Posted: July 7th, 2022

The book this came from is called Business Ethics V1 by James Brusseau (PhD, Philosophy). Who Made Your iPhone?

Place your order now for a similar assignment and have exceptional work written by our team of experts, At affordable rates

For This or a Similar Paper Click To Order Now

The book this came from is called Business Ethics V1 by James Brusseau (PhD, Philosophy).
Who Made Your iPhone?
Connie Guglielmo, a reporter for Bloomberg news services, begins an article on
Apple this way: “Apple Inc. said three of its suppliers hired 11 underage
workers to help build the iPhone, iPod, and Macintosh computer last year, a
violation uncovered as part of its onsite audit of 102 factories.”Connie
Guglielmo, “Apple Says Children Were Used to Building iPhone, iPod (Update1),”
Bloomberg, February 27, 2010, accessed May 11, 2011,
http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=newsarchive&sid=aiEeeQNHkrOY.
Her story adds details. The underage workers were fifteen in places where the
The minimum legal age for employment is sixteen. She wasn’t able to discover the
specific countries, but learned the infractions occurred in one or more of the
following: China, Taiwan, Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea, the
Czech Republic, and the Philippines.
Following the discovery, the employees were released, and disciplinary action
was taken against a number of foreign suppliers. In one case, Apple stopped
contracting with the company entirely.
The story closes with this: “Apple rose $2.62 to $204.62 yesterday in Nasdaq
Stock Market trading. The shares more than doubled last year.”
Chapter 1 What Is Business Ethics?
1.6 Case Studies 38
QUESTIONS
1. The ethical question is whether Apple ought to contract (through
suppliers) fifteen-year-olds to work on factory floors. Is the fact that the
stock price has been zooming up a pertinent fact, or does it not affect
the ethics? Explain.
2. From the information given and reasonable assumptions about these
factories and the living conditions of people working inside them,
sketch an ethical argument against Apple enforcing the age workplace
rule. What fundamental values underwrite the argument?
3. From the information given and reasonable assumptions about these
factories and the living conditions of people working inside them,
sketch an argument in favor of Apple enforcing the age workplace rule.
What fundamental values underwrite the argument?
4. Within the context of the Apple situation, what’s the difference between
making a decision in terms of the law and in terms of ethics?
5. Assume that in the countries where fifteen-year-olds were
working, it’s customary for children even younger to earn an
adult-type living.
â—¦ What is an advantage of following the local customs when
making economic decisions like the one confronting Apple?
â—¦ Does the custom of employing young workers in some
countries change your ethical consideration of the practice
in those places? Why or why not?
6. Attributing responsibility—blaming another for doing
wrong—requires that the following conditions hold:
â—¦ The person is able to understand right and wrong.
â—¦ The person acts to cause (or fails to act to prevent) a wrong.
◦ The person acts knowing what they’re doing.
â—¦ The person acts of their own free will.
Assuming it’s unethical for fifteen-year-olds to work factory
shifts making iPhones, who bears responsibility for the wrong?
â—¦ Do the fifteen-year-olds bear some responsibility? Explain.
â—¦ Does Steve Jobs, the CEO of Apple? Explain.
â—¦ Are shareholders guilty? Explain.
â—¦ Do people who use iPhones bear responsibility? Explain.

For This or a Similar Paper Click To Order Now