user157885
1)With its highly coveted line of consumer electronics, Apple has a…
1)With its highly coveted line of consumer electronics, Apple has a cult following among loyal consumers. During the 2014 holiday season, 74.5 million iPhones were sold. Demand like this meant that Apple was in line to make over $52 billion in profits in 2015, the largest annual profit ever generated from a company’s operations. Despite its consistent financial performance year over year, Apple’s robust profit margin hides a more complicated set of business ethics. Similar to many products sold in the U.S., Apple does not manufacture most its goods domestically. Most of the component sourcing and factory production is done overseas in conditions that critics have argued are dangerous to workers and harmful to the environment.
For example, tin is a major component in Apple’s products and much of it is sourced in Indonesia. Although there are mines that source tin ethically, there are also many that do not. One study found workersmany of them childrenworking in unsafe conditions, digging tin out by hand in mines prone to landslides that could bury workers alive. About 70% of the tin used in electronic devices such as smartphones and tablets comes from these more dangerous, small-scale mines. An investigation by the BBC revealed how perilous these working conditions can be. In interviews with miners, a 12-year-old working at the bottom of a 70-foot cliff of sand said: “I worry about landslides. The earth slipping from up there to the bottom. It could happen.”
Apple defends its practices by saying it only has so much control over monitoring and regulating its component sources. The company justifies its sourcing practices by saying that it is a complex process, with tens of thousands of miners selling tin, many of them through middle-men. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said “the simplest course of action would be for Apple to unilaterally refuse any tin from Indonesian mines. That would be easy for us to do and would certainly shield us from criticism. But that would also be the lazy and cowardly path, since it would do nothing to improve the situation. We have chosen to stay engaged and attempt to drive changes on the ground.”
In an effort for greater transparency, Apple has released annual reports detailing their work with suppliers and labour practices. While more recent investigations have shown some improvements to suppliers’ working conditions, Apple continues to face criticism as consumer demand for iPhones and other products continues to grow.
Given that demand for Apple products seems to be impervious to public concerns about the company’s supply chains, there is no strong business case for improving working conditions for Indonesian miners. In spite of this, does Apple have a moral obligation to push for improved labour standards in these mines? Justify your answer.
Answer with the Four-part answer model
1.State your answer concerning what should happen or what is the right policy in the first sentence.
2. Give your reason(s) in defence of your answer, including the principle you think is most important.
3. State an opposing argument and the principle involved.
4. Explain what is wrong with the opposing argument (Think of Mary’s response to Bill).
2)The AR 15 assault rifle is infamous for having been used in some of the bloodiest mass shootings in the history of the United States, including the following:
-the killing of twenty children and six teachers in an elementary school in Newton, Mass. in 2012.
– the killing of 60 people at an outdoor concert in Las Vegas in 2017.
-the killing of nineteen children in a elementary school in Uvalde, Texas last May.
-the killing of three children and three teachers at school in Nashville, TN just last month.
– the killing of five employees at a Louisville, KY bank earlier this month.
Bushmaster is just one of several arms manufacturers who make and sell versions of the AR 15. The company ran an on-line ad campaign both before and after the 2012 mass killing of children in Newton whereby men were invited to answer a questionnaire that determine whether or not they were worthy of a “man card.” Only carnivorous, aggressive, pro-gun advocates were awarded the card.
Using the four-part answer model, answer the following question:
Assuming that the AR 15 is not banned by law (it is was available to buy in Canada until 2020), was Bushmaster doing anything morally wrong by running this ad campaign?
Keep the following in mind:
– the concept of puffery
– The ads are not promoting hurting or killing people, getting revenge, or acting in a dangerous manner.
– Companies advertise kitchen knives that gets used to murder people.
– There is a portion of the population that is emotionally unstable. But these people use cars as well as guns to murder people.
Bushmaster is one of several companies that manufacture the same kind of gun — they are competing to attract customers who probably already decided they want an AR 15 type assault rifle.
-While business ethics is concerned with causing harm in the pursuit of profit, is bushmaster morally responsible for the harm inflicted by customers upon other people using an AR 15?
1.State your answer concerning what should happen or what is the right policy in the first sentence.
2. Give your reason(s) in defence of your answer, including the principle you think is most important.
3. State an opposing argument and the principle involved.
4. Explain what is wrong with the opposing argument (Think of Mary’s response to Bill).
