This is an example of a CEO shaking in fear because social media (including radio programs like This American Life) is pressing the company to face the music, or else lose control of a valuable brand image. It is social media holding capitalism accountable. The slogan that Apple enslaves children would be quite powerful insofar as it is a documented truth. Cook knows this, and is using leadership to try to fix the problem.
Unfortunately I highly doubt this is the reason. Almost nobody looks at a company's social responsibility when they purchase a product.
This is of course a good thing. But I can't help but note that the most valuable corporation on earth is reduced to crowing about having reduced the number of children it exploits.
It's just not enough to define good as reducing the amount of harm we do. Growth is far more than the simple absence of decrepitude. "First, do no harm" is a fine place to start, but stopping there is a terrible mistake.
You are off base (or trolling). These are not Apple's employees. They are suppliers employees. They are getting involved not because they have to, but because nobody else is. They are not crowing about anything. This is an internal memo.
If Apple really wanted to ensure that no children were being employed in the production of their goods and to ensure that companies weren't polluting the environment and their workers, they would begin manufacturing their products themselves within the United States of America.
It is fine for them to care for workers half way around the world but I regularly wonder why they don't care enough for their own nation to create and manufacture their products here.
Don't believe Apple is so worthy of praise in this arena. They are buying things from other countries where environmental laws are very lax or where bribery can make officials turn their heads.
Foxcon employs over a million workers. I'm sure they can hide the underage people on days when inspectors come around.
Well, you obviously shouldn't. The investors who own Apple stock care a great deal though, and are going to be pissed that their investment will become worth less that it should be because Apple's doing the right thing and not being purely focused on profit.
You really off base with your comments, investors are usually long term thinkers that are looking at the company 'health' , which includes stability, growth, profitability (long term) and company's future product lines. The strategy taken by Apple to improve the oversight of their suppliers/third party manufacturing vendors will actually help to stabilize the image of Apple in society and give investors the confidence that management team understand the major issues needed to be addressed and have a solid long term strategy.
I'm pleased to see Apple showing concern their 'extended' Apple employees. To bad many corporations here in the US seemed to have forgotten how to treat their most valuable asset: the employees! Way to go Apple!
To bad many corporations here in the US seemed to have forgotten how to treat their most valuable asset: the employees! Way to go Apple!
This is not exactly a recent development. When the balance sheet was first invented and employees landed on the "expense" side, it was all over. To the people at the top of most big companies, employees are "just overhead". The corporate charter demands that they view things in that manner. The only goal of all executives is to "enhance shareholder value" as dictated by the charter.
Apple, thanks to Jobs, tends to view things a little differently. Their executives tend to pay a little less attention to what shareholders think. I would also bet their charter is worded in a somewhat non-standard way.
This is not exactly a recent development. When the balance sheet was first invented and employees landed on the "expense" side, it was all over. To the people at the top of most big companies, employees are "just overhead". The corporate charter demands that they view things in that manner. The only goal of all executives is to "enhance shareholder value" as dictated by the charter.
Apple, thanks to Jobs, tends to view things a little differently. Their executives tend to pay a little less attention to what shareholders think. I would also bet their charter is worded in a somewhat non-standard way.
Technically, there is no 'expense side' to a balance sheet. You're referring to the P&L.
And employees don't appear on the balance sheet because the company doesn't own the employees.
If Apple really wanted to ensure that no children were being employed in the production of their goods and to ensure that companies weren't polluting the environment and their workers, they would begin manufacturing their products themselves within the United States of America.
It is fine for them to care for workers half way around the world but I regularly wonder why they don't care enough for their own nation to create and manufacture their products here.
Don't believe Apple is so worthy of praise in this arena. They are buying things from other countries where environmental laws are very lax or where bribery can make officials turn their heads.
Foxcon employs over a million workers. I'm sure they can hide the underage people on days when inspectors come around.
These pie in the sky statements are hilarious to me. If you honestly believe Apple can move manufacturing from China to the US without basically committing suicide as a company, you're utterly delusional. It's one thing to push for improvement. It's another to suggest scenarios which are economically untenable. Apple does this, their profits will plunge, their expenses will skyrocket, their stock will nosedive, they will not have a shred of a hope of being competitive with anyone else, either through pricing or supply. Apple will cease to exist as we know them within a very, very short timeframe. Within a few years they will eat through their war-chest like a knife through hot butter. Don't forget the massive retail layoffs and otherwise they'd be forced to make while bleeding to death as a company.
If you really have to 'wonder' why they don't care enough to manufacture in the US, then clearly you need to educate yourself on how it's an impossibility. But hey, at least they'd be doing the 'right thing', right? Sounds like a great plan. There's a reason why even toothpicks are made in china.
Well, you obviously shouldn't. The investors who own Apple stock care a great deal though, and are going to be pissed that their investment will become worth less that it should be because Apple's doing the right thing and not being purely focused on profit.
The investors... REAL investors... will be happy when AAPL goes down for reasons unrelated to the company's long term success. Great time to buy more!
If Apple really wanted to ensure that no children were being employed in the production of their goods and to ensure that companies weren't polluting the environment and their workers, they would begin manufacturing their products themselves within the United States of America.
Comments
I can't help but think of Jar Jar Binks every time I see this pic.
Hmm, I see...
Clearly, you never paid attention to your mom when she talked about panning other people's appearances.
This is an example of a CEO shaking in fear because social media (including radio programs like This American Life) is pressing the company to face the music, or else lose control of a valuable brand image. It is social media holding capitalism accountable. The slogan that Apple enslaves children would be quite powerful insofar as it is a documented truth. Cook knows this, and is using leadership to try to fix the problem.
Unfortunately I highly doubt this is the reason. Almost nobody looks at a company's social responsibility when they purchase a product.
This is of course a good thing. But I can't help but note that the most valuable corporation on earth is reduced to crowing about having reduced the number of children it exploits.
It's just not enough to define good as reducing the amount of harm we do. Growth is far more than the simple absence of decrepitude. "First, do no harm" is a fine place to start, but stopping there is a terrible mistake.
You are off base (or trolling). These are not Apple's employees. They are suppliers employees. They are getting involved not because they have to, but because nobody else is. They are not crowing about anything. This is an internal memo.
It is fine for them to care for workers half way around the world but I regularly wonder why they don't care enough for their own nation to create and manufacture their products here.
Don't believe Apple is so worthy of praise in this arena. They are buying things from other countries where environmental laws are very lax or where bribery can make officials turn their heads.
Foxcon employs over a million workers. I'm sure they can hide the underage people on days when inspectors come around.
Well, you obviously shouldn't. The investors who own Apple stock care a great deal though, and are going to be pissed that their investment will become worth less that it should be because Apple's doing the right thing and not being purely focused on profit.
You really off base with your comments, investors are usually long term thinkers that are looking at the company 'health' , which includes stability, growth, profitability (long term) and company's future product lines. The strategy taken by Apple to improve the oversight of their suppliers/third party manufacturing vendors will actually help to stabilize the image of Apple in society and give investors the confidence that management team understand the major issues needed to be addressed and have a solid long term strategy.
To bad many corporations here in the US seemed to have forgotten how to treat their most valuable asset: the employees! Way to go Apple!
This is not exactly a recent development. When the balance sheet was first invented and employees landed on the "expense" side, it was all over. To the people at the top of most big companies, employees are "just overhead". The corporate charter demands that they view things in that manner. The only goal of all executives is to "enhance shareholder value" as dictated by the charter.
Apple, thanks to Jobs, tends to view things a little differently. Their executives tend to pay a little less attention to what shareholders think. I would also bet their charter is worded in a somewhat non-standard way.
This is not exactly a recent development. When the balance sheet was first invented and employees landed on the "expense" side, it was all over. To the people at the top of most big companies, employees are "just overhead". The corporate charter demands that they view things in that manner. The only goal of all executives is to "enhance shareholder value" as dictated by the charter.
Apple, thanks to Jobs, tends to view things a little differently. Their executives tend to pay a little less attention to what shareholders think. I would also bet their charter is worded in a somewhat non-standard way.
Technically, there is no 'expense side' to a balance sheet. You're referring to the P&L.
And employees don't appear on the balance sheet because the company doesn't own the employees.
If Apple really wanted to ensure that no children were being employed in the production of their goods and to ensure that companies weren't polluting the environment and their workers, they would begin manufacturing their products themselves within the United States of America.
It is fine for them to care for workers half way around the world but I regularly wonder why they don't care enough for their own nation to create and manufacture their products here.
Don't believe Apple is so worthy of praise in this arena. They are buying things from other countries where environmental laws are very lax or where bribery can make officials turn their heads.
Foxcon employs over a million workers. I'm sure they can hide the underage people on days when inspectors come around.
These pie in the sky statements are hilarious to me. If you honestly believe Apple can move manufacturing from China to the US without basically committing suicide as a company, you're utterly delusional. It's one thing to push for improvement. It's another to suggest scenarios which are economically untenable. Apple does this, their profits will plunge, their expenses will skyrocket, their stock will nosedive, they will not have a shred of a hope of being competitive with anyone else, either through pricing or supply. Apple will cease to exist as we know them within a very, very short timeframe. Within a few years they will eat through their war-chest like a knife through hot butter. Don't forget the massive retail layoffs and otherwise they'd be forced to make while bleeding to death as a company.
If you really have to 'wonder' why they don't care enough to manufacture in the US, then clearly you need to educate yourself on how it's an impossibility. But hey, at least they'd be doing the 'right thing', right? Sounds like a great plan. There's a reason why even toothpicks are made in china.
Well, you obviously shouldn't. The investors who own Apple stock care a great deal though, and are going to be pissed that their investment will become worth less that it should be because Apple's doing the right thing and not being purely focused on profit.
The investors... REAL investors... will be happy when AAPL goes down for reasons unrelated to the company's long term success. Great time to buy more!
If Apple really wanted to ensure that no children were being employed in the production of their goods and to ensure that companies weren't polluting the environment and their workers, they would begin manufacturing their products themselves within the United States of America.
Glass house syndrome?
Inquiry Finds Under-Age Workers at Meat Plant
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/08/06/us/06meat.html
But most of the time we employ our underage children to work in the streets.
- Teen Prostitution in America
- Cops shift focus, treat child prostitutes as victims
- Teen suicide spurs war on US prostitution
- How an eastern Iowa teen prostitution, human trafficking ring took root
- Film documents Valley child sex slavery struggle
- The (ongoing) San Diego, California Child Mass Sexual Slavery Scandal
or put them on film,Online child pornography fastest growing crime in America
unpaid.
Glass house syndrome?
There's a more recent example of child labor violations from Chuck E Cheese.
Must be run by Apple.