America's Research Group, which interviews 10, 000 to 15, 000 consumers a week mostly on behalf of retailers, says that even in the aftermath of two deadly tragedies in Bangladesh, shoppers seem more concerned with fit and price than whether their clothes were made in factories where workers are safe and make reasonable wages.

NPR: Shoppers Face Hurdles In Finding Ethical Clothing

Action 2000, a body set up by the government to co-ordinate its campaign to beat the bug, says that in the past year about 15% of the microchip-controlled production lines in factories have failed tests of whether they can cope with dates beyond 1999.

ECONOMIST: The bill for the millennium bug keeps going up

It was unclear whether any foreign brands had contracted work to factories in Rana Plaza.

WSJ: Bangladesh Building Collapse Kills at Least 80

Whether any of the factories inside the Rana Plaza complex were involved in such practices is not clear.

BBC: The dark underworld of Bangladesh's clothes industry

Cole, director of the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Michigan, is whether a company is running its factories efficiently to earn a strong return on its investment.

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