Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies
Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies
Wanda Joyce McGhee Dr. Malinda Swigart
Business 508
July 13, 2014
Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies
There is no question that Apple is a remarkable company. In addition to its business turnaround, its innovative design, and its media content and apps, the unadulterated sexiness of all its products makes Apple hard to resist. For me, what isn’t hard to resist, is asking: How can a company that is this extraordinary in other respects be missing in action on corporate social responsibility? Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Report reveals that the company is taking action to stop unethical practices among its suppliers. These have included use of underage labor at 10 facilities, dangerous working conditions at two facilities, falsification of audit materials at four facilities, and bribery at one facility (Forbes, 2014).
Apples Current Position on Ethics and Social Responsibility
Recently, Apple released a list of suppliers that accounts for 97% of the company’s supply chain expenses. The company also became the first technology enterprise to join the Fair Labor Association, which works to improve labor conditions and boasts such members as Nike, Adidas, and H&M. The increased transparency is welcome after a spate of bad press regarding overseas supplier Foxconn and others raised doubt about Apple’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Apple’s public image has the rosy glow of a crisp Gala. A national survey conducted by the New York Times in November 2011 found that 56% of respondents couldn’t think of anything negative about the company, while 14% cited expense as the worst thing about Apple. A mere 2% noted overseas labor practices, but that may be changing with recent stories about appalling labor practices in some of Apple’s suppliers in China picking up pace after the report.
The new year ushered in a provocative radio report titled
Wanda Joyce McGhee Dr. Malinda Swigart
Business 508
July 13, 2014
Corporate Responsibility and Marketing Strategies
There is no question that Apple is a remarkable company. In addition to its business turnaround, its innovative design, and its media content and apps, the unadulterated sexiness of all its products makes Apple hard to resist. For me, what isn’t hard to resist, is asking: How can a company that is this extraordinary in other respects be missing in action on corporate social responsibility? Apple’s Supplier Responsibility Report reveals that the company is taking action to stop unethical practices among its suppliers. These have included use of underage labor at 10 facilities, dangerous working conditions at two facilities, falsification of audit materials at four facilities, and bribery at one facility (Forbes, 2014).
Apples Current Position on Ethics and Social Responsibility
Recently, Apple released a list of suppliers that accounts for 97% of the company’s supply chain expenses. The company also became the first technology enterprise to join the Fair Labor Association, which works to improve labor conditions and boasts such members as Nike, Adidas, and H&M. The increased transparency is welcome after a spate of bad press regarding overseas supplier Foxconn and others raised doubt about Apple’s commitment to corporate social responsibility (CSR). Apple’s public image has the rosy glow of a crisp Gala. A national survey conducted by the New York Times in November 2011 found that 56% of respondents couldn’t think of anything negative about the company, while 14% cited expense as the worst thing about Apple. A mere 2% noted overseas labor practices, but that may be changing with recent stories about appalling labor practices in some of Apple’s suppliers in China picking up pace after the report.
The new year ushered in a provocative radio report titled
References: Examine Apple’s Core: Will CSR Prevail? (2012). Business & the Environment, 23(3), 7-8. Forbs (2014) Lisa Jackson Vice President of Environmental Initiatives www.insidebusiness360.com › Management › Management Ethics Two Faces of Apple PRAKASH SETHI APRIL, 2012 The Secret Behind Apple 's Loyal Customer Base Apr. 11, 2007 9:32 AM ET| About: Apple Inc