Apple - Sweatshop Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Apple - Sweatshop - Essay Example It is crucial to note that the term stakeholder refers to the entire group of people affected by an organization’s operations. Different companies adopt different approaches of CSR. These approaches include; the Canadian, Continental European, and Anglo-Saxon approaches. Despite the differing approaches, most organizations adopt a common approach which involves philanthropy through giving out aids and monetary donations. However, some organizations opt to incorporate CSR into the firm’s business strategy, whereas others opt to Create Shared Value (CSV). CSV revolves around the idea that success within an organization is interdependent on the society’s welfare (William & David 156). Carroll’s CSR model is a four-layered pyramid. The bottom layer contains the label economic responsibilities, and it represents the profitable endeavors of an organization. This layer is the foundation on which all other layers rely on. Just above this layer lies the legal respo nsibilities layer, which represents, the legal obligations an organization must follow to avoid attracting legal liabilities. The next layer’s label is ethical responsibilities, and this layer represents an organization’s obligation to do what the society considers as acceptable, right and fair in order to avoid any harm befalling any of the stakeholders. The top-most layer has the philanthropic responsibilities label attached to it. This entails an organization’s involvement in exemplary corporate citizenship through engagement in philanthropic endeavors within the community as a way of giving back or saying thanks for the support granted by the community. Carroll’s arrangement of responsibilities on a pyramid served to show the existence of tension between the responsibilities. This arrangement also showed that the responsibilities were not mutually exclusive. Carroll’s CSR model continues to be empirically tested in many organizations around the world, for example, the initial empirical test involved an analysis of Forbes leading company CEOs in 1985 (McDermott 98). Apple Company continues to face allegations of using sweatshop labor in its Foxconn's plant, in China. In addition, the company faced allegations of involvement in practices which led to environmental destruction. Apple’s practices constituted to unethical business practice in the eyes of the company’s critics. The allegations compelled Apple to conduct further investigations and figure out ways in which the company could once again appease its stakeholders. From the investigations carried out, Apple tried to reassure its stakeholders that the allegations made about the company's use of sweatshop labor were false. However, the company executives acknowledged the presence of some irregularities with the labor relations policies used by the organization at the Foxconn plant. The further went to assure their stakeholders that the irregularities were of a technical nature and, that company personnel were tirelessly working to rectify these irregularities, for example, the use of complex remuneration systems. They refuted all allegations of the use of forced, child or sweatshop labor made against them by supporting their claims using investigation reports (Laurie & Lawrence 77). Carroll’s CSR model emphasizes the existence of tension between the different categories of responsibility. However, he maintains that the different cat