Cross-Cultural Perspectives - Apple's Sweatshop Plants in China
The world that the Apple technology company enjoys "…could not be rosier and its future shiner," according to researcher Ajinkya Khedekar, writing in the Carnegie Council's publication -- Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. The author goes on to assert that Apple has "reached the pinnacle of success in 15 short years" and its market capitalization ($500 billion) makes it one of the most "valuable and highly profitable companies in the world" (Khedekar, 2012, p. 1). But that rosy financial and technological future has been clouded somewhat by the fact that its "value culture" (what it charges for its products) is different than its "cost culture" (the working conditions and wages it pays are less than appropriate for a company that is profiting so mightily). This paper delves into the cultural issues that result from the poor treatment of Chinese workers vis-a-vis the manufacturing of Apple products (iPhone and iPod) in China.
What are Apple's Continuing Cross-Cultural Ethical Problems in China?
Apple contracts with Foxconn (the "largest and most technically sophisticated manufacturing operation for consumer electronic products") in China. But due to the fact that Apple employees at Foxconn are "…working in an extremely high stress environment," suffering from "…deplorable living conditions," being paid "below-standard wages" and being subjected to "health hazards associated with the use of toxic chemicals and inadequate air filtration systems," Apple is actually producing products in sweatshop conditions (Khedekar p, 2-3). The violation of These are not new problems for Apple's manufacturing plants in China. The mistreatment of Apple's Chinese...
Sweatshops in Third World Countries Not so long ago when the word sweatshop was mentioned, images of Charles Dickens would surface, for the notion of sweatshops seemed to be a thing of the past. However, in recent years, sweatshops have been at the forefront of media attention. They are back, actually they never truly went away at all, and they are back in full swing around the world, mostly in third
Thus it can improve the fates of the sweatshop workers' children, by infusing income into the poorer nation. The argument in favor of the employment of illegal workers in the United States is that the workers chose their lot by illegally immigrating and often work under better conditions than they would on their home soil. Also, the children of the illegal workers will improve if the children are allowed
Sweatshops Are Sweatshops a Necessarily Evil? Within the last few years, Americans have become aware that sometimes when American corporations send manufacturing tasks to foreign countries, those tasks end up being performed by people we would view as not yet adults -- young teenagers, and sometimes even workers younger than that. The companies argue that they do not always have either control or knowledge that such practices are going on, thus excusing
A utilitarian would argue that to ensure the greatest happiness, for the greatest number, perhaps some suffering in the interim must be endured by the current generation of factory laborers in the developing world, so that industrialization can develop and so capitalism can take hold there. Moreover, the ethical quandaries we experience are not merely relegated to clothing -- what of how we profit off of the labor illegal
Sweatshop Girl: Sadie Frowne In "The Story of a Sweatshop Girl," Sadie Frowne describes her life journey from peasant farmer's daughter to factory worker. Her description includes details of her daily life, and the difficulties she faces as a sweatshop girl in the early 20th century. Her narrative also illustrates prevalent social values of the time, as well as her individual values. Her focus on the specific details of her
The organization explains that consumers can take the initiative to speak out against companies that use sweatshops. (Ten Ways to end Sweatshops) They can also join campaigns such as OXFAM which attempt to ensure that special events such as the Olympics are not utilizing products created in sweatshops. Ten Ways to end Sweatshops) Conclusion The purpose of this paper was to discuss sweatshops, the impact that they have on the world and what
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