Comm 486

Personally, I don’t like the use of the word sweatshops. A negative image of poor working conditions and unethical business practices jump to mind. I would like to stress the idea of perception. There are always two ways to look at something. I’m just being the devil’s advocate here and introducing the other side to sweatshops. 

A sweatshop in south east Asia can also be perceived as an opportunity for a better living. In most of the regions where sweatshops are prominent, the wages that corporations like Nike and Wal-Mart offer, however low they are, are still better than all the other alternatives. For example, sweatshop employees can either be subsistent farmers, or worse, prostitutes. Sweatshops give them the opportunity to earn money and to support a family and raise their living standard slightly. Both ends benefit because the lower wages from outsourcing gives the corporation a competitive advantage when competing with other companies. 

This is another way to look at it. Although in western societies sweatshops are frowned upon, there is some economical advantages to them from both the CEO’s and the labourers. When people from North America compare the working standards here to working standards in South America or South East Asia they are shocked, but the truth is, is that most of the worlds working conditions are still relatively low compared to here.