For instance, should a company advocate for labor rights, a minimum wage, and unionization in developing countries where it has operations?
This Case Assignment for this module looks at an update of Nike and the ongoing issue of sweatshops. The case is found in:
Byars, S., & Stanberry, K. (2018). Impact of culture and time on business ethics, chapter 5. Business Ethics. Rice University, OpenStax. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/content/col25722/1.3 p. 138. CC BY 4.0 license
Overseas Manufacturing
How can the purchase of a pair of sneakers be seen as an ethical act? Throughout the 1990s, the U.S. shoe and sportswear manufacturer Nike was widely criticized for subcontracting with factories in China and Southeast Asia that were little more than sweatshops with deplorable working conditions. After responding to the criticisms and demanding that its suppliers improve their workplaces, the company began to redeem itself in the eyes of many and has become a model of business ethics and sustainability. However, questions remain about the relationship between business and government.
For instance, should a company advocate for labor rights, a minimum wage, and unionization in developing countries where it has operations? What responsibility does it have for the welfare of a contractor’s workers in a culture with differing customs? What right does any Western company have to insist that its foreign contractors observe in their factories the protocols required in the West? What, for example, is sacred about an eight-hour workday? When Nike demands that foreign manufacturers observe Western laws and customs about the workplace, arguably this is capitalist imperialism. Not only that, but Western firms will be charged more for concessions regarding factory conditions. Perhaps this is as it should be, but Western consumers must then be prepared to pay more for material goods than in the past.
Some argue that demanding that companies accept these responsibilities imposes cultural standards on another culture through economic pressure. Others insist there should be universal standards of humane employee treatment, and that they must be met regardless of where they come from or who imposes them. But should the market dictate such standards, or should the government?
The rise of artificial intelligence and robotics will complicate this challenge because, in time, they may make offshoring the manufacture and distribution of goods unnecessary. It may be cheaper and more efficient to bring these operations back to developed countries and use robotic systems instead. What would that mean for local cultures and their economies? In Nike’s case, automation is already a concern, particularly as competition from its German rival, Adidas, heats up again.
For the Case 2 assignment review:
TeamSweat. (2011, July 28). Nike sweatshops: Behind the swoosh [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1097&v=M5uYCWVfuPQ.
And,
Bain, M. (2017). Nike is facing a new wave of anti-sweatshop protests. Quartz. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1042298/nike-is-facing-a-new-wave-of-anti-sweatshop-protests/
Mintz, S. (May 2012). Social responsibilities of a U.S. company doing business abroad. Retrieved from https://www.ethicssage.com/2012/05/social-responsibilities-of-a-us-company-doing-business-abroad.html
St. Clair, J. (September 2018). Nike’s bad air. Retrieved from https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/09/10/105150/
Case Assignment
Address the following in a 3- to 4-page academic essay that demonstrates your critical-thinking skills. It should be written for an audience of employers who are looking to expand their business overseas where labor costs are less than in the U.S. As an ethics expert, you have been asked to address the following:
Should a company advocate for labor rights, a minimum wage, and unionization in developing countries where it has operations?
What right does a Western company have to insist that its foreign contractors observe in their factories the protocols required in the West?
What ethical responsibilities do individual consumers have when dealing with companies that rely on overseas labor?
Should businesses adopt universal workplace standards about working conditions and employee protections? Why or why not?
This assignment should include third-person voice. Write a well-integrated paper with a strong introduction and conclusion, and use a few section headings (e.g., do not simply follow a Q & A format).
Bring in your Module background information. Whether or not you bring in sources outside of this Module is up to you. For all sources used, provide in-text citations and a references list.
General References Useful for Preparing Graduate-Level Papers:
For a list of general reference sources related to locating library sources, using APA formatting, applying critical-thinking skills, and so forth, see General References Useful for Preparing Graduate-Level Papers. It is not required that you read these sources page-by-page, but rather you use them as guides.
ETH501 Business Ethics
Module 2 SLP
CULTURE, TIME, AND BUSINESS ETHICS
Signature Assignment for Information Literacy—Introduced Level
Goal of this Session Long Project:
This assignment is the second of four SLPs where you will be building a bank of takeaways pertaining to ethical and/or unethical behaviors.
Begin by reading the following scenario for SLP 2:
When Even Doctors Smoked
From the 1940s to the 1970s, cigarettes were as common as water bottles are today. Nearly everyone smoked, from judges in court to factory workers and pregnant women. Edward Bernays, the Austrian-American founder of the field of public relations, promoted smoking among women in a 1929 campaign in New York City in which he marketed Lucky Strike cigarettes as “torches of freedom” that would lead to equality between men and women.
However, by the late 1960s, and in the wake of the release of the landmark Surgeon General’s report on “Smoking and Health” on January 11, 1964, it had become clear that there was a direct link between cigarette smoking and lung cancer. Subsequent research has added heart and lung diseases, stroke, and diabetes. Smoking has decreased in Western countries but remains well established in the global East and South, where cigarette manufacturers actively promote the products in markets like Brazil, China, Russia, and Singapore, especially among young people.
Are such practices ethical? Why or why not?
Source: Byars and Stanberry (2018), pgs. 140-141.
The following source should also be useful to you as reference:
World Health Organization. (2018). WHO global report on trends in prevalence of tobacco smoking 2000-2025 (2nd Ed.), pp. 11-18. Retrieved from https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/272694/9789241514170-eng.pdf?ua=1.
This assignment asks you to:
Express your reactions
Apply your own background/experiences
State important takeaways
Add other comments you would like to make
Your SLP submission should be 2- to 3-pages of text, well organized, well written, and 100% error free. You may use first- or third-person voice. Write in full sentences and demonstrate your critical-thinking skills. Be creative (for example, add color and/or small graphics).
Note: In this SLP we have introduced the importance of library research. Going forward also support your arguments with sources from the Trident Online Library. This is an expectation at the graduate level.
Additional Requirements for this SLP Assignment:
Utilize 3 sources of information from the Trident Online Library, one from each of the following:
A book from Skillsoft Books 24×7
A periodical from ProQuest Central
An Internet source
Include an Appendix at the end of your paper (add it just after your References page). In the appendix for each source discuss why you chose to use it in your paper, and discuss what factors you used to determine they were appropriate.
Information Literacy Emphasis
The grading rubric for Information Literacy has been developed to measure student success in meeting the ETH501 SLP 2 “introduced” expectations related to Information Literacy. Other assessments of information literacy at the “reinforced” and “emphasized” levels are included in future assignments in courses designed for that purpose.
General References Useful for Preparing Graduate-Level Papers:
For a list of general reference sources related to locating library sources, using APA formatting, applying critical-thinking skills, and so forth, see General References Useful for Preparing Graduate-Level Papers. It is not required that you read these sources page-by-page, but rather you refer to them for guidance.
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