Bco125 Business Law Case Study 2 Task Brief Rubric

Bco125 Business Law Case Study 2 Task Brief Rubricstaskcase Study

Identify and explain the relevant parties involved in this case study. Analyze the ethical issues related to each party, citing sources. Discuss which ethical theories or virtues each party could use to support their behavior or decisions, citing sources. Then, identify an ethical or virtue theory that would serve as a counter-argument to each party’s position, citing sources. Finally, identify and explain an additional case that either supports or differentiates this case. Your submission should be between 800 to 1000 words, formatted in Harvard style, including a cover page, table of contents, references, and appendix, with citations and references properly cited. Use complete sentences, develop well-structured paragraphs, and support your analysis with scholarly sources.

Paper For Above instruction

The ethical considerations surrounding Apple's sourcing practices, particularly in relation to labor conditions in Indonesian tin mines, involve multiple parties with conflicting interests and responsibilities. The primary parties in this case include Apple Inc., its suppliers and subcontractors, Indonesian miners (including child workers), and consumers of Apple products. Each party holds different degrees of ethical obligation and faces unique dilemmas concerning transparency, responsibility, and accountability in their actions.

Apple Inc., as the global technology giant, is responsible for ensuring that its supply chain adheres to ethical standards. Despite its extensive efforts to monitor supplier practices, it continues to face criticism due to ongoing reports of hazardous labor conditions and child labor in Indonesian mines that supply tin for its products. Apple's justification revolves around its complex supply chain and the difficulty of monitoring numerous small-scale mines and middlemen. This raises ethical questions about corporate responsibility, transparency, and proactive engagement with suppliers. Critics argue that Apple should take more decisive action, such as refusing to source from unsafe mines, aligning with principles of corporate social responsibility (CSR) (Carroll, 1999). The company’s stance suggests a utilitarian approach, seeking to balance economic benefits with social responsibilities (Freeman et al., 2010).

Suppliers and middlemen involved in sourcing tin from Indonesia also play a crucial role. Often, these entities prioritize profit over ethical concerns, exploiting weak regulatory frameworks and vulnerable labor forces, including children. Their practices breach foundational ethical standards related to fairness, safety, and human rights (Bryan et al., 2019). Such behavior is often driven by economic pressures but underscores the importance of ethical virtues such as justice and beneficence. From an ethical perspective, these actors would benefit from adopting virtue ethics—cultivating virtues like integrity and justice—to improve labor practices and engage in more responsible sourcing.

Indonesian miners, including children working under perilous conditions, represent the most vulnerable party. Their situation exemplifies severe labor rights violations and raises fundamental ethical issues related to child labor, safety, and exploitation. The use of child labor contravenes universally accepted ethical standards, such as those outlined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC, 1989). Virtue ethics would criticize such practices as inherently unethical, emphasizing compassion and justice as virtues to combat exploitation and protect vulnerable populations (Hursthouse, 1999).

Consumers, as end-users of Apple products, bear a degree of ethical responsibility through their purchasing choices. Ethical consumerism advocates for making informed decisions that reflect values of sustainability and human rights. The moral obligation of consumers aligns with the virtue of conscientiousness; however, their influence is limited without corporate accountability and transparent supply chains (Carrington et al., 2014).

Counterarguments rooted in ethical theories offer nuanced perspectives. For Apple, deontological ethics (Kantian morality) would criticize their alleged complacency in allowing unsafe practices to persist, insisting that the company has a duty to ensure its supply chain respects human rights regardless of complexity (Kant, 1785). Conversely, a utilitarian might justify Apple's engagement as a means to achieve broader economic and technological benefits, arguing that total welfare improvements justify continued sourcing under imperfect conditions (Mill, 1863). For suppliers and miners, virtue ethics would advocate cultivating integrity and justice as guiding virtues, whereas a counter-virtue approach might emphasize loyalty to profit and shareholder returns over ethical concerns.

An additional case that provides contrast involves the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh (2013), which exposed unsafe factory conditions and resulted in numerous fatalities. Similar to Apple’s case, it highlights the catastrophic consequences of neglecting ethical obligations in supply chains. The Rana Plaza incident prompted global reforms toward greater accountability, emphasizing the importance of due diligence, ethical sourcing, and corporate responsibility (Clean Clothes Campaign, 2014). This case underscores the critical need for proactive measures and virtuous corporate culture to prevent exploitation.

In conclusion, the Apple case encapsulates complex ethical challenges involving multiple stakeholders with competing interests. Emphasizing virtues like justice, integrity, and beneficence can guide more ethically sound decision-making processes. Corporations must recognize that their ethical responsibilities extend beyond profit margins to encompass human rights and environmental sustainability. The incorporation of ethical theories—deontological, utilitarian, and virtue ethics—provides valuable frameworks for analyzing and resolving such dilemmas, ultimately fostering more responsible corporate behavior and societal well-being.

References

• Bryan, L., Cruz, M., & Vasquez, M. (2019). Ethical sourcing in supply chains: Risks and practices. Journal of Business Ethics, 155(3), 669-682.
• Carroll, A. B. (1999). Corporate social responsibility: Evolution of a definitional construct. Business and Society, 38(3), 268-295.
• Clean Clothes Campaign. (2014). The Rana Plaza Collapse: An analysis of corporate accountability. Retrieved from https://cleanclothes.org
• Freeman, R. E., Harrison, J. S., Wicks, A. C., Parmar, B. L., & de Colle, S. (2010). Stakeholder Theory: The State of the Art. Cambridge University Press.
• Hursthouse, R. (1999). On Virtue Ethics. Oxford University Press.
• Kant, I. (1785). Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals. Translated by H. J. Paton, 1948. Harper & Row.
• Mill, J. S. (1863). Utilitarianism. Longmans, Green and Co.
• UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child). (1989). Retrieved from https://www.unicef.org
• additional scholarly source 10 as needed