Discussion Post A: The Ethical Cost of Doing Business Debate
Detecting unethical practices at supplier factories, to include monitoring and compliance, is a major challenge to say the least. Yet, wages drive costs and it's an absolute necessity to maintain the lowest cost in production of any good. Or is it?
Focus on debate! Start or select a fellow student's side, and either support or argue against that position, but be constructive in your approach. Employ teamwork!
Discuss how important is it for companies, such as Nike and Wal-Mart that source extensively from foreign suppliers located in countries where wages are low and substandard working conditions are common to institute supplier codes of conduct and undertake programs to monitor and ensure supplier compliance with these codes of conduct?
Would you recommend that a company join the Fair Labor Association and use FLA's standards and program of factory audits instead of trying to set up its own supplier monitoring and compliance effort?
What can a company do to detect and combat the efforts of unscrupulous foreign suppliers to deceive inspection/compliance teams?
Discussion Post B: Dual Commitment
In unionized employment, an employee is simultaneously a company employee and union-represented.
How does the employee manage both roles? What are the major areas of conflict? Can they be resolved? If so, how? If not, why?
The response must include a reference list. Using Times New Roman 12 pnt font, double-space, one-inch margins, and APA style of writing and citations.