Essay About Ethical Decisions And Sweat Shops

Phl 320 – Labor Final
Labor FinalNicole SmithPHL/320June 6th 2016Labor FinalThe use of sweat shop labor has been around since 1830-1850 in the form of clothing sweat shops. I don’t really agree with sweat shops or the way they are ran. Many businesses choose to use sweat shop labor in order to cut down on costs to making their products. This helps the company to gain more profit on the items they sell. It also helps a company to make a mass amount of products to help with the demand of the product. Using sweat shop labor does not require the company to pay high wages, insurance, 401 K plans or workers compensation. It also does not have an age limit and children as young as 6 and 7 can be used in these shops around the world. A company may choose to use sweat shops as a form of labor to help with consumer demands. They may use sweat shops to supplement their other factories in order to keep products on hand for needed sales. Having products made in other countries may helps to ease the price of shipping to other countries due to product placement and shipping standards in other countries. Ethical decisions involve choice and balance. It’s very important in business to make choices that help everyone and not just your bottom line. The decision of out sourcing you labor into sweat shops is one that must not be done without a lot of ethical decision making. It may help your companies’ profits but, it may end up hurting your companies’ image and causing you to lose more then you gained. A decision such as this can say a lot to consumers and the employees of the company. It’s very important to make sure and look at every aspect of your choice before you make your decision. It’s your job as a decision maker for the company to do what is ethically and morally right. Employees need to know that the company they place their future and hopes in has the same morals and ethics that they have. Choosing to make poor ethical decisions can signal to your employees and your customers that you’re not very trustworthy. This may cause a drop in customers and may cause a high employee turnover. Another reason to avoid unethical behavior such as sweat shops is legal issues. Although it is legal in some countries, having a product made in a sweat shop can leave many areas open for legal issues. Things such as product safety, work conditions and employee safety can cause many unneeded issues and cost a lot of money and hassle.