With the constant quest for greater profitability, American companies are reaching further and further around the globe for opportunity. Factories are being built in third world countries, and sales efforts continue to increase in the world’s fastest growing economies like China and Brazil. Consumer products corporations, especially, are seeking out the cheapest and most efficient method of production, and many are beginning to look to Indonesia for answers. According to the Indonesian Footwear Association, “sports footwear produced in Indonesia is expected to soar roughly 25 percent to $1.6 billion since 2007,” (Abelson 1). One of the American companies leading the global initiative, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc., alone expects to increase its number of shoes manufactured in Indonesia to almost 6 million pairs over the next couple years (Abelson 1). This vast migration of manufacturing facilities is lead not only by the hunger for corporate profits, but also by the new international system of globalization. This system destroys international barriers and allows for enhanced communication, efficiency and cultural understanding. When developing production operations in Indonesia, New Balance must be aware of both the cultural and geographical differences of the country, as explained by authors Thomas Friedman and David Landes, as well as the potential benefits and costs of globalization, explained by authors Amartya Sen and Paul Collier.
Prior to building its new factory in Tangerang, New Balance Athletic Shoe Inc. must be aware of all developmental barriers, including the cultural differences in religion and view of authority, and the geographical differences that influence employee pace of work and cause threat of potent...
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...rld, they often lose those ancient traditions passed down from generation to generation and we begin to experience Americanization through “western dominance and imperialism,” (Sen A2). In addition, Collier explains that “countries at the bottom coexist with the twenty-first century, but their reality is the fourteenth century,” (Coullier 3). As New Balance begins to build its new plant and hire the factory workforce, they must keep in mind that Indonesia is not as advanced as the US. Therefore, certain technologies and ideas be culture shock to the people.
Even though globalization has both benefits and costs, if New Balance can overcome the cultural and geographical differences and help preserve their employees’ culture and traditions, both the Indonesian people and the company will benefit.
Works Cited
Landes, David "The Wealth and Poverty of Nations"
Corporations in the United States have proved time and time again that they are all about profit and not about what is good for America. One example of this is the fact that many corporations have factories in other countries, or buy from other corporations that do. Nike (an athletic shoe and clothing company) produces most of their shoes and apparel in factories in other countries, including Japan, South Korea, Indonesia, China, Vietnam and Malaysia. According to Nike’s factory disclosure list released May 2011, only 49 of it’s over 700 factories are located in the U.S. (Nike, Inc.) This means that thousands of jobs that could be filled by needy Americans are instead being filled by workers in other countries. This reason that Nike and other corporations outsource is very simple, it is very cheap to do so. In an excerpt from Jeffrey St. Clair's book “Born Under a Bad Sky” the author describes the vast differences between Nike’s production costs and retail prices. “In Vietnam, it costs Nike only $1.50 to manufactu...
When you go to the mall to pick up a pair of jeans or a shirt, do you think about where they came from? How they were made? Who made them? Most consumers are unaware of where their clothes are coming from. All the consumer is responsible for is buying the clothing from the store and most likely have little to no knowledge about how it was manufactured, transported, or even who made the clothing item and the amount of intensive labor that went into producing it (Timmerman, 3). In my paper, I will utilize the book Where Am I Wearing? by Kelsey Timmerman and the textbook Cultural Anthropology: A Toolkit for a Global Age by Kenneth J. Guest to examine globalization in the context of the clothing industry.
Jane Collins is currently a professor of rural sociology and women’s studies at the University of Wisconsin. She also has published a number of books and articles related to the apparel industry. Collins brought a great deal of knowledge to the writing of this book through her childhood experiences growing up in Virginia and her more then thirty years of research experience in Latin America. However, it could be said that having such extensive experience and narrowed knowledge of the industry may have affected the direction and perspectives found in this book.
In China, Kelsey Timmerman spent time with a couple who worked at the Teva factory, traveled to the countryside to meet the couple’s son, insert name, who hasn’t seen his parents in three years due to his parents working long hours and it being expensive to take a train ride. In the US, the author visited one of a few clothing factories in the US to talk to the workers about his shorts, and the decrease of American garment factories. Timmerman wants the consumer to be more engaged and more thoughtful when mindlessly buying clothes. By researching how well the brands you want to buy from monitor their factories and what their code of ethics details, you can make a sound decision on if this is where you would want to buy your clothes. The author writes about brands that improve employers lives like SoleRebels, a shoe company who employs workers and gives them health insurance, school funds for their children, and six months of maternity leave. Brands like soleRebels that give workers benefits most factory workers have never even heard of help improve the lives of garment workers and future generations. From reading this book, Timmerman wants us to be more educated about the lives of garment workers, bridge the gap between consumers and manufacturers, and be a more engaged and mindful consumer when purchasing our
Many people in our society today are constantly asking, "Why do sweatshops exist?" The answer to this question is that companies like Nike and Wal-Mart use sweatshops to produce their goods for a much cheaper rate, to reduce the cost of their products. The problem with sweatshops is that the workers are subject to hard work in often times poor conditions for minimal pay. But although many people may condemn sweatshops, there are some advantages that many people overlook when arguing against sweatshops and their practices.
Each country has its own culture, with subcultures inside the dominant culture (Schaefer, 2009, p.69). “Culture is the totality of learned, socially transmitted custom, knowledge, material objects, and behavior” (Schaefer, 2009, p.57). Values, artifacts, and ideas are also part of culture (p57). With globalization there is the integration of these cultural aspects, as well as language, social movements, and ideas throughout the world (Schaefer, 2009, p.20). Internationalization helps with this integration. Internationalization is the process of planning and implementing products and services so that they can easily be adapted to specific local languages and cultures (Linfo, 2006). Numerous American retail firms have expanded to other countries. Many have been quite successful due to their internationalization. However, failure to study the culture, retail practices, and consumer market of the country they intend to expand to can be quite costly. Although Home Depot is one of the world’s largest home improvement stores, their expansion to Chile cost them enormous financial loss, resulting in their divestment (Bianchi & Ostale, 2006, section 1, para3). This paper will look at successful international expansion of Home Depot stores, analyze what mistakes were made in Chile, and make suggestions of what could have been done differently.
This paper will give a brief introduction about the history of Nike Sweatshops which will shed the light on their public image and their manufacturing process. It will further move to the suggested alternatives, what facts impact them, their stakeholder and their impact on the economic as well as social basis. In the end, it will discuss if the given choices are legal and ethical or not.
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The financial ramifications for the accidental cultural oversight may cost the company severely. In order to bounce back and win their loyal customers back, Footwear Bangladesh needs to strike back quickly and effectively. In addition, they will need to continue to promote their good name so as to not fall under any further scrutiny. This will involve planning and awareness of what is important to retaining their client base, including cultural sensitivities.
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...enture into overseas market comes with expectations as well as uncertainties due to unfamiliarity. Charles and Keith, the fashion retailer, has to understand clearly that what appeals in one market might not be accepted in the others and this is almost the same for all industries. Thus, a thorough research on cultural background has to be done before entering an unfamiliar ground.
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