Corporate and Consumer Responsibilities Paragraph

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Corporate and Consumer Responsibilities Paragraph
By: Brendan Lee
Course: HZT 4U7-GG
Due: Thursday, February 18
th 2009

Knowledge claim: The decisions made by corporations and consumers are guided towards benefiting the livelihoods’ of the workers in sweatshops.

As companies grow larger and more competitive, they are looking for cheaper ways to produce their wares and increase their profit. That is, after all, how companies are able to succeed, by giving their customers a comparable product for a cheaper price. This increases sales and the bottom line is that it is a beneficial plan for both the companies and the consumers. The places that produce these products for an extremely cheap cost are called "Sweatshops". A sweatshop is a small manufacturing establishment in which employees work long hours under substandard conditions for low wages. Sweatshops came about when employers sought to reduce overhead costs and to increase the volume of production. Companies aim to maximize profits, while consumers act as individuals, searching for the lowest price and best quality.

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The increasing competition in the global trade has lead to the creation of sweatshops around the world. This is beneficial for the consumers who can purchase products cheaper. There are limitations to what the consumers know and care about when they are shopping. When most people shop, the criteria for consuming usually comes down to a compromise between price and quality, little ethical consideration appears to occur. Consumers don't care about exploitation - they are selfish; perhaps they do care but have no choice, as all company's products have similar ethical problems; perhaps they do care and some products are ...

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