Sweatshops

Paper Summary:

Since the 1960s, apparel production has continued to shift away from organized workforces toward a younger and more exploitable labor pool, especially in Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe. The paper shows that the wheels of globalization, which are helping drive this trend, pick up momentum when cash-strapped governments entice large corporations by offering incentives such as the blood and sweat of their own people. Brand names like Nike, Wal-Mart's Kathie Lee Gifford, and the Gap have become synonymous with images of young women working in "sweatshop" conditions throughout the world. Indeed, reports of first-hand testimony from a number of people who have lived and worked in such conditions as well as documentation from sweatshops around the world provide ample proof of these conditions. This paper provides an overview of how some companies in the United States have violated the fundamental human rights of its workers overseas in an attempt to improve their corporate bottom lines, and discusses the possible consequences of the globalization process in the future.

Paper Outline:
Introduction
What is A Multinational Corporation?
Trends in Globalization and the End of Nationally Based Cultures
Advantages of the Internet and Telecommunications for the Multinational Corporation
How Multinational Corporations are Exploiting Workers
Conclusion
Works Cited

From the Paper:

"The greed demonstrated by Nike and other megacorporations which have exploited workers throughout the world is a short-term view of a global marketplace though. Beyond the overwhelming social and cultural issues at play (man should not exploit man as a natural law), it only makes good long-term business sense to provide better working conditions and wages for a company's workers overseas. As the standards of living improve throughout the world, the marketplace for everyone's good and services will increase proportionately. It is not inconceivable that some day soon, the people all over the world would enjoy a comparable standard of living, with the fundamental needs of mankind being met by the improvements in technology and overall increase of resources by virtue of this enhanced marketplace."

More papers on Sweatshops:

• Research Paper # 97139 : "International Sweatshops"
• Analytical Essay # 136546 : "Sweatshops and Globalization"
• Analytical Essay # 135202 : "Economic Justification of Sweatshops"
• Essay # 85378 : "Are Sweatshops Exploitative?"

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