Apples Ethics and Social Responsibility Essay

apples ethics and social tariffIn researching the apple fellowships Social (Supplier) and ethical responsibilities I found that their initiatives are geared toward Empowering Workers, labor & Human Rights, health & Safety, Environment and Accountability. I think their approach is interesting scarce I feel that a w alone(a)oping company the likes of orchard apple tree can do panache more(prenominal) for the local communities and country as a whole. Apples stance on empowering their reporters is a wonderful thing. I think more companies need to take in that a happy workforce makes for an everywhereall greater employee and customer experience. Apple Inc. employs staff all everywhere the world and is committed to treating employees with respect and dignity. The company provides educational resources for all of their employees big(a) them the opportunity to earn an undergrad degree.Apple has very spicy standards and expectations in the industry. They provide their employe es with the appropriate tools necessary to meet the high blockade set forrad communicate and maintain a unassailable and respectable workplace. Training on the Apples enrol of Conduct is mandatory for all fresh and existing employees. When it comes to Labor & Human Rights Apple is committed to decision excessive work hours, providing a foundation for ethical employment, proceeding underage compass, stopping excessive recruitment fees and bonded labor and responsible sourcing of minerals. Apple only does business with companies that uphold the highest commitment to Human Rights. Apple has very high standards in Health & Safety, Environment and Accountability.They believe that every worker has the right to a safe and tidy workplace. Improving health and safety is essential and all workers receive the appropriate education on the topic. whole apple suppliers must work alongside of apple to reduce their environmental impact and use a number of methods to identify risks. Apple b elieves in accountability for themselves and suppliers and has strengthened their code of conduct to meet the responsibility standards. In my impression Apple has not quite met theirSocial Responsibility standards, and can do more. In 2012 the NY Post handleed that Apple was trying to get rid of the re dedicateation as stingiest company. They made over $150 million in charitable donations split between multiple organizations that year. They donated 500,000 to SF Gives in May of 2014. precisely giving back has never been an immediate priority of Apple as Steve Jobs stated. Not to mention all of the negative publicity Apple has received in reference to the on the job(p) conditions of their abroad warehouses.Apples ReputationHave you ever heard the saying you are guilty by association? alas that is the way the world works. Foxconn is the main producer of Apples products along with a number of otherwise well- cognise companies. Based out of China the Foxconn-Apple warehouse that employs over 500,000 workers has been in the media in recent days regarding violation of the Labor & Human rights laws. In July 2009, an employee at the Foxconn warehouse that makes iPad committed suicide after his pedestal was raided he was badly beaten and humiliated over a missing iPh whiz. In a report released in early 2011 by the Guardian there were a large number of suicides from Foxconn-Apple facilities in China. It is give tongue to that the tragic suicides were a result of the employees being overworked and deplorable working conditions.The guardian in addition reported in late 2012 91 children working at one of Apples Foxconn suppliers which is almost ten times more than what was reported in the previous years. This does not meet the very high standards set forth by the company in the eyes of the general public. In 2009, 137 employees were poisoned by n-hexane use at one of the Apple- Wintek LCD plants in East China. N-Hexane is a narcotic that attacks the nervous sy stem when exposed to it. This poison was apply for drying touchscreens in order to speed up production to fill larger orders received by the factory. virtually of the workers impacted were forced to resign and absolve Wintek of all future responsibility. It is rumored that Apple and Wintek were very slow to fight down to the incidents. Apples reputation has definitely taken a hit from the negative publicity surrounding their overseas suppliers.In an effort to clean all of this up Apple has vowed to eliminate child labor and excessive work hours throughout the bump off supply chain. They want to ensure that the supplier code of conduct is being enforce and practiced at all times.Foxconn has taken steps to prevent future suicide attempts by installation preventative suicide nets around their buildings, providing counselling and requiring employees to sign a no-suicide agreement prior to employment. Apple has to a fault prohibited the use of n-hexane and states that the product is no longer in use at any installation associated with the company.Suppliers Adherence to Wage and Benefit StandardsThe various labor practice violations among Apples suppliers still detain very high. In 2012 China Watch reported- after investigating the working conditions of 10 of Apple-Foxconn facilities. They determined that it was not only the Foxconn facilities with deplorable work conditions, unless it exists deep down Apples supply chain. According to epi.org Apple itself finds that in more than 28% of cases, suppliers are not compliant with the salary and benefit standards set. In early 2012 the Fair Labor Association (FLA) conducted a month long investigation and uncovered significant issues at triad Foxconn facilities in China. Among the issues found were -excessive overtime, issues being compensated for overtime, severe communication gaps which led to unsafe working conditions amongst the workers and an overall unhealthy deplorable environment.Although Apple is com mitted to ensuring fair Labor and Human rights, they should take spare steps to enforce their Supplier Responsibility Standards. Id first recommend for the company to own a significant increase in the number of independent audits performed annually on overseas warehouses. This volition help ensure that employees are not working excessive overtime or receiving lower than stripped-down wages. Communication is an absolute necessity in large warehouses, and every incident should be documented. The audits can also be vital in making sure that the workers are in a reasonably safe and healthy environment. Apple Inc. needs substantial improvement in the realm of transparency and secrecy in order to eliminate labor rights abuses by its suppliers.The majority of the companys secretive practices involve the complete supply chain. Some of their factories are said to be gated off and have police /security to prevent trespassing, workers must sign confidentiality agreements and live in dorms within the factories. Apple reports the percentage of their suppliers that violate the code of conduct, but will not release the names of the actual facilities that were not compliant. The company needs to bemore forthcoming and discontinue the secretive practices that prevent the general public from observing working conditions and business practices within its suppliers.Customer LoyaltyApple has a very loyal customer base despite the frightful acts the company has been associated with throughout the years. In my opinion, most of their customers are working class and know how vital it is to be reasonably compensated for their work. Apples customers may have some concerns if the prices increase, but they will acquire the products. You may have a customer like me that feels like the received price point of Apples products is already high. There are four Apple products in my home 1- IPad 1-Ipad mini 1-MacBook and an IPhone 5s totaling dummy up to $4,000 retail. That is how much Ap ple made from 1 household in a matter of a year. If all of their customers are paying those types of prices, that is more than enough for Apple to ensure that all workers have reasonable wage and benefit packages.This is a company that has customers waiting in line for days to buy new innovative products regardless of the price. Apple is known for making a higher profit by paying overseas companies next to nothing for production. As I previously stated Apple customers are very loyal. I believe the customers would pay more for products if the prices increased. Simply because once you start using apple products its like you have to have the next best thing. They definitely live up to the reputation of providing new engineering and innovative top of the line products. The company may receive negative feedback from current and new customers, but they will still buy the products out of necessity.Apples Marketing ApproachIn my opinion Apples overall commercialiseing strategy is one of t he best in the industry. Anytime a new IPhone is released customers wait in line for days leading up to just to get the latest and greatest. Online orders go through the roof and the waiting lists get quite long. So clearly Apple is doing something right to market their products to customers. According to Forbes magazine Apple is such a great marketer that they won the 2012 CMO Survey lay out for Marketing Excellence and has been the co-winner for five consecutive years. In the late 1970s Apple adopted a 3 point marketing philosophy that remains at the core of their brand today. The originalthree points are Empathy, Focus and Impute and are taken into consideration when implementing current market strategies. Apple is known to have top of the line products and technicians to match.Their employees are very knowledgeable and eager to assist in giving their customers the best experience possible. That will take any company a very long way as customer satisfaction and experience is vit al to the success of any business. On paper Apple looks great, but in order to improve its competitive advantage in the global marketplace a few recommendations should be made. The Apple logo is one of the most recognized, respected and trusted names in the world today. Apple has already established competitive advantage in the global marketplace around constructing a top of the line, small and innovative product line.I feel like they should continue to put time and resources into capitalizing on the advantage and enhancing the reputation of the Apple brand. Things appear to be going great for Apple, but achieving an ongoing competitive advantage requires constant monitoring of the organizations competitive landscape. Openness to rethinking the companys current advantages is vital in remaining competitive.Works CitedApple Inc. (2013). Supplier Responsibility Standards. http//www.apple.com/supplier-responsibility/pdf/Apple_Supplier_Responsibility_Standards.pdf. China Labor Watch. (20 12). beyond FoxconnDeplorable Working Conditions Characterize Apples Entire Supply. http//www.chinalaborwatch.org/news/new-415.html. Christine Moorman, Forbes. (2012). Why is Apple a Great Marketer. http//www.forbes.com/sites/christinemoorman/2012/07/10/why-apple-is-a-great-marketer/. Connie Guglielmo, Forbes. (2012). Apples Supplier Labor Practices In China Scrutinized After Foxconn, Pegatron Reviews. http//www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/2013/12/12/apples-labor-practices-in-china-scrutinized-after-foxconn-pegatron-reviewed/. Dunstan Pria, Fox. (2012). Apples Chinese Manufacturer To Fix Labor Violations. http//www.foxbusiness.com/industries/2012/03/29/apples-chinese-manufacturer-to-fix-labor-violations/. Fair Labor Association. (2012). FAIR LABOR ASSOCIATION SECURES COMMITMENT TO LIMIT WORKERS HOURS, PROTECT PAY ATAPPLES LARGEST SUPPLIER. http//www.fairlabor.org/blog/entry/fair-labor-association-secures-commitment-limit-workers-hours-protect-pay-apples-largest. Scott Nova, Isa ac Shapiro, EPI. (2012). Polishing Apple Fair Labor Association gives Foxconn and Apple undue recognise for labor rights progress. http//www.epi.org/publication/bp352-polishing-apple-fla-foxconn-labor-rights/.