Many companies today are working towards making sure their businesses are running smoothly and being responsible when it comes to employment practices and ethical standards. Apple, for instance, is one of the many companies that has recently found out that not all regions it has factories in are following the guidelines necessary for running.
In a recent audit of 229 factories in Asia, Apple found out that many of these workers in these factories and the management that helps run them do not follow the rules and regulations regarding Apple’s standards. These findings included, “62% of suppliers violated Apple’s working standards of 60 hours a week, 32% were not compliant with hazardous-substance management practices, 35% failed to meet Apple’s
…show more content…
The results need to be given to management at the supplier firms and authorize them to try and put their operational policies in line with Apple’s, and those firms that do not choose to meet standards will face other punishments necessary such as lay-offs, new management, or closings. Managers should be taking steps such as assuring total quality management to help build learning organizations, promoting ethical standards and moral rights, and taking social responsibility and corporate social responsibility into …show more content…
These organizations can promote ethical standards in many ways such as: managers making a strong ethical climate so it can be passed down, checking up on and screening any employees who may be violating the company’s and Apple’s standards, enable employees to have ethics training that teach them how to be an ethical member of the workforce, and reward good ethical behavior with whatever ways may be necessary such as time off or a raise. Managers should also take the moral rights approach when teaching ethics since many of the rules being broken surround health, safety and monetary standards. With over 700,000 people working for Apple in China, managers need to assure them that their moral rights are never being denied such as the right to life, liberty, privacy, health, and safety. Even though the cost of living in China is much lower than the United States, employees should still be treated with the same respect and given the same rights to assure working hours are met, wages are correct, and their safety is under
...ften times Apple will simply take the fine because it can afford to, and would rather pay the money then fairly open their trade secrets up to the world. This loophole in the law, if you will, is allowing for Apple to pay its way through anti-monopoly laws and regulations.
Effective organizations are able to clearly define their ethical expectations by setting high moral standards, writing codes of conduct, and utilizing mentoring programs. “Masters provide your servants with what is right and fair, because you know that you also have a Master in heaven” (Col. 4:1). When organizations clearly define their ethical expectations to their subordinates, they are much more likely to treat their customers fairly. Customers who are treated fairly are much more likely to be loyal consumers of the products or services that the company provides. This helps to establish a loyal customer base that a business can depend upon, thus providing a predictable source of annual revenue. If an employer treats their employees with respect, honesty, and with candor they’ll give the customer 110% (Rion, 2001).
Ethics or rather morals entail mechanisms that defend, systematize as well as recommend conceptions of right or wrong. Many organizations develop ethical codes to ensure employees and employers understand the difference in doing good or bad. In that respect, ethics are an essential aspect of successfully running of any organization or government. Ethics ensure employee’s productivity levels are up to the required standards. It also assists them to know their rights and responsibilities. Additionally, employers, as well as any persons in management, are guided by them to ensure they provide transparent leadership. Ethics also defines how customers should be handled. Ethical codes govern the relationship between customers and an
The topic that I will writing about is about the company of Apple and how it is a great company. I will also be talking how Apples is a utilitarian company and makes products that makes the consumers happy. Apple is one of the many electronics company that make computers, tablets, phones and iPod. Apple was a company that was founded by Steve Jobs, a college drop out on April 1, 1976. In this essay I will be discussing how Apples products make consumers happy, the philosophy of apple and how apple also makes people angry.
For a company to be successful ethically, it must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture. A corporate code of ethics can be a very valuable and integral part of a company’s culture but I believe that it is not strong enough to stand alone. Thought and care must go into constructing the code of ethics and the implementation of it. Companies need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate culture as well as into their definition of success. To be successfully ethical, companies must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture.
Broadly defined business ethics is, knowing the difference between what is right and what is wrong. It is the written and unwritten, principles and values that govern how decisions are made within a company (Cross & Miller, 2012). The focus of business ethics is to identify the moral standard, and provides guidelines to follow when making tough ethical decisions. Unethical behavior is typically the result of corrupted interactions between individuals within the organization (Brown & Mitchell, 2010). Many times, unethical acts steam for behaviors that are socially or culturally acceptable within the organization. Ethical behavior can enhance a work environment and maximizes contentment, while unethical behavior may have the opposite affect. Not only can this behavior cause stress in the work place, there is the possibility of it ruining a business (Cross & Miller, 2012). Unlike corporate governance, ethical standards are not as easy to define. A code of ethics expresses fundamental principles and provides guidance to decision makers, but there are no set rules written into a code of ethics. A code of conduct is created using a company’s code of ethics. It is a statement of standard that discloses how a company chooses to conduct its business activities (Driscoll &Hoffman, 2011). Following the scandals of the early 2000’s, many companies adopted a code of conduct to ensure the compliance
This case from Apple, a multinational corporation, shows that there are threats that are facing companies like her as they strive to set foot in global markets. The company’s fallout in terms of salaries and fair compensation is one of such threats that are expressly found in Apples case. Companies seeking global markets will need to strategize and foresee such developments to avoid such developments. Due to the diversity of global markets, the threat of failing to comply with laws in these locations is always
For the purpose of achieving this, it has set out strict policies and procedures that ensures that all the companies that it has business with should provide the safest working conditions for its workers, should treat the workers products which are fairly and that they are supposed to use the environmentally responsible manufacturing processes, as long as it is an area where Apple products are being made (O 'Grady, 2008). The organization’s mission is to produce very high quality goods, at significantly low
One of Apple’s major ethical issues is the problem of labor. This is a very important problem in today’s world because businesses have a tendency to ignore basic human rights in their never ending competition to make as much money as possible. Outsourcing, using child labor, and overworking employees are all major ethical and legal violations committed all the time by many high profile companies, and often unjustly ignored as it is unfair to the people forced to work in such terrible conditions.
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
Having poor working conditions impacts the society in such a way that workers are depressed and do not work in peace. Apple should look for ways in which their suppliers can offer working conditions that are humane. If the current suppliers do not improve their working conditions, then Apple should consider looking for other suppliers since the working conditions of their workers should be of most priority (Apple Inc. 2016). Moreover, having good working conditions will attract more qualified personnel into the company, thus increasing the quality of their products. However, the main problem in Apple making sure that their suppliers offer better working conditions is that Apple has no legal liability in any operation that happens in China factories since their ownership is by separate manufacturers. It, therefore, gives Apple the dilemma of choosing between what is correct morally and what is correct legally. It also represents situations that are unfortunate since an action of being socially responsible is not what is best for the running of the business as using cheap labour to minimise cost has led to Apple to achieve margins that are spectacular and profits on its products (Dhaliwal 2011, 59-100). Apple should keep in mind that the aim of business is not always based on making profits since long-term goals are
Many laws have been put into place to make sure corporations act ethically, so they do not harm people or the environment. Corporations have a social responsibility to follow these laws and various other ethical actions; Johnson & Johnson, considered to be one of the most admirable companies according to Fortune, is one company that included their corporate social responsibilities in their code of ethics. Their code of ethics states that executive officers cannot financially benefit from unethical transactions or that their management must be competent and ethical (Code of Business Conduct, 2015). It is important for corporations to act ethically and hold up to their social responsibility, especially within the workplace; ethics are especially
Ethics is the responsibility of each individual person, but starts with the CEO and the Board of Directors, setting the right tone at the top and moves down through the organization, including setting the tone in the middle. A company’s culture and ethic standards start at the top, not from the bottom. Employees will almost always behave in the manner that they think management expects them, and it is foolish for management to pretend otherwise (Scudder). One of the CEO’s most important jobs is to create, foster, and communicate the culture of the organization. Wrongdoings or improper behavior rarely occurs in a void, leaders typically know when someone is compromising the company
In conclusion, companies that seek to integrate into global markets usually encounter several problems because of the effect of globalization on business practices. The challenges originating from such integration is attributed to the differences in cultures in various societies across the globe. As evident in Google’s dilemma in China, there is no single set of universal ethics that are applicable to all settings and societies across the globe. Companies such as Google need to develop varying ethical standards that are relevant and appropriate to various nations and cultures in the world. This would enable the companies that are integrating into global markets to avoid ethical issues while maintaining effective business practices.
Ethics is central for any organization in treating employees fairly and helping the organization advance its mission. There is no single best way for dealing with ethical challenges, but it is very important for managers to develop ethical policies and procedures for implementation. To minimize possible unethical decisions by staff members, it is important to incorporate written standards grounded in organizational values in the code of conduct.