Nike Sweatshop Debate

Nike: The Sweatshop Debate

In 1972 Phil Knight established the company Nike. This marketing company is well known for its athletic shoes and apparels call Nike, sold in some 140 countries (Hill, 2009, p. 154). Since the early 1980's, Nike has been accused of their products being produced in "sweatshops. Manufacture in 3rd World counties for cheap labor and wages. In working conditions are considering dangerous in the Western World. Workers are afraid of talking about there working condition, with fear of being beaten and lock away. These facilities are dangerous because of the exposure to harmful materials, hazardous situations, extreme temperatures, or abuse from employers (Moore, 2007). Nike has been push by the international community to stop its unfair labor acts. I believe the business community should be socially responsible together with being economically responsible and shareholders since a business cannot be successful for a longer duration without incorporating the social and ethical issues of our society onto its boards, sooner or later they will have to come to this path and walk on it because it's the need of the hour. In general, large firms who show a disregard for the welfare of the workers will undoubtedly come under attack from the media. Instead of focusing on profits alone, firms need to take a proactive approach in mitigating unsafe work environments and unjust wages in the foreign countries in which they operate. It is an unfortunate trend that very much devalues people, where greed and profit rule the decisions (Bartlett, Goshen, & Beamish, 2008)..

Legal, Cultural, and Ethical Challenges

Nike's legal challenges of under age workers and dangerous facilities. According to the Global Exchange a factory owned by An subcontractor for Korea, working for Nike, has workers as young as 13, earning as little as 10 cents a hour, working up to 17 hours day (Hill, 2009, p. 155). Furthermore, workers in Vietnam, the majority are young women, under the age of 25, working 10 ½ hours a day, for $10 a week (Hill, 2009, p. 155)....

Nike employees do not work in safe and sanitary working conditions. "It is a common occurrence for workers to faint from exhaustion, heat, fumes and poor nutrition during their shifts." (http://www.saigon.com/~nike/reports/hilight.doc). There's punishment in Nike factories for many people, being pregnant, speaking out, and being older than the age of 25. Nike officials knew about this and did nothing until they where force by protesters and legal sanctions from other countries, UK, US and Canada.

Determine the various roles that host governments played in this particular global business operation.

Having other countries inspectors come in and inspect there facilities, set in place Labor Unions. Boycotting those countries until they can prove they have improved working conditions in those facilities. Organizations who buy Fair Trade products from producer groups either directly or through intermediaries ensure these manufacturing plants are not using force labor to produce there goods and to complies with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, and national / local law on the employment of children" (World Fair Trade Organization). "100% Fair Trade is a total commitment between people to deliver a prosperous and sustainable future for the