Global big business is the most powerful force for improving labor standards in developing countries. Discuss. In their insatiable hunt for increased profits, large corporations have developed an increasingly global presence. This presence exists to facilitate both the import and export of goods and reflects the fact that for many companies, potential customers are no longer restricted to the domestic market. Advancements in communications and logistics have rendered geographical distance between markets a relatively straightforward problem to overcome. This is demonstrated all over the world by the automobile industry. It is these advancements that have enabled big businesses, particularly those who manufacture tangible goods such as …show more content…
In May 1993 a fire decimated the Kader toy factory in Bangkok, killing 188 workers and injuring a further 469. Many fatalities were blamed on the fact that the fire exits had been locked shut to prevent the workers stealing toys. This also accounted for many injuries, as workers were forced to jump from the building to escape the blaze. This fire would not have been as devastating had Western labour standards been enforced, such as those set out in the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order, where provision of adequate escape routes is mandatory. Dangerous labour conditions in manufacturing environments throughout the developing world are still prolific. A report in 2003 on globalization and China’s labour standards concluded that in some Chinese factories ‘a startlingly high incidence of severed limbs and fingers has been recorded. In Shenzhen City alone there were over 10,000 certified cases among a migrant population of 3-4 million’ (Chan, 2003). These examples identify a lack of health and safety standards that would not be acceptable in developed countries, even though factories such as these produce goods for Western consumption. International laws do not require similar working conditions across trading nations, even though the principles behind the laws that enforce Western working conditions are for the benefit of human workers, not simply human workers in one part of the world as opposed to another. As Drusilla K Brown observes, in
There has been many occasions where workers have either died or gotten hurt. From reading our book, Chew on This, we heard of tons of deaths and injuries. A few examples are, “Employee’s getting arms caught in meat grinder.” Dead. “Employee’s neck caught in flying blade.” Dead. “Employee caught in Gut Cooker.” Dead. All of these accidents have something in common. They all have died. Not only are these factories disgusting, they’re also dangerous and deadly.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, factories were very unsafe places to work, yet they were where most people found jobs. Factories had accidents all of the time, but the most notable of the tragedies is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. The results of this event and many other factory accidents in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to better overall conditions for workers, especially immigrant workers. In the case of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire, employees were forced to work under horrible conditions. Many times, the employers abused their workers by setting clocks in the factory backwards which forced their workers to unknowingly work longer shifts for the same amount of pay. Also, most factory buildings in this time were highly unsafe, especially the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire in 1911.
The fire, the largest in recent years, killed more than 100 garment workers. This tragedy although rare in size is by no means uncommon to factory workers in Asia. This is because just as in previous generations major businesses demand the largest possible profit margin
What’s important to examine is that before the Triangle Factory Fire is that that casualties from unsafe conditions were reported and expressed as a concern before. Where was the outrage that pushed for safer working conditions? The answer to that is that there were many times that people were upset with such conditions.
In the third world countries such as Vietnam, China, South Korea and Taiwan, we are provided with an example of cheap labour. These corporations could now achieve the benefit of the United States consumer market8, while keeping their costs extremely low in offshore production. The working conditions in the United States were poor for centuries, often little to nothing was done unless a tragedy occurred to influence worker rights by the public. This was the issue during the Industrial Revolution and in the late 20th century. In the United states, improvements have been made and these conditions have disappeared, with the privilege in some agricultural areas. Companies from the United States have moved a considerable amount of their factories
It’s important to have labor restrictions and eliminate unfavorable wages and poor working conditions in the developed importing countries. The low labor cost in developing countries is the result of poorly
Furthermore, make minimum safety standards. Improving health and safety conditions would cause a greater good than harm. In 1988, after nationwide survey by more than one hundred state and federal officials, The United States General Accounting Office (GAO) identified the garment, restaurant, and meat-processing industries as those most frequently considered sweatshop industries. These three have the most widespread problems, committing multiple violations of labor laws and safety regulations (Foo 2180). For example, The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1911. Their conditions were horrible. Women stitching up clothes with over forty one workers, 125 of them women and children who were mostly immigrants. Being burned to death most jumped out windows in the building. This terrible tragedy was the first out of many accidents. There should have enforcement of laws to ensure that these incidents are not repeated again (Rosen 1). Also, if they are
Economies of large-scale production: International business leads to manufacture on a large scale because of widespread request.
Globalization can be seen as a major threat for manufacturing jobs in the developed world, however, can also be a benefit for developing world citizens who receive thousands of jobs a year although they don’t receive a high salary. Maurice Allais, a French economist states that this unemployment, of course, has only been able to develop because of the existence of low salaries and insufficient flexibility in the labor market (April 10th, 1999). This indicates that globalization has jeopardized Western countries jobs because companies are moving their establishments to developing countries where they don’t need to pay employees as much and where land is cheaper so overall businesses benefit from this. Also, employees in the developed world are at risk of becoming redundant as they are susceptible to face pay cuts in jobs. Employees are less skilled in the developing world as they don’t receive the benefit of an education like developed countries do. So a company may want to build factories in these countries because environmental laws aren’t as strict. Establishments in these areas provides promising jobs for the local people and allows them to learn new skills, however they are set on minimum wage which in developed world countries, this would not be enough to live on, wherein third world countries this is still a low amount so this is not enough to bring them out of poverty meaning that the only one who benefits from this is the company. Although there have been several arguments against exploitation and oppression, the majority of developing countries do not have existing laws which take minimum wage
The heiress knew that her father had some dirty little secrets, but she’d never imagined the depths of depravity that he would sink to. Paying $50,000 for the opportunity to fuck a teenager seemed extreme even to her sometimes excessive taste, and Lexi could only shake her head in disbelief when her lover repeated the sum again. She didn’t know what sort of girl would agree to a deal like that, blissfully unaware that Adam Levine had orchestrated the entire thing and was stringing Sophia Scott along like an eager puppy on a leash. She didn’t know that the photographer had promised the young co-ed fame and fortune as she slid down the slippery slope of depravity, and she didn’t know that he would be happy to see the same happen to her.
In continuation, the United States federal government should enforce legislation to restrict outsourcing to protect human rights of foreign laborers. Today, American citizens simply cannot know the working conditions of the factories that make the products they buy. This is hugely beneficial for corporations who want to keep us ignorant of their activities. We know about extreme incidents such as the Rana Plaza collapse that capture the world’s attention, however briefly, or when workers get so fed up with the conditions that they strike long enough and loud enough to get the Western world’s attention. But the day-to-day disasters that maim or kill a single worker or the accumulation of lead in workers’ bodies—those go almost completely unreported.
Just like the other industries such as apparel, electronics, and consumer goods, the automobile industry has accelerated its foreign direct investment, cross border trade and global production. The automobile industry has increased outsourcing and bundled value chain activities in major supplier chains. As a result, more developed countries that serve as suppliers have increased their involvement in trade and FDI. With these increased supplier capabilities, large national suppliers have become global suppliers and are now controlling multinational operations. This is because of their increased capability of providing good and services to various lead firms all over the world. The automotive industry has a distinct firm structure. This
Increased globalization is the direction that all major multinational corporations are moving towards. Ford had made a good attempt at making a world car that proved to be partially successful in the beginning of sales. The company has learned that locational specialization is an extremely important aspect to selling globally because of the differing personal preferences and legal demands.
The process of globalization has numerous significant effects on countries, organizations, and individuals. These effects can be observed in the quality of products, in their prices, but also in their availability. Because of globalization, numerous companies prefer to expand their business on international level. Some of them outsource some of their processes and activities to cheaper destinations that allow them to reduce their investments.
Everyday new works of art are being created and are changing the world of art in new and exciting ways. Art being “something that is created with imagination and skill and that is beautiful or that expresses important ideas or feelings.” (A) Some of these works of art are music, videos, books, movies, pictures and so much more. Many of these creations are innovative and the owners would like to somehow keep their work protected as best they can. This is where Copyright Law is introduced to help protect their property. If another person or entity uses their work the owner would like to have rules and regulations to make sure that use is legal and not damaging to their work. Copyright Law is what protects these creations and allows the