China Factories: A Fortune or Failure - Report Example

China Factories: A Fortune or Failure? In this era a typical individual owns one or two electronic devices composed primarily of a mobile phone and selection between laptop, camera, tablet, music players, etc. It’s an epoch of electronics where people breathe and live by electronic devices of all kinds to make life easier, better, and glamorous for some. Capitalists soothe consumers by delivering the fastest, sleekest, and trendiest devices in the market outshining the environmental and humanitarian damages that can result from the manufacturing process. For years various environmental and humanitarian organizations post dialogues and debates with capitalists in hope for salvation of now polluted industrial lands and depleted morality of laborers accordingly. Electronic products does not just end up on stores for buying but painstakingly go through a process of conceptualization, engineering, manufacturing, and finally marketing. This product cycle can be reflected as a pyramid with the product and brand on the glamorous end and the manufacturers at the bottom (Lacy). In this pyramid, those on top are treated with highest regard and admirations from consumers but the most important regard is that of monetary profit. On the other end of the system are the workers from outsourcing manufacturers considered as cheap labor by capitalists. Since the Second World War, outsourcing has been a trend that rapidly increased. In 1990’s this economical trend covered 60% of most American manufacturing company’s production and operation (Kobayashi-Hillary 68). This has been a strategic consideration for cost reduction and cost saving that proves to be effective as these companies seek suppliers from low-wage high-labor countries such as China (Kwok 776). This process alleviates the economy of China by providing large scale employment and augmented revenue for the state. But outsourcing is a double bladed spear, due to the possible detrimental effects of every industrial facility to the environment and health of the laborers. Manufacturing involves usage of various chemicals and metals to create the end product that the client demands for and to gain profit is tantamount to cheaper materials even if it means resorting to hazardous elements. Through the process, not only the laborers in direct contact of these substances are in perilous state but also those living within the factory perimeters as they inhale and consume the byproducts of such processes. Some grassland were converted to industrial waste dumps while other industries dump their chemical wastes on bodies of water such as Yangtze River and Yellow River turning its color to black or other colors depending on the chemical disposed. Both bodies of water are utilized as primary sources of the whole community. The sky is no longer blue but is covered with black polluted smokes or even golden for some. “In Some areas of China people’s lives were threatened because of the environmental pollution. Residents suffering from all kinds of obscured diseases, the cancer villages, increase of deformed babies, these were the results of sacrificing environment and blindly seeking economic gain.” Industrial villages as stated commonly have “cancer village” where more than 50 people who lives there suffers from different forms of cancer resulting from over exposure to toxic wastes. Twenty is the average number of cancer mortality each year as reported in 2008. Areas cited are Yunnan Village, Shexian Village, Ningxia Province, Jiangsu Province and Inner Mongolia Province to name only a few of existing industrial lands which depict grave hazard for the inhabitants (Lu Guang). Apart from the physical consequences of this industry, there is a high psychological demand of consumers to the laborers. Since year 2000, high-technology companies achieved the fastest pace of innovation in history. Consumers annually anticipate for the newest gadget to be released in the market urging the companies to create more and claim for increased production from the off-shore suppliers. In return, to meet this demand, suppliers resort to faster production and longer working hours for the workers. “However, the workers assembling… devices often labor in harsh conditions, according to employees inside those plants, worker advocates and documents published by companies themselves. Problems are as varied as onerous work environments and serious — sometimes deadly — safety problems” (Duhigg). Foxconn Technology in China is one of these industry giants that cater to production of global companies such as Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and Dell. Foxconn is a $60 billion manufacturer with a reputation for large scale operations. In order to meet a bulky customer order, laborers are forced to work twelve hours a day for six days per week or even up to 13 consecutive days if the order size is significantly huge and cannot be met in normal work schedule. Workers reported military-style drills where each production stage has a stop-watch to monitor the tasks. In addition, verbal abuse, criticism and demoralizing treatment from superiors had been a norm with the management culture of Foxconn resulting to 13 suicides or suicide attempts of workers ages 18-24 who cannot emotionally cope with this torment, most of which jumps or fall from high rise dormitories within the Foxconn campuses (Barboza). Majority of these laborers comes from poor districts of China of which are aiming for a better life. Yet as soon as they found out that what they got into are far from what they expected, they quit their jobs to find a new one. But for the majority who could not find any other option, enduring all these moral and physical exploitations is the only avenue to take. In 2005, Apple released a Code of Conduct for their suppliers which stated “that working conditions in Apple’s supply chain are safe, that workers are treated with respect and dignity, and that manufacturing processes are environmentally responsible.” In addition to this, they conducted more than 500 audits to identify violations made by the suppliers. It was discovered that the suppliers, one of which is Foxconn, consistently commits dozens of core violations each year and were kept unchanged and unimproved over the years. The laborers continue to work for more than the limit allowable by the state; some were hired at younger age, while others were allowed to join the force even with falsified documents (Duhigg). An organization called BSR or Business for Social Responsibility initiated a project to improve the working condition in Foxconn though trying out different suggestions in 2006. After months of negotiation, Foxconn remained deaf and mute for the needs of their workers. In the face of numerous occurrence of suicide attempts the factory resisted on giving psychological support and consultation for their employees as suggested by BSR. Despite the numerous attempts of several environmental and humanitarian organizations, this situation remained. Even with all the violations reported, the operations of these industries remain in full production for global companies and this culture lives on (Duhigg). In this malevolent scenario where human laborers are treated like machines and the environment as limitless dumping space, humanity must prevail and intervention must be done to put this cycle to its end. Efficiency and productivity can be achieved without putting the manpower at risk. The labor code exists within the state and so are the code of conducts formulated by global companies but the application of these becomes the detrimental part of the chain eroding the link in achieving a healthier working environment (Lum). The only way for this to stop is through the joint initiative of the state, the global companies and the suppliers or factories (Yu). Cooperation from all three key players is vital for the achievement of a renewed cultural structure. It is a culture that has been molded for years and definitely could not be remodeled overnight. With the labor code existing, it’s application and monitoring must be directly observed by the state and due punishment must be given for anyone who violates it particularly in terms of the extremely long working hours and forced labor of the younger population. Secondly, annual audits may be deemed necessary and compliance to improvements and changes must be done. And finally, companies like Foxconn must be open for outside organizations which offers help such as BSR. It may require greater cost yet saving lives of the people who work for them is a greater profit. In the end, humanity still must prevail over profit and not the other way around. Man must not be treated as machines and exploitation of the poor people cannot be justified by the increasing demands of the consumer or the competition in the global market. Lives were lost already and more will perish if this industrial culture will remain heartless and careless both for the people and the land where it exists. Works Cited Barboza, David. “After Suicides, Scrutiny of China’s Grim Factories.” The New York Times. 6 June 2010. Print. Duhigg, Charles and Barboza, David. “In China, Human Costs Are Built Into an iPad.” The New York Times. 25 Jan. 2012. Print. Kobayashi – Hillary, Mark. Outsourcing to India: The Offshore Advantage. 2nd ed. Germany: Springer – Verlag, 2005. Print. Kwok Hung Lau, and Jianmei Zhang. "Drivers and Obstacles of Outsourcing Practices in China." International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 36.10 (2006). Print. Lacy, Sarah. Brilliant, Crazy, Cocky: How the Top 1% of Entrepreneurs Profit from Global Chaos. New Jersey: John Wiley & Sons, 2011. Print. Lu Guang. “Amazing Pictures, Pollution in China”. China Hush (2009). Web. 2 Apr. 2012. Lum, Thomas. Workplace Codes of Conduct in China and Related Labor Conditions. Congressional Research Service (2003). Web. 2 Apr 2012. Yu, Xiaomin. “Impacts of Corporate Code of Conduct on Labor Standards: A Case Study of Reebok’s Athletic Footwear Supplier Factory in China.” Journal of Business Ethics, 81.3. (2007). Web. 2 Apr 2012. Read More