Sneaker Economics

In 2001, Americans spent $15.42 billion on athletic shoes. About 107
million pairs of those were bought for teenagers.

1) In your books, rank these in importance to you: Brand, Comfort, Design, Durability, Endorsement (recommendation by a celebrity/sportsperson), Materials used, Peer pressure, Price, Store appearance (where you buy the shoes).

For each of these factors, explain why or why not they are important to you.

2) Read http://www.thenation.com/doc/20061002/southpaw

a) What is so special about the Starbury One and what are Maybury’s reasons for making them? What is “the movement”?
b) How can the cost be kept down?
c) Who are the Fair Labor Association?
d) Who are Educating for Justice and what are there concerns about the Starbury One?
e) Do some research and find a definition for ‘sweatshop’ in regards to the manufacture of shoes. What is a sweatshop and where do they tend to exist? Why do overseas companies use them?
f) Scott Nova says it’s admirable that Maybury is attempting to make sneakers cheaper, but what does he suggest needs to be taken into account when keeping products cheaper?
g) What would be the “slam dunk” in terms of producing the perfect sneaker, as for as Jim Keady is concerned?
h) Using the internet, research a specific anti-sweatshop campaign (not Educating for Justice) and explain the following:
* the goals of the campaign
* the target of the campaign
* how successful they have been so far
* what changes consumers (people like us who buy things) can make in their spending, if we wanted to support one of these campaigns

Recommended links:

www.nosweatapparel.com