Essay The Gap Inc

It's really all about getting back to the basics for this company. Drexler said, "I believe Gap, Old Navy, and Banana Republic are now in a position to offer the product assortments our customers expect and that reflect what our brands have always stood for. The time is right for me to move on, and for the company to bring in new leadership to take the business forward." (Etzel, et.al, 2004).

The Gap Inc. is a global specialty retailer that operates stores selling casual apparel and accessories for men, women, and children (Yahoo Market Guide, 2001). Under the Gap, are the Old Navy and Banana Republic brands (Yahoo Market Guide, 2001).

More than 500 workers fired deliberately, openly defying national agreements, the lack of union support of social partners principal to demand for wage negotiations in the factory.

Old Navy is a brand owned by Gap, Inc. As a whole, Gap’s purpose is “to make it easy for you to express your personal style throughout your life” (www.gapinc.com). The culture of Gap, Inc is governed by their key values: integrity, respect, open-mindedness, quality and balance. One way Gap achieves their purpose is through one of their four brands, Old Navy. The brand is known for offering on-trend apparel and accessories at great value. Old Navy's mission is to

The union leadership thought this agreement would spread throughout the other companies. PD decided not to follow the agreement claiming they did not have the funds. That is when they decided to shut down for a strike. PD had the power and was going to maintain it no matter the cost. Cultural.

Currency: this article was received 12th June, 2010 and accepted for publication 29th July, 2010. The research study was current and it cited up to date references in the body of the text (which ranged from 1990-2009). Although, references are best cited within the last 10yrs however, in this study, some of the cited journals which were older than 10yrs include 1990 – 1, 1993 – 1, 1996 -3, 1997 – 1, 1998 -2. A total of 8 references were older than 10yrs out of 46 references cited. The results and findings were also analysed based on other findings in other studies outside of Iran.

In the 90's there was a huge outcry when many large companies such as Nike and Reebok were found to use factories that violated worker rights (Balko 2003). Wal-Mart had garments made with child labour in Bangladesh (Organic 2007). Kathy Lee Gifford was producing her line of clothing in Honduras, employing under age girls (Organic 2007). These were top news stories and global campaigns were launched to boycott these companies. A "Just don't do it" campaign was launched to increase awareness of poor conditions in Nike factories. Protests and boycotts affected the bottom line of these companies and they began to adopt codes of conduct which banned underage workers and forced overtime, promoted safety policies and improved environmental practices

Frenkel (2001) asserted that the while there is a Nike’s code of conduct, China’s sports factories manufacturing products for Nike were found to violate it. Furthermore, these factories were violating the apparel industry partnership code of conduct, and the labor law made by the government of China. This is another sign of government’s power getting weaker. In addition, it is known that trade unions are never heard of and any sign of opposition is going to be tremendously punished. All of these means workers have no way to voice out the unfairness they received.

Employees have demanded for a unionization this issue had always raised concern and fear to Wilso who has his hands full managing employee’s affairs. In fact, Wilson belief that ‘’ It never ends up once employees contradict sets in”. Hence, Wilson knew there was still a calling for unionization, so he had concerns of any cost-cutting will turn the undercurrent to a landslide.

This counselor recently purchased specialized glasses for Alaina, an accommodation that was necessary for her to perform the essential functions of her job as a customer service advocate with Audi/Dako Group. These glasses are meant to help darken a bright area and keep out the glare from bright lights. Although, Alaina has stated that the glasses are helping tremendously, she is reporting that the glare in her work area is still too bright and is causing her headaches. With the headaches, she struggles to completely and effectively do her job. Alaina did report this concern to her employer and they purchased her a darkening computer screen cover which helps as well, but Alaina still states that the lights above her cubical are the issue

Jim Malesckowski remembers the call of two weeks ago as if he just put down the telephone receiver: “I just read your analysis and I want you to get down to Mexico right away,” Jack Ripon, his boss and chief executive officer, had blurted in his ear. “You know we can’t make the plant in Oconomo work anymore, the costs are just too high. So go down there, check out what our operational costs would be if we move, and report back to me in a week.” At that moment, Jim felt as if a shiv had been stuck in his side, just below the rib cage. As president of the Wisconsin Specialty Products Division of Lamprey Inc., he knew quite well the challenge of dealing with high-cost labour in a third-generation, unionized

There are segmented clothing and retail industries around the world. Therefore, there are provisions for a smaller number of firms in the industry. Although Creación has direct competitors like Jovian and

Activists say that global clothing brands like Tommy Hilfiger and the Gap and those sold by Walmart need to take responsibility for the working conditions in Bangladeshi factories that produce their clothes."

Gap Inc. is a large company in the clothing business with over 3,300 stores worldwide. As one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies in 2012 for the sixth straight year, it might be interesting to investigate the ethical issues that have risen in the past years (Gap Inc., 2013a).

The apparel industry has historically relied on a contracting system that has allowed brand-name companies to eschew legal liability for the working conditions of those who actually sew their garments. A race to the