Challenges in the Global Business Environment Research (Essay Sample)

Challenges in the Global Business Environment
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Challenges in the Global Business Environment
Apple is known for its social responsibility campaigns that touch on fair and dignified treatment, enhancement of health and safety of the employees and the workplace, and the sanitation of the environment. Most of the strategies and principles of Apple are derived from the international organizations such as International Labor Organization, World Health Organization, and UNEP, among other international agencies and statutes. Apart from adhering to them, Apple suppliers are expected to adjust and cohere to the provisions of the Supplier Code of Conduct, which also touches on ethics .The most recent changes made on the Code concern treatment of employees with respect, dignity, and fairness especially in response to the global trends. Therefore, to keep on working with the company, suppliers must observe the obligations and regulations of the Code of Conduct, which keep adjusting to address the emerging global trends in labor and human rights, environment, and safety and health of employees.
List of Changes That Apple has Placed to Its Code of Conduct
Changes in Labor and Human Rights
Apple makes ongoing changes along its supply chain to enhance the dignity, respect, and autonomy of the workers. In addition, the suppliers continue to be assessed to ensure that they comply with the international principles and those of the company on human rights (Moren, 2014). Some of these changes center around anti-discrimination, which protects the workers against the suppliers’ discriminatory tendencies based on age, ethnicity, pregnancy, political orientation, race, unionization, and others. The changes have been prompted by the results of the 2014 assessments of key suppliers, which still revealed discriminatory practices such as compulsory healthcare tests.
Protection against intimidation and workplace abuse such as threats, physical assault, and inhumane treatment by the suppliers were also highlighted. The coercions range across physical, psychological, sexual, and mental harassments (Apple, 2016). Therefore, these adjustments have been made to ensure that workers know their rights to be respected and treated with dignity.
Preventing human trafficking and involuntary labor has also been included into the 2016 Apple Supplier Code of Conduct, based on the findings of the supplier audits. In fact, there was evidence of unethical and undignified treatment of workers by the suppliers in the previous years (Moren, 2014). Furthermore, Apple has moved quickly to curb the exploitation of workforce by suppliers using coercion, threats, fraud, prison labor, and abduction. It is clear that now suppliers have no rights to hold government documents or impose restrictions on their employees.
Other changes on labor and human rights include the underage labor protection, juvenile employees’ protection, and student workers protection. These standards are borrowed from the existing international standards of such organizations as ILO, human rights commission, and global labor laws. Also included is that working hours shall not exceed 60 hours in a week (Moren, 2014). Apart from the above, leaves and off-sessions at the work place must be allowed. Moreover, wages and other benefits should be according to the internationally mandated minimum wages, which include allowances, compensations, bonuses, and other benefits. Due to the increasing collaboration with the international agencies, the 2016 Apple document has all these changes.
Changes in Health and Safety
Apple values the health, safety, and general dignity of the employees and it is therefore the duty of the suppliers to ensure that their workers are treated properly (Moren, 2014). Hence, the working environment should be safe according the 2016 document on supplier conduct. The document has also empowered the workers with their right and the need to report any cases of unhealthy working conditions, which is a change from the previously flexible codes.
Other alternations include incident management criteria, ergonomics, enhanced working and living conditions, enhanced health and safety communication, constitution and empowerment of worker health committees within the workplace in order to look into the needs of the workers’ rights based on the Apple’s standards and international requirements and obligations (Apple, 2016). These changes have enhanced closer links and working conditions for the workers in various supply chains.
Changes in Environment
Apple promotes environmental responsibility as the core business practice. Apple therefore expects the suppliers to control hazardous and harmful substances through effective management and restrictions (Moren, 2014). Further, the suppliers have the responsibility of identifying and managing responsible disposal of or recycling of substances for a safer environment. However, suppliers should enact a systematic approach of disposal and recycling of non-hazardous wastes to avoid the contamination of the environment.
The environmental responsibility is in line with the international environmental agencies and statutes, which Apple is party to in a bid to ensure a safer environment. Other environmental alterations captured in the 2016 Apple Supplier Code of Conduct are the waste water and treatment system management, and maintenance of the drainage system. Air emission management to avoid intoxication of the environment is also captured in the 2016 document.
Explanation of the Changes to the Suppliers for Better Relationship with the Company
Through Supplier Training
Through training and informational education, Apple is able to construct a good working relationship by interacting with the suppliers and informing them of their codes of conduct (Apple, 2016). The training cuts across all the above discussed alterations in the Apple Supplier Code of Conduct such as sustainability, health and safety, injury and disease prevention, and how to address workplace intimidation.
Effective commu...