Indeed we have all been guilty but writing about it through media such as these sometimes force a change in the positive direction. Although the Chinese government may be blamed for subjecting its people to such terms, a realistic look at their population will show that confronted the same amount of population and poverty the western governments will do differently...
our world is a near stable state where Entropy always increases. naturally we hv to pay more everyday. But in all history -things hv become cheaper and cheaper - but by entropy - you cannot get anything cheaper without taking it away from someone else.
technology/ new ideas/ knowledge etc. make things cheaper - yes. but some one gets greedy - and then exploitation starts - why an I'product - look at gold/ platinum or the diamond - is there no blood on them at birth ?? OR look at the armaments / the missiles - is there no blood at the end of them
was there no blood on the indigo / opium which was forced on the indian farmer during Brit rule and does not the lack of human rights in the gulf countries trouble you when you put in the gas - or - in the US - does it not trouble you that yr increasing carbon footprint submerges islands and uproots people .
well learn to look at the total pic - rather than pick up a rant fr the day. hv a nice day - think more :)
Linechaser, When Apple published a list of its suppliers and said it was joining the Fair Labor Association, I applauded the company's move even though I thought it was an unusual move on the part of the company; Apple is more known for secrecy and the publication of the list of suppliers was suspicious.
On reading the New York Times articles, however, I learned reporters had requested the list of the company's suppliers and that request had been turned down. How convenient for Apple that it published the list and announced joining the FLA only days before the New York Times published the first of the articles, which had been shared with Apple ahead of publication.
Sunlight? Yes, from the press otherwise we would all still be in the darkroom.
It usually takes a disaster the size of the Foxconn deaths to put a spotlight on a longstanding problem. But it is often too little, too late. By the time ENRON got publicity for its abuse of the retirement system, its employees were destitute. Abuse of the US financial system prompted brokerages to shut down. Unfortunately, once something like this comes to light, the net result is job loss. Could Foxconn improve conditions? It could, and it is likely that for some time, at least, it will still have a competitive edge.
This is a situation where sunlight is indeed the best remedy. As a result of the negative publicity, Apple has joined the Fair Labor Association. As a condition of FLA membership, Apple and its suppliers will be subject to unannounced audits and also enforcement of the FLA code of conduct, which is based on standards approved by the United Nations' International Labor Organization.
Poor labor conditions have been around since the start of the industrial revolution and will continue to exist as long as we reward people for making their quarterly numbers base mainly on financial target. Let's start rewarding people for humanitarian targets too.
i watched this documentary and was not so shocked because i have seen much worse in manufacturing units in Asia. This news took too much weight because mighty electronic companies are directly involved. I agree that we should not put a blanket on such issues but until and unless companies put strict rules and regulation on contract and do not squeeze every drop of profit out, nothing much would happen.
It's obviously a complicated issue, CNN's freedom project has also exposed alot of aweful working conditions in other such factories like the foxxcon, but the issue is are we all really ready to do anything about it, or are we jus talking for the joy of it?
Left to me, the not so open nature of the Chinnese government, and their dominance in the manufacturing sector will make this a hard nut to crack, worse of all, I think everyone is just talking, the stake holders are not that concerned about the problem
"Some of the devices manufactured by the electronics industry in China were produced under unsavory conditions"
The working nature and employment situations in China are very Pathetic. Once I had been in China as a part of industrial consortium and happen to visit some of the companies. In most of the companies, the working environments are not so good and most of them are working more than 12 hours. When compare with neighboring countries, most of them are under paid for the same effort. They are not able to raise their voices against such things in any forums to represent such concerns.
Regarding the "massive loss of nearly all our manufacturing capacity", you may not be aware that the vast majority of goods and services sold in the United States is produced here. In 2010, imports were about 16% of U.S. GDP. Imports from China amounted to only 2.5% of GDP.
You also may not be aware that the United States is the world's second largest exporter. Three quarters of those exports come from manufacturing. In 2010, the US exported almost $1.3 trillion in goods; 90% of that was non-agricultural products. That needs to be considered before parroting protectionist propaganda.
Also, in the last 30 years, Democrats have controlled both houses of Congress for more years than Republicans. Neither party has an interest in erecting import barriers of the kind you suggest.
EBN Dialogue enables and encourages you to participate in live chats with notable leaders and luminaries. Not only editors and journalists, but the entire EBN community is able to comment and ask questions. Listed below are upcoming and archived chats.
Archived Dialogues
Thailand Stages a Comeback Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Euro-Crisis: What It Means for High-Tech Firms Join EBN Editor in Chief Bolaji Ojo and Contributing Editor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday, July 12, at 10:00 a.m. EDT for a Live Chat on high-tech and Europe's economic difficulties.
Microsoft Surface: Potential Winners & Losers What are the implications for the electronics industry supply chain of Microsoft Corp.'s decision to launch its own tablet PC? Join industry veteran and EE Times' systems and OEM expert Rick Merritt on Tuesday, July 3, at 12:00 pm EDT for a Live Chat on this subject.
Join EBN contributor Jennifer Baljko on Thursday August 23, 2012, at 11:00 a.m. EST for a live chat on how electronic manufacturers in Thailand have shored up their supply chain to reduce the impact of future natural disasters.
Peter Drucker famously said "Trying to predict the future is like trying to drive down a country road at night with no lights while looking out the back window." Yet in the razor's-edge world of electronics—with a lean supply chain and just-in-time demands—the need to know the future is vital.
While no one really can accurately predict the future, we can take guidance from another Drucker saying which is the best way to predict the future is to create it.
You've heard the saying "the No. 1 supply chain risk is your people." That hasn't always been the case. But today's complex global supply chain requires a new type of multitalented employee. It's one who understands, finance, marketing, economics, is savvy with technology, graceful with relationships and can think analytically.
Where are these people? Are universities properly preparing the next generation supply chain professionals? How do train your existing workforce for these new, demanding positions?
Brian Fuller, editor-in-chief of EBN, will lead a 60-minute Avnet Velocity panel discussion that will ask and answer these and other questions swirling around today's supply-chain talent challenges.
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