India is known as a 'Country or Home of Cotton Textiles'. Since a long because cotton was probably grown, spun and woven into cloth in the country than anywhere else in the world. Cotton was known to the Indians 2000 years ago. The excavation of Mahanjo-Daro and Harappa Civilization revealed that Cotton and weaving was well known during the ancient period. The Indian cotton textiles were famous throughout the world for their beauty and fineness. Morever, India was an exporter of textile products especially muslin, silk and cloths since the early days until the dawn of industrial revolution in Europe. The Europeans were mad of Indian Muslin.

Americans have been shocked by media reports of the dismal working conditions in factories that make clothing for U.S. companies. But while well intentioned, many of these reports about child labor and sweatshop practices rely on stereotypes of how Third World factories operate, ignoring the complex economic dynamics driving the global apparel industry. To dispel these misunderstandings, Jane L. Collins visited two very different apparel firms and their factories in the United States and Mexico. Moving from corporate headquarters to factory floors, her study traces the diverse ties that link First and Third World workers and managers, producers and consumers. Collins examines how the transnational economics of the apparel industry allow firms to relocate or subcontract their work anywhere in the world, making it much harder for garment workers in the United States or any other country to demand fair pay and humane working conditions. Putting a human face on globalization, Threads shows not only how international trade affects local communities but also how workers can organize in this new environment to more effectively demand better treatment from their distant corporate employers.

First published in 2002. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

For any market to work properly, certain key elements are necessary: competition, pricing, rules, clearly defined offers, and easy access to information. Without these components, there would be chaos. Orderly Fashion examines how order is maintained in the different interconnected consumer, producer, and credit markets of the global fashion industry. From retailers in Sweden and the United Kingdom to producers in India and Turkey, Patrik Aspers focuses on branded garment retailers--chains such as Gap, H&M, Old Navy, Topshop, and Zara. Aspers investigates these retailers' interactions and competition in the consumer market for fashion garments, traces connections between producer and consumer markets, and demonstrates why market order is best understood through an analysis of its different forms of social construction. Emphasizing consumption rather than production, Aspers considers the larger retailers' roles as buyers in the production market of garments, and as potential objects of investment in financial markets. He shows how markets overlap and intertwine and he defines two types of markets--status markets and standard markets. In status markets, market order is related to the identities of the participating actors more than the quality of the goods, whereas in standard markets the opposite holds true. Looking at how identities, products, and values create the ordered economic markets of the global fashion business, Orderly Fashion has wide implications for all modern markets, regardless of industry.

Contains over 2,500 alphabetically arranged entries providing definitions of terms and ideas related to sociology, along with cross-references, and biographical sketches of key individuals in the field.

"A highly readable and approachable account of the sociology of work... a first-rate introductory text that is sure to become essential reading for students, teachers, and researchers." - Jason Hughes, Brunel University "An excellent text. Its comparative and historical sweep is particularly welcome and the analysis provided is thoughtful and well grounded." - John Eldridge, University of Glasgow "An invaluable and up-to-date text for students and researchers. Detailed and wide-ranging in its scope it is an excellent source of materials combined with a thought provoking and challenging set of arguments." - Huw Beynon, Cardiff University Stephen Edgell′s book charts the rise of ′work′ and explores all aspects of work including paid and unpaid, standard and non-standard and unemployment. New material has been incorporated covering the theories and practices of globalization, interactive service work, economic crisis, technological and organizational change, and trade unions. Drawing on classic and contemporary theorists, the book: Covers key issues regarding paid industrial and service sector work: alienation, skill, post-industrial society, network enterprises, flexibility, Fordism, neo-Fordism, post-Fordism, McDonaldization, emotional labour, destandardization and the social impact of unemployment. Discusses key issues regarding non-paid work: domestic work as ′work′, the impact of technology, symmetrical family thesis, the impact of feminism, and globalization. Provides student friendly pedagogy: suggestions for further reading, questions for discussion and assessment, an extensive glossary and links to key websites and downloadable articles. This latest edition will be welcomed by lecturers and students wanting an authoritative guide to the sociology of work.

Learn Sociology creates a new paradigm for student-centered learning in introductory sociology courses. Written with 21st century students in mind, this text presents introductory sociology content in a highly interactive format that is both easy to use and highly compatible with digital applications. Drawing on best practices in educational pedagogy, Learn Sociology emphasizes "immersive learning," an approach that pairs critical analysis of sociological concepts with examples from everyday life to engage students actively with the material. Weaved through the text are recurring themes that put sociology into context, such as social structure, social control, social inequality, the social construction of reality, scientific knowledge, and social change. Learn Sociology optimizes learning through enhanced coverage, study, testing, and review while emphasizing the "applying" that reinforces comprehension. Based on a modular concept format, each chapter in Learn Sociology addresses a major concept in the introductory sociology curriculum. Associated with each module are key learning objectives, preview statements, illustrations, and a concept learning check assessment. With Learn Sociology, students have access to immediate computer-based feedback on essay questions that helps them practice writing and revising, reason critically, and grapple with real-world issues. All content in Learn Sociology is highly visual, current, and easy to understand while avoiding distracting and off-topic material. Visual overviews play to dynamic learning and underscore important points. The result is an introductory sociology curriculum that is engaging, consistent, and complete while providing students with a roadmap for learning, reviewing and self-assessment.