Globalization
You have to be kidding me.... It's very simple really... We get cheaper products, and an American company (Apple) posts higher profits. This clearly helps "us". Now, if by "us" you mean the leftiest political bloc that rants left and right about humanitarian conditions, then no, it does not help you in your grand quest for all equality.
In addition, I believe you're deluding yourself if you think the products wouldnt be more expensive if they were made in the USA. Take for instance, the case of a Leatherman. Made in the USA with pride, as far as I know, but damn expensive tools (Really GOOD ones though, I'm a proud owner of several). However, cheap chinese knockoffs, that are often nearly as good (I cant stand them personally, because i'm a stickler for quality products), are abundant on the market. Producing in the US in certain circumstances costs more money than elsewhere. That cost is passed on to us, the consumer.
P.S. MRSP prices are often decreased, they're called price wars. Look for example, at the price of RAM, or the price of CPU chips recently.
This is not a modern concept. It's just much easier to exploit disparities now a days with globilization. The world, and more specifically the people in it as a whole, have always been about doing what's best for them, and in today's world, their shareholders. As a shareholder of Apple, I demand nothing less.
As a general comment: You should really consider the alternative, that is, what if Apple were not producing iPods in China? There would be less money flowing into china and to these people many people seem to feel are treated poorly (I happen to agree if the story is as bad as it seems, which I find unlikely, as papers love to sensationalize to sell their rags). However, the point is, these people are not enslaved. They're taking the best opportunity available to them. Our business and wages in that country, while by our standards is pathetic, must be pretty good over there, because you know what... people are taking the job. There is no one with a gun to these people's heads saying: Make iPods or die. They are simply maximizing their economic gain by an attractive option: working in one of these factories for steady, and what is apparently good pay (by local standards). You must realize, that if we demand every worker in the world to be treated equally in terms of wage/living conditions, then it really doesnt matter where anyone produces. The whole POINT of a market economy is that there exist disparities, and that someone else is willing to do the same job cheaper.
Globalization may produce what many people consider to be morally unswalloable situations. But before you jump on the moral high ground bandwagon, consider this: These people are taking these jobs because they WANT to, because they are the best option available to them. We are providing them with a job and the associated wage that they would not otherwise have. Doing business at the lowest possible cost (i.e. the market rate for labor) is not illegal, nor immoral, nor should it be. Running a concentration camp is however both immoral and illegal. However, we should be very careful not to equate the two because of the simple fact that these people have the freedom to quit themselves of the situation.
blitzkrieg79 said:
You have to be kidding me.... It's very simple really... We get cheaper products, and an American company (Apple) posts higher profits. This clearly helps "us". Now, if by "us" you mean the leftiest political bloc that rants left and right about humanitarian conditions, then no, it does not help you in your grand quest for all equality.
blitzkrieg79 said:
In addition, I believe you're deluding yourself if you think the products wouldnt be more expensive if they were made in the USA. Take for instance, the case of a Leatherman. Made in the USA with pride, as far as I know, but damn expensive tools (Really GOOD ones though, I'm a proud owner of several). However, cheap chinese knockoffs, that are often nearly as good (I cant stand them personally, because i'm a stickler for quality products), are abundant on the market. Producing in the US in certain circumstances costs more money than elsewhere. That cost is passed on to us, the consumer.
P.S. MRSP prices are often decreased, they're called price wars. Look for example, at the price of RAM, or the price of CPU chips recently.
blitzkrieg79 said:
This is not a modern concept. It's just much easier to exploit disparities now a days with globilization. The world, and more specifically the people in it as a whole, have always been about doing what's best for them, and in today's world, their shareholders. As a shareholder of Apple, I demand nothing less.
As a general comment: You should really consider the alternative, that is, what if Apple were not producing iPods in China? There would be less money flowing into china and to these people many people seem to feel are treated poorly (I happen to agree if the story is as bad as it seems, which I find unlikely, as papers love to sensationalize to sell their rags). However, the point is, these people are not enslaved. They're taking the best opportunity available to them. Our business and wages in that country, while by our standards is pathetic, must be pretty good over there, because you know what... people are taking the job. There is no one with a gun to these people's heads saying: Make iPods or die. They are simply maximizing their economic gain by an attractive option: working in one of these factories for steady, and what is apparently good pay (by local standards). You must realize, that if we demand every worker in the world to be treated equally in terms of wage/living conditions, then it really doesnt matter where anyone produces. The whole POINT of a market economy is that there exist disparities, and that someone else is willing to do the same job cheaper.
Globalization may produce what many people consider to be morally unswalloable situations. But before you jump on the moral high ground bandwagon, consider this: These people are taking these jobs because they WANT to, because they are the best option available to them. We are providing them with a job and the associated wage that they would not otherwise have. Doing business at the lowest possible cost (i.e. the market rate for labor) is not illegal, nor immoral, nor should it be. Running a concentration camp is however both immoral and illegal. However, we should be very careful not to equate the two because of the simple fact that these people have the freedom to quit themselves of the situation.
