Steven Saltzman
Article Summary
Zhiyan Chen
2-16-2013
The Washington Post: Apple’s Tim Cook faces leadership challenge on labor issues by Jena McGregor 03/30/2012
This article talks about the Apple’s challenge on labor issues. A new report from the Fair Labor Association indicates that there are a lot of problems of Foxconn, one of Apple’s major suppliers. The study found at least 50 issues related to the organization’s code of conduct and Chinese labor law, namely the number of hours worked per week by Foxconn workers. The average time worked at each of the three factories in question was more than 60 hours per week during peak production periods. The key ethical issue of Apple is the international issues. Recently, Apple seems to be having many supplier problems. That includes excessive working hours, health and safety pertaining to production facilities, child labor and damaging the environment. In the article, the new apple CEO Tim Cook really cares those problems. Both Foxconn and Apple agreed with the report’s finding and said they would work to implement the Fair Labor Association’s suggestions. And Apple has begun releasing the names of its suppliers since January. The author think that Apple leads the industry in brand reputation and breakthrough products, it will need to lead the industry on this issue as well, urging competitors to follow suit and establishing best practices with suppliers for others to emulate. In the textbook, author also thinks that the business ethic is important for the development of a company. The ability to recognize and deal with complex business ethic issues has become a significant priority in twenty-first –century companies. Ethical decisions are a part of everyday life for those who work in organizations. Making good ethical decision is just as important to business success as mastering marketing, finance and accounting decisions. Business ethics have a lot of benefits. It contributes to employment