Analysis of Apple Inc.'s Ethical Issues

ANALYSIS OF APPLE INC.'S ETHICAL ISSUES
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Apple Inc. Introduction
Apple Inc., a technology giant known for its ingenuity and iconic products, is admired and scrutinized. Apple's evolution and complex worldwide supply chains may be understood from its 1976 founding to its current status as a technology giant. As technology firms operate in various countries and continents, ethical concerns, particularly labor practices, have grown. Apple's Supplier Code of Conduct and public remarks express its ethical and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) values. Although these principles have been declared, Apple Inc.'s capacity to implement them has been criticized, particularly in labor rights. Apple's ethical issues are examined through Foxconn, its primary manufacturer. This essay examines Foxconn's labor rights transgressions in China, a distinct ethical challenge for the corporation. The goal is to analyze labor rights breaches in its supply chain and touch on privacy and environmental issues to give a complete picture of Apple's ethics.
Background of Research
Understanding Apple Inc.'s ascend to prominence and the technology industry's complexity is essential to analyzing its ethical challenges. Apple Inc., a worldwide technological giant, has been criticized for its ethical operations and supply chain practices. This research's background and context must be established first. Apple's history from 1976 to its current standing as a technology giant reveals its complex supply chain (Vliert, 2021, pp.1-2). The technology industry's growing globalization, complex supply chains, and substantial outsourcing contextualize Apple and other tech giants' ethical issues. The Supplier Code of Conduct and Supplier Responsibility Reports demonstrate Apple's commitment to ethics in its operations. Apple's code of conduct stresses labor and human rights, ethics, environment, and management systems (Rashid, 2021, p.150).
Organization/Industry Discussion
Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne created Apple in 1976. Apple is a worldwide technology powerhouse recognized for its iPhone, iPad, Mac computers, and software and services (Naik and Pai, 2018, pp.68-70). Apple's products are popular globally due to their quality and innovation. China is home to Apple's main manufacturing partners, making it vital to its supply chain. Apple outsources and partners with Foxconn because its business philosophy is to make cutting-edge devices and maximize revenues (Clarke and Boersma, 2015, p.119). The IT industry, recognized for its rapid growth, global reach, and complicated supply chains, has prioritized labor rights. Apple's labor practices and supply chain treatment of workers have been under the ethical microscope, with Foxconn, a major Apple supplier in China, being the most documented example (Li, Haque and Chapple, 2023, p.2).
Key Issue Discussion, Analysis, and Evaluation
Labor Rights Violations at Foxconn
Foxconn, Apple's main manufacturer, is a prime example of the labor rights violations that have tarnished Apple's reputation. Even though it's vital for Apple's prosperity, the firm has received criticism concerning breaching employee rights numerous times. The most disturbing of these claims are the worker deaths in the late 2000s and early 2010s (Clarke and Boersma, 2015, pp.119-120). These suicides protested poor working conditions, low pay, and excessive stress. During this time, many Foxconn workers committed suicide, highlighting their poor working conditions (Chen and Lao, 2021, p.2682). Long hours, dull tasks, and cramped dorms plagued workers, resulting in a shocking and devastating suicide wave. After these occurrences, it became clear that technology industry labor rights, especially in low-wage countries, needed change. Apple responded to the Foxconn problem with comprehensive audits, investigations, and enhanced corporate social responsibility. Apple, a key Foxconn client, indirectly supervised factory labor conditions (Chen and Lao, 2021, p.2678).
Evaluation of Apple's reaction goes beyond utilitarianism to deontology. Deontologically, Apple was morally obligated to maintain fair labor practices in its supplier chain, regardless of the costs or repercussions. Apple, a business known for its principles and ethics, should fix labor rights issues in its supplier chain. The contract between the corporation, its suppliers, and the workforce implied a specific quality of labor treatment. However, Apple established "supplier responsibility" to improve the supplier's environment and fight against human rights and environmental violations (Sodhi and Tang, 2020, p.13). Virtue ethics emphasizes morality and character development. Apple's efforts to resolve labor rights breaches may constitute a moral gesture. The corporation took responsibility for its conduct and worked to improve labor conditions. Virtue ethics emphasizes morality. Foxconn also highlights accountability difficulties in complicated, globalized supply chains. Apple increased transparency as a CSR response. Supplier Responsibility Reports detail supplier audit results and demonstrate the company's labor rights commitment.
Privacy Violations
Technology businesses now prioritize privacy, and Apple's response to the 2015 San Bernardino shooting illustrates the delicate balance between privacy and national security. The December 2015 San Bernardino massacre by two terrorists killed 14 and injured 22 (Mukul, Rao and Kundu, 2021, p.17). An iPhone used by the attackers became vital evidence in the investigation. Apple declined the FBI's request to unlock the iPhone, stating it would violate user privacy and set a dangerous precedent (Miller and Bossomaier, 2021, p.139). Apple's San Bernardino position shows its dedication to customer privacy. The computer giant refused to help the FBI on deontological and rights-based grounds. Apple's decision is deontologically founded on individual rights and privacy. Consequentialist ethics also illuminates Apple's position. Apple's choice may be a consequentialist attempt to prevent backdoor usage. The fear was that establishing a backdoor to unlock the iPhone would present far-reaching implications, possibly compromising the security of all iPhones and risking user data (Macnish, 2021, p.159).
The case demonstrates how challenging it is for computer companies to blend security and privacy responsibly. The San Bernardino case trig...