On what grounds does Ian Maitland argue that international sweat-shops are not unethical? Critically evaluate Maitland’s argument. In your view, would a “good” business leader endorse international sweat-shop conditions? Convince your reader as to how a good business leader should act in this matter. Introduction: Globalization has bought about unprecedented changes to the global economy and consumerism

. This has forced multinational corporations to undergo massive changes, both in production practices and policy making. The relentless demand for affordable products is the major reason behind outsourcing of factories and production units. One of the most obvious benefits that this has bought about for the global economy is the increased source of revenue for countries like Pakistan and Bangladesh, where labor is cheaper and plentiful on account of a constrained, service based job sector. The Ready Made Garment industry (RMG) in Bangladesh accounts for over 84% of its exports, and is mainly responsible for its meteoritic economic growth. (1) According to some estimates, Pakistan’s garment industry employs 15 million people, some 38 percent of the manufacturing labor force. (2) The huge benefits to these impoverished countries on account of this outsourcing comes at a very steep cost. There is enormous room for labor exploitation and malpractice. Local production units often fail to, or deliberately overlook maintenance of manufacturing structures, cut corners around providing proper benefits for the labor employed, enforce inhumane long hours. Such production units are called sweatshops: literally a place where human labor toils and sweats in substandard conditions to fill the maw of consumer demand. More often than not, parent corporations do not or would not look into this, or force compliance of these outsourced production units. There are harrowing examples of how such practices can obliterate human lives. In 2012, a fire at an apparel factory in Pakistan, killed around 270 Pakistani workers. It was found that UK retail giant Tesco and German apparel brand Kix were sourcing from that factory. Kix’s offer to reimburse the victims’ families $2,000 for each death was greeted with anger in Pakistan. During the same year,

around 112 workers perished in a fire at the Tazreen Garment Factory in Dhaka. In 2013, the worst industrial disaster in history happened with the collapse of the Raza Plaza in Bangladesh, snuffing out 1132 lives. It was found that this factory was supplying clothes to companies like Primark and Matalan. Three weeks after the disaster, the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh was signed by more than 200 retail brands. (3)