In recent times the corporate world has gained dominion over the industrial world. These corpora are profit oriented in their operations (Panwar 8). They have little regard for ethics only to use them as smokescreens to hide their real intent. This is the exploitation of the society in all ways possible if only to make an extra buck. This has seen the community suffer greatly under the corporate cultures. This paper discusses in depth the ways in which the business community has exploited labor, environment and the market to profit.
Turin Pharmaceuticals, a company, dealing in pharmaceuticals under the stewardship of Martin Shkreli, aspired to raise the cost per pill of Daraprim from $13.50 to $750. Daraprim is used in the treatment of malaria and toxoplasmosis (Thomas 23). Mr. Shkreli was not apologetic of this and even went on to point out that he should probably have raised the price higher. The profit margin is the sole purpose of the rise. Shkreli’s is but an isolated case in a many where corporate firm gets too eager to discard the ethical route to their profit margin (Gallant 4). The high profit margins made by the company are the main driver to corporate success in both ethical and professional manner.
Many factors affect the operations of the profit-oriented firms, among them labor. To reduce the workers on the payroll and still maintaining the production and profit margins, companies outsource or offshore their processes (Mudambi 1533). Outsourcing is whereby a company hires an outside service provider to undertake some of their processes. Offshoring, on the other hand, is the transfer of the process and jobs in a company to an international locale. It is done due to lack of resources to carry out the task and example being Apple and Nike (Cannon 43). Labor turnovers result to employees turnover, unnecessary pressures from labor unions, resigning of employees from work, and lack of understanding between the management and the workforce.
Offshoring and outsourcing are essentially not harmful to the society. They bring about the abundance of jobs in this locales and thereby increase in revenue of the country. However, from where they are sourced, a gap in employment occurs. As companies seek to relocate their operations to international localities, they have to layoff on labor locally. Since the outsourced services are handled by skilled as well as unskilled labor the labor in the local market is left without work. This increases the unemployment rates domestically (Kirkegaard 378). Employment gaps created have an absolute effect on the economic level and this may pose adverse economic downturns both domestically and globally for Apple.
The corporate world has a huge role to play in maintaining the environment. However, harmful discharges are emitted into the environment without regard to the effect it might have on the environment. Apple’s many offshore chain firms were among those who disregard the preservation of the environment. In China, many of apple’s supply chain industries are raising major concerns over their reckless discharges which caused major concerns for health and the environment ( Mudambi 1533). The poor disposal of waste effluents harms the society something which indirectly affects the operations of Apple due to negative image the public forms against the firm.
In Guangzhou in China, Meiko Electronics raised complaints from residents in that locale following their toxic waste disposal methods. In Kunshan locale, Kaedar and Unimicron Electronics also brought up an uproar among locals who feared for the health of their children following the toxic emissions from both companies. There was also a general increase in the cases of cancer. These three industries are along Apple’s supply chain of offshore industries (Simeon 25).
Nike which is a household brand also had scandals from hiring outsourced labor. In Pakistan allegations of engaging in child labor were brought up with pictorial evidence to prove. Some of its supply chain industries were contracting household labor to stitch ball. This coupled with the subjection of the workers to underpay, and slave-like conditions were outrageous. Later on, in 1997, another contracted firm in Vietnam was accused of reckless disposal of toxic waste ( Mudambi 1528). Their initial response was of denial of any ownership of industries overseas. They, later on, had to look for a suited subcontractor able to deliver without legal violations.
Media acts primarily as the source of information for the public thus it’s the perfect tool by which the corporate firm sell to the public. The advertisement of products in media is done by either appeal to sexuality or the perfect image created over time by the media. To use of sexually stimulating images of women used portrays women as sexual objects. Describing the product beside the picture of influential personalities or scholars, to give the effect of what many in the populace are striving to achieve (John 200). The control is subtle, and mostly over the subconscious thus many react to it without conscious knowledge.
Social media has opened up access mutually for the consumer and the companies. However, both have differing uses for the internet based media. Social media updates are often about personal life, and to this effect, social media accounts are secure and private, or so we are made to believe. Occasionally this personal information is sold to the corporate firms hence making a market out of you (Youmans 315). This way we provide companies with information research labor, they require marketing their product.
The manipulation of media, violation of privacy and safety of the public is against the code of ethics. It cannot be stressed further the extents to which some in the corporate world would go to profit. This done with disregard for the well-being or the safety of the society is unethical. The humane factor in business is ignored with firms opting for a profit-oriented approach, even at the cost of the public (Ruf 150). This is at crosses with the corporate social responsibility which is more socially accountable to the wellbeing of the public.
Corporate social responsibility (CSR) is a recent concept that embodies the running of company operations par the welfare of the society and the environment. tThe company only engages in ventures considering the repercussions on the environment while striving for a better society (Campbel 967). This concept viewed as an expensive way of running operations in a firm. While considering the employee, community and environmental welfare the constraints on their activities are increased. Thus the concept has encouraged the rise of corporate social entrepreneurship (CSE).
Corporate social entrepreneurship (CSE) is brought about by social entrepreneurs. This is innovative individuals who engage in an entrepreneurial venture to address social welfare. Thus CSE is entrepreneurial ventures that bring about positive social cane in society (Dacin 57). This takes into consideration the social, political and environmental factors within as well as outside the company. Most of it is viewed as philanthropic endeavors by the firm so as to gain customers in public. The CSE activities brand the company strongly in the market through winning broader customer base. Engagement in community activities such as education of the aged, sponsorship to the poor children acts as an edge to Apple over its competitors.
Accountability and selfless action are unheard-of in the corporate scene. Most entrepreneurs venture into business to profit which in itself is unquestionable. However, if in the quest for profiting the entrepreneur disregards the environment and social welfare is to be frowned at. Most companies engage in this unlawful acts to take a shortcut to greater profit margins (Gallant 4). This greed has a crippling effect on the society and is in the longer perspective unsustainable. Thus the need for non-profit oriented strategies which are both mindful of the society as well as the environment.
References
Dacin, Peter A., M. Tina Dacin, and Margaret Matear. “Social entrepreneurship: Why we don’t need a new theory and how we move forward from here.” The academy of management perspectives 24.3 (2010): 37-57.
Campbell, John L. “Why would corporations behave in socially responsible ways? An institutional theory of corporate social responsibility.” Academy of management Review 32.3 (2007): 946-967
Cannon, David M., and Stephen R. Goldberg. “Mindgym, and The Causes of Structural Unemployment.” (2015): 41-43.
Kirkegaard, Jacob F. “Offshoring, outsourcing and production relocations—labor market effects in the OECD and developing Asia.” The Singapore Economic Review 53.03 (2008): 371-418.
Mudambi, Ram, and Markus Venzin. “The strategic nexus of offshoring and outsourcing decisions.” Journal of Management Studies 47.8 (2010): 1510-1533
Panwar, Rajat, et al. “Corporate responsibility: balancing economic, environmental, and social issues in the forest products industry.” Forest Products Journal 56.2 (2006): 4-13.
Ruf, Bernadette M., et al. “An empirical investigation of the relationship between change in corporate social performance and financial performance: A stakeholder theory perspective.” Journal of business ethics 32.2 (2001): 143-156
Simeon, Roblyn. “Evaluating the strategic implications of Japanese IT offshore outsourcing in China and India.” International Journal of Management and Information Systems 14.3 (2010): 25.
Thomas, Zoe, and Tim Swift. “Who is Martin Shkreli—’the most hated man in America’?.” BBC News. Np 23 (2015).
Youmans, William Lafi, and Jillian C. York. “Social media and the activist toolkit: User agreements, corporate interests, and the information infrastructure of modern social movements.” Journal of Communication 62.2 (2012): 315-329.
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