor conditions by the application of the cliquet effect theory, introducing the new concept of the minimal existential “beveridgiano”, that is made up of the minimal existential and the decent work. The minimal existential “beveridgiano”, with supports by the Brazilian Federal Constitution of 1988, should be introduced by adequate public policies to improve people social conditions life, fulfilling the constitutional commandment, by the social values of labor, aims the social well-being and justice, in respect of the dignity of the human person / O presente trabalho tem como objetivo analisar o Sistema de Seguridade Social brasileiro à luz do neoconstitucionalismo. O tema se revela importante diante da atualidade e do aprofundamento dos debates sobre as reformas trabalhista e previdenciária que vem ocorrendo no Brasil a partir de uma mudança pendular em direção ao neoliberalismo. Parte da hipótese de que as mudanças em curso fragilizam a proteção ao trabalhador, sendo um mecanismo de precarização das relações de trabalho e de potencialização do enfraquecimento do Estado do Bem-Estar Social. Afirmando ser o direito ao trabalho um direito fundamental e que o desemprego avilta a condição de dignidade da pessoa humana, reconhece que o Estado deve buscar, com políticas públicas, a expansão do emprego com qualidade, o que significa implantar a agenda do Trabalho Decente da Organização Internacional do Trabalho. O estudo centra-se na análise da teoria do mínimo existencial como barreira às mudanças que acarretam retrocesso social e ameaçam o equilíbrio sistêmico da Seguridade Social. Com a pesquisa, busca-se demonstrar que o mínimo existencial é insuficiente para reduzir a pobreza e as desigualdades sociais, por apresentar uma concepção reducionista. Defende-se a melhoria das condições dos trabalhadores pela aplicação da teoria do efeito cliquet, convergindo para a proteção do mínimo existencial beveridgiano, que é integrado pelo conceito de mínimo existencial e trabalho decente. O mínimo existencial beveridgiano, com suporte na Constituição Federal de 1988, deve ser buscado pela introdução de políticas públicas adequadas para melhorar a condição social das pessoas, em busca de se cumprir o mandamento constitucional de, a partir do valor social do trabalho, assegurar justiça e bemestar sociais, medida da dignidade da pessoa humana