“Sweatshops are work environments that possess three main characteristics: long hours, low pay, and unsafe or unhealthy working conditions” (Childress, 2014). Sweatshops have been scrutinized around the world and have existed for a very long time. For a time it was called slavery because even some skilled slaves earned money. Sweatshops continue to thrive, even in today's global economy. It is up to companies, stakeholders and global responsibility to ensure that sweatshops disappear forever, but is it possible? Toyota was accused of such practices in 2002 and today says it no longer practices voluntary overtime. Companies have a responsibility towards their stakeholders. The main stakeholders are the companies' employees, suppliers, customers and their owners. The first priority of companies is to take care of these stakeholders. Toyota was trying to satisfy the needs of all stakeholders. First, Toyota needed to ensure it had a safe working environment for its employees. However, Toyota didn't seem to do it very well. According to one article, “deprived of passports and often forced to work – including at subcontractor factories that supply Toyota – 16 hours a day, seven days a week, while being paid less than half the legal minimum wage” (Abowd, 2008 ). Tragedy struck in 2002, when a man collapsed and died on the floor of the Prius factory in Tsutsumi. “Kenichi Uchino, 30, died while working at the Tsutsumi “green” plant that assembles the Prius. During the thirteenth hour of a routine 14-hour day, Uchino collapsed in the workshop of the internationally lauded “sustainable” factory… A Japanese court ruled that Uchino’s death was caused by exhaustion from overwork” ( Abowd, 2008). Also ... middle of paper ...... enter the free moral space to find a win-win situation for the company, its stakeholders and global responsibility. Works Cited Abowd, Paul (July 16, 2008). The dark side of the Toyota Prius. In these times. Retrieved from http://inthesetimes.com/article/3796/the_dark_side_of_the_toyota_priusBeamer, L., & Varner, I (2010). Intercultural communication in the global workplace. Retrieved from the Western International University eBook Collection database. Childress, Boyd (2014). Sweatshops. Retrieved from http://www.referenceforbusiness.com/management/Str-Ti/Sweatshops.htmlToyota (2014). Toyota Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.toyota-global.com/company/vision_philosophy/pdf/chapter1.pdfWise, J. W. (2009). Business ethics: approach to managing stakeholders and issues. Retrieved from the Western International University eBook Collection database.