Corporate Social Responsibility in Western Companies

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a hot topic these days in management circles.

Read and comment on The New York Times article “Bangladesh Fears an Exodus of Apparel Firms”.  (See link below).

1. Are Western companies (retailers) responsible for the safety of the people working for the companies contracted by these brands?  Should they be changing their corporate strategy (if they have one) on this issue?
2. What if any is your opinion, as a consumer, toward these types of horrific events?  Do you change your purchase behavior?
3. Name some other issues/stories (stories other than the Bangladeshi factory fire) and briefly describe why it is pertinent to our discussion of CSR.