The New York Times (12/7, A1, Yardley, Subscription Publication, 1.68M) reports that the Tazreen Fashions clothing factory in Ashulia, Bangladesh, suffered a terrible fire last month in which 112 workers were killed. The factory was manufacturing items of clothing for global retailers such as Sears and Walmart. The Times reports that this disaster “exposed a glaring disconnect among global clothing brands, the monitoring system used to protect workers and the factories actually filling the orders.” The article notes that after the fire, retailers such as Walmart and Sears admitted that “they did not know that Tazreen Fashions was making their clothing.” The Times adds that “Walmart and Sears have since said they fired the suppliers that subcontracted work to Tazreen Fashions.” Still, some critics question how large companies with sophisticated global supply systems could be unaware of their connection to a factory in Bangladesh, a country where such companies have engaged in significant buying.