tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post327376269988311583..comments2024-01-29T05:13:33.940-08:00Comments on SHONA Congo: Starbucks, Walmart and The $4 cup of coffeeUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-40599609766626276312009-11-13T16:26:35.080-08:002009-11-13T16:26:35.080-08:00Well the onus is on the people that buy shares an...Well the onus is on the people that buy shares and have superanuation funds.<br /><br />If your fairdinkum (truthful) in your beliefs (in a general population meaning not just you personally Shona) then as a voting owner of shares in some of these major players its your rite/ duty to work towards better rights and conditions for the employees in the developing world.<br /><br />Lets be honest if Reebok, Nike, Billabong or diamond brokers were pressured by shareholders to improve such they would need to act or find their shares being offloaded and using the profits of said sales to buy a rival that is tarnsparent in their policy choices and places profits second to susatinability and satisfactory conditions I know I would rather have shares in a company that makes 20% less nett profit looking after the workers and community over the course of a year knowing that the practises are in place to ensure community development is a higher priority and in direct relation to that the longevity of the business and the community is assured of development and infastrucure as well as the long term delivery of my dividend which no matter how we frame it or wether we like it is why we buy shares its a fact of life we need money to live but the question should be do we need so much at the expense of the people that can least afford to be maligned???Podgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13629312096885000088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-12175144543208662082009-11-10T18:14:22.737-08:002009-11-10T18:14:22.737-08:00I agree. I think there is a problem with the way ...I agree. I think there is a problem with the way corporations have come to drive our economy and our society, being that they do seem to pretty much exist to serve shareholders interest. And yet shareholder interest increasingly means short term profits, such that the extent to which the shareholders are concerned with the long-term well-being of the company is often dubious. It then becomes a pretty long jump to expect that shareholders, boards, and executives are going to make decisions on the basis of the larger good of society. <br /><br />But to me this is disasterous. What happens when the most powerful forces in our society take no consideration for the common good?<br /><br />Now, you've got me going... I will have to turn this into a post after all...shona congohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354335029803622743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-76996143133951724082009-11-04T16:41:49.436-08:002009-11-04T16:41:49.436-08:00A great post and I am still going with the local c...A great post and I am still going with the local coffee shop guy as my way of ensuring that my money is helping someone I can see and has tangible outcomes in so much as my local community is to benifit.<br /><br />The question of clothiong etc is a curly one the way I see it in the western world all major retailers are in it for the dividends paid to shareholders regardless of the claims made and as such they are not good corporate and global citizens (due to the fact that in general we are financed focused as a whole in the first world) this however doesnt stop me from using them what it does do however is allows me to make what I feel is an educated choice when faced with an aleternative, in many ways I would be happier to buy a pair of jeans for 40 dollars if there was tangible benifit to the worker if I knew the things were made in a factory that wasn't a sweat shop of if the person selling me the jeans recived a decent hrly rate and health cover etc.<br /><br />I may well be working in the DRC soon and have been in PNG for over 30 years so I know about the 3rd world thing first hand and whilst I would like to be part of a movement to encourage growth; until the big names start to be completely transparent and the share holders are happy to be paid 2/3 of current dividends to ensure the sweat shops, farmers and child labor is removed/ improved then I feel all the lables be they fair trade or green are nothing more than a way for profits to be increased and some senior exec in London, NY or Switzerland to allow themselves to sleep better knowing that shareholders will be happy; its an unfortunate fact that most would not knopw where on the map the products they sell are manufactured.Podgehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13629312096885000088noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-63438348100790153112009-10-29T20:20:36.451-07:002009-10-29T20:20:36.451-07:00Yeah, you are right. You definitely find differen...Yeah, you are right. You definitely find different stuff in a thrift shop than you find in a walmart. And the experience is different. I have to admit, the large brightly lit warehouse, with a million of each item, just kind of freaks me out. I mean talk about feeling like you are living in a mass produced world...shona congohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354335029803622743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-72384487523689471882009-10-25T16:13:49.564-07:002009-10-25T16:13:49.564-07:00That is interesting how Walmart can sell clothes c...That is interesting how Walmart can sell clothes cheaper than used clothing stores. What would be the draw to buying used clothes then? I buy used sometimes, and I often spend hours in the used clothing store looking for unique items I couldn't find anywhere else. I guess this relates to what you called "buying for the experience" because if I were trying to do the same thing at Walmart I could only find mass produced items.Emily Wilkeshttp://www.emilywilkes.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-82391443441050579242009-10-24T03:56:09.791-07:002009-10-24T03:56:09.791-07:00Hi Dawn,
I truly enjoy reading your blog, becaus...Hi Dawn, <br /><br />I truly enjoy reading your blog, because it gives some really interesting insights into present day DRC, especially the Eastern part. <br /><br />I also think it's incredibly important to raise questions about the ethnics of our shopping and consuming habits. When you point out Jeans being sold at 10$, yes, that's one thing that I cannot understand. Here in Germany it's the same, there are so many cheap clothing stores and you wonder, how the hell can these things be produced without slave labour. We all know that profit margins for the companies are extremely high, so what about the people actually putting in their labour?<br /><br />You also mention the fair trade issue and give coffee as an example. This is one product where I am quite conscious about my buying habits. I only buy either fair trade beans or beans from small trading companies. I can only assume that the latter ones offer better prices to their suppliers. <br /><br />One of my favourite kinds of coffee is actually "Lake Kivu" from Rwanda; I guess it should be available in Gisenyi and even though it isn't labelled as fair trade, I hope that the farmers gain a little more than by selling their produce to large companies through auctions. Unfortunately I haven't been able to buy it in Europe. <br /><br />One last thought about Starbucks: I try to avoid them since I simply don't like their coffee, plus I find it way too expensive. What's more ist that what Starbucks stands for in my opinion is the whole "Latte, Frappucchino, Iced, etc." stuff, which isn't actually about coffee - but this is another story!<br /><br />Have a good weekend!Clairehttp://kleineethnologin.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-25567570453210619072009-10-20T20:12:09.002-07:002009-10-20T20:12:09.002-07:00Thanks Rachel!
Somehow I imagined I would have ...Thanks Rachel! <br /><br />Somehow I imagined I would have much more time for posting once I was in the US, but alas...who knows where that has gone. <br /><br />Thanks for still tuning in.shona congohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06354335029803622743noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-20423841759011248042009-10-20T06:11:48.601-07:002009-10-20T06:11:48.601-07:00Hi!
I hope you’ll excuse a comment on a more gene...Hi!<br /><br />I hope you’ll excuse a comment on a more general matter than this specific post? <br /><br />I think your blog’s really interesting and well written and I’ve got a suggestion that I’d like to present. Would be very grateful if you could contact me on the mail address below.<br /><br />Thanks!<br /><br />Best regards,<br />Oskar<br />TheWorldLog.org<br />theworldlog.org@gmail.comUnknownhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18248897664114246052noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6251067692014237805.post-3662653927594531902009-10-20T05:12:30.928-07:002009-10-20T05:12:30.928-07:00This is a very good post. You capture some of the...This is a very good post. You capture some of the challenging & conflicting dimensions of globalized trade very well (especially the bit about used clothes at Goodwill being more expensive than new at Wal-Mart!). I'm glad you're still posting even after leaving the DRC!Rachel Strohmhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09689171847846015691noreply@blogger.com