Link to classmate Chris Williamson’s Blog Post: https://blogs.ubc.ca/sauderchriswilliamson/2012/09/12/world-trembles-over-iphone-5-apple-employees-tremble-for-other-reasons-all-together/
I was completely shocked to hear about Apple’s controversial treatment of their employees. One would think a company creating products as advanced as Apple does would be just as advanced in their philosophies on labour rights.
I agree fully with Chris’s views on this issue. Behind all of Apple’s sleek products, which seem to be the definition of “modern,” there lies an ugliness experienced only by those manufacturing its products – those who may never get the opportunity to use a Apple product in their lifetimes.
Ethics and profit do not have to be on opposite sides of the spectrum – it’s not about sacrificing one for the other. Take Toms for example. This shoe company has started a footwear revolution with the best of intentions: each pair of shoes purchased is matched with a pair for a child in need. Employee training goes beyond the mechanics of making shoes; each employee is trained to become a global citizen. This is business with ethics in mind.
http://www.toms.com/manufacturing-practices
Toms has started a footwear revolution.
Why is it that to most, the Apple logo symbolizes a new generation and transformation rather than inhumane practices, money-prioritizing, and controversy. What has Apple done so RIGHT that they can escape explosive public controversy that other great companies like Nike (http://www.stanford.edu/class/e297c/trade_environment/wheeling/hnike.html) have not been able to?
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