Business Ethics Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Business Ethics - Research Paper ExampleThe Case of Apple Jonathan Watts (2011) has laid open the lid over the assumed product line ethics of such big businesses as Apple Inc., for letting its overseas supply chain damage the surround and degrade the pollution. The leading Chinese environment group has blamed the IT tycoon of not adhering to transparency in its business operations because of which the workers are suffering on health issues and lack of transparency is as well as causing loss of environment. The statement by the 36 Groups working for the Green Choice Initiative has heightened the controversy over the companys incapacity in ensuring that work ethics are adhered to in the factories where ipads and iphones are being produced. Environment violations by suppliers of big IT companies are occurring to the dismay of all, the cause of which needs to be affirm why workers are being obligate to function in such environment that is poor in safety standards. A account of trag edies are occurring at the Chinese factories workers are committing suicides and body of work poisonings are taking place from the heavy metal pollution. It is clearly evident that the Chinese labor is paid less and workplace safety and regulatory parameters are not enough relatively to the West (Watts, 2011). Although Apples supplier code of conduct vouches adherance to globally identified standards to pass on the cause of business ethics but accountability can not be determined by the third parties as companies like Apple do not share facts on the name of corporate confidentiality. Political confidentiality and red tape in government transactions has further deteriorated the working conditions due to non-transparency utilise as a cover. Apple is one of the 29 companies least interested to share relevant information about its suppliers. There are a number of companies working for Apples supply chain, involved in waste discharge violations. A dozen employees died unnatural deaths in Foxconn electronics in Shenzhen, a supplier of computer parts for Apple and other big IT companies operating through outsourced locations (Watts, 2011). Moren (2010) states that Apple is employing tactics such as issuing the progress report on supplier responsibility, coinciding it intelligently with the shareholders meeting. So that the company management could not be attacked aggressively by shareholders on the social responsibility issue, the report on supplier responsibility was issued just 2 days before the meeting. Apple like other American companies has been exploiting the lenient labor laws in third population countries, which can affect its reputation, as in 2006 the companys image was tarnished with the news that workforce at Foxconns Langhua was working 15-hours a day and was forced to live in unhygienic conditions, as published by a British newspaper. The company level inquiry found evidence of the same and from on it suppliers yearly audited accounting was strategi zed to check suppliers adherence to code of conduct. The audit conducted in 2009 outlines the reforms and precautionary steps taken by the company. In the near past, in 2009 Apple initiated provision programs for assembly-line workers on various educational programs such as Supplier Employee Education and Development (SEED) among others, protection programs such as reducing recruitment fee, educating workers on their rights and audit programs on component making suppliers and nonproduction suppliers to the final assembly production