Case Study: Foxconn Technology Group

Foxconn Technology Group, is the world’s electronics contractor manufacturer with headquarter located at Taiwan. (Foxconn, 2016) The following are two ethical issues identify:
Exploitation of factories workers
Foxconn exploited their workers to work long working hours and accept low wages. In 2010, Foxconn was notorious for its factories workers’ mass suicide attempts, with 16 deaths at its factory in Shenzhen, China. It was reported that the mass suicide attempts was due to Foxconn’s poor labour practice where workers had to work about 80 to 100 hours of overtime monthly in continuous shifts without meal breaks. (HuffingtonPost, 2011) This violated the overtime legal limit set by Ethical Trade Organisation for China’s factory workers which
They exploit their workers by having long working hours and wages and unsafe working condition.
This is evident where Foxconn’s workers were not allowed for meal breaks when working overtime (HuffingtonPost, 2011), workers had to get permit for a toilet break (CNET, 2012) and some even had swelling legs due to long standing hours. (NewYorkTimes, 2012) This harsh working condition violated the fundamental principles to human existence and human dignity through physical abuse, harming the worker’s well-being where Foxconn did not value each workers.
Due to universalism, the public may view Foxconn as company whom do not value human rights and may cause public not wanted to work there or workers quitting their job. This would potentially harm Foxconn’s reputation, decrease business and stakeholders’ profit.
Utilitarianism
According to Utilitarianism, Foxconn appear to use the greatest good for the greatest number of people where they created jobs for 1.2 million of people in China and is the world’s 10th biggest employer. (TheRegisterUK, 2012) Foxconn also provided the greatest good to its customers where they fulfil their orders like Apple. However, in fulfilling of the orders, Foxconn compromise the safety of its workers and provided harsh working condition which was
Ethical Reasoning and Solution
Compliance-based Ethics Program
Foxconn can implement compliance-based ethics program to ensure there is no exploitation of factories workers and safe working condition. One way is through setting up an independent committee that audits, monitor and compliance to ethics practices and counsel to prevent, detect and punish legal violations at its factory. (BatemanAndSnell, 2015) Foxconn can provide ethics training for the committee to ensure that they will compliance to ethical values and be objective.
Foxconn can implement different channel like telephone hotline or online reporting system like e-mail and web-based tools for all workers report any unethical problems. The identity of whistle-blowers will be kept anonymous, to protect the workers whom are afraid that they will lose their job. Committee will educate and ensure the workers that their identity will be anonymous, thus maximising the benefit that whistle blowing can help the company in the long-run as unethical acts will be investigated.
Integrity-based Ethics