Assignment 1 :Case Incident “Apple Goes Global”-

Read the Case Incident “Apple Goes Global” on page 31. Assume you are a member of the leadership
team for a small to medium-sized manufacturing firm, and prepare, as your initial post, a response to
Apple and Lululemon regarding the strengths of the North American workforce. What could the North
American workforce offer that might not be available in offshore regions?

The North American workforce has labour standards it must adhere to, including minimum
employment standards, which means minimum wages and overtime pay, safety measures to help
protect the workforce, along with compensation if injured at work or if you fall ill, the list of labour
standards in North America are strict

This is not always the case overseas. The protection of employees isn`t always high on the priority list,
and it is more about producing quickly and shorter lead times (Langton et al., 2019) Higher education in
Canada and the U.S.A. plays a vital role in improving our society with international students coming to
study in the U.S.A in 2019 were primarily students from China and India, with Canada`s 642,000
international students this ranked them third globally behind U.S.A #1 and Australia #2 (CIC News,
2020).This certainly gives North America an advantage over offshore regions. Also, If the workforce
remains in North America, there are a lot of data collected on the labour market; as we read in our unit
that business data collection is an advantage and 67% of managers state that big data has helped them
to innovate (Langton et al., 2019) stay north America is an asset to many. Due to technological
advances, this allows data to analyze so that employees can access work data and the market, OJT and
retraining are other strengths in the workplace in North America

The North American workforce offers several benefits that may not be available in off-shore regions,
such as a skilled workforce, high-quality service and flexibility. According to the Foreign direct
investment (FDI), “…Canada has the most educated workforce in the world, with 59% of Canadians aged
25–64 having graduated from post-secondary institutions…(Workforce, 2019). Before the covid-19
pandemic, there were record high enrolments of international students in Canadian colleges and
universities, some of who graduated and became a part of the Canadian workforce to provide their
expertise in various job industries(Government of Canada, 2021).These are some thoughts on the
benefits employees might have North America via offshore regions.

Cooperation: A Guide. Retrieved from: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/ilab/trade/agreements/naalcgd#:~:text=These%20standards

%20include%3A%20prohibition%20of%20forced%20labor%3B%20labor,injuries%20and%20illnesses%3B%20and%20protection
%20of%20migrant%20workers.
CIC News,
(2020, February 20). CIC News. Retrieved from:

S. C. (2021, November 24). The Daily — Prior to COVID-19, international students accounted for the
growth in postsecondary enrolments and graduates. Www150.Statcan.gc.ca.
https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/211124/dq211124d-eng.htm
Langton, N., Robbins,
S. P., Judge, T. A. (2019). Organizational behaviour: Concepts,
controversies, applications (8th Canadian ed.). Pearson Canada Inc.
Workforce. (2019).