Has Apple Got Any Ethical Code of Conduct - Case Study Example

When do we take a stand? In ethical situations, we need to make a decision between how we can actually take a side and stand for our principals. We need to distinguish between our personal and professional ethics and take a stand based upon how we assess and view the ethical situation. One of the recent examples of ethical crisis is that of the Child Labor issues associated with Apple Inc. Various Audit Reports have highlighted children being employed at different factories involved in making products for Apple. (Garside, 2013) It is also important to have a sense of duty without being actually told to take the stand. The internal compass of an individual and the sense of duty combines together to provide the necessary emotional and ethical resources which can help an individual to take a stand whether against unethical behavior of an organization, a group, government or any community at large. (Tom Watson, 2007) In such a situation where we know that Apple’s products are loved by millions and have really made a difference in the lives of many. We need to however make a conscious decision as to whether taking stand will result into greatest good for the greatest number of people or not. Though the overall number of children working in factories producing goods for Apple is relatively low as compared to overall volume of business however the situation still requires that a stand need to be taken against a company which influences millions of its customers. As such the stand needs to be taken when the issue is affecting larger number of persons. (Machan, 2007) Sadhu to Intrude our Lives We need Sadhu in every situation where we face a gray area where we are unable to decide between what is right and wrong and what we need to do in a situation where we face a personal dilemma of whether to act or not. In this given crisis, it is relatively important to clearly decide whether we should continue to buy Apple’s products knowing fully well that the firm is engaged in practices which may not be ethical with relatively unethical consequences for the society at large. It may therefore warrant that individually we need to take the action. (Crane & Matten, 2007) How much must we give of ourselves? Virtue ethics suggests that an individual’s ethical behavior is driven by the character of the person. The knowledge which has any bearing on human kind therefore is important and need to be properly put in place regardless of the overall consequences of the actions. The question of how much we can give of ourselves in this issue and create to relative awareness about the issues therefore depends upon two important factors of virtues and utilitarianism. If our virtues and character requires us to act in any unethical situation, we should give our maximum to the cause. However, it also depends upon whether the consequences of our actions would bring in maximum benefits for the greater number of people or not. The question of how much we should give of ourselves therefore depends upon the overall circumstances. How do we prepare our Organizations? Organizations are increasingly facing strong ethical dilemmas because not only the regulations have become difficult to comply with but the overall expectations of the consumers have increased too. Today’s consumer is an ethical consumer with strong sense of responsibility towards the society and the environment at large. The current ethical crisis issue faced by Apple involves children working in the factories which manufacture different parts for the goods manufactured by Apple. In order to prepare itself to face any such crisis, Apple can do following: Developing Ethical Leadership Many organizations, in the past, have been able to successfully manage the ethical crisis by displaying ethical leadership. Leaders at the top of the organizations tend to act in a manner which is considered as ethical and may result into softening up of the ethical crisis. Steve Jobs of Apple was considered as someone who has given lot of weight to ethical conduct of the leadership of Apple. As such, by displaying ethical leadership and developing it at the organization wide level can really help organizations to better prepare for ethical crisis. Defining Ethical Code of Conduct One of the primary ways through which Apple can actually prepare itself is to develop a code of ethical conduct and adhere to it. Developing a code of conduct will require outlining the overall response of the organization towards how it views ethics and how it will tailor its strategy in a manner which can ensure ethical conduct of the business. Implementing a Crisis Plan It is extremely important that the organization must have a crisis plan in place in order to deal with this situation. This crisis plan need to be formulated at the highest level and should continue to be updated. This plan should also highlight and extensively cover as to how the firm is going to deal with the crisis situation. (ERC, 2011) Developing Crisis Teams Crisis plan should identify the team members responsible for managing the crisis. Having a crisis team is extremely important because crisis team often serves as the public face for the organization. Crisis team should have all the required knowledge and ability to communicate organization’s point of view to the general public. Demonstration of ethical leadership of the crisis teams is important because an ethical leader at the top will have the ability and insight to honestly assess the overall facts of the situation, recognize the core values of the organization and how they relate to the crisis situation and make high level decisions. (Ferrell, Fraedrich, & Ferrel, 2009) Managing Stakeholders Organizations should keep a plan at hand to understand and learn how their stakeholders will actually respond to the situation. It is quite possible that the overall stakeholders of the organization may differ from the official view of the organization. It is therefore critically important that the organization must develop a close rapport with the stakeholders in order to ensure that stakeholders provide meaningful contribution in managing the overall situation. (Weiss, 2009) How to Influence Organization The overall range of stakeholders has actually grown over the period of time and stakeholders now are not just limited to customers. As such it is relatively possible to influence the organization in following manner: Creating Awareness One of the key ways through which an organization can be influenced is to create wider level of awareness of the issue. More customers will know about the issue more they will be able to influence the overall purchase decisions. This awareness can be created through either actively informing the public in the news media or through internet blogs and other sources. By improving the flow of information for the consumers, organization can be influenced to look into the ways through which it can deal with the crisis. It is however important to note that for creating awareness, it is critically to group or team with someone. Having more people related with the cause can multiply the overall impact of the awareness to be created. Stakeholders Management It is also critical to approach the stakeholders of the firm because stakeholders can also influence the overall decision making process of the organization also. Since stakeholders also include government regulatory bodies therefore reaching to all the stakeholders and actually informing them about what is happening within the organization can also play a significant role in affecting the organization in dealing with the situation. Different stakeholders have different power and influence within the organization therefore It is important to first identify the group of stakeholders who can influence the organization in more effective manner. Contacting those stakeholders and creating effective rapport with them can ensure that the overall message is forcefully communicated to the organization. (Elliott & Turnbull, 2005) Informing the Organization Directly informing the organization and identifying the issue can also be one of the key ways through which this can be achieved. Writing to organization as well as contacting the organization can ensure that organization at least get to know how its actions are actually affecting its customers. Approaching senior level management at the annual general meetings as well as other public occasions can be effective to inform the organization of the potential dangers of the actions of the organization and how they can ethically affect the organization. (Jones, Parker, & Bos, 2005) Be part of other Groups It may be possible that some groups may already have been advocating for this change within the organization. Becoming part of such groups can also influence the organization because already developed groups acquire awareness and required resources to further impact the organization. It is therefore relatively possible that by becoming part of such groups, organization can be influenced in effective manner. (Holme, 2008) Identifying the groups however can be quite difficult work because it is quite easier to be part of the groups which may not be aligned with the overall purpose. It is critical therefore that groups must share your values and sentiments and also provide the required level of support to effectively tackle the ethical issues. Bibliography Crane, A., & Matten, D. (2007). Business Ethics: Managing Corporate Citizenship and Sustainability in the Age of Globalization. Oxford: Oxford University Press,. Elliott, C., & Turnbull, S. (2005). Critical Thinking in Human Resource Development. London: Routledge. ERC. (2011). Accepting Responsibility Responsibly. Retrieved from ERC: http://www.ethics.org/files/u5/crisisWP-Final.pdf Ferrell, O. C., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrel, L. (2009). Business Ethics 2009: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. London: Cengage Learning. Garside, J. (2013, January 25). Child labour uncovered in Apples supply chain. Retrieved from The Guardian: http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/jan/25/apple-child-labour-supply Holme, C. (2008). Business ethics – Part One: Does it matter? Industrial and Commercial Training, 40(5), 248 - 252. Jones, C., Parker, M., & Bos, R. (2005). For Business Ethics. London: Routledge. Machan, T. R. (2007). The Morality of Business: A Profession for Human Wealthcare. Boston: Springer. Tom Watson. (2007). Reputation and ethical behaviour in a crisis: predicting survival. Journal of Communication Management, 11(4), 371 - 384. Weiss, J. W. (2009). Business Ethics: A Stakeholder and Issues Management Approach With Cases. Mason, OH: South-Western Cengage Learning. Read More