Public pressure against sweat shops as perceived by top-management of apparel and footwear companies

Purpose - Public pressure has been recognized as one of the most forceful factors underlying change in sweat shop conditions in the industry. The purpose of this study is to investigate the level of public pressure perceived by top managers of US clothing and footwear firms and to examine effects of individual and organizational factors that may differentiate the level of perception. Design/methodology/approach - Data were obtained through a mail survey, with a total of 96 cases included in the analyses. Findings - Results of a series of t-tests revealed statistically significant influence of firm size, tenure, and firm ownership type on perceived public pressure for fair labor practices, while gender, age, education, business type, and percentage of foreign- sourced merchandise were not found to be statistically significantly related to perceptions of public pressure. Research limitations/implications - The findings warn that the current public pressure is toward certain types of firms and their managements. Small and private firms that form the majority of the clothing and footwear sector need to be exposed to the pressure. Data consisted of a portion from a larger scale survey and may not represent a random sample. Further investigations could identify top-management's strategic actions and social performance of the firm as a response to such pressure. Originality/value - Managerial perception of social pressure is likely to initiate social actions undertaken by the firms. The findings of the study produced valuable further discussions on the current states and directions of managerial reactions to the sweat shop issues.