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BBC One Documentary to Profile Working Conditions in Apple's Supply Chain
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Yep. I think looking at multiple sources for news such as theguardian, independent, telegraph amongst a whole host of others.
But still better than that 90%. That doesn't absolve Apple but if the goal is to shine the light on working conditions in China then shouldn't journalist be focusing on all manufacturers there -- most of which have worse records rather than picking on one company with enormous brand recognition? But if the documentary is just a crass ratings scheme by BBC One, yes, I get why they would focus solely on Apple. But what % of Chinese factory workers work for Apple vs all other international companies manufacturing in China?
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Exactly, for this to be a fair assessment if you will then the "investigation" would need to focus on other tech companies including their manufacturing partners. It would also need to ask of others what have they done to better working conditions abroad.
Correct me if I'm wrong but conditions in China have never been spectacular when seen through western eyes, I can't remember the last time the BBC or anyone else has aired an investigative piece, why is that hmmm.
It's common sense to go after the market leader. Apple is the biggest company in the world by market cap and it's products are the most wanted Christmas gifts again this year.
Tim Cook has stated publicly that Apple cares about it's supply chain workers. The program is intended to investigate whether or not Apple has kept to its promises of ensuring good working conditions in it's supply chain.
If Tim Cook came out and said "we don't give a **** about our supply chain employees" there would be no program.
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Maybe but I've always been of the opinion that you don't solve a problem by running away or ignoring it. I'd rather challenge those views I disagree with and pressure Apple to change from within the tent. If I'm not an Apple customer and/or shareholder then I've no right to comment.
The BBC and the reporting it supports needs to die, it's a politically biased corp ran by the government that has turned a blind eye to pedophilia, and because i own a TV i'm legally required to support it as well.. The whole thing needs disbanding.. but this is another debate
Pedophilia? The BBC ignore people with a foot fetish? Run by the Government? WTF? So we have a right wing Government that supports a organisation that is slightly biased towards the left?
Really, please keep quiet. You don't show people of this nation in a good light.
Apple make claim after claim. They should be held accountable to those claims.
This logic makes no sense to me. Why would you give money to a company whose policies you disagree with (unless you didn't have a choice/alternative)? How are you challenging or pressuring Apple right now? By posting on a rumor site? If all the people who have moral issues with products being manufactured in China stopped buying those products that would send a message and get companies attentions much more so than complaining on an internet message board.
since it seems you havent checked the title of said program i have posted it here along with a short description. from the title it seems fairly obvious that they will look into whether claims made by cook and apples website are true. seems simple enough. it also looks further down the supply chain.
you want them to make a show on the host of no name brands that cannot influence the working conditions of the workers?
its not picking on apple. they are the biggest, richest, most influential and yield the most power. same as has happened with mcdonalds and walmart in other situations
did it upset you as much when panorama looked at the bp oil spill? should they have shown every minor and major oil spill as well in a segment specifically looking into that particular oil spill?
there is absolutely no need to show all and every worker and factory for it to be a fair assessment. you simply dont want the truth to be shown.
there are plenty of reports on working conditions in countries like china.
what is it to you how he is challenging apple? one has to tow the line and bend over or buy somewhere else?
can you point us towards ethically sourced and fair trade tech products?
For once I wish one of these exposés profiled Apple and another tech company, to illustrate not just how bad conditions are overall, but how much better they are with Apple's suppliers, so customers could see that something can be done, and is being done, and more needs to be done. If every tech company enforced their supplier conditions at Apple's level, workers would be better off across the board.
The best way to gauge the quality of your news sources is to see how often it pisses everyone off. If everyone across the political spectrum has taken issue with it at least some of the time, it's probably fair.
how many exposes have there been on apple and workers treatment?
and what is the basis for your claims which i bolded?
Hmm... Dell, Sony, HP are no name brands that connot influence working conditions? They all manufacture products in Foxconn facilities same as Apple. Then there iare the bit players like Amazon, Microsoft, Nintendo that also have products manufactured in China.
The Chinese workplace conditions are an industry issue, not an Apple issue. As noted Apple is one of the more responsible companies here -- not up to Western standards, but better than is cohorts in China. But as you say, none of the companies listed have any market power or influence, so yes, lets pick on Apple because it made a pledge to improve conditions where others have not. Makes perfect sense to me.
you didnt name any of those companies in your previous post.
but none of them are as big, rich and powerful as apple. if apple demands improvement then improvement will come in the industry. just like the industry has followed apple in many other ways.
the market cap of apple is what like 6 times the combined of dell, sony and hp and you think they should all get equal time?
to reiterate this documentary is not purely about the working conditions in these factories.
its not picking on apple. apple themselves has made promises and there is nothing wrong with looking into whether they are being kept.
I didn't need to list all those companies in my original post because I was talking about the entire electronics industry. I do believe most people would assume they are included. I only listed the companies in response to your post because you put up a straw man that Apple is the only "big fish."
Market cap is a stock market metric, not a manufacturing one. The other electronics firms make millions of products in China annually. Your point is lost on me. The BBC report is to beat up on Apple. By your logic, because Dell or Sony, or Microsoft did not pledge to improve conditions the light shouldn't be shined on them.
Apple has already made the pledge and standards are improving at their facilities. How about a report on how the pledge and improvements ARE affecting other manufacturers in China instead of the tripe BBC is offering. Wont' happen because that story isn't ratings sexy. It's all about terrible Apple, not working conditions.
The BBC and the reporting it supports needs to die, it's a politically biased corp ran by the government that has turned a blind eye to pedophilia, and because i own a TV i'm legally required to support it as well.. The whole thing needs disbanding.. but this is another debate
That's where your wrong...
You do not need a TV licence if you only watch content after it's been shown on television. This includes TV programmes downloaded or streamed after broadcast using a catch-up service.
So, if you have a TV but only use it to watch DVDs, for gaming or for watching catch-up TV (eg, BBC iPlayer, 4oD), you don't need a licence.
You'll still need a TV licence if you record 'live TV' content at the time of broadcast, using a digital recorder like Sky+ or TiVo (or a good old-fashioned VHS recorder).
This is because you're recording them as they are being shown on a TV channel. It doesn't matter when you watch them, or how they were recorded, you still need a licence.
now you are being disingenuous.
i never said apple was the "only big fish". neither directly or indirectly. i said they were by far the biggest. do you have any objections to that assertion?
yes market cap is a stock metric but what metric do you want to use where any of the companies you mentioned are bigger or yield more power than apple?
if apple have followed up on their promise and the report confirms that then how are they beating up on them?
no that is the explanation of the of the title of this particular episode and its description. i would welcome more high profile reports on the industry as a whole (not hard to find a lot of it online if you actually want it). but this particular episode is about the biggest company in its field and the one that can change the industry with its demands.
why are you still focused on china? have you still not read the short sum up i posted from the panorama website?
have you seen the episode to call it tripe?
I know why you say this, but really your point is a non issue.
That's like saying "John" rapes women, but because other people rape women, it's unfair they focus on John's raping.
Johns raping of women IS very very serious, and it would be good to report on it, disclose what he does, and bring him to account.
The fact other's are also raping, is not the point. And does not make John any less guilty.
I can do something, and it's ok, because others do it also has never been a valid excuse, if it's wrong it's wrong, whether it's just you, or you and 100 other people.
Simple really, Apple relies on repeat business from its current customers for a significant portion of its revenues and profits so they have a vested interest in keeping their customers on side. Whatever they might say in public Apple does actually listen to what its customers are saying about things like working conditions in their supply chain. Why else would they make a big deal of their efforts to improve things for those poor people in China.
I imagine Tim Cook is watching this through the gaps in his fingers.
This paints Apple & Foxconn in a very bad light!
This paints Apple & Foxconn in a very bad light!
Watching it now (was elsewhere at 9pm).
20 minutes in - not seen anything too bad about Foxconn, but Pegatron are currently getting a mauling.
20 minutes in - not seen anything too bad about Foxconn, but Pegatron are currently getting a mauling.
To be fair (sarcasm alert!) they did mention with the Tin Mines that it's "not just Apple using tin for their devices"
The documentary was about Apple and it's suppliers, so why does it need to be compared against another company?
I knew things were bad over there but I didn't think it was that bad. Apple should be ashamed of themselves - not for the conditions, but for lying about how they were monitoring how people are treated and where their raw materials really come from.
Apple are trying to tell us how things have improved, the documentary last night proved how their suppliers were fudging the truth and how they cover up employees long working hours. If Apple really were that bothered that could easily have found out with some investigating on their own as they have full access to all facilities. Imagine what else the BBC would have uncovered if they had the same access? Shameful really and there's no defence for Apple. They got called out here, so what are they going to do now? I expect very little.
Lot of people making wild comments who didn't even see the programme. Seems like the same old names that blindly defend Apple without really having anything more substantial than "it's Apple so it must be good." I saw the documentary and think that Apple, who have made a point of how well their employees are treated will be a little red faced this morning. As the poster above stated, "Apple should be ashamed of themselves." You just shouldn't be treating human beings in such a manner.
Things like this bring out so many apple apologist. It is things like this that make Apple fans look bad because say a minor thing negative about apple they jump all over you. Something major like this it is almost commical how bad the singing of "I'm Sorry SO sorry" goes
Apple pays for independent auditing of their workers' conditions, and makes all of their suppliers contractually commit to upholding the conditions. But, the suppliers continue to break the rules here and there, so Apple continues inspecting, and has even dropped suppliers. There have been plenty of articles on macrumors over the years about this.
Most other tech companies do not take these steps.