Nike Ethics Discussion

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1. Does Jeff Ballinger have convincing argument about Nike? I think that Mr. Ballinger does have a convincing argument but I wonder is ethical approach to singling out Nike instead of focusing on foreign labor practices as a whole. Through his research and findings he compiles an interesting case about the abuse of foreign workers; however, he fails to mention that these practices are not limited to Nike alone. By not mentioning other companies that use the same tactics, he puts a negative image on Nike alone instead of all American companies who choose to outsource manufacturing to foreign countries. I think it’s kind of ironic that Mr. Ballinger is doing research on ethical practices of American companies when he himself is using an unethical approach to his research. Another fact that he fails to mention is that what Nike is doing is not illegal. Unethical, yes, but due to weak policies in some of these foreign companies, it allows for American, or any other nation’s companies, to exploit these practices. Also, why doesn’t he mention anything about the retailers who sell Nike shoes? According to the article, Nike makes on average $22.50/ pair of shoes they sell to wholesalers. These wholesalers then sell them with a retail price with nets them $45 / pair of shoes. Stores like Footlocker or Finish Line most likely pay their employees a little over minimum wage so why isn’t Mr. Ballinger attacking these retail stores for engaging with Nike and exploiting their power to charge high prices and pay employees state minimums? ** (I’m sure not all shoe retailers only pay employees minimum wage, but from experience working at one years back, we didn’t get paid much higher than it) ** In general, I think the facts the Mr. Ballinger discovered present serious ethical issues but fails to put it in perspective on how situations are here in the United States. The

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