Case Study 1: Apple Labour Practices (04 Marks) Apple is a highly successful US company makes billions of dollars profit

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Case Study 1: Apple Labour Practices (04 Marks) Apple is ahighly successful US company makes billions of dollars profit everyyear. Like other electronic companies, Apple does not manufacturemost its goods domestically. Most of the component sourcing andfactory production is done overseas in conditions that critics haveargued are dangerous to workers and harmful to the environment. Forexample, tin is a major component in Apple’s products and much ofit is sourced in Indonesia. Although there are mines that sourcetin ethically, there are also many that do not. One study foundworkers—many of them children—working in unsafe conditions, diggingtin out by hand in mines prone to landslides that could buryworkers alive. About 70% of the tin used in electronic devices suchas smartphones and tablets comes from these more dangerous,small-scale mines. An investigation by the BBC revealed howdifficult these working conditions can be. In interviews withminers, a 12-yearold working at the bottom of a 70-foot cliff ofsand said: “I worry about landslides. The earth slipping from upthere to the bottom. It could happen.” Apple defends its practicesby saying it only has so much control over monitoring andregulating its component sources. The company justifies itssourcing practices by saying that it is a complex process, withtens of thousands of miners selling tin, many of them throughmiddle-men. In a statement to the BBC, Apple said “the simplestcourse of action would be for Apple to refuse any tin fromIndonesian mines. That would be easy for us to do and wouldcertainly save us from any criticism. But it is not a goodsolution, since it would do nothing to improve the situation. Wehave chosen to continue business with these suppliers but alsobring positive change as much as possible.” In an effort forgreater transparency, Apple has released annual reports detailingtheir work with suppliers and labor practices. A recentinvestigation has shown some improvements to suppliers’ workingconditions.
Questions: 1. What are the ethical problems and ethical dilemmasthat you identify in this case? Explain in your ownwords.
2. What are your suggestions to improve the situation?