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Impact of business ethics in society
Impact of business ethics in society
Impact of business ethics in society
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The Apple iPhone is popular for the slick outlook, the simple software, and every centimeter of it is wired to perfection. Given that the iPhone is one of the most popular cell phones in America, its users tend to build a bond with the cell phone. Apple users neglect to see through the product, and think about the process of the creation of it, as well as who is behind it. The first glimpse the nation received showing the face behind the Apple products was accidental, yet took America by storm. According to 2008 NBC News article titled “Who is the Mystery ‘iPhone Girl’; pictures of an Asian factory worker on a new iPhone generate intrigue” by Min Lee, a picture of an Asian factory worker was saved on a brand new iPhone purchased by a customer in Britain. The photograph went viral throughout the internet and …show more content…
As people inspected the photograph closely, users continued to post on social media sites about the poor working conditions observed in the photograph. Photographs continued to surface throughout the internet, with speculations on whether the conditions are acceptable for these assembly workers. Apple, being one of the five richest American companies, funds these factories who develop these phones. Instances such as “iPhone girl”, show that Apple may not be using their riches to fund adequate working conditions for the thousands of employees in assembly-like factories in China. The workers in China may work more diligently, accept a lesser pay, and are willing to live in dormitories, but humans deserve the rights that American Apple employees receive, such as the “Apple geniuses”. Apple inadequately treats their Chinese employees with less respect by having them work in factories with terrible working conditions, low pay, and unsanitary
Imagine being employee number 101 out of 1001. Now imagine working on an assembly line in a hot room filled with 1000 other women frantically assembling products for first world countries to use for ten seconds before discarding for a newer version. This job pays enough for you to get by but living in a third world country with low pay isn’t easy. What many people don’t understand is that the cost of production in a third world country is more inexpensive than it is in America. Hiring women to work in horrid conditions decreases employee loss because they are not rambunctious like men. “Life on the Global Assembly Line” by Barbara Ehrenreich and Annette Fuentes clearly illustrates the hardships women go through for U.S. corporation production. Corporate powers have resorted to building production plants in third world countries to save money. U.S. corporate powers take advantage of third world
"Apple products made with child labor – internal report.”http://rt.com/. Autonomous Nonprofit Organization “TV-Novosti”, 26 Jan 2013. Web. 7 Apr 2014. .
Disclosing the information that ’43.2%’ of China’s rivers are ‘classified as unsuitable for human contact’, readers are led to sympathy and sadness, because while Apple’s processing plants may satisfy their ‘I must have the latest technology’ mentality, other innocent citizens are prevented from experiencing even the most basic and cheapest level of recreations such as swimming or fishing. The performance pressure is designed to elicit guilt in readers who are confronted by the attempted suicides that have risen from trying to meet the demands of shoppers who revel in ‘transparent staircases and bleached marble of an Apple store’ without understanding their ‘abysmally low pay’. This relates to the title “ a good apple rotten at the care” because it shows that on the outside the apple looks prefect but on the inside it is rotten and disgusting. Consequences in the production of phones are barbarically represented when Bradlow conveys it could lead to miscarriages and health hazard for children, urging readers to choose other’s welfare over our materialistic desire that are capable of being restrained. This sense is mirrored in the accompanying image, wherein it depicts the swelling, black smoke outflowing from factories is shaped into Apple’s representative logo this shows that the apple is disgusting, impure, revolting, foul,
Scanning the conforming, ephemeral trendy masses, a large percent of the attire donned by the populace is made by cheap labor under horrible conditions. Many of the stores that fill malls and line streets are stocked with morally tainted products. Various popular brand names and stores use sweat shops as a means of production to maintain a low manufacturing cost, and reap a higher profit. Not only do these socially irresponsible conglomerates exist, they thrive on the blinded, and complacent materialistic society. Outfitting popular sports teams, and celebrities, these businesses have immense control, and take a big part in not only the fashion industry, but foreign affairs, as well. Although providing labor to third world countries may at first seem acceptable, the circumstances under which these sweatshops run are not. There are lists of rules by the United Nations, that outline the requirements a corporation must meet to be a socially responsible company. There are many companies that are popular today, however, that don’t meet the criteria stipulated by the UN, and fall in the “sweatshop” category.
Like all companies and people, Apple is not perfect. The company has many suppliers when it comes to building their products, but with such a large corporation they also hold a responsibility to their supplier. However, one of Apples suppliers in China was charged with child labor. Apple seems to have set high standards but they mis...
Few people second guess Apple or their products, their image is well-maintained and the products are widely owned by people of all kinds. However, the process of making these much beloved iPhones and iPads is widely overshadowed by the company’s rate of constant innovation. In a series of articles by The New York Times, journalists attempt to unmask the controversial use of overseas manufacturers indicate a true crisis; a labor-power problem which abuses foreign workers as well as harming mid-wage jobs of consumers in the U.S. Many different lenses can be used to further analyze the structures, relationships and interactions that characterize this phenomena. Figures such as C. Wright Mills, Karl Marx and Fredrick Engels, Pierre Bourdieu, Immanuel Wallerstein and Leslie Sklair.
Robbins et al. (2016, p.93), describes ethics in business as “a set of rules or principles that defines right and wrong”. Various theories centre around ethics in business, and a company adhering to a certain standard of ethics has the power to decide if they reach their maximum potential. Apple is one of the few exceptions of this concept. Panorama, the BBC’s longest running current affairs programme, dedicated an episode to exposing Apple and their shocking dishonesties covering a variety of areas of their business. The three focal points of Apple’s abandonment of ethics highlighted in the broadcast consist of; the employed workforce and their arduous lives at select factories around the globe, the Foxconn suicides incident, and the process in which Apple acquires their raw materials for their products. When something as simple and expected as respecting basic human rights must be called into question, there is a moral duty to shed light on the company’s exploitation of
The electronics market stays competitive due to the continuing stream of new technology. Every addition of a new product by Apple’s competition must in turn be met with a more innovative product. Apple must remain on top of the industry to remain relevant and continue to produce profits. The competitive nature of this industry also dictates that all corporations in the market will face ethical dilemmas. According to an article entitled “Apple ‘attacking problems’ at its factories in China”, there are only 3 companies with facilities in the world capable of keeping up with the needs that Apple’s market demands (Moore, 2012). Unveiling a new iPhone nearly once a year continues to put stress onto those few facilities that handle so much of the production. Speed is a factor in how quickly a product can be turned from pieces into profit. This leads to a predicament if the supply cannot meet the demand and cost begin to rise. A very common way to reduce cost is outsourcing production to locations overseas. Outsourcing can be beneficial due to the lower cost of wages, but also has its drawback. Outsourcing is by no mean a bad idea, however, the many facilities that are ran overseas may not be held to the same standards that they would be in the United States. One way to show that corners are not being cut at the expense of employees is to be transparent with the
With all the hype surrounding the iPod post its introduction into the electronics market, it should be of no surprise that iPod’s unmatched demand for such distinct music management tool would lead Apple to add iPod’s features to the most sold electronic device to date: the cell phone. Thus, you get a hybrid called the iPhone. This highly anticipated electronic trend setter without fault had numbers of people waiting in line at the Apple store in New York; iPod fans want to be among the first to explore some of the most innovative phone features to date. Among those features you will find a 3.5 inch touch screen (the largest of all smart phones), Wi-Fi connectivity, the most usage time of all smart phones, i.e. talk time, internet use, or video playback, and many more impressive characteristics. The iPhone has, thereby, revolutionized the cell phone industry to become a potential best designed and most admired phone of the decade.
Lee, A. (2011, May 6). Inside Foxconn's Factory: Report Exposes Conditions At Apple Manufacturer. Breaking News and Opinion on The Huffington Post. Retrieved November 7, 2011, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/05/06/foxconn-factory-conditions_n_858619.html
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
Further investigations revealed Foxconn had been guilty of unsafe and unfair working environments long before the incidents, which included the employment of extended working hours, discrimination, and military management techniques (Xu & Li, 2013). Due to Foxconn’s sole focus on maintaining businesses relationships by fulfilling Apple’s demand of technical products, their subsequent mistreatment of employees was exacerbated and generated 80-100 hours of forced overtime per week (Xu & Li, 2013). However, in an attempt to combat the negative publicity, each firm denied responsibility for the incidents, which ultimately added fuel to the media fire (Xu & Li, 2013). Since then, each firm has enacted superior regulations designed to maintain efficiency while recognizing limitations on labor hours and increased spending on compliance audits (Chandler & Werther, 2014). Yet, as Foxconn continues to sustain their global leadership and Apple’s profits remain unaffected, the disadvantages associated with the incidents at Foxconn have not transcended the outcomes. From a profit standpoint, the increase in spending and subsequent alterations of labor methods serve as the biggest disadvantage to each company’s bottom line. However, after both companies attempted to negate blame, their ensuing developments indicate assuming responsibility was the best avenue to recoup reputation issues and focus on long-term growth. Therefore, the greatest advantage for both companies was their heightened reputation resulting from increased transparency and the employment of business models focused on the welfare of all supply chain
Further investigations revealed that Foxconn had been guilty of unsafe and unfair working environments long before the incidents, which included the employment of extended working hours, discrimination, and military management techniques (Xu & Li, 2013). Due to Foxconn’s sole focus on maintaining businesses relationships by fulfilling Apple’s demand of technical products, their subsequent mistreatment of employees was exacerbated and generated 80-100 hours of forced overtime (Xu & Li, 2013). However, in an attempt to combat the negative publicity, each firm denied responsibility to the incidents, which ultimately added fuel to the media fire (Xu & Li, 2013). Since then, each firm has enacted superior regulations designed to maintain efficiency while recognizing limitations on labor hours and increased spending on compliance audits (Chandler & Werther, 2014). Yet, as Foxconn continues to sustain their global leadership and Apple’s profits remain unaffected, the disadvantages associated with the incidents at Foxconn have not transcended the outcomes. From a profit standpoint, the increase in spending and subsequent alterations of labor methods serve as the biggest disadvantage to each company’s
If you ask anybody in the world today they will tell you that we live in a world where technology is at the core of human life. We use technology for everything today. From processing food we eat, to being social, to transportation, everything we do has some relation to technology. No technological innovation though has become so popular as the one we use to communicate with daily. The Smartphone. First starting off as foot long cellular phones which could be seen a mile away to present Smartphones which we cannot seem to live without. Smartphones have changed the way that people live. Today you can see just about everyone on a Smartphone even children, which just comes to show how popular and demanding Smartphones have become. In fact, Smartphones have become a true necessity in the lives of people everywhere. There are many types of Smartphones out there. Some of the major phones include devices such as Apple's iPhone, HTC's One, and LG's G2, but only a few have made such a huge technological impression in this industry such as Samsung has done with its Galaxy and Note, two of the most popular Smartphones right now. We all have heard the name Samsung at some point in our lives. Maybe from the televisions they create or even from the chips they produce. The truth is that Samsung is a technological giant who has been around for many years, an empire, which continues to grow. A company whose mission is to "Inspire the World, Create the Future."
Foxconn has factories in Asia, Europe, Mexico and South America why is it that only China’s Foxoconn was in highlight and not any other country? While the Chinese factories happened to be the largest factories in China, these factories are also facilitated with dormitories and other infrastructure to host the workers and provide workers to go back at end of the 12 hour shift to relax and reenergize for the next shift. A quarter of the employees live in these so called dormitories. My Case study will analyze how the various news sources revealed the global sweatshop to the world and the reactions by the companies who were using Foxconn to manufacture electronic goods. The Chinese newspaper displayed Foxconn employees having social and psychological reasons leading to suicides whereas US news showed it as human rights violation. Both of them did not acknowledge the social justice and world economy aspects and steps that were taken by the electronics giants to rectify the problems that were being faced in Wuhan, China.