UNIT 5. Session 1

 

ETHICS AND BUSINESS 

SOCIAL VALUES 

Look at the following pictures. What are the main differences and similarities that you can perceive? 10'

Thematic vocabulary here 

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Read the following fragment on an article about 'Sweatshops'. Include in the gaps the vocabulary missing and that you can find in the list provided above. Then answer the question by writing a short paragraph. 15'

Sweatshops are still supplying high street brands

More than a decade after sweatshop labour for top brands became a mainstream issue, the problem still seems endemic across the global clothing and footwear sector

Marks and Spencer's, Next, Ralph Lauren, DKNY, GAP, Converse, Banana Republic, Land's End, Levi's. And so the list of brands go on and on. What do they all have in common? According to a deeply depressing report (pdf) by the International Textile Garment and Leather Workers' Federation (ITGLWF), the____________ in Asia contracted to make their products are still responsible for shocking working practices.

More than a decade after ____________ labour for high street brands became a mainstream issue, and after plenty of companies have instituted monitoring of their supply chains, the problem still seems endemic right across the ______________ and ___________ sector. 

Many of the factories __________ the brands likely to dominate the Olympics in 2012, such as Adidas, Nike, Slazenger, Speedo and Puma, "are routinely breaking every rule in the book when it comes to labour rights", according to the ITGLWF.

Factories in three countries – the Philippines, Indonesia and Sri Lanka – were surveyed, and not one of them paid a __________ to their combined 100,000-strong workforce. Many of them didn't even pay the legal ____________. What the report also makes clear is that this is a gender issue: 76% of the surveyed workforce are women. Globalised supply chains exploit predominantly female labour. It's an irony that probably escapes most of the women who do the bulk of high street shopping in the west. Women shopping for products made by other, underpaid, exploited, women.The list of brands ultimately sourcing from the 83 factories surveyed in the report is so comprehensive, it seems to make a mockery of the whole idea that the high street has cleaned up its act.

What's more, things seem to be getting worse, rather than better. ____________ is becoming more precarious as more workers are put on to temporary contracts, day labour, on call rather than with permanent jobs. That enables employers to dodge holiday pay, sick pay and written contracts. Employers also imposed compulsory overtime, lower ________ and higher production targets on workers on these______________ contracts.

 Graded version: text with vocabulary. Fill in the gaps 

What is your opinion on this type of employment? 

If you are home, write a comment on the blog. 

Now that we have talked about ethics in business. In pairs, imagine that you have to create a new business, plan it and write down the details that would make your company completely fair and legal.  Discuss it and list the details 15'

 Graded version: ideas that could be included: here 

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TIME TO WORK ON THE FINAL TASK '15 

go to: FINAL TASK 5