The two countries that have been selected for the assignment are China and the United Arab Emirates. Lichtenstein (2021) notes that China has been accused of offering poor working conditions for some of its factory workers. This coupled with low pay led to a high rate of depression among the workers, with some committing suicide. On the other hand, UAE is considered to be among the top ten countries with the worst worker rights in the world (Allagui, 2017). The country has also been in the spotlight for gender rights violations in the workplace for decades, albeit the fact that some regions have already put in place measures to resolve these issues.
One impact of doing business with the mentioned countries is that it can negatively affect brand reputation. Lichtenstein (2021) notes that Apple, and America in general, was harshly criticized for outsourcing its work to China when the country had little regard for workers’ rights. Further, countries that have agreements with the UAE on employment opportunities have also been criticized for not doing more to protect their citizens who are working there.
Critically, one legal reaction to the violations is the inclusion in trade and business agreements on the full provision of workers’ rights as observed by the International Labor Organization. On an ethical level, businesses have to ensure that they do due diligence when partnering with local firms in these countries. This will allow such businesses to know what their partners think about basic worker rights. In the event that the partners are adamant about providing poor pay and bad working conditions, then a foreign business should refrain from using their services. It can be assumed that such strict measures will allow such countries to reconsider their policies on employee rights.
References
Allagui, I. (2017). Towards organizational activism in the UAE: A case study approach. Public Relations Review, 43(1), 258-266. Web.
Lichtenstein, N. A. (2021). Chinese dystopia: Designed in California.New Labor Forum, 30(1), 110-113. Web.