Kelcy Bradley, '04
Business Management Major

Jan term in Thailand is coming to an end, Jan. 29 we fly back to our homes and the cold weather that comes along with that. Yet, with one day left, the business students were still hard at work. Today we flew from the small island of Koh Samui back to the large city of Bangkok. As soon as we arrived we were whisked away to a clothing factory. It was a nice conclusion to our trip, as most of the other sites that we had visited where no where near the same size as this factory.

Our tour guide was the very generous Charn Chotinantasaeth, who is also a Whitworth alumni. He works for the factory along with working for a large retail company. Most of our business students had never before had the chance to tour such a large-scale production plant, and were intrigued by every step of the process. We started by seeing how the patterns where made. Customers send a prototype of the product they want produced, which is taken apart to produce a pattern, and put back together. Mr. Aroonvantanaporn emphasized the importance of cutting costs in any area. In the pattern department, this means fitting the pieces needed for a certain product to cause the least amount of waste. Many workers were sitting down in front of a computer with outlines of the pieces needed to produce each product. It looked almost as is they where playing a complicated game of Tetris, as they moved the pieces around in different patterns to match the size of the fabric.

The cutting department was also very interesting to watch. The fabric is carefully layered, so that if there is a design it will match up when put together. The machine they use to cut the fabric in itself is impressive. Mr. Aroonvantanaporn said that the machine works so well that it can cut over 100 sheets of fabric at a time. While cutting the fabric, the operators wear a very light protective glove made of steel. This was one of the main differences that we all noticed from the smaller Thai factories. Safety precautions at this factory seemed to be severely enforced, where as the smaller factories laughed when we asked why they did not where any protective clothing.

Soon we moved to see where the pieces are put together to produce the finished products. The rooms were loud with the sound of thousands of sewing machines working at once. It was interesting to see one large brand-name product being produced, right next to its competition. There is also a strong concern for waste in this department. Mr. Aroonvantanaporn stated that even the amount of thread used on each product would add up.

Lastly, we watched as the pieces where completed into the final product, before being distributed to be sold all over the world. This was also pretty interesting to watch the machines that package each finished project.

The most interesting fact that I learned during this meeting, was how much the costumers had control. They have the capacity to make sure that the each product is being produced with in a set of guidelines. Their guidelines are much higher then those of the Thai government. They will in fact, make surprise visits to ensure that the products are being produced to their standards. This ensures that the customers will not be shown as producing products in sweat shops.

Jennifer Van Vleet
Graduate Student, Master of International Management

The Thailand experience is nearing a close. What a blessing it has been to be immersed in this culture. As a visitor, "farang" as we are named, the Thai have welcomed us with graciousness. Watching the waves of the sea lap the sands last night in Koh Samui during our final group dinner I realized that I was closing one door and opening another.

As the rest of Whitworth travels back to the States, I will be boarding a plane bound for Calcutta, (Kolkata as it is called now) India. I am not sure what I will encounter, but I am venturing with an open mind. I have chosen to meet with a man I know only as Kerry, who is a missionary in Kolkata with his family. He moved there several years ago into the heart of the red-light district hoping to make a change from the inside out. His focus has been to offer the women of India an alternative means of employment so that they do not have to engage themselves in prostitution in order to survive. He employs these women to sew different types of bags out of Jute -- a fiber similar to hemp that makes a strong canvas-like product. The business, Jute for Freedom or Freeset Bags, also has the ability to silk screen these bags. Twice a week he educates the women how to read and write in their native dialect. One of his goals is to empower these women so that they may have a better life. He tells me that he does all of this with his family in the name of Christ and that ultimately it is God who gives him the strength and grace to lead this life.

The reason that I am going to visit Kerry and these women of India is for my graduate project to complete my degree for the MIM program. Currently, Kerry has some sales in the Pacific Rim area -- New Zealand, Australia and other countries including some in Europe. He would like to expand his sales to the United States, but has no contacts and time to do so. I am going to visit his business so that I can understand what these women make and how they do it. Once I understand some the intricacies of this business, the hope is that I will be able to help Freeset gain market penetration in the United States. When I return to Spokane, I will remain in touch with him and work to help this business. His hope is that the better this business does, the more women he will be able to help. Perhaps we can see the forces of capitalism harnessed for the empowerment and the uplift of these women, especially after the lectures in Thailand, which alluded to capitalism as a driving force that has led women to look to prostitution in increasing numbers for survival.

Whatever is the result of this new endeavor for me, I know that I will be molded a little more by the hand of God as I work towards fulfilling his ultimate plan for my life, whatever that may be. I pray that my eyes and heart will be opened wider as a result of not only my trip to India, but as I reflect on the experiences of this past month in Thailand.

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