Sweatshops - Exploitation or A Viable Alternative - Research Paper Example

Sweat Shops – An Examination and Discussion of the Pros and Cons of Such a Form of Economic Development in the Developing World This paper will discuss the cultural and ethical challenges that Multinational Corporations face when it comes to the issue of sweatshops. Furthermore, the essay will seek to define the responsibilities that corporations have as part of a broader corporate responsibility in the way they behave and interact with their employees/supply chain. Is there a universal moral code that MNC’s should abide by or does the theory of relativism apply where a company should abide by the rules of the country in which it is in? Many corporations continue to have sweatshops in third world countries and workers are often forbidden to talk about the conditions they are forced to work in. Workers are oftentimes forced to work long hours in unsafe working conditions for little pay and some are forced to start working at a very young age. I will argue whether sweatshops actually raise the standard of living in third world countries, if in fact unfair working conditions are better than no job at all, or if sweatshops are merely exploitation When the term “sweatshop” is used, there are a host of images that come to the readers mind. The broad majority of these are of course negative; however, a few scant positive opportunities exist with relation to the term as well. For purposes of this research, this brief analysis essay will consider some of the most relevant pros and cons associated with the existence and operation of sweatshops within the developing world. Furthermore, this paper will also seek to engage the reader with the understanding that regardless of the level of exploitation or non-exploitation that may or may not be taking place within the supply chains of many Multi-National Corporations. As such, this essay will attempt to weight both sides of these arguments in an attempt to determine whether exploitation of vulnerable/at-risk individuals and/or societies defines the means or production across the board or whether this means of production actually helps to raise the standard of living in some of the poorest and most economically depressed regions of the world (Powell et al 449). As a means of fully understanding this question, this author will first consider the fact that almost invariably when one mentions the down sides of sweat shop labor, the phrase itself is nearly invariably used in conjunction with child-labor. Although this is not the case in all situations, the two terms have become so interchangeably used so as to oftentimes blur the definitions. As such, it is important to understand that a great deal of the goods and textiles that are produced each and every year by sweatshops serving large multi-national companies are indeed produced by child-labor (where child-labor is expressed by labor that has not yet reached 18 years of age). One of the greatest difficulties in discussing the issue of child labor in sweat shops is the fact that coming up with across the board judgments on such an issue does not adequately relate the entire picture of child labor practices throughout the world. For instance, in Pakistan, child labor is so rife that fully 75% of all sweatshop laborers are under the age of 14 years of age. Similarly, in other developing nations the figure is far less; oftentimes no even leaving the single digits as far as overall prevalence (Zwolinski 720). However, even the single digits is nothing to be dismissed and still represents a problem that doubtless effects to educational prospects, health, safety, and development of countless tens of thousands of children each and every year. In this respect, the disregard that many shareholders and policy makers of MNCs have with relation to the existence of unfair and immoral sweat shop practices helps to propagate the very worst impressions and practices regarding such a method of production as can hope to be found (Zwolinski 690). On the flip side, the life of the standard sweatshop employee is arguably better than that which would normally be enjoyed by someone else in the same economic system of the country in question. For this reason, many who support the legal and fair employment practice advocate the existence of sweatshops as a way to boost the overall standard of living and job opportunities that would otherwise exist in t a given economic system. In this way, if one considers the fact that emerging economies oftentimes do not have a high level of development and invariably do not have a well trained or educated workforce, one of the best ways for such a system to gain entry into economic development is to engage their workforce within the production front. However, rather than being viewed as a net good for the economy, one can split the difference and consider the developmental effect that sweatshops have for the domestic economy as a type of necessary evil that helps to build the training and workforce base that third world nations so desperately require in order to modernize their own economies and develop a well-trained and agile workforce capable of many means of production. In this way, when one considers the plight of the average worker in a third world nation, the truth of the matter can usually be described adequately by relating jobs similar to or concentric around field labor, farming, and heavy manual labor. As such, even though sitting in a sweatshop and performing monotonous takes for hours on end is menial, it oftentimes is far better than the alternative labor that awaits the populations that are being discussed within this essay. Furthermore, when one considers the average rate of pay of the average sweat shop employee, the first response is to usually become incensed by the extraordinarily low wages that are being paid to these workers. It should be noted that just because wages that are experienced within sweatshops are inherently slightly higher than those that would be experienced elsewhere in a traditional domestic economy of a third world nation does not make these wages ethical or fair with respect to the overall amount that the MNC intends on selling the merchandise/apparel for (Harrison 150). Although it is not the intent of this author to advocate that such a practice is fair or equitable (in fact, it is the authors belief that quite the opposite is true), the fact of the matter is that these wages, as paltry as they may be, are much higher than the wages that await the worker in the general domestic economy for unskilled labor. Similarly, it is the belief of this author that merely because the opportunities provided by sweatshops may incrementally increase the standard of living within the domestic economy in question, it does not make the practice equitable and fair based on such a factor alone. Furthermore, Western MNCs are fully aware of what fair labor practices entail and how employees should be treated. As such, the inattention that these firms pay to the employees that produce their goods is reprehensible on an ethical scale. Merely because a firm or entity can get away with such a practice of extraordinarily low payment for services rendered does not make such a practice equitable, fair, or understandable. When considering the overall net good or net evil of the sweatshop, one must consider the individual economy as a function of what types of jobs are available to the citizenry (Snyder 189). For instance, what is oftentimes forgotten with respect to the sweatshops that operate in various nations around the world is the fact that although conditions may be poor, wages may be low, safety may be of a secondary concern, and hours may be abnormally long, the fact of the matter is that no one is forcing the workers to take these jobs. As long as correct child labor laws (as defined by the United Nations) are in place and no coercion is made on the part of management to force the workers to produce at a higher volume or higher rate than traditional health and safety regulations permit, such a practice as sweatshops In fact, sweatshop jobs in many of the developing regions around the world are sought after by the local population. In this way, the researcher can see that although not ideal, the jobs that certain sweatshops in certain nations provide are a valuable way for the inhabitants thereof to better their station in life and provide a semblance of a modern lifestyle for their families and their children. This should not be understood to advocate such a practice world-wide. Rather, the intent of the author is to point to nations such as Vietnam and other Southeast Asian “Tiger” economies that have utilized sweatshops to rapidly train and differentiate their economies (Powell et al 265). Conversely, a very real drawback to sweatshops is the very real and present threat that employee mistreatment and exploitation will occur. Since the owners and managers of sweatshops often realize that the livelihood and families of their workers depend on their salary, they are able to have near complete control over the pace and quantity of overall production, a high degree of potential for abuse is extent in nearly every sweatshop (Meyers et al 622). Due to this fact alone, it is necessary for any would be proponent of sweatshops to consider the fact that it is oftentimes the case that these sweatshops do not often abide by the same labor laws that exist elsewhere in the world; indeed, they oftentimes do not abide by the labor laws that exist within the host nation. However, due to the fact that the means of forcing compliance with large MNCs is oftentimes extraordinarily difficult, such labor practices are often disregarded or a form of bribery is utilized to encourage the requisite authorities to look the other way. Although an exhaustive report on the net positive and negative aspects for the existence of sweatshops would require a dissertation length response, the key points and topics that have been discussed within this brief analysis help the reader to understand that the true nature of whether sweatshops themselves a net good or a net evil is a highly nuanced question that is dependent on the nature of the individual sweatshop, the cultural and governmental norms that dictate the degree to which child labor is practiced, the pays sale that is involved, the extent to which the sweatshop helps the given economy to modernize and retool/retrain an otherwise under-educated and little-skilled workforce, and the way in which management respects the employees. For these reasons, the question of whether a sweatshop is good or bad cannot simply by answered and/or dismissed but must necessarily require a nuanced and thoughtful approach that factors into account each and every one of the factors that have herein been enumerated upon. Works Cited Harrison, Ann, and Jason Scorse. "Improving The Conditions Of Workers? MINIMUM WAGE LEGISLATION AND ANTI-SWEATSHOP ACTIVISM." California Management Review 48.2 (2006): 144-160. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. Meyers, C. D. "Moral Duty, Individual Responsibility, And Sweatshop Exploitation." Journal Of Social Philosophy 38.4 (2007): 620-626. Academic Search Complete. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. POWELL, BENJAMIN, and DAVID SKARBEK. "Sweatshops And Third World Living Standards: Are The Jobs Worth The Sweat?." Journal Of Labor Research 27.2 (2006): 263-274. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. Powell, Benjamin, and Matt Zwolinski. "The Ethical And Economic Case Against Sweatshop Labor: A Critical Assessment." Journal Of Business Ethics 107.4 (2012): 449-472. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. Snyder, Jeremy. "Exploitation And Sweatshop Labor: Perspectives And Issues." Business Ethics Quarterly 20.2 (2010): 187-213. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. Zwolinski, Matt. "Sweatshops, Choice, And Exploitation." Business Ethics Quarterly 17.4 (2007): 689-727. Business Source Premier. Web. 30 Nov. 2012. Read More