There are many laws governing the way companies in the United States should act to protect their employees and to treat them in a fair and equitable manner. However, many countries abroad do not have similar laws and treat employees in ways that would be seen as unacceptable and unethical in the United States.
Either individually or in small groups, think about the following issues and answer the questions they raise.
1. In Pakistan and India, it is common for children as young as 8 years old to weave the hand-made carpets and rugs that are exported to Western countries. Many of these children work for a pittance and are losing their eyesight because of the close attention they have to devote to their tasks, often for 12 hours a day. Do you think these children should be employed in such occupations? Do you think it is ethical to buy these rugs?
2. Millions of U.S. workers in manufacturing industries have lost their jobs because companies have moved their operations to low-cost countries overseas. There, many women and children work long hours every day for low wages, performing the jobs that used to be done by workers in the United States. Do you think it is ethical for multinationals to operate just on the basis of where they can obtain low-cost resources? Do you think laws should be passed to prevent global companies from relocating abroad to protect the relatively high-paying jobs of U.S. workers?