Sweatshops; Impact On Business And Society

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There is little doubt that, despite the distaste of consumers, the practice of using sweatshops is continuing. There may be many reasons for this ongoing practice; the economic benefits are present due to the savings that can be made, especially as many sweatshops utilized are in developing countries where the wages and overheads are lower and there are far less stringent regulations. It may also be argued that despite the apparent distaste of many consumers, the reality is that the benefits outweigh the costs and that these can overcome, this was seen when, in the UK during July 2007, a major apparel retailer Primark was revealed as using suppliers that had sweatshops and child labor. Following the damming television program a survey revealed that 42% of customers said they were less likely to use the firm (Just-style.com (a), 2008). However, although this was the reported response to the ethical issue, the reality has been different and the expected fall in sales has not occurred; during difficult trading conditions there has been a 2% increase of year on year sales (Just-style (b), 2008). It may be this attitude that allows firms to carry on using sweat shops. Therefore, it...

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