Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Home for Christmas

Shirl and I spent some Skype time this morning (middle of the night in NH) discussing Christmas travel plans. We finally concluded that getting a cadre of McDougalls to Romania for Christmas was impractical and prohibitively expensive. So, I am heading home. I want to see Shirley and my kids, and Preston, my St. Bernard. (Those are Piper and her Westie Cobi with him on the floor.)













Class today was one for the poets. Hardly a number left my lips. It was all about the sourcing of manufactured goods in countries where workers line up at the door to apply for 60-hour per week jobs that pay $1.00 per day. (Indonesia in the 1990s was one such country.) Is the customer (a multinational marketing company) responsible for, or should it be concerned with, the working conditions at an independent contractor's factory? Or is the customer management's duty to maximize shareholder wealth, thus it would be unethical not to take advantage of these opportunities to reduce product costs? A heated debate ensued. At the end of class, a student asked me what I thought. So, I ask my readers, what do you think?

2 comments:

SKM said...

First, I say bring America's outsourcing back to America. People are literally dying due to the lack of jobs here.

Second, pay people a decent wage, everywhere. If we are to truly embark on a changed vision for America, we should also support change for better economies, better education, better health care, etc. in other countries as well.

Third, We must answer the world's call for hope & better times ahead.

Fourth, Yes We Can

SKM said...

Trot misses you too. He told me weeks ago.