Roberta Baskin was the Chief Correspondent for CBS News from 1992 to 1997. She followed a lead about Nike sub-contracting work to factories in Vietnam and uncovered a time-bomb. Although not allowed in the plant, she talked with workers outside of the plant and learned of the horrific working conditions – slave wages, long hours, and child labor to name a few. She saw a big disparity between the corporate image that Nike was selling to America and the reality in the factories: JUST DO IT (OR ELSE). CBS aired the documentary and an immediate backlash against Nike was sparked. Phil Knight, Chairman and CEO of Nike denied the claims, but it was too late. Nike had been caught involved in unethical business practices and Americans did not like it. When consumers bought the product, they were unwittingly participating and promoting the immoral conditions the workers suffered. Nike had made not only their employees and their vendors complicit in unethical and illegal activities, but the American consumer as well. When this is accepted as “normal business practices” then business as a whole is adversely affected as the morals are lowered across the board in the race for profits (This is not the American value system. As a result, people stopped buying the high priced shoes and Nike stock fell. The Nike brand was tarnished. Now, here we are again...
Posted on: Thu, 24 Apr 2014 12:09:32 +0000
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