304 Ethics Assignment: Apple Unethical Labor Practices

Unethical Practices
Name:
Institution:
Course:
Date:
Apple unethical labor practices
Globalization has in effect been the driver in the world economies, as companies outsource skills and resources from other countries across the globe. Experts in various fields are able to acquire work from companies across the globe other than in their local markets. This is the same case when it comes to the companies that have gone global and even those in the local market. There is a wide range of employee choices that a company can chose from. This is due in part to the fact that, companies can easily outsource labor from other countries, especially where it is cheaper than in the local market. This is also the case with resources such as raw materials, where companies outsources these services from countries where they are relatively cheaper. Most of the companies that have a global presence have also chosen to set up manufacturing and assembly lines in other countries where the tax benefits and relieves are much higher allowing for cheaper manufacturing and production costs. China is one of the emerging markets relative to the fact that, they have cheaper raw materials, relaxed tax laws and most importantly cheap labor (Elgan, 2012). As such, quite a number of companies especially from the American economy have set up their production facilities in the country, outsources labor and raw materials in an effort to stay competitive and make extra profits. However, this is a move that has been quite controversial as incidences of exploitative labor practices that negate the ethical standards have emerged. This is in association with some of the high profile companies. Apple Inc. is one of the companies that is involved in a scandal of the kind, where one of its major suppliers, Foxconn Technology was found to be violating ethical standards with reference to its employees. While there have been some genuine efforts to correct the situation, it is has dealt a blow to the company (Barboza & Duhigg, 2012).
Using a high profile company as a case study, identify and discuss the ethical dilemmas that emerge when U.S. companies use foreign low cost labor. Explore issues such as the misuse of child and prison labor, unsafe working conditions, lack of a living wage, etc.
The working conditions at Foxconn have become the highlight of the labor scandal that has drugged Apple through the mud, leading to some major losses and a dented image relative to the customers and even the shareholders. According to the reports detailing the scandal ran on the New York Times in (2012), the company in question had been placing the lives of their workers at risk (Barboza & Duhigg, 2012). Most of the workers worked in conditions that were hazardous to their health. In some of the cases the workers would work for seven days of the week and they lived in crowded dorms (Barboza & Duhigg, 2012). There were incidences where the workers would be forced to stand for long hours and their legs would eventually swell and would hardly get the medical attention that they need. In some of the most serious cases, the supplier involved underage children in their production chains, falsified documents and improperly disposed of hazardous wastes. At one of the...