Would you agree that Russell Athletic made the right decision
Work in your assigned team to respond to the following Part One Case Study questions. Be sure to use textbook chapter information. Of course, feel free to add additional information and references to make your responses even stronger!
Case Questions: Choose any two questions
Student Advocacy and “Sweatshop” Labor: The Case of Russell Athletic
1. Assume that you are an executive of a large U.S. multinational corporation planning to open new manufacturing plants in China and India to save on labor costs. What factors should you consider when making your decision? Is labor outsourcing to developing countries a legitimate business strategy that can be handled without risk of running into a sweatshop scandal?
2. Do you think that sweatshops can be completely eliminated throughout the world in the near future? Provide an argument as to why you think this can or cannot be achieved.
3. Would you agree that in order to eliminate sweatshop conflicts, large corporations such as Russell Athletic should retain the same high labor standards and regulations that they have in the home country (for example, in the United States) when they conduct business in developing countries?
How hard or easy can this be to implement?
4. Would you agree that Russell Athletic made the right decision by conceding to USAS and union demands? Isn’t a less expensive way to handle this sort of situation simply to ignore the scandal? Please state your pros and cons regarding Russell’s decision to compromise with the workers’ union and NGOs as opposed to ignoring this scandal.