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.
a. The international law stated the minimum age of employment, 16 years old with exceptions permitting as young as 13 years old. Companies operating in different countries must abide and respect the laws set out in those countries. The first consideration in this case, is about a child/teen´s health and schooling; thereafter, the amount of hours they are permitted to work are still significantly less than fulltime. A company with a global image as a technological leader such as Apple would be conscious to protect
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Before the turn of the 20th century, major demonstrations, debates, legislations and laws was created for child welfare and employment. Apple played the line and unfortunately crossed it slightly (based on what was reported) by employing teens under the minimum age of employment. For them to attempt to rationalize their actions by stating their stock price was “zooming,” and therefor needed to hire workers under the minimum age is unethical excuse in all ramification. If there stock was zooming and there was a need for an increase in production, logically they would have been able to hire more hands well above the minimum age as well as provide incentives to all labor to increase productivity.
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
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The living condition of people living in the rural areas of most countries suffer a great deal. Thereby, causing most of them to start looking for any kind of job to make end meet. For example, most underage people from the rural communities in Mexico, try as much as possible to cross the border to United States in the pursuit of labor. Most of the people, in some cases families, that are employed by Apple, their living situations and economic status dictates that everyone must contribute economically to the household. In such countries, most people turn to pan handling or worse, the drug and sex trades. This not only applies to people in their late-teens and upward, younger and younger children are drawn or forced into these trades without options to leave. By employing teens that are under the minimum age of employment, Apple is providing a more positive option for these people and their