Consider these facts:
• Foxconn is the largest private employer in China (with 1.4 million employees) and is the world's largest outsourced manufacturer - it is, for example, the main supplier of electronic parts to Apple for its iPods and iPhones.
• In China, it costs Apple a few dollars to have an iPod assembled, which is then sold for $299 across world markets.
• Many of Foxconn's workers have had work schedules that approach 100 hours per week though this is expected to change as a result of China recently passing a law limiting the work week to 49 hours. Many workers want to work at least 60 hours per week in order, they say, to support their families.
• Wages are very low (though they are expected to increase to compensate workers for a reduced work schedule), and workers live in large dormitories on factory campuses with few amenities and infrastructural problems (e.g., faulty electrical wiring, lack of running water); many of the workers are migrants from distant rural areas in China.
• Customers line up outside Apple stores in cities in the US, China, and elsewhere when a new Apple product is being launched for sale; indeed, in one Chinese city, Apple had to close one of its stores on the day of the release of the iPhone 5 in order to constrain the hordes of potential customers.

What would Marx make of all of this? What do these facts suggest about the structure, expansion, and reproduction of capitalism? In your essay, draw in detail on core ideas in Marx's analysis of capitalism.

Question

Consider these facts:
• Foxconn is the largest private employer in China (with 1.4 million employees) and is the world's largest outsourced manufacturer - it is, for example, the main supplier of electronic parts to Apple for its iPods and iPhones.
• In China, it costs Apple a few dollars to have an iPod assembled, which is then sold for $299 across world markets.
• Many of Foxconn's workers have had work schedules that approach 100 hours per week though this is expected to change as a result of China recently passing a law limiting the work week to 49 hours. Many workers want to work at least 60 hours per week in order, they say, to support their families.
• Wages are very low (though they are expected to increase to compensate workers for a reduced work schedule), and workers live in large dormitories on factory campuses with few amenities and infrastructural problems (e.g., faulty electrical wiring, lack of running water); many of the workers are migrants from distant rural areas in China.
• Customers line up outside Apple stores in cities in the US, China, and elsewhere when a new Apple product is being launched for sale; indeed, in one Chinese city, Apple had to close one of its stores on the day of the release of the iPhone 5 in order to constrain the hordes of potential customers.

What would Marx make of all of this? What do these facts suggest about the structure, expansion, and reproduction of capitalism? In your essay, draw in detail on core ideas in Marx's analysis of capitalism.

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The Answer is Karl Marx would likely have a lot to say about the situation at Foxconn and the broader implications for the structure, expansion, and reproduction of capitalism. Marx's analysis of capitalism focused on the exploitation of labor, the alienation of workers, and the inherent contradictions within the capitalist system.

First and foremost, Marx would undoubtedly highlight the extreme exploitation of labor at Foxconn. The fact that workers are expected to work long hours, often approaching 100 hours per week, for very low wages is a clear example of the exploitation of labor for the profit of the capitalist class. Marx would argue that this is a fundamental feature of capitalism, where the capitalist class extracts surplus value from the labor of workers in order to accumulate wealth.

The living and working conditions at Foxconn would also be of great concern to Marx. The fact that workers live in large dormitories with few amenities and infrastructural problems speaks to the alienation of workers from the products of their labor and from their own humanity. Marx would argue that under capitalism, workers are reduced to mere commodities, forced to sell their labor power in order to survive, and are deprived of the ability to truly fulfill their human potential.

Furthermore, Marx would likely point to the global nature of the capitalist system as evidenced by the relationship between Foxconn, Apple, and the global market. The fact that Apple can have its products assembled in China for a few dollars and then sell them for hundreds of dollars across world markets speaks to the global expansion and reproduction of capitalism. Marx would argue that this global system of production and exchange serves to further concentrate wealth and power in the hands of the capitalist class, while exploiting and impoverishing workers around the world.

In conclusion, Marx would see the situation at Foxconn as a stark example of the inherent contradictions and injustices within the capitalist system. The extreme exploitation of labor, the alienation of workers, and the global nature of capitalist production and exchange all point to the fundamental flaws and inequalities of capitalism. Marx would likely argue that these facts suggest the need for a radical transformation of the economic and social structure in order to create a more just and equitable society.

Consider These Facts: • Foxconn Is the Largest Private Employer in China (With