Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay

Business Ethics Wages And Working Conditions Commerce Essay International business ethics is a particularly complex issue as ethical standards are different depending on where you are. Corporate governance, bribery, corruption, working conditions and targeted marketing are all issues that require organisations to establish an ethical standpoint from which they can work on. There is an increasing emphasis on the corporate responsibility of large organisations from developed nations and the way they operate in third world countries. Many nations now impose their ethical standards on developing countries even though they themselves have been guilty of arguably unethical practices in the past. For example, the poor working conditions suffered in the third world were commonplace during the industrialisation of many western economies. Some of the most common international ethical issues surround the environment, child labour, working standards and conditions, targeting marketing to vulnerable individuals and corruption. Unethical practices include not paying workers a fair wage, employing children under the legal working age and unsafe or unsanitary working conditions. Any practices that are not in compliance with fair labor standards and federal working guidelines fall into this category. 2.2Some of the Types of Unethical Practises Relating To Wages and Working Conditions 2.2.1Child labor   Even today, millions of children in developing countries such as India, Indonesia, and Pakistan are doing hard labor for miniscule payment. Nike and Reebok, as well as other major businesses, have been accused of buying goods from subcontractors which we are produced by child labor. Alongside of this, there have been strong allegations that China is using the free of price labors of prisoners to produce exportable materials. It seems that businesses are sacrificing human rights in order to cut costs. 2.2.2Exploitation of workers (by paying them low wages) Paying extremely low amounts an hour is not far from  slave labor, even if workers are happy with their pay. People should be paid a fair wage based on the benefit you gain from them, not what the fair wage is based on the standards in their economy. If people work for you at pennies on the dollar, and you reap massive profits because of that in other words, they do the work and you keep the money its simply  not fair. Why should one group do most of the work for enough money to survive, while another group becomes stinking rich? Reason behind International Businesses Acting Ethically or Unethically Advantages and disadvantages for a business to act ethically The advantages of ethical behaviour include: Higher revenues demand from positive consumer support Improved brand and business awareness and recognition Better employee motivation and recruitment New sources of finance e.g. from ethical investors The disadvantages claimed for ethical business include: Higher costs e.g. sourcing from Fair-trade suppliers rather than lowest price Higher overheads e.g. training communication of ethical policy A danger of building up false expectations 2.4Recommendations for Businesses to Act Ethically There are ways to curb unethical practices these include having pressure groups, aiming to motivate people to choose morality over greed. 2.4.1 Pressure Groups Businesses and industries increasingly find themselves facing  external pressure  to improve their ethical track record.   An interesting feature of the rise of consumer activism online has been increased scrutiny of business activities. Pressure groups are a good example of this. Pressure groups are external stakeholders they Tend to focus on activities ethical practice of multinationals or industries with ethical issues Combine direct and indirect action can damage the target business or industry Some examples of business-related pressure groups can be found from the following links: Direct consumer action  is another way in which business ethics can be challenged. Consumers may take action against: Businesses they consider to be unethical in some ways (e.g. animal furs) Business acting irresponsibly Businesses that use business practices they find unacceptable Consumer action can also be positive supporting businesses with a strong ethical stance record.   A good example of  this is Fair trade. 2.4.2 Choosing Morality versus Greed Even though $300 USD a month may not seem like much to someone living in a developed country, in Thailand, or Romania, the Philippines, or India, its above the average monthly wage. Sometimes as much as three times the average wage in that country, meaning this person is actually very well off when  compared to others in their country. That money affords the worker a quality lifestyle in their homeland. It may even provide enough money for them to support their family, which no one is going to argue, is a bad thing. Throw in a few bonuses, some extra incentives for good work, and you have a situation where you feel like you are empowering someone and saving them from a situation where they might otherwise be earning half that money doing something like washing dishes. Solution to many international ethic practices lies in the development of international agreements and code of ethics. 2.4.3 Standardized and Strict Laws against Unethical Behavior. Basic laws should be made to protect human rights. Although laws, traditions and beliefs may differ in different countries a basic set of laws should be followed in order to safeguard human rights. 3. Introdution to Apple Organization of Apple was established in 1976 as a computer company. However, in the last decade, Apple has expanded into a complex company that specializes in much more than just computers. In 2001, Apple broke the barrier with the iPod, eventually becoming the dominant market leader in music players. In following, Apple joined the phone industry in 2007 with the iPhone, which has also been widely successful. Apple is known as a consumer goods company; therefore evaluating its value requires understanding its products and consumers. This would be very challenging where Apple competes with many different companies throughout the different industries it takes part in. 4. Unethical Practices by Apple. Apple outsources the production of its goods to countries where labour is cheap. One of apples biggest plants is Foxconn which is located in Schengen, China. Thats why the prices of iPhones and iPads in America and Europe are so cheap. Despite the products being cheap Apple makes super-high profits. This is only possible because iPhones and iPads are made with labor practices that would be illegal in the United States. And its also disconcerting to realize that the folks who make our iPhones and iPads not only dont have iPhones and iPads (because they cant afford them), but, in some cases, have never even seen them. 4.1 Illegal and Poor working conditions Foxconn is a plant in Shenzhen China where apple products are made. Foxconn doesnt really check ages. There are on-site inspections, from time to time, but Foxconn always knows when theyre happening. And before the inspectors arrive, Foxconn just replaces the young-looking workers with older ones. Most of the factory floors are vast rooms filled with 20,000-30,000 workers apiece. The rooms are quiet: Theres no machinery, and theres no talking allowed. When labour costs so little, theres no reason to build anything other than by hand. The official work day in China is 8 hours long, but the standard shift is 12 hours. Generally, these shifts extend to 14-16 hours, especially when theres a hot new gadget to build. The workers stay in dormitories. In a 12-by-12 cement cube of a room, Daisey counts 15 beds, stacked like drawers up to the ceiling. Normal-sized Americans would not fit in them. Unions are illegal in China. Anyone found trying to unionize is sent to prison. One group talked about using hexane, an  iPhone  screen cleaner. Hexane evaporates faster than other screen cleaners, which allows the production line to go faster. Hexane is also a neuro-toxin. The hands of the workers who tell him about it shake uncontrollably. Some workers can no longer work because their hands have been destroyed by doing the same thing hundreds of thousands of times over many years (mega-carpal-tunnel). This could have been avoided if the workers had merely shifted jobs. Once the workers hands no longer work, obviously, theyre canned. One man got his hand crushed in a metal press at Foxconn. Foxconn did not give him medical attention. When the mans hand healed, it no longer worked. So they fired him.   4.2Reasons why Apple has plants in Shenzhen China According to some of the Apple executives, Shenzhens factories, as hellish as they are, have been a boon to the people of China. They say the grimness of the factories, is actually better than the grimness of the rice paddies. So, looked at that way, Apple is helping funnel money from rich American and European consumers to poor workers in China. Without Foxconn and other assembly plants, Chinese workers might still be working in rice paddies, making $50 a month instead of $250 a month   With this money, theyre doing considerably better than they once were. Especially, women had few other alternatives. If Apple decided to build iPhones and iPads for Americans using American labor rules, two things would likely happen: The prices of iPhones and iPads would go up Apples profit margins would go down Almost all of the major electronics manufacturers make their stuff in China and other countries that have labour practices that would be illegal here. One difference with Apple, though, is the magnitude of the companys profit margin and profits. Apple could afford to pay its manufacturers more or hold them to higher standards and still be extremely competitive and profitable. Therefore Apple can afford to pay their workers more or even improve the working conditions. 5. Recommendations for further improvements. Apple should started unprecedented probes into its factories all around the world; these probes will put pressure on the plants that make iPhones and iPads. Apple should increase the amount it pays its employees and therefore give them a larger share of profits. They should reduce the working hours of the employees and pay overtime. They should try to follow the labour laws of their country of origin (USA) and not the lax laws of China where workers are allowed to be overworked. They could increase loans offered to these workers at lower rates, improve the working conditions of these workers by investing in their factories rather than investing so much money in marketing and advertising. They could pressure its branch, converse to improve the working conditions in their factories. 6. Conclusion A small sacrifice in terms of profits from a big company like Apple can go a long way for poor workers in underdeveloped countries. But companies like Apple face the dilemma of voluntarily dropping their profits in order to help these workers or exploiting these workers for large profits. The motivation for a company like Apple to help these workers comes from the fear of bad publicity and the reward of goodwill for being an ethical company. It is therefore important to keep close checks on unethical companies and boycott goods from companies that are unethical towards their workers. The hard truth is that several companies need to be motivated or threatened so that they do not indulge in unethical practices, therefore the responsibility of pressuring these companies falls on the consumer. By buying products from these unethical companies we are indirectly supporting them in their activities.

4 Day Work Week

English 112 Monday 12/06/10 Proposal: Four Day Work Week I propose that we implement a four day work week over the conventional five day work week. 1938 was the year that the Fair Labor Standards Act was passed. This act stated that there was a need for a standardized work week, and that the new standard work week was to be eight hour days, five days a week. There need for this act stemmed from employers taking advantage of their employees and working them to many hours a day and to many days a week.The basis for the eight hour work day was really on nothing other than an idea that a twenty four hour day divided into three assumed eight hour segments sounded logical. One eight hour segment was for sleep, the second for work, and the third for recreational time. As for the idea of working five day work weeks with a two day weekend, who knows? There are a lot of reasons for switching to 4 day work week. All of these reasons promote the better well-being of the government and economy, t he businesses involved, and the individuals themselves. There would be less traffic on the roads.You could assume that with a third day off that more people would opt to stay home that day, or that if people went out it would not be in rush hour traffic at least. With less traffic, the pollutants that cars emit into the air would be lessened, which is also good for keeping tree hugging hippies off our backs. The fewer cars driving throughout the week would also help keep down the amount of road work that would need to be done. Paying for the labor, materials, and equipment necessary to maintain roadways is very expensive, and quite a lot of money could be saved if there were fewer cars out terrorizing road surfaces.With less traffic and fewer people driving throughout the week it is predicted that the number of auto accidents would decrease. This would inevitably lower insurance rates, both auto and medical, which would be more money in your pocket. Probably the most important and m onetarily valuable reason, as far as cars and travel are concerned, is the money that would be saved on oil and fuel consumption. Not just for individuals but for the American economy also as calculated: There are about 133 million workers in America. Around 80% of them get to work by driving alone in a car. The average commute covers about 16 miles each way.So let’s stop and do some math: 133,000,000 workers X 80% who drive alone = 106,400,000 single driver commuter cars each day. 106,400,000 X 32 miles round trip = 3,404,800,000 miles driven to work each day 3,404,800,000 / 21 mpg (average fuel efficiency) = 162,133,333 gallons of gasoline each day Each barrel of crude oil produces, on average, 19. 5 gallons of gas. (It is important to note that other products like kerosene and asphalt are produced from that same barrel) 162,133,333 / 19. 5 = 8,314,530 barrels of oil each day. What this shows is the impact a 4 day work week could have on crude oil imports.I’m talking about a 40% reduction in the amount of oil we need Monday through Friday simply by rearranging our work week (Newton, para. 2). The implementation of the four day work week would also have some healthy side effects in the workplace. Less people would take off work. By having a 4 day work week it could mean less absenteeism. The long weekend could mean less faux sick days on Mondays, it can also mean an extra day of rest if an employee is in fact falling ill. The overall pros for a 4 day work week reflect lower turnover, and a happier, less stressed work force (Magas, para. , 8). With a three day weekend you would have almost an equal amount of days off as spent at work. With such a system in place, people would be much happier. It would be better for the individuals as this would lower stress from their jobs, and better for the companies because content workers are better for business. An individual who is happier will be more productive at work. â€Å"As a result of the alternati ve schedule, researchers found that 60 percent of employees reported higher productivity, and 60 percent of residents reported improved citizen access. In terms of employee morale, there seems to be a very strong benefit,’ Facer said† (Peterson, para. 2). This would also lower employee turnover rate. People who are happy with their jobs do not quit them. These companies would not only make more money because of the increased productivity from happier employees, but from the money that would be saved not having to pay for cost of operation for five days. If businesses were only open four days a week then that would be one day that the lights, heat, and computers would not have to be turned on. The money made, and saved, by these businesses could e put back into the companies to help keep employees even happier. Some of the things they could provide with said money are better benefits, such as retirement plans and health insurance, more comfortable work environment, or ev en have things like at work childcare like some of the Japanese have done. Christopher Byron states in Time Magazine, â€Å"Though the way Japan manages its affairs is, in many respects, the unique outgrowth of the country’s historical experience, certain of its lessons can be applied in industrial economies everywhere, and particularly in the U.S† (para. 58). For companies needing to be open six or seven days a week they could have an overlapping schedule. An example of this would be Joe working Monday through Thursday, Sally working Wednesday through Saturday, and Eduardo Philippe Jr. working Friday through Monday. This overlapping schedule would allow for businesses to remain open up to seven days a week if needed while still allowing a four day work week for employees. Other business that do not follow the standard â€Å"nine to five† work week such as restaurants, would continue to run as they normally do.With a three day weekend, people would have more per sonal time. This time could be used to run errands that could not normally be done due to being at work. They could use this time to spend with their families. Keeping their kids out of daycare for that day they are not working could save them money. If they disliked their offspring, they could use a probably well-deserved break from the little terrorists. This time could be spent doing chores around the house, or just lounging around getting fat. In 2008 Utah implemented a four day work week for eight-teen thousand of its employees.They saw an increase in employee happiness as well as productivity as noted in Inc. : Two years ago, the state of Utah ordered 18,000 of its state employees to work four days a week, 10 hours a day, and to take Fridays off. More than three-quarters of employees reported a positive experience a year into this ‘4/10' program, according to a study by Brigham Young University management professors Rex Facer and Lori Wadsworth. They observed fewer sick days, reduced overtime costs, and savings on energy bills. Employees experienced fewer conflicts between work and family commitments, so their morale shot up.And they knew they only had four days instead of five to get their work done, so they became more productive (Vanden Bos, para. 1). We too could have this four day work week implemented. The first thing to do if you think this could be beneficial to your company is to see if your co-workers are on board with the idea. If so then the next step might be to see how this would align with your customers’ needs. Then you could devise a plan that would explain the benefits and drawbacks of implementing a four day work week, as to answer any potential questions your boss might have.You could write congress. Enough interest shown in changing the arbitrary standard work week could turn the heads of the government that makes these decisions. The last reason, which I saved for the end, even though out of place, is that a four day wo rk week would be badass. Who doesn’t want to have a three day weekend? I think Americans are tired of running themselves ragged every week just to get two days to recover in this flawed system. I say we implement the four day work week so that we can quit living to work, and start working to live. Works Cited Byron, Christopher. How Japan Does It. † Time Magazine. 30 Mar. 1981. Web. 2 Dec. 2010. Magas, Glenn. â€Å"Pros and cons of the four day workweek. † Helium. 2010. Web. 4 Dec. 2010. < http://www. helium. com/items/1676495-pros-and-cons-of-the-four-day-workweek> Newton, Aaron. â€Å"The 4 Day Work Week. † GroovyGreen. 20 Sep. 2007. Web. 3 Dec. 2010. Peterson, Janice. â€Å"Study finds four day work week optimal. † DailyHerald. 9 Jun. 2008. Web. 4 Dec. 2010. Vanden Bos, Peter. â€Å"How To Implement A Four-Day Work Week. † Inc. 7 Apr. 2010. Web. 3 Dec. 2010.

My Personal Christian Worldview - 1439 Words

My Personal Worldview My personal Christian worldview is full of heavy doses of God, and plenty of drizzles of the Bible, and it was born from a combination of how I was raised, my life experiences, and my assumptions. This worldview is heavily involved as I bring up my children to love God, and do my best to be a good wife to my husband. Most of all, this combination has filled my heart and soul with the conclusion that God is my all! I was raised in a Christian home where my parents taught God’s Word as our guide for life. Every single evening, we all prayed together as a family, usually standing in a circle with all six of us holding hands. It was usually brief, but it was not taken lightly, and it gave me a strong sense of security in God and family. The Bible says, â€Å"Train up a child in the way that he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it†, Proverbs 22:6 (NKJV). My parents firmly believe this, and they showed it, as not only did we pray together, but we also had family Bible studies and attended church together. My parents also gave us a good sense of high moral standards. I remember, when trying to figure out how much I should do for a â€Å"needy† friend of mine, my mother reminding me that we were called to be servants, but not slaves! I have remembered that ever since and now, finally, I have learned to say no to other’s expectations of me when I feel it necessary, without feeling too badly about it. Though my husband loves the Lord very much, he wasShow MoreRelatedWorldview Essay1398 Words   |  6 PagesNovember 29, 2014 Jonathan Sharpe Worldview Essay This semester of Christian Worldview has been beneficial for me learning more about all different types of worldviews. I started this class with a Christian background but a clean slate of not knowing what my true worldview really was. 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