Apple has recently been in the news and not for new product releases and technology innovations, but because of harsh working conditions in its Foxconn factories in China. An article by the NYT, stated that there is “excessive overtime”, employees “live in crowded rooms”, “they stand so long that their legs swell until they can hardly work”, and they have “under-aged workers”. Moreover, there have been reports of suicides and deaths.
Although it’s true Apple is not the only tech firm whose products are being manufactured in those factories, the majority of “Foxconn’s 1.2 million employees are involved in assembling Apple products”. This represents a serious ethical business issue, such as that of Nike’s sweatshops during the 1990’s. Even though both cases are considerably different in magnitude, they share some similarities that should start to raise concern among Apple executives.
It not a surprise that firms, looking to cut costs, have increasingly been shifting production towards development countries over the last decade. However, it’s clear that Apple being one of the most profitable companies in the US can afford to invest much more towards improving the lives and working conditions of these workers. They should learn from Nike’s mistake and put more attention towards this ethical issue.
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