Advanced Search
Print - Close Window
www.greenwood.com/catalog/Q618.aspx
All Greenwood Products
Rising above Sweatshops Innovative Approaches to Global Labor Challenges
Laura P. Hartman, ed., Denis G. Arnold, ed., Richard E. Wokutch, ed.
ISBN: 1-56720-618-2
ISBN-13: 978-1-56720-618-0
440 pages
Praeger Publishers
Publication: 12/30/2003
List Price: $81.95 (UK Sterling Price: £56.95)
Discount Price: $40.98 Sale Price for U.S. Customers Only. Save 50%. Ends 12/31/2009.
Availability: In Stock
Media Type: Hardcover
Also Available: Ebook
Trim Size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4
Subjects:
Description: Workers have basic rights that should not be violated, notwithstanding the geographical locale of their work. But those rights often appear to conflict with the economic and commercial needs of both developing nations and multinational enterprises. Creative approaches are necessary if workers' rights are to coexist with commercial success, or even survival. This book introduces the current global labor milieu and showcases innovative solutions via original case studies (e.g., Nike, Levi Strauss), which demonstrate how multinational enterprises can respect worker rights while benefiting from the economic advantages of a global labor market.

Part I provides an overview of global labor challenges from a broad variety of perspectives, including economics, public policy, philosophy, and strategic management. The facts and contention of the new sweatshop school of thought are analyzed, along with industrialization and utilization of labor in developing countries; the application of basic human rights to the circumstances of workers; the unique role of nongovernmental organizations in the debate over global labor practices; and the Total Responsibility Management approach to implementing improved labor practices.

Part II analyzes case studies, based on original field research, of well-known global corporations. The examined programs provide examples of innovative responses by multinational firms, the International Labor Organization, and other NGOs to challenges regarding global labor practices. These cases can help other firms avoid the unhappy dilemma of either exploiting workers and enduring a public relations backlash, or terminating operations in various developing nations. The true solution lies in companies respecting worker rights, while benefiting from the economic advantages of a global labor market.
Table of Contents:
  • Acknowledgements
    Dedication
    List of Illustrations
    Foreword A: Practitioner by Ken Block and Frank Vogl
    Foreword B: Academic by Norman E. Bowie
    Rising above Sweatshops: An Introduction to the Text and to the Issues by Laura Hartman, Denis G. Arnold, and Sandra Waddock
    Perspectives on Global Labor Practices and Challenges
    The Global Context: Multinational Enterprises, Labor Standards and Regulations by Jill Murray
    The Economic Context: Grounding Discussions of Economic Change and Labor in Developing Countries by Jonathan London
    Philosophical Foundations: Moral Reasoning, Human Rights, and Global Labor Practices by Denis G. Arnold
    Philosophy Applied I: How Non-Governmental Organizations and Multinational Enterprises Can Work Together to Protect Human Rights by Michael A. Santoro
    Philosophy Applied II: Total Responsibility Management by Sandra Waddock and Charlie Bodwell
    Program Studies of Innovation in the Management of Global Labor Challenges
    Nike Inc.: Corporate Social Responsibility and Workplace Standard Initiatives in Vietnam by Laura Hartman and Richard E. Wokutch
    Adidas-Salomon: Child Labor and Health and Safety Initiatives in Vietnam and Brazil by Laura Hartman, Richard E. Wokutch, and J. Lawrence French
    Levi Strauss & Co.: Implementation of Global Sourcing and Operating Guidelines in Latin America by Tara J. Radin
    Dow Chemical Corporation: Responsible Care Program in Thailand by Richard E. Wokutch
    Pro-Child Institute: Combating Child Labor in the Brazilian Shoe Industry by J. Lawrence French and Richard E. Wokutch
    International Labour Organization: Global Factory Improvement Programs by Charles Bodwell and Ivanka Mamic
    Chiquita Brands International Inc.: Value-Based Management and the Value of Corporate Responsibility in Latin America by Tara J. Radin
    Bibliography
    Contributor Biographies
    Subject Index
About the Author: LAURA P. HARTMAN is Associate Vice President and Professor of Business Ethics, DePaul University.

DENIS G. ARNOLD is Assistant Professor of Philosophy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville.

RICHARD E. WOKUTCH is Pamplin Professor of Management, Pamplin College of Business, Virginia Tech.
LCC Class: 658
All rights reserved. Copyright © 1999-2009 ABC-CLIO
130 Cremona Dr., Santa Barbara, CA 93117 805-968-1911