Bangladesh Garment Research Articles

Commerce and Care: Moral Complexity in Technology Adoption Among Bangladeshi Garment Firms

Commerce and Care: Moral Complexity in Technology Adoption Among Bangladeshi Garment Firms

Examining the effects of stakeholder forces on sustainable practices in the Bangladeshi garment industry

This paper aims to explore the current stakeholder forces for sustainable supply chain management (SSCM) in the Bangladeshi garment industry. The focal point is identifying which stakeholder forces could enhance sustainable practices in the factory premises, and whether there are conflicting forces which might obstruct the sustainable practices. A qualitative research design is adopted, drawing on data from 37 semi-structured interviews with stakeholders related to garment manufacturing. Thematic analysis conceptually guides the analytical process. The findings demonstrate the supporting and hindering forces currently influencing the garment industry in Bangladesh. This paper also identifies three conflicting forces relating to economic gain, employee empowerment and global image, where trade-offs towards SSCM implementation exist. This study extends existing research relating to SSCM within the garment industry of Bangladesh, identifying differences between different stakeholder groups and recognising the conflicting forces that exist.

Conflict management in garment manufacturing company

Conflict is an imperative issue- even considered as burning issue in many industries- that is inevitably needed to dissolve or minimize in order to operate the organization successfully. Many researches and studies of conflict management have been conducted on several industries, but this researcher eagerly recognized to present an exclusive literature review on garment manufacturing industry not only from theoretical perspective but also based on his valuable long work-experience in this garment industry. It is hypothetically deemed by the garment factory owners and top management in Bangladesh that, somebody should research on this real-world issue in light of his/her acquaintance pertinent to this industry. The main purpose of this literature review is to present the practical and pervasive state of conflict management in garment manufacturing companies, and to find the techniques of resolution according to this researcher’s practical experience. This study provides an extensive literature review on conflict management in the context of Bangladesh garment manufacturing industry. It described meticulously about conflict zones, conflict types, conflict process, and some treasured techniques of conflict control- especially applicable for garment factories. It is amplified that, to control or minimize conflict in garment factory, conflict resolution skills and attributes should be taken into consideration, and top management’s positive intention is required to establish an effective conflict management system. Furthermore, along with the literature review, this study recommends some pragmatic solutions incorporating to different perspectives of conflict patterns and styles, and the guidelines of this study will lead the garment organizations to formulate defacto conflict management strategies for their employees.

Wage Theft, Secrecy, and Derealization of ‘Ideal Workers’ in the Bangladesh Garment Industry

This study addresses how violence is mobilized through wage theft in feminized workplaces thriving within the global value chain. Guided by Judith Butler’s concept of derealization, this longitudinal case study on the Bangladesh garment industry advances the current debate on violence in organization studies. First, it re-conceptualizes the notion of an ‘ideal worker’. Empirical evidence reveals that, unlike in Western societies, young and childless women in the Global South and their vulnerabilities woven into poverty, inequality, climate change, patriarchy, social stratification, and limited employment opportunities make them ‘ideal workers’. This status remains valid as long as they remain vulnerable and demonstrate no agency in resisting the discourse on dehumanization, dispossession, and displacement. Second, this study illuminates the practice of wage theft, which has emerged as a dominant form of violence in feminized workplaces. Organizations also deploy secrecy to continue theft, thereby inflicting further physical and psychological violence. This study highlights the fact that socioeconomic vulnerabilities and unresisted violence oppress a docile workforce to become ‘ideal workers’. It is a neoliberal myth that helps powerful actors shore up their power and privileges through derealization.

Uncomfortable quilts: textile-based artivism in response to Bangladeshi garment factory disasters

ABSTRACT Recently, two deadly garment factory disasters in Dhaka, Bangladesh – the 2012 Tazreen Fashions factory fire (117 killed; over 200 injured) and the 2013 collapse of Rana Plaza, an eight story complex including garment factories (1,135 killed, over 2,500 injured) – inspired a series of artworks addressing globalisation, gendered labour exploitation, memorialisation, and the power of empathy. This essay explores the work of four visual artists: Robin Berson, Taslima Akhter, Reetu Sattar, and Dilara Begum Jolly. Each engages in physically and/or emotionally challenging creative processes, including enactments of repetitive garment labour, weaving the names and faces of deceased workers into textiles, and displaying personal effects such as family photographs salvaged from the ruins of the destroyed factories. In this way, the artists call attention to the human cost of so-called ‘fast fashion’ and agitate for moral responsibility in the face of these disasters. More universally, this essay offers examples of how visual art can expose the causal dimensions of structural violence and socio-economic power imbalances while also memorialising, expressing solidarity, and aiding with community healing.

Contesting corporate responsibility in the Bangladesh garment industry: The local factory owner perspective

In the developing economy of Bangladesh, local factory owners in the garment industry have felt great pressure to improve factory safety, but the costs for those improvements are not shared by the global apparel firms that wield immense influence over them. Consequently, we examine whether multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs), as vehicles of corporate social responsibility (CSR), offer platforms for democratic oversight or merely serve as new arenas to exercise corporate power. Given their role in connecting global and local contexts and their history of safety incidents, local factory owners possess a unique perspective on the impact and contested nature of CSR in global supply chains. This article presents a qualitative study of MSIs in the Bangladesh garment industry, particularly after the Rana Plaza collapse. Through interviews with local factory owners and executive managers, we explore the reasons behind their opposition to CSR as exercised by global apparel firms, and the contestation of those practices by their local business association. Our findings lead us to conclude that garment industry MSIs are unlikely to be effective without labor procurement practices that harmonize global and local interests to mitigate the competitive pressures on local factory owners.

The impact of training and development facilities on job commitment among entry-level employees: Bangladeshi RMG perspectives

Purpose: The study intended to ascertain whether providing training and development facilities positively impacted the job commitment of entry-level garment employees in Bangladesh. Research Methodology: The response rate for the survey was 44.89%, derived from a sample size of 450 data points obtained by a basic random sampling technique. The study employed Microsoft Excel 2007, SPSS 22.0, and AMOS 23.0 to conduct exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modeling to assess the strength and reliability of the suggested research framework. Results: The study revealed a significant enhancement in the level of commitment among lower-level employees in the Bangladeshi garment industry when provided with training and development potential. Limitations: One primary constraint encountered in this study pertained to issues associated with data collection. The target demographic consists exclusively of individuals with lower levels of educational attainment. Allocating funds for research in finance remained a significant area of focus. As a result of these limitations, the survey was unable to gather nationwide data. Contribution: This study is distinctive as it focuses on individuals occupying lower-level positions within the Bangladeshi garment sector, exploring the potential avenues for professional advancement. Practical Implication: The study may benefit Bangladeshi garment firms' HR strategy and training and development plans. Environmental and internal variables can stress workers. Professional progress and quality training will help dedicated workers overcome these challenges. Novelty: The study is unique in two perspectives: the bottom-level employees and the emerging economy like Bangladesh.

The Dark Side Of Fast Fashion: Examining The Exploitation Of Garment Workers In Bangladesh

There have been several attempts to decrease the usage of fast fashion, but no one has been able to stop its development. We are aware that fast fashion is a business model that imitates the most recent catwalk trends, has evolved into high fashion, is produced in large quantities, and is priced affordably. Fast fashion has come under fire from a wide range of people due to the fact that no worker receives the minimum wage, yet products must be mass-produced. In addition to examining the legal and regulatory framework for protecting Bangladesh garment industry workers to fulfill their rights as laborers and how these rights are applied, this article looks at the shadowy side of fast fashion in Bangladesh. This paper elaborates on Bangladesh's experience in managing the situation of a garment industry building that collapsed in 2013, killing hundreds of people inside, using a normative analysis-oriented approach. This study demonstrates that Bangladesh's legal and regulatory framework for worker protection has yet to explicitly state what rights workers are entitled to. Another factor is that Bangladesh does not yet have a robust and consistent practice of human rights-based instruments considered in court and that law enforcement does not fully grasp how to execute these rights. At the same time, it is crucial to improve law enforcement interpretation for worker-focused solutions, giving their rights, and promoting human rights practices in Bangladesh.

Worker empowerment in Bangladesh: The European initiative for the garment industry.

Empowering workers through operational safety committees and having an effective safety reporting mechanism improves occupational health and safety. The Western large retailers mostly from Europe formed the Accord on Fire and Building Safety in Bangladesh (Accord) in 2013 to advance occupational health and safety in the Bangladesh garment industry and one of its missions was to empower the workers. The objective of this study was to investigate the impact of Accord's programs on improving safety and quality of the working environment in the garment sector. All reports of Accord published and made available for the public were accessed and analyzed. Data were gathered and presented on 1) number of Safety Committees formed 2) Safety Training Programs conducted and 3) Safety and Health Complaints received. By 2021, a total of 1581 factories and 1.8 million workers were covered by Accord. By May, 2021, Accord formed Safety Committees and completed training sessions on these in 1022 factories (65% of the target). By 2020, the average number of total complaints received per factory was around two and the number of occupational health and safety (OSH) complaints -which was deemed to be dealt directly by Accord- was less than one per factory. The numbers of OSH complaints were less than two per 1000 workers and non-OSH complaints made up almost one third (25-35%) of all complaints during 2016 to 2019; however, in 2020 and 2021, non-OSH complaints constituted half (50%) of all complaints. Accord's worker empowerment mission could not form Safety Committees or deliver training sessions in all its factories and the number and relevance of complaints received appeared to be low given the number of factories and workers it covered.

Improved menstrual health and the workplace: An RCT with female Bangladeshi garment workers

Menstrual hygiene practices in low-income countries are often limited by lack of finances and information, with potentially adverse consequences for women’s well-being and workplace outcomes. In a randomized controlled trial with around 1,900 female workers from four Bangladeshi garment factories, we relax both constraints individually and jointly by providing free sanitary pads and information on hygienic menstrual practices. Both access to sanitary pads and information improve menstrual practices, either by the adoption of new products, or by knowledge gains and improved use of traditional materials, and both interventions improve health outcomes. However, these positive effects do not translate to better labor outcomes, such as earnings and work attendance.

Post-COVID Psychological Impact on Bangladeshi Garment Industry Workers

Post-COVID Psychological Impact on Bangladeshi Garment Industry Workers

Multi-stakeholder Initiatives and Legitimacy: A Deliberative Systems Perspective

The legitimacy of multi-stakeholder initiatives (MSIs) as institutions for social and environmental governance in the global economy has received much scholarly attention over the past years. To date, however, research has yet to focus on assessing the legitimacy of MSIs in their interactions with other actors within larger systems of deliberation. Drawing on the deliberative systems perspective developed within deliberative democracy theory, we theorise a normative framework to evaluate the roles of MSIs within the broader systems of governance they co-construct through their interactions with other initiatives, governments, non-governmental organisations, and other external actors. As we demonstrate in our evaluation of the illustrative case of the Bangladesh Accord on Fire and Building Safety as a MSI in the context of the Bangladeshi garment industry, this framework can help researchers assess whether a MSI ultimately serves to enhance or undermine the deliberative legitimacy of the overall system of which it forms a part.

Estimation of a Logistic Regression Model to Determine the Effects of the Factors Associated with the Likelihood of Skilled Workers in the Garment Sector of Bangladesh

This study attempts to estimate the logistic regression model to find the factors associated with the likelihood of skilled workers in the garment sector of Bangladesh. The study is based on primary data. From the maximum likelihood estimates of the logistic model, it is found that the variables, years of education, years of experience, wage rate, grade, and working years at the present company have significant positive effects on the logit of the outcome variable Y, but the variable age of the companies has a significant negative effect. From the estimated odd ratios, it can be said that the male group is 3.0695 times more likely than the female group to be a skilled worker, which is significant at a 10% level; a group of rural workers is 10.3727 times more likely than the urban group in favour of skilled workers, which is significant at a 15% level; a group of workers have a training program degree is 38.5552 times more likely in favour of skilled workers, than a group of workers who have not, which is statistically significant at any significance level. The estimated results of squared correlation between Y and , pseudo-R2, Mcfadden’s , Maddala’s , and Count-R2 support that the model fits the data very well. Based on the findings, different policies are formulated for the sustainable development of Bangladesh's garment sector.

Buyers’ Sourcing Strategies and Suppliers’ Markups in Bangladeshi Garments

AbstractWe study differences in markups earned by Bangladeshi garment exporters across buyers with different sourcing strategies and make three contributions. First, we distinguish buyers with a relational versus a spot sourcing strategy and show that a buyer’s sourcing strategy is correlated across products and origins. Buyer fixed effects explain most of the variation in sourcing strategies, suggesting that these depend on organizational capabilities. Second, we use novel data that match quantities and prices of the two main variable inputs in the production of garments (fabric and labor on sewing lines) to specific export orders. We derive conditions under which these data allow measurement of within exporter-product-time differences in markups across orders produced for different buyers. Third, we show that exporters earn higher markups on otherwise identical orders produced for relational, as opposed to spot, buyers. A sourcing model with imperfect contract enforcement, idiosyncratic shocks to exporters, and buyers that adopt different sourcing strategies trading off higher prices and reliable supply rationalizes this and other observed facts in the industry. We discuss alternative explanations and policy implications.

Correlation of Different Anthropometric Measurements of Hand and Grip Strength in the Adult Female Bangladeshi Garment Workers

Background: A reliable and valid measurement of hand anthropometry is important for designing dimensionally compatible hand tools, gloves and hand-held devices. Hand grip strength is accepted as an objective index for the functional integrity of upper extremity. The estimation of hand grip strength is of immense importance in determining the efficacy of different treatment strategies, treatment outcome and hand rehabilitation. The present study was planned to determine the various dimensions of hands, average hand grip strength of adult Bangladeshi female garment workers and the relationship between hand grip strength and different anthropometric measurements of hand. Material and Methods: Two hundred female garment workers of 20-25 years of age were selected by purposive non random sampling from five different garment factories of Dhaka and Narayangonj city. Different dimensions of both hands were measured directly with the help of digital slide caliper and flexible wire. Hand grip strength of both hands was measured by Smedley’s Hand Grip Strength Dynamometer. Result : Body height, weight, BMI, hand length and hand breadth of adult Bangladeshi garments workers showed positive correlation with hand grip strength, but only significant positive correlation was found between hand length and grip strength of right hand (r=+0.197, P<0.05) and left hand (r=+0.405, P<0.001). Conclusion: Significant positive correlation was found between hand anthropometry such as hand length, hand breadth and hand grip strength in adult Bangladeshi female garment workers. J Shaheed Suhrawardy Med Coll 2021; 13(2): 171-176

The ILO's Role in Fulfilling Garment Workers' Rights through the BWB II Program After the Rana Plaza Collapse

The collapse of the Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh on April 24, 2013, was recorded as the worst industrial accident ever. This accident killed at least 1,132 and injured more than 2,500. This incident made the world aware of the poor working conditions in Bangladesh's garment industry sector. In addition, many workers do not even get their working rights, so there are actions or demonstrations carried out by workers, demanding their rights. The demonstration even received support from activists or outsiders???. Bangladesh is a developing country with the second largest textile exporter after China. Bangladesh's garment industry accounts for about 80 percent of the total revenue in the country's manufacturing sector. This study discusses the role of the International Labor Organizations (ILO) in fulfilling the rights of garment workers through the Better Work Bangladesh (BWB) program after the collapse of Rana Plaza. To explain this case, the author uses the role theory of international organizations by Kelly Kate S. Pease. According to Pease, state problems can be solved with the help of external parties by acting as problem solvers, collective art mechanisms, capacity builders, and aid providers. Research shows that the ILO has an effective role in fulfilling the rights of Bangladeshi garment workers through the Better Work Bangladesh Phase II Program, in creating better or more prosperous labor conditions by cooperating with several internal and external parties.
 Keywords: Better Work Bangladesh (BWB), labor, garment, ILO

Anti-sweatshop activism and the safety-employment tradeoff: Evidence from Bangladesh's Rana Plaza disaster

This study investigates the impact of anti-sweatshop activism on garment industry employment and the number of firms in Bangladesh following the 2013 Rana Plaza factory disaster. The disaster led to activism that created two major brand-enforced factory fire and safety agreements. We employ a synthetic control methodology to investigate the tradeoffs associated with the reaction to the disaster and find that it led to 33.3 percent fewer garment factories in Bangladesh by 2016 and 28.3 percent fewer people employed in Bangladesh's garment industry by 2017. Given the importance of the garment industry in Bangladesh's development in providing a pathway out of extreme property, our finding raises important questions about the efficacy of anti-sweatshop activism.

Single Minute Exchange Die (SMED): A sustainable and well-timed approach for Bangladeshi garments industry

Single Minute Exchange Die (SMED): A sustainable and well-timed approach for Bangladeshi garments industry

Impact of Wages and Social Compliance on Employee Job Satisfaction in the Readymade Garments Industry of Bangladesh: The Mediating Role of Employee Motivation

Despite rapid expansion, the ready-made garments (RMG) sector in Bangladesh is struggling to keep its workers satisfied. The purpose of this research is to examine the intermediary function of employee motivation in the relationship between wages and social compliance and job satisfaction in Bangladesh’s RMG sector. This study’s overarching goal is to examine the mediating function of employee motivation in the connection between wages, social compliance, employee motivation, and employee job satisfaction in the RMG sector of Bangladesh. This study uses a quantitative methodology, collecting data from 475 workers in the Bangladeshi garments sector, and analyzes it with partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). A self-administered questionnaire was used to collect data, and SmartPLS 4.0 was used for statistical analysis. The results show that wages and social compliance have a beneficial influence on worker drive and contentment. In addition, in the RMG sector of Bangladesh, the connection between pay, societal conformity, and job satisfaction is mediated by employees’ levels of motivation. The study suggests that RMG factories should focus on providing fair wages and ensuring social compliance to improve employee motivation and job satisfaction. Additionally, it is recommended that management should encourage employee motivation through training and development programs, recognition, and rewards to enhance job satisfaction.

The impact of Covid-19 on Readymade Garments’ (RMG) Workers in Bangladesh- A study on Mirpur and Uttara

The COVID-19 pandemic has potential effect on Bangladesh's ready-made garment (RMG) workers. The study describes the present vulnerability of RMG workers due to the COVID-19 pandemic based on information with direct interactions with RMG workers. RMG workers' physical and mental health and welfare have already been harmed by COVID-19, which also led to job loss. We contend that the COVID-19 pandemic will affect garment workers in the long run, particularly in terms of financial hardships and inability to pay for necessities like food, as well as future employment chances. The stakeholders involved in the global supply chain in RMG factories, such as the international retailers/brands, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and the government of Bangladesh, should reevaluate the needs of the RMG employees in terms of their health and general well-being given the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.