Article |
Studies in Comparative International Development |
March 2018
Beyond the Workplace: "Upstream" Business Practices and Labor Standards in the Global Electronics Industry
Key Insights for Managers
How are working conditions in electronic equipment factories affected by shifting patterns of consumption in the electronics industry? This study of 276 Hewlett Packard (HP) factories that were subjected to Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition (EICC) audits found that 60% of the facilities had workweeks longer than 60 hours. Authors Richard Locke and Hiram Samel found no evidence that the prevalence of excessive hours—found at factories across Asia, Central Europe, and Latin America—diminished in subsequent audits, and that the vast majority of these violations occurred in factories in China.