This hub examines the Nike Sweatshop Debate

After nike free run 2 realized it was the target of several protests and complaints against globalization, it recognized the need for safer work environments and an adherence to certain standards for each of the overseas factories. The factory workers were forced to work exceptionally long hours to fulfill quotas and had to follow strict rules during work for below minimal pay despite having “77 percent of the employees in Vietnam suffer from respiratory problems” (Hill, 2009). Therefore, the legal, ethical, and cultural challenges began to add up for Nike and it was time for the company to confront them.

The majority of challenges nike air max 2014 had to overcome involved ethical issues and debates. Even though Nike was providing jobs to those who may not otherwise have one, it was paying “a mere $1.60 a day to Vietnam factory workers when the living wage is at least $3 a day” (Hill, 2009). Nike could have avoided this challenge by paying each employee worker the living wage of the country he or she lives in to purchase necessary items. Moreover, the living wage is a cultural expectation which Nike failed to meet that led to protests.

Another ethical issue involved “a report that found workers with skin or breathing problems had not been transferred to departments free of chemicals and that more than half the workers who dealt with dangerous chemicals did not wear protective masks or gloves” (Hill, 2009). The debate was over the unsafe conditions nike air max thea was providing its factory workers while it experienced continual increase in profits. Nike was also criticized for failure to follow child labor laws by hiring children who were not allowed to work and forcing them to work overtime for below minimal pay.

For example, “according to Global Exchange, in one factory, owned by a Korean subcontractor for nike air max 90 hyperfuse, workers as young as 13 earning as little at 10 cents an hour toiled up to 17 hours daily in enforced silence” (Hill, 2009). Exposing workers to harsh and toxic chemicals including carcinogens were also factors that placed the company at odds with human rights activists. The company attempted to redeem itself by stating “it had formulated an action plan to deal with the problems cited in the report, and had slashed overtime, improved safety and ventilation, and reduced the use of toxic chemicals” (Hill, 2009). Even though Nike took steps to improve the accusations in the report, it should have been corrected once it was aware of the conditions and provided each worker with a fair and safe work environment.