Professional Documents
Culture Documents
SWEATSHOP LABOUR
Submitted by
Surya Santhosh & Anna Jinu Kattapuram Paily
(150731214) (178031217)
1
Table of Contents
Executive Summary 3
Identification of problem 4
Situation analysis 5
Identification of alternatives 6
Recommendations 7
Bibliography 8
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Executive Summary
This case study deals with the production and marketing strategies of a multinational
corporation – Nike. The case explains how the company’s profit skyrocketed after its evolution.
However, improper labor laws and crooked strategies to make money strongly affected the
reputation of the brand. There were many allegations raised against the brand which mainly
focused on inadequate wages, corporal punishments, forced overtime, child labor, sexual
harassment, etc. The growing criticism against the company affected the sales and profit, there
was a major setback for the company where they had lost its target market due to the allegations
raised against them. There were several negative press reports which stung the image of the
company and sporadic protests broke out. The countries mainly affected by Nike’s unethical
policies are Vietnam, Indonesia, South Korea, Taiwan, etc. Until 1991, these unethical
practices never caught the attention of the public. Jeff Ballinger (an activist) prepared a report
regarding sweatshops and the poor condition of the laborers which got a vivid image of the
brand and human rights scrutiny which continues today. However, Nike strongly disagreed
with the claims regarding the brand. Later in 2002, auditing took place with regard to the
The adverse reaction and its public relation impact enforced Nike to identify new methods in
order to improve the condition of the workers and to begin implementing social responsibility
reports in 2005. Nike ensured to improve its monitoring efforts, raising the minimum wage of
workers and increasing factory audits. Since then, it has been working to uplift factory
In March 2021, Nike participated in a coalition of over 200 unions and labor rights
organizations to negotiate an agreement on severance, assurance, and basic labor rights to help
the workers who had been terminated from service, and also to fill the pandemic-era wage gap.
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Identification of Problem
Nike shoes were manufactured in underdeveloped countries which lead way to causing
problems for the brand. Nike has been accused of being a sweatshop corporation. The
problem faced by Nike was due to improper control and management of its production units.
Nike shoes are produced by subcontracted factories and are not under the supervision of
Nike,Inc. Nike did not take any responsibility for the working conditions of the factories, it
mainly focused on advertising, marketing, research and development, etc. This became a
Nike failed to review the conditions of the sub-contracted factories based on the lowest bid.
Some of the major problems that the firm had to face are as follows:
• Inadequate wages
• Child labor
• Gender discrimination
• Many female employees left devastated and felt unsafe working at Nike
All these controversies impacted the image of the firm and they were confronted as
sweatshop labor.
Phil Knight, founder and chairman of Nike, Inc., denied all the allegations made
against them and did not take any initiative to improve the factory conditions.
4
Situation Analysis
The internal and external factors affecting Nike’s business could be analyzed by performing
SWOT
ANALYSIS
Emerging products Counterfeit products
Innovative Products Increased competitive pressure
Efficient integration Economic uncertainity
Consumer direct strategies Marketing budget pressure
Cutting ties with big retailers Patent disputes
Current situational analysis of Nike shows that it has grown dramatically in the last decade, it
is still on top of the sneaker world. The brand has eradicated the middleman and now sales
are directly dealt with consumers. Nike is capable of establishing a global presence,
outsourcing, and releasing new product lines in order to build new brands. (Salpini,2021)
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Organizational Objectives
Nike has a financial plan as well as some strategic plans. It focuses on forming a partnership
with stakeholders to keep the core value alive and to share best practices within the
organization in order to keep the workflow steady. In order to balance business operations
and legal requirements, Nike seeks to forge a solid relationship with the government and
legal authorities. It guarantees revenue growth that outpaces net income and upholds a 7% to
6
Identification of Alternatives
First of all, Nike should have administered or assigned a group of directors or managers to take
care of working conditions in the factories. In addition, it helps the managers to use specific
techniques in mediating and to anticipate ethical dilemmas in the market. Ineffective human
resource management has led pathway to the exploitation of employees who were the poor
inhabitants of the area surrounding the factory. The cultural environment could be improvised
Secondly, Nike being an international brand still follows a closed type of organizational
structure which could harm the functioning of the firm. Nike should focus on implementing
new policies which could benefit employees as well as the brand. All the workers should be
bound together in order to enhance employee satisfaction which in turn helps to gain fame and
Thirdly, the idea of just making profits should be changed. The company has to foresee the
needs and wants of the workers, and provide them with adequate working conditions which are
the basic policies that a firm should follow. Currently, it is the product and profit-oriented
management, which is not either an effective or efficient way of handling a business that has
attained international attention. This phase of management should be changed to person and
performance-oriented management which not only benefits the firm but also the people
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Recommendations
Nike only imposed profit-oriented strategies which were the weaknesses that they possessed.
conditions for the advancement and development of both parties i.e., workers and entity.
Nike should assure to monitor the working conditions of the factories where their products
are produced.
Government should take strict policies to ensure that human rights are protected within the
organization, inspection should be made by the human rights group to investigate the working
conditions, wages and to speak personally to the workers in order to understand the
Implementation Plan
• Once every six months, managers must go to the factories to check on the
speak with the workers to make sure the business complies with human
rights laws.
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Bibliography
• Woodball, Jean, and Douglas, Danielle. Winning hearts and minds: ethical issues in
• Cara Salpini(2021, Nov 4). Nike is on track to make $50 billion this year. How much
is that, really? Retail Dive
• Xu, V. (2020, March 17). Your favorite Nikes might be made from forced labor.
Here’s why. The Washington Post.
• Staff writer. (2020, March 25). What are Nike’s Aims and Objectives?