Hello, dear friend, you can consult us at any time if you have any questions, add WeChat: daixieit

Syllabus

LER 475H

Work and Labor in the Global Economy

Spring 2024

Course description

LER 475H, Labor in the Global Economy examines globalization, its impact on work and workers, and efforts to address adverse impacts through strategic and worker-driven co-research. This includes analyzing economic sectors and state labor regimes, researching modern corporations, developing worker-driven co-research skills involving worker surveys, and designing comprehensive campaigns to improve terms and conditions of work.

At the end of this course, students will:

1. Understand multinational corporations from a historical perspective, including their impact on labor and politics.

2. Comprehend the functions of global supply chains in different sectors of the economy and how they impact working conditions and workers’ rights.

3. Understand the contemporary structure and organization of economic and corporations.

4. Know how to conduct strategic corporate research and worker-driven co-research and to use this research to improve labor conditions.

5. Use the research skills developed in this course to write practitioner-oriented reports on work and labor in global supply chains.

Evaluation

Unit One [33.33% of course grade]

Quiz: 25%

Written Assignment: 60%

Participation: 15%

Unit Two [33.33% of course grade]

Quiz: 25%

Written Assignment: 60%

Participation: 15%

Unit Three [33.33% of course grade]

Quiz: 25%

Final Report: 60%

Participation: 15%

Readings

All material for the course will be posted on Canvas.

Class Participation

This is an honors-level, seminar course. Students are expected to come to all classes prepared to discuss the readings and participate in each class at least three times to earn full participation points using the participation cards. Bonus points are awarded for each two additional participations for a maximum of three bonus points per unit. Participation will also include a short research presentation at the end of the semester.

Missed classes

The School of Labor and Employment Relations believes that class attendance is both a fundamental responsibility of all Penn State students and a necessary part of the Penn State academic experience.  The School expects students to attend all scheduled class sessions. The only valid reasons for missing class are illness, deaths in a family, religious holidays, and University-sanctioned activities (e.g. off-campus athletic, academic, or student government-related events).  Students should inform the instructor in advance if they will miss a class. For missed classes, students will write a 3-page memo summarizing and analyzing the readings for that class, which is due within 5 days after the missed class. Each unexcused absence will result in a 25% reduction in the participation grade.

Short research papers and final research report

Through this course, students will build toward a final research and campaign report of 20 double-spaced pages. In the first sector of the report (due at the end of Unit 1), students will analyze a particular economic sector (agriculture, mining, textiles, etc.) in terms of structure and common employment relations trends. In the next section, students will analyze the state labor regimes in a country of their choosing (short memo). In the most significant section of the report, students will analyze a publicly traded multinational corporation (due at the end of Unit 2). In the last section of the report, students will design a worker survey and a campaign to address labor rights issues and pull everything together into their final report, which is due on April 30, at 5pm. An electronic copy should be submitted to the appropriate Dropbox in Canvas. Late reports will be marked down by one half of a letter grade for each day that they are late.

Grading Scale

A   93-100
A-   90-92.99
B+   87-89.99
B   83-86.99
B-   80-82.99
C+   77-79.99
C   70-76.99
D   60-69.99
F   59.99 or below

COURSE SCHEDULE 

UNIT ONE

Theory, Industries/Supply Chains, and the State 

Week 1, January 9, Introduction

1. Course overview;

2. Rana Plaza clip; who is to blame?

3. Movie, “The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel” (1^st part)

Week 2, Jan. 16: The First MNCs and Theories of Capitalism

1. Nick Robins, East India Company, 42 pages.

2. Adam Smith and specialization; Wealth of Nations.

3. Karl Marx and labor power.

Week 3, Jan. 23: Modernization, Dependency, and Global Supply Chains

1. Rostow and Modernization Theory

2. Galeano and Dependency Theory.

3. Gereffi and Global Supply Chains

Week 4, Jan. 30: Researching Industries and Supply Chains

1. Anner, sections of reports, banana and textiles/garments [everyone reads these]

Pick your industry (find its NAICS or SIC code(s).

Read two of the following on your industry, OR select one or two different reports in consultation with the course instructor:

a) Dicken, Extractive industries.

b) Dicken, Agriculture.

c) McKinsey, State of Fashion 2024 Report

d) Media Exposes: Fishing Industry.

e) NGO Reports: Mica Mining

f) IBIS World (Select global industries reports)

g) Mergent Archives: Industry Reports

Week 5, Feb. 6: Researching the State

1. Anner, Sections of reports, Guatemala and Honduras (everyone)

2. Pick you country case, and read do all of the following:

a) Read latest ILO FoA Findings (87 and 98). See: ILO Cases by country

b) Read latest US State Department Report, Section 7, “Worker Rights”. See: State Dept., Country Reports

c) Review 2020 Labour Rights Indicators scores, in law/in practice. See: LRIs

Week 6, Feb. 13: Quiz, Short Paper (7 pages on industry and country), Presentations.

UNIT TWO

Researching Corporations

Week 7: Feb. 20: The Modern Corporation

1. Harvie Ramsay, “Understanding MNCs” 18 pages.

2. Juravich, “Beating Global Capital,” (Part 1; only research part)

3. Watch remainder of movie, “The New Corporation: The Unfortunately Necessary Sequel”

Week 8: Feb. 27: Researching the MNCs, Part 1

1. Textbook, Financial Analysis.

2. SEC Beginners’ Guide to Financial Statements

3. ML Reading Financial Statements

Assignment: Go to “Yahoo Finance”

Answer following questions on your corporation:

1. What is its ticket (trading) code?

2. Where is it located?

3. When was it founded?

4. Who is the CEO and what is their salary?

5. Did it make a profit? Gross? Net?

6. How does its most recent profits compare to its profits over the past four years?

March 5: NO CLASS, Spring Break

Week 9: March 12: Researching the MNCs, Part 1

1. Makers and Takers

2. Whale Watch, Who are the major investors?

3. Mergent:

4. Business news:

5. Business primier:

Week 10: March 19: Researching MNCs, Part 2

1. Read the most recent 10-K for your corporation and answer the following questions:

a. Competitors

b. Major growth sectors.

c. Risks and opportunities.

d. Anything on labor unions, collective bargaining, employment relations?

e. Global production and distribution.

f. Other significant findings?

g. Fill in as many missing boxes as possible in 24 box chart.

Week 11: March 26, Quiz, 7 page paper on your corporation, Presentations

UNIT THREE

Worker-Driven Co-Research and Strategic Campaigns

Week 12: April 2, Worker-Driven Co-Research, overview

1. Participatory research...

2. Anner, New Labour Forum.

Week 13: April 9, Designing and Implementing Worker Surveys.

1. Survey research and using Qualtrics

2. Guatemala report, survey section.

3. Honduras report, survey section.

Assignment: Design a worker survey.

Week 14: April 16, Strategic Campaigns.

1. Tarrow, “Contentious Politics and Social Movements”

2. Juravich, “Beating Global Capital,” (Part 2; campaign part)

Week 15: April 23: Quiz, Short paper (7 pages, survey and campaign), Presentations

Final Report, Due April 30, 5pm Drop Box