Quote:
Originally Posted by Civicsman
I don't know that anyone is suggesting a knee-jerk reaction. True, there are likely hundreds of other companies that also treat their employees in a similar manner, but is this an argument to take no action?
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I don't know that anyone
in this forum is suggesting a knee-jerk reaction. Despite all our various differences, we tend to be independent thinkers, so it wouldn't surprise me if
none here were to have that reaction.
(And that's a complement to all of you.)
But I
have seen that reaction, a lot.
And as I said, it's not an argument to take no action. Actually, "no action" is an action choice (whether it is to "continue buying Apple products" or "continue not buying Apple products").
And whatever action you choose, will be on the basis of insufficient data.
My suspicion is that the community in which Foxconn operates is better with Apple as a customer than without. Apple is high-visibility, and the desire to keep them as a customer I suspect puts pressure on them to do well, and gives them economic resources to do better by their employees than without that income. And the employees that would be let go without Apple as a customer, I suspect, face a bleak outlook.
My guess is we're near the optimum -- embarrass Apple into putting pressure on Foxconn, but not pushing Apple into severing relations.
But the flip side of that is there's another village out there that's NOT getting Apple as a customer, and the benefits that would flow from that.
Holding Apple executives themselves responsible for not being responsible is a different matter. If I were in their shoes, knowing of abuses, I would be trying to find the best way to improve the situation.
The knee-jerk response of demanding Apple sever relations with Foxconn, however, may well do more harm than good. And if your nameless exec is correct, Apple would then lose any opportunity to improve things.
But I may be preaching to a very bored choir....