Why should Nikkei be held responsible for what happens in factories that it does not own? Does Nikkei have a responsibility to ensure that factory workers receive a “living wage”? Do the wage guidelines of FLAG or WAR seem most appropriate to you? Why? While Its factory employees receive a few dollars a day? 4. Is Nine’s responsibility to monitor Its subcontracted factories a legal, economic, social, or philanthropic responsibility? What was It 10 years ago? What will it be 10 years from now? 5.
What could Nikkei have done, if anything, to prevent the damage to its corporate reputation? What steps should Nikkei take in the true? Is it “good business” for Nikkei to acknowledge its past errors and become more socially responsible? 6. What are the goals of the Joana Preterit decided to customize his Nikkei shoes and visited the Nikkei ‘D website. The company allows customers to personalize their Nines with the colors of their choice and their own personal 1 6-character message. Preterit chose the word ;sweatshop” for his Nines.
After receiving his order, Nikkei informed Preterit via e-mail that the term “sweatshop” represents “Inappropriate slang” and is not considered viable for print on a Nikkei shoe. Thus, his order was summarily rejected. Preterit e-mailed Nikkei, arguing that the term “sweatshop” is present In Webster dictionary and could not possibly be considered Inappropriate slang. Nikkei responded by quoting the company’s rules, which state that the company can refuse to print anything on Its shoes that It does not deem appropriate.
Pertly replied that he was changing his previous order and would Instead Like to order a pair of shoes with a “color snapshot of the Vietnamese girl who THE PR NIGHTMARE BEGINS Before Nikkei could blink an eye, the situation turned into a public relations nightmare. Preterit forwarded the e-mail exchange to a few friends, ho forwarded it to a few friends, and so forth. Within six weeks of his initial order, the story appeared in the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and the Village Voice.
Preterit himself appeared on the Today Show, and he estimates that 2 million people have seen the e-mail. At the height of the incident, Preterit was receiving 500 e-mails a day from people who had read the e-mail from as far away as Asia, Australia, Europe, and South America. 2,3 Nikkei refused to admit any wrongdoing in the incident and stated that they reserve the right to refuse any order for whatever reason. Beth Journey, a spokesperson for Nikkei, had the allowing to say regarding the incident: Clearly, he [Preterit] was attempting to stir up trouble; he has admitted it.
He’s not an activist. Mr.. Preterit does not understand our labor policy. If he did, he would know that we do not hire children; our minimum age for hiring is 18 … And we don’t apologize for not putting the word “sweatshop” because our policy clearly states: “We reserve the right to cancel any order up to 24 hours after it has been submitted. “4 Nikkei, Inc. , is no stranger to sweatshop allegations. Ever since the mid-sass, the company has been subject to negative press, lawsuits, and demonstrations on
