Hoping to gain experience in their field of study, it has become commonplace for university students to look for internships at prominent companies. In fact, as reported in the Economist’s 2013 article Are Unpaid Internships Illegal?, nearly two-thirds of college students will have interned somewhere before graduation. But are these unpaid work experiences ethical? From a surface level, this system compromises the social norm of bartering work for compensation. The students, eager to gain experience in hopes of furthering their resume and broadening future job opportunities, turn a blind eye to the ethical quagmire they are taking part in. On a deeper level, unpaid internships cause a threat to the company. According to R. Edward Freeman’s explanation of Stakeholder Theory, employees are driven by incentives, and, without them, deem it unnecessary to produce top-quality work. This will often cause a business to decline. In their current state, the interns, filling the niche of employees, do not feel obligated to work at optimum levels. However, based on Freeman’s teachings, should these interns be compensated through minimum-wage income or promises of future employment, they would realize the benefit of helping the company prosper and work harder. All withstanding, these reason illustrate the benefits of compensating interns in one way or another.

  TW. “Are Unpaid Internships Illegal?” The Economist. The Economist Newspaper, 07 Sept. 2014. Web. 09 Sept. 2014. Click here for article. What Is Stakeholder Theory? Perf. R. Edward Freeman. Institute for Corporate Ethics, 2009. Youtube Video. “The New World Slavery.” First Reference, n.d. Web. 2014.