ERD50
Give me a museum and I'll fill it. (Picasso) Give me a forum ...
LKH said:Sorry, but I just have no empathy for people who, if they can't screw their own countrymen, want to go screw some poor foreign kid even worse.....
Think about that for just a minute. If a company opens a factory in a poor country, the people have a *choice* to work there or not. AFAIK, no one is forcing them to take those jobs, are they? The fact is, those workers are happy when a factory opens in their area. It may seem like poor pay and lousy work to you and me, but it is better than the alternative those poor people have. To them, it represents opportunity. So you would rather see these people starve than get an opportunity for a better life? (OK you will accuse me of putting words in your mouth again - guilty, but you must realize there are real consequences to the actions you want to take).
And no, I don't want to see their situation taken advantage of, but don't assume that is the case. Take a look here:
"Supplier Code of Conduct"
and: http://www.apple.com/supplierresponsibility/
Most of the electronic manufacturers sign up to a code of conduct that *exceeds* the local regulations. Why? It is good business. Remember the flak Nike got when there were reports of 'sweatshop' conditions? And as you pointed out, for some nominal increase in salary benefits, the company gains a lot in employee loyalty.
Hey, sorry if I seem to always come across negative on these issues. But I truly believe it much more complex than just 'provide everybody a living wage'. The wage compression that lets-retire points out is a very real issue. Everybody up the ladder will need a boost too. The guy/gal that was already getting a 'living wage' for working a bit harder/smarter will now demand more than the person that was previously getting minimum wage, and is now their 'equal'. Lots and lots of impacts all across the board.
I'm darned tired of talking to support techs at software companies who barely speak English, who barely understand the problem I'm trying to report, or who read some scripted response, even after I tell them that I've tried the standard fixes. If I could find alternate companies that don't do that, they'd get my business.
Personally, I don't care where the person is located, as long as they are communicating effectively and solving my problem.
But I can report that I have had excellent customer support from Apple, and they are consistently ranked at the top in customer support in surveys and Consumer Reports. The rep listened to the problems I had, listened to the troubleshooting that I had done, and did not run me through the automatic scripted 'reinstall the OS' type things. I was pretty amazed at just how efficient they handled the few problems I have had to call about.
-ERD50
PS - As Ha states above, no system will be perfect. IMO, the 'free market' does require regulation in those 'common' areas where everyone is impacted, but there is little/no benefit to an individual company to provide the lead (pollution controls being the #1 example).