Foxconn
NANYANG TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Division of Sociology
Module code: HS1003
Social Problems in a Global Context
AY 2012/2013 Semester 1
A Case Study on
Labour Exploitation by
Foxconn in China http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-26/foxconn-workers-labor-under-police-watch-after-riot-shuts-plant (must print)
An essay submitted by
Ng Hui Min [U1230824D]
A Case Study Background on Foxconn’s riots
Since 2010, Foxconn was introduced to the world and was under massive public scrutiny for its infamous suicide cases located in China (Shenzhen) responsible for the production of Apple’s products such as the iphones and ipads. Just when positive news about Foxconn’s efforts in improving the working conditions of its Shenzhen factories for the workers and increasing wages was heard this year, the worker’s riots in September 23, 2012 at the Foxconn’s Taiyuan (Shanxi) factory sparked another global outcry (Roberts, 2012).
Foxconn is a multinational company based in Taiwan and is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing company. One of the major clients of Foxconn is Apple; others include Sony and Hewlett Packard (Wikipedia, 2012). According to reports by China Labour Watch (2012), some of the unfair treatment and exploitation carried out by Foxconn factories in China include “excessive overtime hours, forcing workers to work ‘voluntary’ overtime, maintaining an extremely high level of work intensity by setting the daily production quotas, exercise discrimination by hiring only young and healthy workers, and creating a system in which official resignation is nearly impossible and the only way out is to ‘voluntarily’ resign hence forfeiting a significant amount of their final wages (China Labour Watch, 2012). Due to increasing pressures from the media coverage of the suicide cases of its workers and from its image-conscious client (Apple Inc), it was claimed that Foxconn had made efforts to improve
School of Humanities and Social Sciences
Division of Sociology
Module code: HS1003
Social Problems in a Global Context
AY 2012/2013 Semester 1
A Case Study on
Labour Exploitation by
Foxconn in China http://www.businessweek.com/news/2012-09-26/foxconn-workers-labor-under-police-watch-after-riot-shuts-plant (must print)
An essay submitted by
Ng Hui Min [U1230824D]
A Case Study Background on Foxconn’s riots
Since 2010, Foxconn was introduced to the world and was under massive public scrutiny for its infamous suicide cases located in China (Shenzhen) responsible for the production of Apple’s products such as the iphones and ipads. Just when positive news about Foxconn’s efforts in improving the working conditions of its Shenzhen factories for the workers and increasing wages was heard this year, the worker’s riots in September 23, 2012 at the Foxconn’s Taiyuan (Shanxi) factory sparked another global outcry (Roberts, 2012).
Foxconn is a multinational company based in Taiwan and is one of the world’s largest electronics manufacturing company. One of the major clients of Foxconn is Apple; others include Sony and Hewlett Packard (Wikipedia, 2012). According to reports by China Labour Watch (2012), some of the unfair treatment and exploitation carried out by Foxconn factories in China include “excessive overtime hours, forcing workers to work ‘voluntary’ overtime, maintaining an extremely high level of work intensity by setting the daily production quotas, exercise discrimination by hiring only young and healthy workers, and creating a system in which official resignation is nearly impossible and the only way out is to ‘voluntarily’ resign hence forfeiting a significant amount of their final wages (China Labour Watch, 2012). Due to increasing pressures from the media coverage of the suicide cases of its workers and from its image-conscious client (Apple Inc), it was claimed that Foxconn had made efforts to improve
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