Following criticism in a range of media properties that Apple Inc. was turning a blind eye to poor and exploitive worker conditions at supply factories in Asian countries such as China, CEO Tim Cook reportedly has circulated an email to company employees saying that leadership is “attacking problems” where they exist. The content of the letter was carried on Bloomberg.com.
"We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues," Cook said in the email. "What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word."
Cook went on to write that “We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don't care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It's not who we are ... "We are attacking problems aggressively with the help of the world's foremost authorities on safety, the environment, and fair labor. It would be easy to look for problems in fewer places and report prettier results, but those wouldn't be the actions of a leader.”
"We will continue to dig deeper, and we will undoubtedly find more issues," Cook said in the email. "What we will not do — and never have done — is stand still or turn a blind eye to problems in our supply chain. On this you have my word."
Cook went on to write that “We care about every worker in our worldwide supply chain. Any accident is deeply troubling, and any issue with working conditions is cause for concern. Any suggestion that we don't care is patently false and offensive to us. As you know better than anyone, accusations like these are contrary to our values. It's not who we are ... "We are attacking problems aggressively with the help of the world's foremost authorities on safety, the environment, and fair labor. It would be easy to look for problems in fewer places and report prettier results, but those wouldn't be the actions of a leader.”
- KC's View:
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Not sure, but I have this strange feeling that Tim Cook may be better positioned temperamentally to deal with this issue than Steve Jobs might have been.
But he’d better deal with it, and this better not be just lip service. Because this is the kind of stuff that can really screw up a company’s brand equity.
