Yes actually, I am in upper-management in an electronics manufacturing facility in California, where I have worked for 21 years. And, I have spent a lot of time in Asia: Taiwan, Thailand, Philippines, etc.
I have just returned, on Aug 22, from spending a month in Asia (where we own a home btw and the in-laws own two factories). In these places I have observed employees in all capacities, primarily production facilities and I can tell you without reservation that the basic motivating factors for workers in Asia - as elsewhere - are the desire to feed their family and keep their job not some kind of honor which is somehow missing from American workers. And yes, the simple fact of life is that workers are cheaper - which is why businesses go there. In Philippines, for example, the average wage is $60.00 US a month. Sometimes they "secretly" pay a weekly bribe to their manager to keep their job. If the factory owner finds cheaper workers, they will pack up and move in a minute to places like PRC. Asia also has its share of employee theft, sabotage, and "slackers" it's just that they don't last very long - and there's plenty of replacements. It's really not very different from the USA at all, in that regard. People are people wherever you go.
