September 30th, 2010 § § permalink
Here, we grumble and mumble about Tourism B.C.’s expensive star-studded “You Gotta Be Here” Campaign. Millions of tax-payers went to movie stars and sports legends to hock our coasts and mountains. Our neighbours over in Alberta are rumbling about quite the opposite. An advertisement campaign launched by Corporate Ethics International is urging travelers to stay away from the Rockies and Lake Jasper.
Displeased with the provincial government’s support of oil sands, “Rethink Alberta” compares Alberta to the recent Mexican Gulf Oil Spill and the plundering of Pandora. Pulling at heart-strings and attracting eye-balls, our sister province has gained plenty of unwanted attention. Alberta’s brand image has been tarnished. Regardless of what the reality of the oil industry may be, it is the perception that matters. Many American and British travelers are choosing another destination.
Conceded, we do need to consider the moral implications of our choices. What troubles me, however, is the people who are impacted by “Re-think Alberta”. Instead of Big Oil, it is the ordinary Albertans in the travel and service sectors who are suffering.
This campaign needs to rethink.
September 9th, 2010 § § permalink
The world’s largest electric component maker, Foxconn, makes waves as the producer of trendy gadgets like the iPad and the iPhone. Earlier this year, it made waves with quite an unusual trend—worker suicides. Over a five month period, a rash of 13 suicide attempts were made by employees of Foxconn’s Shenzhen based plant, resulting in 10 deaths. Suicide-prevention netting was installed and workers were asked to sign no-suicide pledges.
Foxconn came under scrutiny concerning its employment practices, with reports of long work hours and discrimination. As the largest employers in the region, the company has a significant social impact. From a strictly commercial standpoint, the impact of low worker morale and negative public image are worrisome for Foxconn. Even Milton Friedman can’t find anything wrong with the management rushing to improve worker wages.
Corporations, while being commercial enterprises remain a part of our society and can’t escape that obligation. Sweatshops are morally repulsive to all human beings and as such, should not exist. After all, sprawling numbers on spreadsheets do not have any tangible meaning for the ordinary citizen. Without ethics, corporations are cancerous moles, mindlessly expanding, unsightly, and potentially fatal—as the Foxconn workers know too well.
