Exploitation meaning in English

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Definition

to exploit (someone, natural resources): to take advantage of, to manipulate (someone); to use (natural resources) verb
His supervisors had exploited him for years because of his generosity and his ability to work long hours.
We must exploit the resources available to us if we want to survive on this island.
That's exploitation!: That's abuse, manipulation, ill-treatment! idiom

UK: His supervisors had exploited him for years because of his generosity and his ability to work long hours.
US: We must exploit the resources available to us.

Examples

  • "Bruno : Edward, we want to exploit, I mean, use your musical talent."
  • "Bruno : Susie, you'll have to postpone your plans for the anti-exploitation ad campaign."
  • "Susie, Philip recently sent me an email addressing his concerns on our new idea for an anti-exploitation ad campaign."
  • "We had been debating the pros and cons of exploiting inexpensive but possibly illegal labor, versus taking the "high road" and using only suppliers with a proven record on human rights working standards."
  • "Philip : It seems to me that when we speak of international outsourcing, we feel that this is a bad thing - something companies do to cut costs or exploit weaker economies."
  • "There's been a media circus surrounding their sweatshops and innumerable counts of worker exploitation."
  • "Outsourcing: Cost-Efficient Advantage or Unethical Tool of Exploitation?"
  • "And it usually involves exploited labor and cheap production."
  • "The question is whether we will continue to exploit cheap and potentially illegal labor, or whether we should explore more expensive, but more ethical alternatives."
  • "Susie : If you consider the dangers of questionable labor practices strictly from a financial perspective, you'll find that continuing to exploit cheap labor sources is extremely risky."
  • "I'm calling in regards to the memo you sent me about Susie's new marketing proposal, the one about the anti-exploitation ad campaign."
  • "An outspoken conservative businessman, speaking on condition of anonymity, went so far as to say that the new line is another ploy by liberals to exploit easily-influenced consumers."
  • "For example, most people think that outsourcing is when a company exploits cheap labor in a foreign country."
  • "You can be sure the media is going to exploit this incident to the best of its abilities, and we've got our respective businesses to think of here."
Exercise 1
According to Philip, what do most people think about international outsourcing?

According to Philip, what do most people think about international outsourcing?
Philip never says that people think that these two concepts (outsourcing and subcontracting) are identical. It is only after hearing Philip's explanation of the two ideas that Susie suggests that both subcontracting and outsourcing are actually the same.
There is no indication that anyone thinks that outsourcing only happens in the movies.
Although as a noun, an "exploit" is an "accomplishment" or an "achievement", the word is not being used in this sense here. As a verb, "to exploit" means "to take advantage of" or "to profit from". It often carries a negative connotation.
Philip says, "most people think that outsourcing is when a company exploits cheap labor in a foreign country". We can assume that these same people disagree with outsourcing because it uses these methods.
Exercise 2
Which of the following statements represents the main topic of discussion in this dialogue?

Which of the following statements represents the main topic of discussion in this dialogue?
This is the best choice here. Bruno says: "Philip recently sent me an email addressing his concerns on our new idea for an anti-exploitation ad campaign". This is the main topic of the dialogue.
Although it is clear that Philip and Susie have different philosophies on business practices, it is not accurate to say that the main topic of this dialogue is the difference of philosophies between the three people involved in the meeting.
Although Philip mentions this financial interests of the Delavigne Corporation, it is not accurate to say that the main topic of this dialogue is Philip's personal financial interests.
The tension between Philip and Susie is evident in this dialogue, but is not fair to say that this tension is the main topic of discussion in this dialogue.

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