Introduction
International business ethics especially the topic of business ethics and social responsibility is a complex issue because ethical standards vary depending on which country you are in . Poor working conditions, child labour and low wages despite the many hours per week are just some of the violations that some companies listed in the case study are in violation (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . There is increase in emphasis on the corporate responsibilities of large organizations from developed nations that have subcontracted their labor force from the developing countries to impose their ethical standards in order to avoid some of the injustices that take place in these countries. Some of the countries that provide the cheap labor force include China, South east Asia, Central and South America.
Question 1.
The observation noted by the executive in the case study ,stating that they are damned as large companies when they exploit and still damn if they don’t because the foreign companies don’t develop is observed and experienced as we see some of the big companies subcontracting for a cheaper labor force, as there is a cheap labor market in the developing countries, e.g., China and South East Asia (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . These large organizations, for example, Nike have been noted for indulging in unethical practices such as not paying workers a fair wage, employing children under the required legal age and having unsafe working conditions which even led to some workers committing suicide as seen in the case study. These practices should be done away with because it is an unethical business code of conduct when a company violates humans’ rights to cut down on costs to maximize profit margins.
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Question 2.
I would not employ a 12-year-old child in my company even if it were legal to do so because I believe it is the right for every child to get an education so as to have equal opportunities as the rest of the children. Additionally, minor employees would most probably be less productive as they are not fully developed and require closer supervision than other staff. Minor employees are mostly unfamiliar with various operations at the workplace and because of this,they are exposed to health risks in the work place which might lead to health complications therefore affecting their growth and development.
Question 3.
It’s just not fair to pay people pennies on the dollar while you reap massive profits. It is ethical to pay workers based on the benefit that you gain from the input you get from them. Paying employees meager amounts an hour can be compared to slavery and is not right even if the workers are happy or okay with it (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . Structures should be put in place to ensure that there is a minimum wage and limit to the number of hours employees can work in a given week despite providing additional payments for overtime.
Question 4.
Educational opportunities should be made available to each child laborer to give them equal opportunities as the other children that are in school. Moreover, children should be provided with education to avoid trapping them in poverty. Most children laborers have poor living conditions due to poverty as they are most often paid meager wages for the physical work in the farms and industries despite health risks that they face in their workplaces (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . It is arguably evident that the health and well being of a child laborer is at risk every day that they go out to the fields to work and it is by giving them an opportunity for an education that they will be set free from the cycle of poverty.
Question 5.
Apple was not seized by the public, and their products were not boycotted because immediately after the labor issues emerged they conducted an audit and then listed all their suppliers to the public to promote transparency in dealing with the issue. By doing that, they identified the subcontractors that were in violation of their business ethics code of conduct and penalized and even dropped some of the suppliers (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . Apple showed that they are committed to providing safe and fair working conditions throughout their supply chain. The company still showed its commitment by carrying out regular specialized audits, having transparent reporting and introducing educational programs that enrich the lives of the workers producing their products especially the underage children that worked in the industries. Apple eventually was admitted to the Fair Labor Association as the only technology company in the association.
Conclusion
The large organizations should uphold the business ethics and social responsibility by refusing to be associated with contractors that provide cheap labor from child employees or by underpaying workers. Big organizations should sacrifice their profits to uphold human rights in the undeveloped countries however hard it may be to stop the exploitation for larger profits (Griseri & Seppala,2014) . The NGO ’s and activists should also keep pressing on for human rights in the working conditions and pay because the truth is that most companies need to be issued with threats so that they do not get involved unethical practices. The consumers should then boycott from buying goods sold by the unethical companies because in doing so, they will be indirectly fighting for human rights.
References
Griseri, P., & Seppala, N. (2014). Business ethics and corporate social responsibility . Cengage Learning.
