Apple case study

            In the case for apple, the ethical issue related to exploitation of employees especially in factories located in developing countries. Unfair treatment of employees negatively effects employee performance. Employees perform better when they feel as part of the organization (Meyer, 2019). Unfair treatment sends the message that the company values its interests more than the employees well being and this greatly affects their morale and overall performance.

            Exploitation of employees could disrupt the organizational culture at apple as it relies on innovation on the side of the employees. Apple’s organizational culture is creative innovation where employees are required to be creative and come up with ideas and products that challenge the conventions and bars set by society. Since the ethical issue impacts employee morale and their willingness to put in extra efforts, they are likely to be innovative and the company will find it difficult to innovate its products and thus disrupt the organizational culture.

            To remedy the situation, the company should strive to improve the working environment in all its premises, including those in developing countries. Apple should set up codes of conduct that seek to ensure that the needs of its employees are met and that they work in ideal environments (McGinn, 2018). The company should also enhance transparency as a way to build trust and showcase the changes implemented in an attempt to promote overall employee well being.

            There various ethical and moral belief systems that Apple could use to respond to the issue and they include individual, corporate and professional beliefs. Individual ethics and morals determine people’s behavior and their ability to discern right from wrong (Hare, 2019). Those operating under individual ethics may start to separate their interests from those of the company and thereby only do the bare minimum while at work.

            Corporate ethics relate to the ethics and beliefs upheld by the company. Organizations in different parts of the world may have different policies and opinions regarding the issue (Hare, 2019). Corporate ethics may influence the organization to use a corporate culture that offers equal opportunities to all employees, regardless of their geographic location.

            Professional ethics relate to the responsibility that the management holds as they are responsible for the employee and organizational well being. Managers may therefore strive to create an ideal working environment and issue fair compensation for the work the employees perform (Hare, 2019). Opportunities and rewards should be issued depending on work done rather than labor laws or other factors that have led to the exploitation of employees.

            The most appropriate and applicable belief system is corporate ethics. The company has a responsibility to ensure that all of its employees receive fair compensation and that they work in ideal environments (McGinn, 2018). Apple has the resources to ensure that its employees are not exploited even in regions where laws do not protect effectively employees.

            While personal and professional ethics could help to advocate for equal and fair treatment for all employees, there are a lot of barriers that they would have to overcome before any positive change occurs (McGinn, 2018). Furthermore, any change implemented would have to be approved by the company thus making corporate ethics the most ideal approach to resolve the issue.

Stakeholders should therefore advocate for change in the company’s international culture to ensure that all employees are treated equally and fairly across geographic barriers. Stakeholders can garner support from the government, influential people in society and the general public to advocate for the need for ideal working environments. Stakeholders can also help rebuild the positive image that people associate with Apple thus reduce the damage caused to the company’s image and brand.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

References

Hare J, (2019) “Religion and Morality” Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, retrieved    from, https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/religion-morality/

Meyer P, (2019) “Apple Inc.’s organizational culture and its characteristics (An    analysis)” Panmore Institute, retrieved from, http://panmore.com/apple-inc-        organizational-culture-features-            implications#:~:text=Apple's%20Organizational%20Culture%20Type%20and,tha t%20challenges%20conventions%20and%20standards.

McGinn, R. E. (2018). The ethical engineer: Contemporary concepts and cases.    Princeton University Press