Supervisors forced workers to overwork, toilet breaks during the shift were not allowed, employees had to attend unpaid meetings, and day and night shifts caused physical and mental issues whereas one day off within two weeks did not give the possibility to recover (Chan, 2013b). I contacted Apple during my reporting for this project. That's the same number of residents as California. Foxconn, worth $60 billion, is China’s leading employer with an estimated 1 million This issue is very important to consider for Foxconn, and even for Apple as the company is always committing to provide safe and healthy working conditions, fair wages, treat their employees with dignity and respect. Li Yue, a 21-year-old student, waits outside a recruiting kiosk outside a plant run by Foxconn in Zhengzhou, China. She's been on the job three months, moving from Shangqiu, a city of 7.4 million that's 140 miles east of here. And as soon as they leave their jobs, they're replaced by other workers, just as eager as Li to get started. Apple has defended its ethical standards after a newspaper reported factories in China rely on child labour, 24 hour days and unsafe conditions to manufacture iPhones, iPads and computers. Any job. Discussion threads can be closed at any time at our discretion. As absolutely gargantuan as Foxconn's facility is here, Zhengzhou can handle it. "In addition to this ambitious project with the FLA, we've been making steady progress in reducing excessive work hours throughout our supply chain," the company said in its statement. Its introduction in 2007 upended an entire industry and led the shift from desktop to mobile computing. The employees were working for long hours and under poor environment, which was detrimental to their health (Seele, 2012). That's particularly true as Foxconn opens new factories in inland cities, where opportunities are scarce. From the outside, the dorms look like apartment buildings you'd find in an American city. Mundane, yes. But even when Apple and Foxconn looked at its worst, Apple made headlines for all the right things (from an investor's standpoint): Its big profits and its popular new gadgets. The weekend violence is the latest in a growing list of incidents that have heightened concerns over conditions in factories that make iPhones and other high-volume tech products. On the other hand, Foxconn is a Chinese multinational company that attains contracts to manufacture electronic products for different companies around the world (McCullough, 2012). This isn't about disposable income to see a movie or pick up a cute pair of shoes. The idea of receiving higher pay hasn't dawned on her. What makes life hard at the giant plants that make iPhones and other staples of high-tech life? Late Sunday night, the Taiyuan factory, with more than 79,000 workers, was roiled by violence. The driver suggested we simply walk through the Foxconn gates, past the security guards. Both Foxconn and Pegatron, another contract manufacturer that assembles iPhones in China, declined my request to visit their facilities. The report said that some workers weren't compensated for their overtime. Ethical Issues Associate with the Company "Apple (Foxconn) Labor Conditions Ethical Issues Associate with the Company "Apple (Foxconn) Labor Conditions Introduction The problems of business ethics are as old as entrepreneurship. Apple-Foxconn has been facing publicity for the wrong reasons for the past five years. "They complain that they can't work more hours.". Managers can subject employees to harsh public ridicule that would be unthinkable in Western workplaces. She's referring to people like Li Yue, the new Foxconn recruit I met who hopped on the bus to Taiyuan. Similarly, Apple agreed to help Foxconn develop a counseling center so that workers could vent and express themselves (Weir). The issues culminated in 2010 when 14 employees working for the company committed suicide as a result of the pressure emanating from their job. -A Supplier Code of Conduct is used to set standards for suppliers such as Foxconn to follow government laws and international business policies. And she had read articles online about the working conditions at the company's plants. A New York Times investigation of the manufacturing of Apple products in China in January painted a picture of a company that wants to improve the workplace at its partners such as Foxconn but "falters when it conflicts with crucial supplier relationships or the fast delivery of new products.". But most workers with whom I spoke were unaware of the procedure or felt it yielded no results. "We insist that all of our suppliers provide safe working conditions, treat workers with dignity and respect, and use environmentally responsible manufacturing processes wherever our products are made.". "We track working hours weekly for over 700,000 workers and currently have 97 percent compliance with the 60-hour maximum workweek specified in our code of conduct.". You might think the complaint sounds familiar. The two of them haven't talked since she left home. Wages may be high compared with other jobs in China, but they are sometimes barely enough to cover rent in the huge dormitories in which employees typically live, and still leave workers with money to send to family members in villages who live on even less. Apple organization faces critical decisions in the pursuit for the economic success. -Apple does have an opportunity to cultivate better relationships with its current partners. The Washington D.C.-based Fair Labor Association is currently carrying out an Apple-sanctioned extensive study of work conditions at Apple's top eight suppliers in China, including Foxconn, the world's largest manufacturer with close to 1.2 million workers in China alone. ), "It's very hard to get a job at Foxconn," Li said, with her pink purse and a grocery bag full of food in her hand. Apple is a multinational company based in the United States. Litter is strewn on the streets and plastic bags tumble with the breeze. If it were a country, Henan would have the 12th largest population in the world, in an area roughly the size of Wisconsin. Foxconn, for its part, has tried to address issues as they’ve come up, making its factories safer and increasing pay to improve morale. But then, China is massive, with more than 1.3 billion residents. Apple is perceived as one of the dominant technological and innovative company providing the world with its technology. Apple is a multinational company based in the United States. The image depicts a typical factory floor at the facility where many consumer electronics pro… Subject: Apple and Foxconn controversy from the eye of the consumer Over the last couple years, Apple and Foxconn have been partaking in poor business methods thus causing them a … When Foxconn decided to raise the basic wage of its employees, workers said that they noticed a clear increase in production and their workload, most likely to offset the costs. This report focuses on the ethical issues and human rights violations the company Apple Computers Inc. was accused of for the inhuman treatment of the workers of its primary contractor Foxconn in China which is also a supplier to many well-known companies like Dell, Nokia, Nintendo etc. Cited Work Adams, S. (2012). "It is sad to say that to some extent, workers also yearn for the peak season because their base pay is insufficient to meet their basic needs, especially for those who have to support their dependents.". The ethical issues that are presented are low working conditions, low wages and long working hours. Use of child labor was also on the rise since children were providing a cheap source of labor that enabled the company to, To view this post and other posts in this category please pay the amount below. Despite this, Foxconn ultimately faced many ethical issues as a supply chain of Apple’s products. The Apple-sanctioned March 2012 report on Foxconn, which audited three of the company’s factories, found at least 50 issues violating the FLA code of conduct and Chinese labor law. They move among cities such as Taiyuan, Zhengzhou, Shenzhen, and others where iPhones are made as needs arise. 4 Recommendations (300 words) 5 Limitations. It cited "inadequate training and protection" for employees using chemicals in the production process. In conclusion, Apple's and Foxconn's violations were unacceptable. The company is involved with designing, developing, and selling of personal computers, computer software and other consumer electronics. Liang, who puts parts on iPhone motherboards, got in hot water with his boss for a mistake a few months earlier. For her, the answer is overtime. While impressions of working for Foxconn vary, one feeling is constant. It's fair to say that for most of them, the only time they'll hold a iPhone 5 is when they're putting one together. And in response to the wave of press coverage about and activist condemnation of the conditions at those plants, Apple Chief Executive Tim Cook took offense at any suggestion that the company is indifferent to the workers in its supply chain. And she had no qualms about paying the 150 renmimbi, or $24, for a bus ticket to Taiyuan, even for a job that pays 1,550 renminbi a month, about $244. All Rights Reserved. "They pay more than other companies.". There have been employee suicides, explosions at two plants that make Apple gadgets, and reports of harsh working conditions. She eventually would get a job with the company, but in its Taiyuan plant, a 10-hour bus ride away. Ben Sin … Recent ethical behavior of Apple was the touring and visiting of Foxconn factories in China to monitor the work conditions there. With our pay either that make Apple gadgets, and selling of personal computers, computer and. Dormitories are lined with vendors, most of the factory of thousands of people would... Inadequate training and protection '' for a mistake a few months earlier been corrected the dorms look like buildings! Subject employees to harsh public ridicule that would be unthinkable in Western workplaces write a! 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