Apple Underage Workers Essay

“Apple conducts business ethically, honestly and in full compliance with applicable laws and regulations. This applies to every business decision in every area of the company worldwide” (Apple Inc., 2015). This is the opening statement from Apple’s Business Conduct. Most publicly operating companies construct a business conduct or a code of ethics that is specific for that particular company. Apple’s code of ethics was written to express their most important principles and values.

This kink is named oversea factories with horrible working conditions. A factory in Suquian, China, owned by Apple, was found to have “serious health and safety, environmental, and human rights violations.” Articles rarely tell you the specific violations are, but you can probably add them up for yourself. Health violations can include dangerous machinery, not supplying proper safety gear for the workers, and more. Environmental conditions could be considered black mold, something wrong with the factory ventilation systems, or sewage dumping near the factory. Last, but not least to address in this case, is human rights violations and those can go on forever. A few of them are basic slaves, unequipped, and being made to work exceedingly long and unnecessary hours. This means that the iPhones in your pockets were made by other human beings who were being underpaid or not paid at all, working with dangerous machinery, and unsafe

Apple is one of the giant companies in the United States and it is expected to take a firm stand on its commitment to ethical and social responsibilities. The company is committed to taking social and environmental responsibilities and conducting its business ethically. Apple suppliers ensure social and ethical responsibilities through different approaches. First, it provides safe and humanistic working condition for all the workers in the organization. To ensure this there are the set code for the

“A foreman roused 8,000 workers inside the company’s dormitories, guided to a workstation and within half an hour started a 12-hour shift fitting glass into bevelled frames. Within 96 hours, the plant was producing 10,000 units a day” (Urakami, 2012). Articles covering the headline claim Foxconn in Longua, Shenzhen, advertised for 16 year old workers, 100 persons per dormitory, 15 hour shifts, $53 USD per month in wages and military-style drills; and Austek in Suzhou encloses 50, 000 workers in a barbed wire site with $106 USD monthly wage – of which half went towards accommodation and food (Frost, 2007). An ABC TV network broadcaster revealed that some workers are forced to complete 24 hour shifts, whilst others are forced to stand the entire shift. Managers were also requested to put up nets in 2011, after nine employees committed suicide in the space of three months (Cooper, 2013). This is justified through the financial results for Apple Inc’s fiscal 2012 first quarter ending December 31, 2011 as Apple posted record quarterly revenue of $46.3 billion and record quarterly net profit of $13.1 billion with the sales of 54 million iPhones, iPads and Macs (Apple, 2012). Furthermore, these claims juxtapose the principles that Apple declares to abide by, “We have a strict Code of Conduct that requires our supplies

In 2012, Apple initially unveiled 97% of its closely related global suppliers for reflecting their determination of solving the ethical issues occurred. In the same year, the visit to Foxconn and the participation in Fair Labor Association (FLA) were also tremendous steps for Apple to redress the issues, which was renowned for reticence before.

In retrospect, all countries have their own balance and ethical beliefs, but none the less, globalization cast a wide net of possibilities. A business can operate internationally with the policies and procedures it has developed at home, or it can adopt its own practices depending on what is acceptable in each foreign country where it operates. “Individuals and corporations, no longer recognizing god's purpose for our work or seeing him as the source of law and ethics, engage in "situational ethics" and justify any act or transaction that adds to the bottom line”(Dumont, 1995). In some countries, child labor is acceptable and normal but is frowned upon in other countries, namely the United States. If a multinational company is discovered to have used child labor, it could end up being a public relations nightmare and lead to a decline in its domestic sales (Investopedia, 2015) like past company scandals with Nike, Adidas, and Victoria Secret. In the age of technology, media is key. News now spreads in minutes of occurrence and media agencies are now moving from being media-facing to consumer facing; uniquely positioned at the intersection of technology and the consumer (Avi, 2014). Nothing tends to be off

“The aim of these rules is to strive for that elusive balance that keeps such conduct both acceptable in its political-social environment and effective in its economic purpose. The rulebook governing how business managers "play the game" is always under revision (Wotruba, 1997).” For Apple, as things in society and the environment changes, so does the way that they do business. As part of their core objectives, social and environmental standards are enforced. They are continuously working to improve conditions to ensure that employees are in a safe and ethical environment. Audits are very thorough, so when issues arise which is normally the case, there is a team set in place to fix the problem and then come up with a way to improve on the solution. It is imperative to the company, their suppliers, and consumers that the products produced are ethically and environmentally safe. Wherever the product is being produced, each member of the team is to be treated with dignity and respect. As of February 2015, Apple has discontinued services with 18 suppliers due to code

Among the many concerns faced by 21st century global corporations is that the supply chain partner engages in unacceptable labor practices, such as the use of underage labor, when manufacturing a part of the finished good. The news cycle is such that violations committed in the most remote part of the world become front-page news virtually minutes after initial reports. Apple Computer recently experienced this when it announced that it discovered that child labor was used in the manufacture of parts for iPhones and iPods. Despite rigorous audit practices employed by Apple, the violations went undiscovered because the supply chain partners allegedly falsified documents associated with the ages of employees (Gustin, 2010). Unfortunately for

First of all, taking action on human trafficking could help Apple in remedying and improving the corporate image. It is necessary that Apple must define its position in striving for equal and legal labor right, and be willing to increase the working condition for their workers. As both labor issue and human trafficking have a common concern in human right, Apple will has a good start in rescuing its corporate image by helping solving human trafficking. Meanwhile, improve the manufacture factory’s working environment indeed.

Apple demands a high quality of fair acting companies to treat their employees with respect and humility and call for them to take the high road when it comes to treating their employees the right way. Apple states that “We don’t allow suppliers to act unethically or in ways that threaten the rights of workers — even when local laws and customs permit such practices. We’re working to end excessive work hours, prohibit unethical hiring policies, and prevent the hiring of underage workers”. This helps their management team make the right decisions that

This methodology that Apple practices are compelling, highly convincing and effective to the publics as this creates a mirage to beguile consumers and as one of the most admired brands and according to a survey by the (New York Times 2011), “56 percent of respondents said they could not think of anything negative about Apple, fourteen percent claimed that the pricing was the worst factor of Apple and only two percent briefly mentioned on the overseas labor practices.”

The international business environment can be defined as the environment in different sovereign countries, with factors exogenous to the home environment of the organization, influencing decision-making on resource use and capabilities (Morrison, 2011). Global business environment can created challenges for companies that are found to be linked to unethical business practices. This paper discusses the code of ethical conduct of Apple Inc. and issues faced by the company on a whole when it comes to ethical behavior. Apple is a manufacturing, distributing and selling company. They sell a computer software and technology to stores all over the world. Apple is one of the world’s largest manufacturers and distributors of technology and they operate in around 10 countries.

The main moral issue in this case study is whether Apple is responsible for the mis-treatment of Foxconn Employees. In this paper, I will use the moral theories of rights-based ethics, moral relativism, and moral universalism as well ethical views from well-known authors Jacobsen and Friedman to explore where Apple 's moral responsibilities should lie. There is no doubt that the conditions at Foxconn are unfortunate, and ought to be improved; however in my opinion I believe Apple is not morally responsible for the mistreatment of Foxconn Employees since Friedman and Jacobsen argue the social responsibility of Apple should not include charitable actives such as supporting Foxconn employees and since what is right or wrong varies between different cultures according to the principle of moral relativism.

Ethics in international business and the outsourcing of labor is a prevalent issue that affects not only the United States and our nation's economy, but also the economy of other countries. In a world where technology has made the whole world accessible, the global economy has become more and more important. The labor standard of the outsourcing companies also gets down to

Despite its global recognition and status, Apple Inc. has come under scrutiny in recent years. Criticism concerning Apple’s unethical labour conditions (causing both physical and emotional distress to employees) on a considerable number of occasions has led to this. Unethical labour conditions has not been an isolated incident, rather a disapprovingly common occurrence for such a well-regarded global brand.