In relation to the case study 'Walmart and H & M in spotlight regarding human rights in media ex-plain which human rights are not being granted to the workers.

See the answer in explanation.
Explanation:
Human rights are the statutory ways in which individual expects to and should be treated. Ethical and responsible sourcing includes the protection of human rights, not violating it.
When young women are being bound into contracts where they work for two to three years, they are not being granted the right to freedom from slavery.
Forcing these women to live in hostels under restrictions that prevent them from moving and are denied the opportunity to improve on their living condition is a violation of their right to life, liberty and personal security, also, their freedom from torture and degrading treatment is being violated.
* Refer to the question column for response
Case Study
A series of news stories reporting events such as the collapse of the Rana Plaza building in 2013 have drawn attention to the poor conditions in garment factories across India and South East Asia. Human rights groups have long be critical of the excessive hours and poor wages workers are forced to endure, as well as the abuse they receive from supervisor. With consumers becoming increasingly aware of these conditions, more pressure is being put on global brands and retailers to ensure their supply chains are fair and ethical.
Certain areas have been notorious for the mistreatment of workers. In India's textile valley', young women are been bound into contracts where they work for two to three years, in exchange for a lump sum of money that they can then put towards a dowry. This is known as the 'Sumangali [a married woman] Thittam' scheme. These women are forced to live in hostels under restrictions that prevent them from moving, and are denied the opportunity to improve their living conditions. Retailers including Walmart and H & M are known to source garments from factories in the 'textile valley'.
Reports by organizations including the Asia Floor Wage Alliance (AFWA), Central Combodia, Global Labor Justice, Sedane Labour Resource Centre (LIPS) Indonesia, and Society for Labour and Development (SLD) India have exposed unethically run factories that supply garments to H & M, Gap and Walmart. However, retailers will continue to benefit from expensive labour until mounting customers pressure causes them to change.

Describe three ways in which a buyer could or test the market in other to assist with determining a need.

See the answer in explanation.
Explanation:
Once the need has been understood, defined, justified and authorized, the next stages are to analyze and test the market. Analyzing and testing the market includes looking at the following
1. STEEPLE analysis
2. SWOT analysis
3. Porter's five forces
4. Level of suppliers competition
5. Supply and demand
6. Push and pull
7. Supplier segmentation
8. Product life cycle
9. Ansoff matrix
10. Early supplier involvement
11. Make or buy
12. Offshoring
1. Porter's five forces: The use of porter's five forces helps the procurement professional to understand the level of competition within the marketplace. Whether it is a monopoly, oligopoly, imperfect or perfect market.
Knowing these will equip the organization to better negotiate a favorable price.
2. Supply and Demand: the procurement professional must also think about supply and demand as part of their market analysis when they receive a requisition. This economic factor has a significant effect on the prices charged and on the cost incurred.
3. Supplier segmentation: in this the procurement professional start to form an opinion of potential suppliers..
They can segment current suppliers into four categories, depending on their level of integration into an organization. This can help to inform the procurement professional of which type of supplier relationship that would be most appropriate.

Explain which factors should be considered when deciding the quantity of a product to order.

See the answer in explanation.
Explanation:
When reviewing supplier's response the procurement professional should consider the right quantity of product or service that has to be ordered at anytime as against the price to decide how to gain the best cost.
Factors to consider include the following
(1)Cost of inventory
(2) cost of insurance
(3) cost of transportation.
These three should be considered against price.
Note: Incoterms are versatile and procurement professionals should understand how they are ap-plied and what point the risk transfers from being the supplier's responsibility to being the buyer's responsibility. It is important to consult the ICC for the most recent definitions, but in the following questions (101-111) you can understand the rules.
Note: sharpen your knowledge on INCOTERMS. Please consider the following Objective Re-sponse questions

Describe two negative factors associated with ordering excess inventory.

See the answer in explanation.
Explanation:
In the decision to not run out of supplies, organizations can anticipate a peak were by it products will be in a high demand or a period of scarcity of raw materials and may want to increase the in-ventory. However, if this forecast is not accurate, it may lead the organization to holding excess inventory. This can expose the organization to some negative factors.
Acquisition Cost: The organization will incur an acquisition cost for the excess inventory which is inclusive of the cost of placing the order and the cost of purchasing the goods.
Holding Cost: The organization will spend more money holding the stock, trying to keep it in good condition by providing the required light, temperature, skilled handlers and so on.
Working Capital not adding value: This will off shoot the holding cost. Also valuable working capital in excess stock which in the time not adding value, can affect the liquidity of the business. This is also an opportunity cost and increase solvency.
* Refer to the question column for response

Describe two ways in which an organization with which you are familiar could use continuous im-provement as part of whole life asset management.

See the answer in explanation.
Explanation:
Continuous improvement relates to removing waste from the supply chain and improving processes to increase efficiency within whole life asset management in a full power project (a flour producing firm) can benefit from continuous improvement in the following ways;
1) Reduce cost of spears by recondition parts, instead of disposing them out rightly.
2) Can reduce down time by conducting routine maintenance after hours.
3) Can reducing accident by up skilling operators on safety
4) Can reduce waste oil by following owner's manual instead of relying on experience.
5) Create efficiencies by operating a 24/7 shift pattern.
* Refer to the question column for response