CONTEMPORARY SOCIO-ECONOMIC ISSUES

 

5.       Counterfeiting, imitations and bootlegging

‘Counterfeiting involves making copies of products made without the consent of the creator and with the intent of passing them off as the real product’

‘Bootlegging includes alcoholic liquor unlawfully made, sold, or transported, without registration or payment of taxes’

‘Piracy refers to the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that is then sold at substantially lower prices in the 'grey' market’

 

The relationship between piracy and copyright

·         Content of publications or recordings are the intellectual property of the people who created them.

·         Strict laws protect property rights – punishment for transgression is severe.

·         Patent laws protect new inventions and intellectual property. Protection for seven years (usually) to allow recouping investments.

·         Trademarks are used by businesses to identify themselves and their products. A trademark name has the sign ™ after it as evidence that the name is trademarked.

·         Copyright is the exclusive rights given to a creator of original work, including the right to change, copy or distribute the work and applies to books, music, maps, drama productions, photographs, drawings, paintings and computer programmes.

How do piracy, counterfeiting and bootlegging affect business operations?

·         Businesses and individuals lose out on profit.

·         If businesses are not protected by law, they will not invest in new business and product ideas.

 Consumers are protected

·         Anti-piracy laws protect consumers from counterfeit products.

·         Anti-piracy laws mean consumers can trust what they buy and pay is what name suggests.

·         Counterfeit medicine and food can pose a risk to customers, who are unable to identify ingredients.

·         Criminals selling counterfeits are stealing investment and ideas from the original maker.

·         Pirate products reduce the value of genuine articles.

·         Bootlegging is similar, with added danger as bootleg liquor can be poisonous

 

6.       Violence and crime

Violence

 Includes domestic violence, emotional violence or abuse, violence during robberies and assault, murder, rape and violence in the workplace.

 Domestic violence

An extreme form of aggression; the use of physical force with intention to cause injury, damage or death.

·         Employees call in sick and miss work because of injuries.

·         Employees, who fear violence against their family, stay off work

Emotional violence

 This includes treating other employees in ways that make them afraid, threatened, ashamed or not able to control what is done to them.

·         An employee who is subjected to emotional violence at home may lose concentration.

·         Employees subjected to emotional violence lack self-confidence, become timid and areless able to develop fully at work.

Violence in the workplace

·         Theft, assault, bribery and corruption can lead to violence in the workplace.

·         Stress in the workplace to meet deadlines, theft, bribery and corruption can cause violence.

·         Another example is xenophobic attacks on immigrant workers.

·         Violence is a dismissible offence.

Crime

·         Any unlawful and harmful act related to loss of goods in a business due to burglaries, robberies, theft, corruption and hijackings.

·         Theft is the unlawful taking of someone else's property to make it your own.

·         Loss of goods in a business can happen as a result of burglaries, shoplifting, customer theft and employee theft.

·         Corruption is the abuse of power to use or take resources from the government or business for personal gain.

·         Hijacking is taking a vehicle from the owner or driver through a possible act of violence.

·         Burglary differs from theft in that it includes the breaking of property to enter a building.

Impact of crime on business

·         Employees fear to be robbed on pay-day and take off early leading to loss of productivity.

·         The crime of murder takes away skilled labour causes mourning and therefore a slower production rate.

·         Rape leads to time taken off work for counselling, hospitalisation and court cases.

·         Businesses try to protect themselves against crime by having secure premises, installing burglar bars, security systems and security guards.

·         Businesses take out insurance to cover themselves against possible risks of losing assets such as stock and fixed assets.

·         All of the above increases cost for the business, which affect profits.

·         Crime disrupts business activities and productivity.

 

7.       Strikes, labour disputes and political disturbances

Strikes- A refusal to work organized by a body of employees as a form of protest, typically in an attempt to gain a concession or concessions from their employer’

Lock-out- A lockout is an action by the employer to prevent striking workers from coming into the workplace to prevent damage during a labour dispute.

 Go-slows- Go-slows are a form of industrial action where employees work at a much slower pace than usual. As they work slower, it decrease productivity and employers are forced to listen to the demands of the employees. 

Impact of the above on business:

·         Employers lose on production, but can enforce the 'no work, no pay' rule.

·         Employers fear for survival of their businesses.

·         Strikes often turn violent when strikers attack workers who are not taking part, yet gaining in the benefits of the strike (known as 'free-riders').

·         Striking workers often intimidate other workers who are not striking.

·         Employees can get in other workers to continue production (called 'scab labour').

·         Strikers often attack such workers.

Last Edited by: Ms Kheswa