What right does a Western company have to insist that its foreign contractors observe in their factories the protocols required in the West? What ethical responsibilities do individual consumers have when dealing with companies that rely on overseas labor?

Culture, Time, and Business Ethics

This Case Assignment for this module looks at an update of Nike and the ongoing issue of sweatshops. The case is found in:

Byars, S., & Stanberry, K. (2018). Impact of culture and time on business ethics, chapter 5. Business Ethics. Rice University, OpenStax. Retrieved from http://cnx.org/content/col25722/1.3 p. 138. CC BY 4.0 license

For the Case 2 assignment review:

TeamSweat. (2011, July 28). Nike sweatshops: Behind the swoosh [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1097&v=M5uYCWVfuPQ.

And,

Bain, M. (2017). Nike is facing a new wave of anti-sweatshop protests. Quartz. Retrieved from https://qz.com/1042298/nike-is-facing-a-new-wave-of-anti-sweatshop-protests/

Mintz, S. (May 2012). Social responsibilities of a U.S. company doing business abroad. Retrieved from https://www.ethicssage.com/2012/05/social-responsibilities-of-a-us-company-doing-business-abroad.html

St. Clair, J. (September 2018). Nike’s bad air. Retrieved from https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/09/10/105150/

Address the following in a 3- to 4-page academic essay that demonstrates your critical-thinking skills. It should be written for an audience of employers who are looking to expand their business overseas where labor costs are less than in the U.S. As an ethics expert, you have been asked to address the following:

Should a company advocate for labor rights, a minimum wage, and unionization in developing countries where it has operations?

What right does a Western company have to insist that its foreign contractors observe in their factories the protocols required in the West?

What ethical responsibilities do individual consumers have when dealing with companies that rely on overseas labor?

Should businesses adopt universal workplace standards about working conditions and employee protections? Why or why not?

This assignment should include third-person voice. Write a well-integrated paper with a strong introduction and conclusion, and use a few section headings (e.g., do not simply follow a Q & A format).

Bring in your Module background information. Whether or not you bring in sources outside of this Module is up to you. For all sources used, provide in-text citations and a references list.