Question

On the movie, "American Factory":

1. What do you think were the overarching messages of the film?

2. There is a lot of talk about the need for “good jobs.” What does a good job mean to you?

3. Review our lectures on Corporate Social Responsibility, Ethics, and Corporate Reputation. What is your impression of Fuyao? Give examples.

4. List three scenes that you found particularly interesting/insightful/made-you-think. Explain why you found them interesting.

Answer 1

The overarching message of the film is about how different social-economic cultures can come together to achieve a common objective despite all the cultural, regulatory, political, social and economic factors.

Yes, there is a lot of talk about the need for good jobs in the United States. From the documentary's context, it highlighted the need for blue-collar jobs that paid a living wage. The difference between the minimum wage and a living wage is that a minimum is the minimum rate mandated by state or federal governments while the living wage is the rate or pay grade which is required to support a middle-class family of three to four members in the United States. The minimum wage in the United States is around $11.80 while the living wage is around $26. My opinion on what good jobs mean runs parallel to what the documentary implies. The reason being almost 52 % of America is comprised of the middle class. The proportion of white-collar to blue-collar jobs is quite disproportionate and most of the middle class in the United States does not have the necessary skills, opportunities or education to apply for white-collar jobs and blue-collar jobs have eroded away since the fall of large manufacturing giants like GE & GM.

My impression of Fuyao is that of a traditional Chinese manufacturing company that's here in the United States with a genuine intention to service its automobile clients and create jobs and add value to the community in return. However, Fuyao has experienced culture shock since they're not used to American Labor Unions and Stringent Safety Standards laid out by the OSHA or the occupational health and safety administration. Given that it's a Chinese firm with Chinese management it's doing the best it can to adapt to the realities of doing business in America. And while the transition hasn't been smooth, the firm is doing its best to integrate itself into the social and economic fabric of the United States.

For Eg Despite initial resistance from the management team, Fuyao eventually agreed to the formation and operation of labor unions within the factory

Three scenes that I found particularly were

• The scene where the Chinese workers immigrate to the United States to help train the local workforce. The reason why I found this interesting was that this involved a lot of cross-cultural exchange, it required the Chinese workers as well as the American workers to overcome their cultural, skill and socio-economic differences to work together and achieve production quality.

• The second scene that I found interesting was the labor union's negotiation with Fuyao. As a Chinese firm there were used to a much more compliant workforce that never questioned the management's decisions and authority, however Despite of initial resistance from the management team, Fuyao eventually agreed to the formation and operation of labor unions within the factory.

• The third scene that i found interesting was the push back from local Chinese media and the Chinese government that accused him of outsourcing jobs to the United States. This was particularly challenging for the CEO of Fuyao Cao Dewang. I liked the way he handled the push back from China and how he came into terms that what he's doing in America goes beyond making business sense, it makes ethical sense.