Sweatshop Analysis

Great Essays
The rapid globalisation of the economy and the expansion of international trade during the mid to late 20th century have played a pivotal role in today’s increase of multinational ‘sweatshop’ practices. In recent decades, the issue of ‘sweated labour’ has received a great deal of publicisation in industrialised nations. Thousands of anti-sweatshop activists have targeted multinational firms in the textiles, footwear and apparel (TFA) sectors, and campaigned in protest of the exploitation of workers in developing countries. Protests have primarily taken place through the forms of: direct government pressure for minimum wage increases legislation changes in developing countries; boycott movements; and media awareness campaigns in regards to the …show more content…
This allowed retailers the opportunity to properly analyse any possible implications of consumer tactics due to the steady, predictable pace of trend cycles (ref). Informed decisions could be made with minimal cost to both the company and its workers. However, the advent of mass television broadcasting and online communities has significantly impacted the nature of consumer resistance to traditional retailers. Accelerated social diffusion and instantaneous communication amongst consumers have resulted in a coalition of diverse, established anti-sweatshop establishments. Since the spread of the anti-sweatshop movement in the late 20th century, articles directed at ethical consumers regarding sweatshops have appeared regularly in leading publications such as the New York Times, Financial Times and Wall Street Journal (ref). In 2000 the BBC released an exposé uncovering sweatshop working conditions and the use of child labour in a Cambodian TFA factory utilised by successful international brands Nike and The GAP. Shortly afterwards, both companies withdrew all business from Cambodia due to public pressure influenced by the controversial contents of the expose. The move cost the country $10 million in contract fees, and the loss of employment for hundreds of underage TFA factory workers. Cambodia’s $1 billion garment industry, which accounts for 80 per cent of the country’s goods exports, was greatly impacted by this move (ref). Ceasing the production of Nike and The GAP’s facilities in Cambodia deprived the economy of necessary investments, and caused a substantial decline in garment investment approvals (ref). The unprecedented rate of consumer responses towards exposed companies in the modern age has lead to brand decisions that are heavily influenced by consumers and public pressure. Large retailers with high brand name recognition, whilst amongst the largest contributors to the garment industry, are

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Ravisankar begins his essay by stating that we are all poor college students. He makes it apparent from the beginning of this argument, that his intended audience is college students that purchase from large corporations. He identifies the problem of sweat shop labor and gives several examples of real life issues such as low income and poor working conditions. Ravisankar assumes that each of his readers are somewhat knowledgeable of the issues regarding sweatshops additionally inadvertently contributing to the cause. His purpose in this essay is two-fold.…

    • 297 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sweatshops In The 1800s

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages

    The exploitation of human beings for personal or corporate gain has been a constant and bloody stain throughout humanity’s history. In the past, exploitation focused on slavery - the forced labour of captured beings with little to no regard for their needs. This practice died out largely in the 1800s, though not entirely, and the focus has switched to sweatshop factories. The practice of sweatshop labour - difficult and/or dangerous labour by a group of workers where more than one labour law is being broken - grew after the industrial revolution when workplaces moved away from the cottage industry to assembly lines and mass production. Sweatshop labour remains to this day a driving force of poverty, especially in developing or ‘Third World’…

    • 1184 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    A sweatshop is a manufacturing facility that is characterized by facilitating a environment that displays poor working conditions, some of these include but is not limited to: working for long shifts with no breaks, being paid extremely low wages and most importantly it defines an establishment the in all cognizance violates the Federal Labor Laws. (Jason Hickel). The term “sweatshop” originated in 1892 when the workers in the American garment industry began to complain about their concerns of unsafe working conditions. The garment industries are not the only workplace environment that these conditions exist, employment in the agricultural fields also suffer from the conditions associated with a sweatshops. These laborers are often immigrants, legally…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pros Of Sweatshops

    • 1004 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Sweatshops are business establishments where employees work long hours under poor conditions for low wages; sometimes employees are underage and work 60-100 hours per week. Sweatshops are a major part of people’s lives who work in third world countries. Overlooking age requirements, work conditions, and correct compensation that we find acceptable, people who live and work there do not think sweatshops are wrong; for people in developing countries, sweatshops are their best way of surviving. It’s a controversial issue of whether or not sweatshops should remain open. Everyone enjoys the satisfaction that comes with buying cheap or inexpensive products manufactured by sweatshops, yet not all sweatshops provide suitable working conditions.…

    • 1004 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Sweatshops In Canada Essay

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The name “Sweatshops” is literal; workers actually sweat because of the inhumane conditions they are forced to work through for extremely long shifts. The amount of hard work and hours that these workers have put in is unimaginable and incomparable to regular employers of first-world countries. This paper explained some of the factors that companies of the consumer product industry do not consider. Some of these examples included the effects upon a worker of intensive labour, unbalanced benefits, child labour and discrimination against workers. These brutal workplace conditions, unequal profits being made and the false advertising being promoted should not grant the permission of companies to continue their success.…

    • 1251 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Rajeev Ravisankar is former Ohio Sate University student that studied Political science and international studies. In his article, " SWEATSHOP OPPRESSION", The writer uses the opening on Black Friday after Thanksgiving, as a opportunity to bring the readers attention to the issues regarding sweatshops and also, to inform those who aren’t aware. In the article, Ravisankar addresses more than one purpose; not only does he inform his audience about true sweatshop labor conditions, he also, uses certain elements to persuade readers to act against companies that use such types of labor. In order, for Ravisankar's argument to work, he needs to earn his reader's trust.…

    • 479 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In today’s modern society, time is usually the most valuable commodity for anyone around the world. We are constantly complaining about how there are not enough hours in a day to do everything that is needed to be done. As we learn from Wheelan’s Naked Economics it is key to understand that Globalization and trade help save us time and money. It is claimed that trade makes us richer. Trading, again, saves time because we are able to use the time we would have to spend farming and hunting our own food, on other, more important ventures.…

    • 797 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Supermarkets and other eminent high street clothing brands get most of their clothing by subcontracting through a global supply chain. Garment factory workers in China, Thailand, Indonesia, Bangladesh and other under developed countries taking the strain of low cost clothing. War on Want, a non-governmental organisation has evidence that Tesco and Asda were using a garment factory in Dharka, Bangladesh where the workers were subject to slave wages, forced overtime, overcrowded working conditions that were unsanitary. This is another example of a constraint in a consumer society. Garment factory workers abroad pay the price of terrible pay and working conditions so that those living in consumer society can have cheap clothing.…

    • 1208 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sweatshop Slave Labor

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The cute shirt in a favorite store could cost less than what the manufacturer made in a week. Sweatshop slave labor exists in America and is sold in our local mall, the Kirkwood mall. Sweatshop slave labor can be defined as inhumane conditions with unethical pay. This is widespread in developing countries, and fueled by fast-fashions trends Americans buy. Students at MHS contribute to fueling this unethical business.…

    • 789 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    This novel is about the life of immigrants moving to America Searching for the American dream. Upton Sinclair originally wrote this for a Socialist magazine to try to show the benefits of changing to a Socialist society, but it is not what the public gained from it. Upton Sinclair is quoted as saying “I aimed at the public’s heart and by accident I hit it in the stomach,” because his novel did not get the reception he was looking for. The Jungle was first published in a Socialist magazine called “The Appeal to Reason” in 1905.…

    • 1034 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Pietra Rivoli Sweatshops

    • 1702 Words
    • 7 Pages

    Everyone who lives in America know that sweatshops are bad, but the question is, is a sweatshop really that bad? Author Pietra Rivoli explains her views on the issue in her novel The Travels of a T-shirt in the Global Economy and breaks it down into why sweatshops are bad and why they are good. Along with Rivoli’s arguments, sweatshops can help stop the war on poverty, drugs, and terror. I believe that sweatshops overall are a good thing to have and that we shouldn’t get rid of them. Pietra Rivoli, the author of The Travels of a T-Shirt in the Global Economy, breaks her book up into 4 main parts: King Cotton, Made in China, Trouble at the Border, and My T-Shirt Finally Encounters a Free Market.…

    • 1702 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Canada And Globalization

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages

    When the Rana Plaza factory collapsed in Bangladesh, over 1135 garment workers died, and 2515 more were injured during the disaster. This was not just a tragic industrial accident; it was a crime, perpetrated by corporate greed and the blissful ignorance of consumers fortunate enough to eat 3 meals a day. The poor working conditions that led to the eventual collapse of the factory are the responsibility of the transnational corporations using factories like it to meet the demand for cheaper and cheaper clothing. Large corporations and wealthy individuals take have the ability to take advantage of foreign tax havens and dirty money conduits. Economic globalization has unfortunately given powerful people and organizations the means to move large sums of money…

    • 1589 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Sweatshops “There is an estimated 20 to 30 million slaves across the world today," according to theworldcounts.com. Thousands upon millions of those people become an augment to slave labor. This form of modern day slavery has a lot of background available for those interested in sweatshops. Even though help is around to those who want to try and escape from this type of slavery another website should be built. According to encyclopedia.com, those who want to learn more can find information about this form of modern day slavery .…

    • 606 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Nike Ethical Issues

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages

    In a narrative format, discuss the key facts and critical issues in the case. Using valid peer-reviewed sources on the Internet, update any dated facts in this case with more current information. Nike has had bad publicity in the past with the workforce, low wage, abuse of workers, and scrutiny over not being concerned about the environment. The list of challenges they have faced relates to social responsibility, however, they stated they were guilty of those actions they, and asked how do we improve. Those efforts helped them better their publicity for the good and have made huge difference in the way the company is controlled and works behind the scenes now (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrell, 2011).…

    • 1380 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    Nike Sweatshops Case Study

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages

    B. Keywords: Nike Sweatshops, worker exploitation, ethical dilemmas, social responsibility,…

    • 1206 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays