In the year 2012, Samsung was investigated for using illegal labor practices in their China manufacturers. The allegations of this case were that the employees at this manufacturer were in some cases working 16-hour days with one day off per month, and they were also found hiring employees under the legal working age of 16 years of age.
According to Friedman’s theory of individualism, the only obligation that the business has is to maximize profit for the owner and stockholders. Samsung’s manufacturer in China was trying to cut their costs and maximize their profit by hiring younger employees and overusing overtime. This would be deemed ethical by individualists, but they used illegal methods to maximize profit.
This shows arrogance, which is not fair for these young people who have to make a living without the help of their parents. People should not be using other people to make profits, but help out each other because we are bound to learn from anyone, at anytime.
http://businessethicscases.blogspot.ca/2013/04/samsung-illegal-labor-practices-2012.html
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