Nike is the leading shoe and athletic apparel company in the United States and one of the largest in the world. In 1993, Nike’s fiscal revenues were as large as the NBA, NFL, and Major League Baseball’s television deals, ticket sales, and paraphernalia sales combined. In addition to their phenomenal sales, Nike has marketed itself so thoroughly that it has literally become a household name. Over 200 of the 324 NBA players wear Nike shoes, with over 80 of them under contract to do so. 275 professional football players and 290 Major League Baseball players join them. Nike’s fame however, is not limited to professional sports. Over one half of the NCAA championship basketball teams of the past decade have worn Nike shoes and apparel and the company has endorsement agreements with over 200 colleges and universities. The scope of this corporation even extends beyond the United States. Nike recently paid an unfathomable $200 million in an endorsement deal with the Brazilian National Soccer Team (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.; Nike).
This hefty sum of money seems even more outrageous given the conditions of the factories used to produce these high-dollar goods. Nike does much of its shoe production in China where workers cannot be represented by labor unions. In these factories, workers are paid $1.50 at best for a pair of shoes that sells for around $100. In attempts to improve its public image, Nike repeatedly makes claims that its workers are paid double the minimum wage. Ironically, in most cases workers actually make less than the minimum wage. In Vietnamese factories, the minimum wage is $35 per month. Most Nike workers contend to make less, and their pay stubs serve as proof. Some employees actually make as little as 300,000 dong or $25.86 per month. This leaves literally no room for savings and most workers have to seek financial assistance from relatives just to survive (Greenhouse; O’Rourke ).
The Essay on Workers Who Are The Backbones Of Making Nike Worker Hours
John Howard The Swoosh - Just Do It! Most people are familiar with the Nike logo. Most people also know that Nike is a multi-million dollar company that sells name brand shoes worldwide. Millions of pairs of Nike shoes are sold daily, but what people don't know about Nike shoes is how and where they are made, who makes them, and how Nike spends its money in this process. According to the " ...
Small salaries such as this fall short of justifying the hours workers are forced to put in. Vietnam’s labor law limits overtime to 200 hours per year on a voluntary basis. Nike workers however are forced to work overtime, often in excess of 500 hours per year. If these workers refuse, they are usually terminated. Unfortunately, long hours aren’t limited to the factories of Vietnam. In China, 11-hour days are standard and workers must work an additional 2.4 hours of overtime each day. This practice violates both Chinese labor laws and Nike’s own Code of Conduct. The workers here are given two to four days off per month, again contrary to the laws and Code of Conduct which both call for at least one day of rest per week (Vietnam Labor Watch; State of California v. NIKE, Inc.).
According to Nike’s own Memorandum of Understanding, it is ethically and legally responsible to ensure that its subcontractors follow governmental health, safety, and environmental standards. Yet thousands of young (18 to 24 year-old) female workers are exposed to harmful chemicals and reproductive toxins on a daily basis. These chemicals are found in the solvents and glues used to produce Nike shoes. One such chemical is Toluene, which causes vertigo, headaches, and eventually a narcotic coma. Another common chemical in these plants is Acetone. Health problems from acetone exposure can be even worse than that of Toluene and can include headaches, drowsiness, throat irritation, coughing, vertigo, unrest, nausea, vomiting, progressive collapse, coma, and kidney and liver damage (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.).
The Research paper on Nike Sweatshops Inc
Ethics refer to what is defined as right or wrong in the morality of human beings and social issues are matters which could directly or indirectly affect a person or many members of a society. In this case study, Nike has been accused of subjecting employees in their subcontracted factories overseas to work in inhumane conditions for low wages. The CEO and cofounder of Nike lamented that “The Nike ...
When the Ernst and Young report uncovered the problems Nike’s factory workers endured, the company announced that it would be looking into the allegations and would clear up any situations it found to be illegal or unethical. CEO Philip Knight did this by hiring Andrew Young, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, to investigate Asian operations. Mr. Young founded GoodWorks International to do this. GoodWorks released a report in June 1997 basically claiming that Nike was innocent of any wrongdoing and that the conditions in the factories were acceptable. However, Andrew Young did not visit all of the factories, therefore his report is incomplete. He failed to address even one single violation mentioned in the Ernst and Young audit which was completed three months prior (State of California v. NIKE, Inc.).
