Health and Safety
More businesses rely heavily on outsourcing; therefore, American Companies should have some accountability for the health and safety to employees who manufacture their garments. For example, based on research, “international companies doing business in nations like Bangladesh and Pakistan have a moral responsibility to improve the working conditions and safety of the people who manufacture their clothing and other products” (Smith, 2013).
Actions and Responsibility
Thus, several actions the American businesses can propose, such as implementing and complying with worker rights, labor laws, and code of conduct as a prerequisite for future purchases. In addition, the United States companies should give funds to help with new reconstruction buildings. Furthermore, the American traders should stop all trade agreements in Bangladesh until validation of health and safety concerns and labor rights laws. Actually, one author points out that, “several United States Companies agreed to offer $42 million for the plan and an extra $100 million in loans to help factory owners in return for a promise of factories safety, labor unions, and include Worker Rights Consortium, Clean Clothes Campaign and International Labor rights Forum” (Kapner and Mauldin, 2013).
Items and Labels
Buyers are more aware of brands labels to make sure the apparel meet their desires. After thoroughly inspecting my wardrobe and shoes, three percent of my items are American-made. Manufacturers make products to meet consumers’ needs, and my buying decisions are actually determined by selecting great quality clothes at a reasonable price. The overseas workers who create different brand name attires are not my responsibility because after the exchange of g...
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Safety in Bangladesh. The Wall Street Journal: Retrieved February 24, 2013 from http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887323740804578597600220490718
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Riley, G. (2012). Economic Growth. Tutor2u: Retrieved February 26, 2014 from http://tutor2u.net/economics/revision-notes/as-macro-economic-growth.html Smith, S. (2013). Bangladesh: Is Worker Safety Failing in the Global Supply Chain? EHS
Today: Retrieved February 24, 2014 from http://ehstoday.com/safety/bangladesh-worker-safety-failing-global-supply-chain
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2014 from http://www.tulane.edu/~woakland/econ102/lectures/lec8&9out.pdf
In today’s world, increasing big companies open factories in developing countries but many people said it is unethical and the factories are sweatshops. Most of the sweatshops were opened in east Asia and third-world countries and regions. The companies open the sweatshops in order to get more benefits is a kind of very irresponsible behavior. For example, Apple's factories in China are not good and unethical. Audit finds
He inquires, “Isn’t it a little presumptuous of us to think that we can end sweatshop abuses by just changing our individual buying habits?” (“Sweat, Fire, and Ethics). As Jeffcott provides the reader with the entirety of the background information on the Fairtrade-certification, he enables the reader to realize what really needs to be done in order to end the use of sweatshops. Another ineffective strategy that Jeffcott mentions is when society attempts to exert the guilt towards large brand name companies, as these companies only address these issues to the extent which it will not affect their productivity. Jeffcott explains that, “Conflicting pressures make suppliers hide abuses or subcontract to sewing workshops...The name of the game remains the same: more work for less pay” (“Sweat, Fire, and Ethics”). By clarifying how ineffective people’s current efforts are in influencing the abuse in sweatshops, Jeffcott challenges the reader to assess if their own efforts are sufficient for the cause. Jeffcott then concludes his argument by proposing to the reader to exceed traditional means of resistance to sweatshops by urging the government to intervene on these reprehensible practices, and perhaps then a solution may be achieved. Contrarily, Jeffrey D. Sachs argues in his excerpt “Bangladesh: On the Ladder of Development,” that despite the injustice that
Large corporations such as Nike, Gap, and Reebok and many others from the United States have moved their factories to undeveloped nations; barely pay their employees enough to live on. Countries such as China, Indonesia, and Haiti have readily abundant cheap labor. There should be labor laws or an obligation of respecting workers to provide decent working conditions, fair wages, and safety standards.
When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3).
In China, Kelsey Timmerman spent time with a couple who worked at the Teva factory, traveled to the countryside to meet the couple’s son, insert name, who hasn’t seen his parents in three years due to his parents working long hours and it being expensive to take a train ride. In the US, the author visited one of a few clothing factories in the US to talk to the workers about his shorts, and the decrease of American garment factories. Timmerman wants the consumer to be more engaged and more thoughtful when mindlessly buying clothes. By researching how well the brands you want to buy from monitor their factories and what their code of ethics details, you can make a sound decision on if this is where you would want to buy your clothes. The author writes about brands that improve employers lives like SoleRebels, a shoe company who employs workers and gives them health insurance, school funds for their children, and six months of maternity leave. Brands like soleRebels that give workers benefits most factory workers have never even heard of help improve the lives of garment workers and future generations. From reading this book, Timmerman wants us to be more educated about the lives of garment workers, bridge the gap between consumers and manufacturers, and be a more engaged and mindful consumer when purchasing our
Characteristics of our society reflect in the outcome of purchasing tendencies. How many of us can honestly say we make a valid effort to purchase goods made in our own country? In our face paced world where both parents are in the work force, raising children, social activities and everything else, who has time to make an effort? Most often, consumers only care about marking off the s...
Many societies face the much overlooked problem of child labor and sweatshops in the fashion industry. Recently, Americans were stunned to learn that their apple pie sweetheart, Kathie Lee Gifford was associated with the exploitation of underage workers in Honduras. Gifford's story began the resurgence of knowledge of the growing problem of sweatshops in today's society. Contrary to popular belief, sweatshops still exist across the world in both third world countries and super powers such as America. Sweatshops incorporate the inhumane exploitation of workers, many of whom are underage, by providing extremely low wages as well as expecting unrealistic time commitments. In addition, the workers lack benefits and very few sweatshops abide by the required health codes. Sweatshops are obviously a growing problem that will not disappear with out change. Although the United States government has begun to take steps to alleviate the problem, there must be an increase in both awareness and legislation.
Across the globe, an estimated 168 million children from developing countries employed in sweatshops.(Rogue) Sweatshops have become an integral part of U.S business corporations in the modern age. These corporations use the cheap labor of overseas factories to generate massive profit margins in the states, while taking advantage of those in poverty elsewhere. Many large athletic clothing corporations, namely Nike, Adidas, and the Jordan brand, have come under fire for outsourcing a majority of their work overseas. The most common criticism has come from the horrendous conditions and barely any pay. This topic struck home with me not just because it is involved with my field of study in business management, but also because of how it affects me as a consumer of such products. My ethical question is “should businesses be forced to maintain certain standards for overseas workers?”. By examining the standards a business should maintain, the ethical dilemma of profit versus
Accidents and problems engendered in sweatshops have caught people’s attention and more people are trying to efface them. The Real Cost of Cheap Fashion states, “After the accident, many big brands pledged to improve garment factory conditions…. trained about 2 million workers in safety procedures…. hired engineers to inspect their factories.” This claim supports that enhancing garment factory conditions can give people some time off of work, can give people better tools, to make things go faster and easier, and could also, make sure people get paid more. Also, training people in safety procedures can make sure that things like the Triangle fire never happens again. Finally, having people inspect the factories can insure that people are safe, and procedures are set in place to make sure that if anything bad happens, people know what to do. Lastly, major companies are starting to realize the dangers of cobalt mining, and therefore, they are looking into how to fix, get rid of the dangers. New York Times Upfront says, “Some tech companies promised to reexamine their cobalt suppliers. Earlier this year, Apple announced that it had stopped buying cobalt mined by hand in the DRC until could verify that the element was being collected safely” This also shows that , by limiting their products using hand mined cobalt, they are limiting the cobalt mining jobs, which limits the dangers, and health concerns. As you can see, although many people’s lives lives are put in danger, many people have started to recognize it and are taking very serious action to try and fix
Garment factories in the collapsed building are not H&M’s suppliers. But H&M is one of the largest buyers of garments from Bangladesh, owning 166 suppliers. After the disaster, global retailors, especially H&M, joined the safety plan as well as government pledged to raise wages for garment workers and
Haddad, M., Shepherd, B., & World Bank. (2011). Managing openness: Trade and outward-oriented growth after the crisis. Washington, D.C: World Bank.
In a 1996 congressional testimony, National Labor Committee executive, Charles Kernaghan, led an expose on Kathie Lee Gifford when he revealed “that child laborers in Honduras were making the Gifford clothing line sold at Wal-Mart” (Duke). This realization caused Gifford to dissolve into tears and, over time, use her brand in the fight against corporate practices. For a while, these protestors were able to make a difference as many corporations were began to specify which companies were making their clothes, adopted codes of conduct, and “relied on monitors who visited factories once every three months and conducted random inspections” (Colliver). However, these socially conscious changes aren’t structured “to make factories take better care of their workers. They’re designed to make factories look like they are” (Hobbes). In reality, the factory inspections and audits are essentially, as Hobbes describes it, a “paperwork exercise”, as inspectors usually spend two days maximum at each factory, mostly checking time sheets for shift lengths, birth certificates for child labor, and pay stubs for wages. In addition to this, most manufacturers, particularly those in China and Southeast Asia, are experts in bypassing regulations “by keeping multiple sets of books, hiding cramped
For example, in 2012 a Bangladesh factory producing garments for American and European companies caught fire killing 117 factory workers (Cooper, 2014). Additionally, in 2013 another factory in Bangladesh collapsed killing 1,100 workers, which was caused by foundational issues from the upper floors being built without a permit (Cooper, 2014). These incidents ignited outrage over both unsafe and unfair working conditions as well as the exploitation from MNCs, who had extremely profitable contracts with these factories. Consequently, due to public outcry the formation of enhanced government regulations, oversight, business initiatives, and public efforts have surfaced (Cooper, 2014). Although these issues have not been completely resolved, the question over the extent of which MNCs are responsible for adequate workplace safety remains a controversial topic. However, strategic efforts from these companies indicate the importance and necessity of remaining proactive in a globalized economy. These efforts consist of the formation of minimum workforce standards, compliance regulations, financial support, and long-term contractual
Fashion is considered one of the most significant, yet controversial industries in the world. Report shows that North America spends more than $250 billion on clothing, shoes, and accessories each year; recently, its worth has rapidly reached $1.2 trillion worldwide (K., 2014). Ethics is an unavoidable factor to consider and a growing concern for every fashion’s company and their attorneys (Fordham University School of Law). The nature of the fashion industry is surrounded by hundreds of controversies over various topics, concerning quality and consumption. Our company has no involvement in sourcing, designing or manufacturing process since we play an intermediary role between the suppliers and customers. Nonetheless, we demonstrate the promise of a strong work ethic company by making emphasis on quality, discipline, wages, and human rights. So that our products will at the same time benefit the people, the employees and the company itself. Our company is closely associated with a commitment to products quality, in which we focus our attention on selecting the finest selection of fashion goods for the customers. Instead of picking low-end and poor-quality
...enture into overseas market comes with expectations as well as uncertainties due to unfamiliarity. Charles and Keith, the fashion retailer, has to understand clearly that what appeals in one market might not be accepted in the others and this is almost the same for all industries. Thus, a thorough research on cultural background has to be done before entering an unfamiliar ground.