Current Social Sustainability Regulation & Practices in Outsourcing

This presentation examines the current situation in social sustainability regulation and practice, focusing on companies from developed countries that outsource manufacturing to factories in developing countries. It addresses the primary conceptual topic of child labor, highlighting how it deprives children of education and the exploitation that occurs in many industries in developing countries. The presentation discusses how companies sometimes fail to respect rules and regulations, prioritizing profits over ethical considerations. It covers current social sustainability practices, challenges, and ways to improve, emphasizing the need for companies to meet employee needs, support future employees, and address human rights, fair labor practices, health and safety, and diversity. The presentation concludes by suggesting solutions such as ending the employment of underage workers and increasing diversity, highlighting the risks to brand reputation and product quality associated with poor social sustainability.

Current Situation in Social Sustainability Regulation and
Practice Relating to Companies from Developed Countries
that Outsource Manufacturing to Factories in Developing
Countries.
Name:
Course:
Tutor:
Academic Institution:
Date:

Introduction
- The case study is all about the corporation Timothy and
Thomas North America.
 The case emphasizes on;
 social responsibility & regulations that prohibit workers
who are below the age of 14 .
children under the age of 14 working in the factories

Primary Conceptual Topic
 The primary conceptual topic is child labor.
 Child labor : employment of children in any
organization or business, especially when against the
law or considered manipulative.
 It is rampant in many industries found in the developing
countries.
 It deprives the children of the right to education
(UNICEF AND UNESCO, 2007).
 Case study; children unlawfully work for long hours in
horrible conditions with little payment as the companies
enjoy profits.

Concepts and Ideas applied from the
text
 Imposing American values on the third world creates
more problems (Secondi, 2014).
 child labor is an issue that every company within the
developed countries would not want to experience due
to the consequences it is associated with.
 The US citizen expect companies to make the profit
and operate in an ethical and socially responsible way.
 Currently, any company within the developed nations
is required to comply with the rules and regulations
that respect the right of every child.

Companies No longer Respect the rules
 Many companies within the developing countries do not
follow the guidelines put in place even a few who are in
partnership with other companies in the developed countries.
 Companies apply child labor to maximize profits regardless
of the conditions that workers go through (Shukla and Ali,
2006).
 Some companies neither respect nor follow the policies put
in place as their main focus is on profit.

Current Situation in Social Sustainability
Practices
 Companies must develop structures
which;
 meet the needs of employees
support the ability of future employees to
maintain a healthy operation.

Cont.…
 In companies, social sustainability performance issues include:
 human right
fair labor practices
Health and safety
Diversity and equity among others (Elkington, 2002).
 From the case study, many developing countries do not put into
practice issues that support social sustainability.
 Employing under-aged children with poor wages to reduce the
cost of production is a violation of human right and unethical.

Social Sustainability Challenges
 Most of the companies are faced with these challenges,
and they must take action to overcome them.
 Social sustainability and other practices go beyond child
labor
 Many companies are currently faced with environmental
issues.
 The need to become more environmentally friendly is on
the rise
 Increasing policy requirements by regulator organizations

How to improve social
sustainability
 The best solution to the problem on these issues in the current
situation would be;
to have all the contractors and other employers let off of the
underage workers.
Any employer or contractor who fails to comply should face
legal action or be replaced with another contractor that will
abide by the guidelines.
Poor social sustainability is a risk to both brand, and product
quality and the reputation can be hurt.

Conclusion
To overcome the current issues affecting social
sustainability and other practices, manufacturing
companies need to;
 extend their pool of potential employees
 avoid taking part in the recruitment of the
underage
 focus on increasing diversity within their
workforce

CRAAP Analysis of the sources
Currency: The sources used in this task were first published in
2002, 2006, 2014 and 2007 respectively. Some have been updated,
and the most current edition of one of them is 2014. The topic
covered in this case requires the most updated information to be
relevant and current as well as providing precise information.
Relevance: these sources demonstrates the events that happen in
the factories within the developing countries and why they happen.

Authority: The authors of these sources are Elkington from
Oxford, an expert in business-related issues and UNICEF among
other qualified professors.

Cont…
Accuracy: the UNICEF and the books supported by the
conversation that takes place in the case study. The sources
have no errors and are free from bias.
Purpose: to shade more light on the current situation on
social sustainability and other related practices in the
manufacturing industries in the developing nations.