Nike

9 Pages 2348 Words

Do most consumers shop with a “social conscience?” (Think about it. Are you aware of
where the products you purchase are made and under what conditions they are
manufactured?) When consumers buy products, without knowledge of their origins, they
could easily be breaching their own code of ethics. This is clearly seen in an assortment of industries. Each year hundreds of companies employ foreign labor for low wages and in terrible working conditions. For example, much public attention had been brought to Kathy Lee Gifford and her “sweatshops” overseas, as well as other unfair labor practices in third world countries. One of the greatest participants in this mistreatment of workers is the Nike Corporation. To earn the maximum profit for their products, Nike exploits thousands of workers each year by offering them diminutive wages and the worst conditions to work under. When famous athletes endorse Nike and consumers continue to purchase their products, they only encourage and support these inhumane practices causing them to virtually go unnoticed (Greene, 1998). Last August Donna Greene of the New York Times conducted an interview with Dr. Fredrica Rudell, Associate Professor
of Marketing and Chairwoman of the Department of Marketing and International
Business at Iona College in New Rochelle, on the subject of shopping with a “social
conscience.” Dr. Rudell, who has chaired the Environmental Concerns Committee of
Iona’s Peace and Justice Program for sixteen years, believes that each time a consumer
buys a product he or she casts a “vote for the company that made the product…” (Greene
1998). Dr. Rudell points out that companies respond well to what the consumers have to
say, citing the environmental and health movements as examples. The Nike Corporation,
unsurprisingly, was mentioned several times during the interview. She criticized their
labor practices and pointed out that until the public pressured Nike ...