These days, your new sneakers are far more likely to have spent more time traveling than you have. Every day, each of us comes in contact with a multitude of products that have been produced outside the United States. In fact, in marked contrast to the U.S. business landscape as recently as 30 years ago, it would be hard to identify a major corporation today that does not rely heavily on overseas labor for some aspect of its production.

Producing goods cheaply overseas has become a strategic necessity for many producers in a wide variety of industries. But the growth of the global supply chain has also created a new class of ethical questions, particularly for those in management roles in global companies. Like so many ethical issues, those related to labor conditions tend to be seen as black-and-white. Working conditions in overseas factories are perceived by many to be inherently exploitative, a perception fueled by a series of extremely effective popular campaigns aimed at motivating change in corporate behavior in this area. In several high-profile instances, these campaigns documented the physically taxing work, the long hours and the exposure to potentially unhealthy conditions facing many overseas factory workers.

On the other hand, proponents of the global labor market argue that overseas factory labor fuels the growth of the global economy and often provides a way out of dire poverty for many people. In fact, proponents argue that in many parts of the developing world conditions in existing occupational options, such as subsistence farming and other forms of hard labor, may be even more unhealthy and exploitative than factory labor. The enthusiasm that local people often have for factory work can arguably be seen as a confirmation of this suggestion.