Please provide your answers in a thought-out, coherent form and use complete sen

Question

Please provide your answers in a thought-out, coherent form and use complete sentences. Each of these questions asks you to analyze the issues presented in the Chapter. In addition to presenting direct answers, you will also be expected to provide your opinion(s). If possible, please also share any unique insights you may have regarding the issues based on your background and life experiences. Read: Case #7 – Google: The Quest to Balance Privacy with Profits (pages 458-471) Read: Case #14 – Apple Inc.’s Ethical Successes and Challenges (pages 537-545) First created in 1998, Google has eased the availability of information more than ever before. Billions of searches are made each day through its search engine. However, lack of Internet privacy has become an issue for many people. While Google tries to be an ethical company, achieving the balance between privacy and advancement has been a concern in many areas. Similarly, Apple Inc. has experienced ethical issues which could sully the company’s future success in the world of technology manufacturing. Like Google, Apple using consumer tracking to increase their knowledge about their market. Many government officials do not agree with this policy. Apple Inc. has faced other dilemmas in the area of social responsibility. Using the concepts presented in Chapter 4 as well as information you have read in the Google and Apple Inc. cases, please answer the following questions: How can Google use its power to improve the lives of its stakeholders? Is there any way Google can respect privacy and yet still maintain its profitability? Give at least two examples. What are some of the effects government regulation of the Internet might have on Google’s operations? Explain how Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted how it handles ethical decisions. Why is Apple’s industry so competitive? How could this affect the ethical risk in Apple’s operations? How do you think Apple has handled the various ethical issues that it has faced in the past? Justify your answer. Compare and contrast two areas of social responsibility that both Google and Apple face. Clarify how each is dealing with the particular area. While some people believe MLM is a pyramid scheme, others believe MLM is simply a sales compensation method. Do you agree or disagree with this position? Why or why not?

Explanation / Answer

1. How can Google use its power to improve the lives of its stakeholders?

Google is already taking measures to ensure the user privacy is maintained, but privacy is the cost that is incurred when it comes to information that Google provides. The main revenue source for Google is the advertisements, and it tracks user’s personal information for tailoring those advertisements. To improve the lives of the stakeholders, Google can work towards ensuring privacy of user’s personal information, and it does that to some extent by sharing data that has already been given consent by the user through its privacy policy. Around 52% of Google users have an issue with Google’s privacy measures; hence improving privacy measures and increasing transparency in its operations, can help Google increase the degree of consumer trust, hence helping the stakeholders, as Google being such a large player has the power to positively affect how the companies interact to their users online.

2. Is there any way Google can respect privacy and yet still maintain its profitability? Give at least two examples.

To respect the privacy of the consumers and still maintain its profitability, Google can firstly categorize the information it is sharing with the third party. Then from the given categories, Google can make informed decisions, on what information sharing will infringe the privacy of the consumer, and what information can be shared. The information that can affect the user’s safety or sharing of the information can negatively affect the user should not be shared. For example, what the user is browsing for online shopping can be shared with the companies to tailor the shopping advertisements for the user.

Secondly, to ensure consumer privacy is respected, Google can ask its users to fill up a survey or a form, to know what information they are comfortable with being shared, and what they are not comfortable sharing. This survey might yield different results in different countries, due to different value and principles, and Google will have to respect that.

3. What are some of the effects government regulation of the Internet might have on Google’s operations?

Government regulations can make Google to give up location tracking of its users, also sensitive information sharing of the users. This will affect Google’s operations by having a negative impact on its profitability. Also, government regulations might force Google to ban access to some websites, like the Chinese government did. This will also affect Google’s profitability, but this will increase the consumer trust in Google, which might be favourable for Google in the long run.

4. Explain how Apple’s philosophy and organizational culture have impacted how it handles ethical decisions.

Apple’s ethical decisions are impacted by its focus on four main principles of honesty, respect, confidentiality and compliance. Apple also mounts its success on integrity in business interactions. To bring in these principles into its culture, Apple has a code of conduct drafted for its operations globally. To further make sure of ethical conduct, Apple employees have a Business Conduct Helpline to report misconduct to the company. It also publishes its philosophy and policies related to corporate governance, guidelines to report questionable conduct, and director conflict of interest on its website. To ensure ethical conduct on the part of its suppliers, Apple makes sure its suppliers sign a “Supplier Code of Conduct” before they do business with Apple. Also, Apple publishes an annual Supplier Responsibility Report to convey its expectations that should be met by its suppliers, and the corrective actions that Apple can take if the violations are found in supplier conduct.

Related Questions

Navigate

• Browse (All)
• Browse P
• Subjects

---

---

Integrity-first tutoring: explanations and feedback only — we do not complete graded work. Learn more.