March 23rd, 2009
Team Sweat:
Here are comments from people that recently joined Team Sweat in the fight against Nike’s sweatshop abuses.
I am really excited about having our brothers and sisters in Indonesia join us!
In solidarity, Jim Keady
I want to help nike workers get the living wages they deserve. -Tituk Bagus Novianto
My name is Joana and I am in university, majoring dentistry in one of private university in Surabaya Indonesia. I did know that most of big US factory in Indonesia such as GAP and NIke didn’t give the right amount of wages as they deserved since I was 6th grade. And now I’m in my 2nd year of university. During that time I couldn’t do something to help them. Maybe with join this I could at least support the workers to get the wages they deserved. -Joana
Exploiting people is unexceptable and things need to change. -Annalena Snure
The exploitation in developing country is like satan. -Mihror Dendi
March 18th, 2009
Team Sweat:
I just got an email from an 8th grader who recently learned about Nike’s sweatshops. He made a video to share what he learned, I’ve included the link below. Be sure to watch to the end so that you can see him drain a jump shot from deep on the court. 
Enjoy!
In solidarity, Jim Keady
March 18th, 2009
Team Sweat:
I would encourage you to check out the story on the “Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act” that has been posted by our friends at the National Labor Committee. You can find it at:
Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act
Be sure to look and see if your U.S. Senators and House Representative are supporting this bill. If they are not, please send them an email, a letter, or call their office (or do all of these things) and let them know that you would like them to support this important piece of legislation. When this legislation is passed, it will go a long way in reigning in companies like Nike that exploit workers in sweatshops around the world.
Again, be sure to TAKE ACTION and contact your Senators and Representative.
In solidarity, Jim Keady
March 18th, 2009
Students from Southern New Hampshire University join Team Sweat
Team Sweat:
This week, more students joined the fight against Nike’s sweatshop abuses.
In solidarity, Jim Keady
After seeing Michael Moore’s interview with Phil Knight and your trip to the sweatshops-especially having to decide whether to shave or eat…how can I not (join Team Sweat)? - Russell Seaver
I am an activist from Bandung Indonesia and I want to help you during this issue. When you need something from my helping I can solve it. - Hifsan Rahman
I’m from Regis High School and just watched Mr Keady’s presentation. I’d like to help. - Thomas Michelena
I just heard (Jim Keady’s) presentation at Southern New Hampshire University and I thought it was very moving. I really enjoyed it and want to do anything I can to help. - Alyssa Amon
As a lifelong consumer of Nike’s products I feel that they must change the way they operate, because what they are doing to the production workers is inhumane. - Ryan Johnson
Something needs to be done. We are the ones that can make it happen. I can make it happen. - Abbey Miller
I joined Team Sweat because I want to see an end to Nike’s sweatshop abuse around the world. - Kevin Tessier
I do like Nike products, but hearing about all the wrongdoings that they have involved themselves in overseas is appalling. To say that Nike is performing ethically throughout all their locations would be wrong on so many levels. I would like to see improved work conditions, increased wages, and environmentally sound plans for the factories overseas. I would like to see the leader of the industry play big brother and set an example for all other companies in their industry. - Britni Corliss
People shouldn’t be treated like second-class citizens just because they weren’t lucky enough to be born in the United States…how could I not join (Team Sweat)? I’m lucky–I have the ability to try and help people who struggle to get things that I take for granted, like food, water, shelter, clothing and other things that make survival easier. - Sammi
Chickering
(I joined Team Sweat) to do my part in helping those in need. - Matt
Piccirillo
I joined Team Sweat because it isn’t fair that just because these people were born in other countries that aren’t as lucky as the United States, they get exploited and can’t even afford the necessities of everyday life. It’s especially not fair to the children who suffer for it! - Andrea Nugent
I am a student at Canisius College and was deeply moved by this terrifying issue after attending Jim Keady’s lecture. I would like to contribute to this cause, and I am currently trying to spread awareness of this issue through family and friends. - D’Anna Farrar
I want to help make a difference. - Emily Marciniak
Jim Keady spoke at my college, Canisius, Thursday the 12th. He gave an amazing speech and inspired me to become more active. I would love to be a part of your team and help in any way I can. - Ashley Rosenthal
I am joining Team Sweat because after hearing Jim speak at my school Canisius College I was definitely inspired to do what I can to support this cause. I think what he is doing is amazing and deserves all the support that he can get. - Zeneta
I was inspired by a presentation at my college, and I want to do what I can. - Tessa Scott
I joined Team Sweat because I believe that all humans are entitled to their God-given rights. It doesn’t matter what your economic conditions are, everyone should be treated with the respect that they deserve. Another reason why I joined Team Sweat is because I was inspired by their persistent fight against multi-billion conglomerates such as Nike. There is not one company in this world that has the right to strip humans of their dignity. - Dan Murray
March 9th, 2009
Team Sweat:
This past week has been a very active one on the Team Sweat fan page on Facebook.
We have had a bunch of Indonesian students, activists and trade unionists from Nike factories that have joined the fight to end Nike’s sweatshop abuses. This is a really exciting development and will lend itself to even more effective cross-border activism for the campaign.
In solidarity, Jim Keady
March 7th, 2009
Team Sweat:
I think you might find the paper below interesting. It explores how people morally disengage themselves when buying stuff that is made in sweatshops.
Peace, Jim Keady
Sweatshop Labor is Wrong Unless the Jeans are Cute: Motivated Moral Disengagement
Published: January 27, 2009
Paper Released: January 2009
Authors: Neeru Paharia and Rohit Deshpandé
Executive Summary:
Most consumers in America have purchased products made with sweatshop labor at one point or another. However, very little attention has been focused on the psychological mechanisms that enable consumers to propagate a system that implicates harm. Although many people say they care about ethical issues such as humane labor conditions, demand for products that guarantee it remains low. According to some estimates, there are hundreds of thousands of sweatshops still operating today. HBS doctoral student Neeru Paharia and professor Rohit Deshpandé examine whether people may be motivated to morally disengage in the presence of harmful attributes such as sweatshop labor when desire for a product is high. They found that research participants were significantly more likely to agree with statements such as: “The use of sweatshop labor is okay because companies must remain competitive,” and “Sweatshops are the only realistic source of income for workers in poorer countries,” when confronted with a hypothetical pair of shoes with a higher appeal, versus shoes with a lower appeal. The researchers also found that moral disengagement can drive people to like products they believe to be made with sweatshop labor even more. The authors suggest that since we are confronted with conflicts between our desires and our moral standards on nearly a daily basis, this research calls into question the foundation from which our moral judgments rest on. If our moral judgments are likely to vary based on our affective desires, any moral standards we may hold ourselves to are dubious at best. Key concepts include:
Two studies demonstrate that levels of moral disengagement can be motivated by one’s level of desire for a product made with sweatshop labor.
While past work has studied moral disengagement in the context of war, this work demonstrates how moral disengagement can be used to deal with dissonance that arises from everyday consumption.
Since we are confronted with conflicts between our desires and our moral standards on nearly a daily basis, we must carefully consider how our desires drive us to justify harmful behavior.
If people were not able to reduce this dissonance, they might actually demand that their products be produced free of harm.
About Faculty in this Article:
Rohit Deshpandé is the Sebastian S. Kresge Professor of Marketing at Harvard Business School.
Abstract
While many consumers say they care about issues such as sweatshop labor, the existence of a very small market for ethically-produced products does not reflect this sentiment. One explanation for this discrepancy is that consumers are motivated to use moral disengagement strategies to reduce dissonance when their desire for a product conflicts with their moral standards. In two studies we show levels of moral disengagement can vary based on one’s desire for a product when sweatshop labor is present. Furthermore, we present evidence for a mediated moderation where beliefs about sweatshop labor use moderates the impact of desirability on purchase intention, and moral disengagement mediates this process. Thus, moral disengagement can drive people to like products they believe to be made with sweatshop labor even more. Desire-driven moral disengagement is relevant in moral psychology, and may broadly contribute towards the tolerance of harm in our social and economic systems.
Paper Information
Full Working Paper Text can be found at: http://hbswk.hbs.edu/item/6102.html
Working Paper Publication Date: January 2009
HBS Working Paper Number: 09-079
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