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Can Lean Manufacturing Put an End to Sweatshops?

Harvard Business Review

Traditional mass manufacturing is based on principles of “Scientific Management” that date back to the 19th century. When facing tension between competitive and ethical sourcing, multinationals should consider a “high road” approach to the supply chain: investing in new managerial practices and worker skills.

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HBR Lives Where Taylorism Died

Harvard Business Review

Back in 1908, the Army learned of a clever engineer — Frederick Taylor , subsequently dubbed "the father of scientific management" — and his success in making steel manufacturing more productive in Pennsylvania. HBR's 90th Anniversary: Why Management Matters. How Ethical Are You? More >>.

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Business Does Not Need the Humanities — But Humans Do

Harvard Business Review

The movement challenged the influence of Fredrick Taylor’s scientific management, which had reduced workers to unwieldy cogs in efficiency-seeking industrial machines. After the 2008 financial crisis, business schools hastened to add ethics courses. ” Soon after, Peter Drucker predicted the End of Economic Man.

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