Fractelle has pretty much summed up my views on this as well.

Fractelle, you always manage to write what I am thinking but can never express quite so well.
:)

Fractelle

'Now I expect to be accused of being a human-hater. Not so. I'm just very logical.'

I would say very eluded actually.

Dear examinator,

So you're into the 500 year old Chinese 2-stringed
vertical fiddle - as your 'thinking music,?'

Why not try a book instead?

...Whatever your taste, be it ale, grape, or mead,
Be kind to yourself with a good read.
Pick up the parchment, the scroll, or the book,
A world of enchantment is worth a close look.
Settle in comfort with one, three, or four,
Once you start reading, you'll be begging for more...

Be it murder, adventure, romance, history.
A thriller, who-done-it, or dark mystery.
Science-fiction, fantasy, westerns galore.
All these await you, but wait there's much more ...

Escape through the pages to magical places,
Exciting, exotic, all different oases.
Whatever the tales, be they classics or sellers,
Female and male, or fellows and fellas.
Knights, kings, or dragons, whatever your choice,
Bring them to life, give them a voice.

Spare a few hours, what can you lose?
When you can soar like an eagle,
Not walk like a goose!"

"You're welcome Pappa Bear!"
Foxy Snookums!

Foxy
I had a neighbour from Hong Kong
Who used to play the Gong
The gong went BONG
Now the gong has gone
I know this doesn't rhyme
But I hated that bloody gong
:-\

When in Qld I bought a few CD from a brother and sister who were in some orchestra back in China
He plays the fiddle thingy and she plays this thingy that has lots of strings which she hits with long handled wooden spoons…A Chinese Dulcimer (I couldn’t remember the word). The CDs are one on traditional love songs, the other is European classics... It has an other world sound. It seems like some exotic sound fragrance that wafts into your room to willing you into a relaxed thoughtful frame. The perfect reading music.
When you get to an age I might tell you of other thing the music is good for but you’re too young now. Tee hee ;-)

Foxy, the gang and Romany too, ok Pelican and Fractelle, Bronwyn .

By the way it seems that everyone has missed my subtle (?) point. Perhaps I over thunk it.

Everyone answered in terms of today's capitalist perspective. I can't see why the rich countries simply don't agree that products like cocoa and coffee should have an agreed floor price…This would help the poor to feed themselves and advance. Also it would be a start for equable treatment… survival security…forerunner to negotiations about population control…that has to be good for ACC.
As my itallian friend puts it Cabbige?

Dear examinator,

Ah, the things you can do to music -
whether it's a balalaika, a Chinese 2-stringed
fiddle, a violin, or a full orchestra playing
'Bolero.' Music does stir the body and soul.
Either in dance, like the tango, or listening
to Russian violinist - Maxim Vengerov revisiting
his roots in Siberia on his marvellous DVD, "Living
The Dream." (I highly recommend it).

But back to the subject of this thread...

I fully agree with you. It would be good if there was a
set price. But I realistically can't see it happening
while large multinational companies effectively control
the prices of products.

These retailers pay bargain basement prices. I read
somewhere that "...even Starbucks only has the capacity
to move the market one-tenth of one percent..."

Examinator

I extracted the following from Foxy's excellent link:

>>>"... Gates is correct to claim that there can be financial benefits attached to doing good works: a CSR reputation can... attract customers and build more satisfied and productive employees. But these benefits are rarely of sufficient importance to measurably affect a firm’s competitive position. With only a handful of exceptions, consumers still care much more about price, quality, and convenience than they do about a firm’s CSR reputation. ..... Most importantly, both the benefits and costs of CSR programs are rarely considered important by investors. They are typically overshadowed by business decisions and market trends that have nothing to do with a firm’s social responsibility practices. Gates can be justifiably proud of Microsoft’s global good works, but they have played little or no role in to the extraordinary returns the company has historically delivered to its investors. ....

.....As a result, while many firms are now acting, or appear to be acting, more virtuously, few of them have gained a competitive advantage from doing so. Paradoxically, the more firms that do good works, the less likely it is that any particular firm will benefit from a strong CSR reputation."<<<

It is unlikely that the majority of corporations will agree to "do the right thing" when there is little advantage for them. Public approval only works in favour of the firm if it stands out from the crowd.

This is where government regulation has to come to the party. Governments from more prosperous countries could support those in less developed, and set levels where workers are ensured decent pay, conditions and safety. Like anything, it requires a majority to ensure that equity is applied to all workers. When (if ever) this is achieved moving offshore will become a thing of the past.

BTW who owns shares in ANZ? Do you believe your vote at the AGM could've prevented ANZ's current behaviour?