BUSINESS STUDIES
GRADE 12
MAIN TOPIC: BUSINESS ROLES
TOPIC: HUMAN RIGHT, INCLUSIVITY & ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES
1. EXPLAIN HUMAN RIGHTS, INCLUSIVITY & ENVORONMENTAL ISSUES
[H, I & E]
1.1 Human Rights
· Refers to the basic rights that every person is entitled to simple because he or sheo is a human being
· Human Rights are protected by the Bill of Rights in the constitution
· Examples Human Rights:
Ø Right to be treated fairly and equally – Equality
Ø Right to be treated in a dignified manner – Human dignity
Ø Right to fair treatment in the work place – Labour Relation
Ø Right to freedom of speech
Ø Right to vote
Ø Right to practice your own religion
1.2 Inclusivity
· The fact or policy of not excluding members or participants on the grounds of gender, race, class, sexuality, disability, etc.· No discrimination practiced and every one must have an equal chance in the work place
· Examples of discrimination
Ø Gender – only men may apply for a job
Ø Race – only blacks may apply for a job
Ø Disability – people in wheel chairs may not apply for the job
1.3 Environmental Issues
• Businesses have a responsibility to protect the environment• Resources of the environment must be used with care and consideration
• Businesses must consider the impact of their actions on the environment
• Examples
Ø Global warming
Ø Renewal energy
Ø Recycling
Ø Conservation
Ø Climate change
2. ASSESS A BUSINESS VENTURE ON H, I & E BY USING INFORMAL SURVEYS, INTERVIEWS ETC
2.1 Human Rights
Yes / No1 / Does the business adhere to the minimum requirements of the Constitution with regards to human rights
2 / Does the organisation avoid violating the human rights of others
3 / Is there a policy in place to address issues relating to human rights
4 / Was the policy approved by management
5 / Was the policy mediated with the employees
6 / Is the policy enforced
2.2 Inclusivity
Yes / No1 / Does the business have a policy on inclusivity
2 / Is the policy enforced
3 / Was the policy mediated with employees
4 / Does the business employ people from different cultures
5 / Does the business employ people with disabilities
6 / Is management representative of the demographics of the country
2.3 Environmental Issues
Yes / No1 / Are the design processes environmentally friendly
2 / Is the energy consumption controlled
3 / Are resources being used optimally
4 / Is there an efficient waste management policy in place
5 / Are the employed trained in health and safety
6 / Is the use of water regularly assessed
3 Suggest how business may promote / address human rights issues in the workplace
· Fair treatment of workers· Not discriminating against workers
· Not exploiting workers
· Respect the right of workers to belong to a trade union
· Pay workers fairly
· Create a safe environment for workers to perform their duties
4. DIVERSITY
4.1 Explain the meaning of the term diversity
· Refers to the many differences between people in an organisation· Examples:
- Race; Gender; Ethnic; group; Age; Personality; Education;
- Culture etc.
- How people see themselves
- How people see others
4.2 Recommend ways in which business may embrace issues of diversity
• Affirmative Action policies must be applied consistently.• Working environment must remain enabling for races
• All jobs in the organisation must be accessible to all people regardless of their gender or gender preference
• Work place policies should cater for the language needs of all workers.
• Promotion should not be linked to age but to a specific set of skills
• Workplace must make provision for the special needs of people with disabilities and
ensure that they are not marginalised
4.3 Evaluate the impact of diversity in the workplace
Positives1. High level of
Productivity / • When management takes the welfare of its workers at heart it enables workers to feel they belong to the company irrespective of their cultural background.
• They therefore remain loyal and hardworking which helps to increase the company’s productivity and profit.
2. Learning and
growth / • Diversity at the workplace creates an opportunity for employee’s personal growth
3. Effective
Communication: / • Workplace diversity can immensely strengthen a company’s relationship with some specific group of customers by making communication more effective.
4. Diverse
Experience: / • Employee and their co-workers that come from a diverse background bring to the table some amount of unique perceptions and experience during teamwork or group tasks.
Negatives
1. High Cost of Diversity / · To increase job satisfaction, workplace diversity
management could sometimes be very costly.
· Some training programs require a high travelling and participation cost
2. Communication
issues / · Workplace diversity can negatively impact communication in the company.
· It can place an obstacle in the way of effective communication, which can cause a decrease in productivity and dampen the cohesiveness among workers.
3. Discrimination / · One significant disadvantages of working with a diverse workforce is discrimination in the part of both managers and employees
· When a worker is being discriminated, it affects his
· ability to perform well and it also affect the perception of
equity and raises issues of litigation.
5. ENVIRONMENT & HUMAN HEALTH
5.1 Suggest strategies businesses may use to protect the environment and human health
1.13 Recommend ways in which professional, responsible, ethical and effective business practice should be conducted.
1 / Not starting a venture at the expense of someone else• Not building a hotel that will obstruct the views of residence and therefore lower their quality of life
2 / Paying employees a fair wages
• Paying employees more than the minimum wage as determined by law, because they are productive and contribute to the business profits
3 / Regular payment of tax
• Paying tax to SARS on time and disclosing all material information in the tax return
4 / Taking care of the environment and society
• Use of green policies in the workplace, e.g. recycling paper, saving electricity
5 / Treating all employees equally
• All employees should be treated with the same respect regardless of their rank in the organisation
1.14 Evaluate situations and reflect on issues/situations in terms of ethical/professional behaviour in given scenarios/case studies that pose challenges in the business environments:
1 / Ethical and professional behaviour in the workplace• Set high standards for employees, by letting them sign a code of conduct
• Expect professional behaviour from employees at all times
• Support ethical standards with training, communication and an atmosphere of trust
2 / Sexual harassment
• Involves unwanted and unwelcome attention of a sexual nature from someone at work.
• The attention causes discomfort, is humiliating and interferes with the job
• It is wrong and unethical to abuse your position to take advantage of others
3 / Unauthorised use of workplace funds and resources
• Using the business’s money without permission is called unauthorized use of funds
• It is a criminal offence
• Using the organisations funds for own use is an illegal
4 / Unfair advertising
• Businesses must keep their advertising legal, respectful, honest and truthful
• Biased advertising are unethical
• Advertising for positions should not have discriminatory conditions that would exclude certain sections of the population
5 / Pricing of goods in rural areas
• People in rural areas are often not able to compare prices of different retailers
• They are forced to buy from one local store
• They are at the mercy of greedy shopkeepers who inflate prices
6 / Taxation
• Corporate tax and personal income tax are the main source of income for the government
• Many businesses and individuals do not declare all their income to SARS
• This is called tax evasion and it is illegal and unethical
7 / Abuse of work time
• Refers to activities that is not focused on the job that you are meant to do during working hours