Tag Archives: The Conversation

Apple’s $1 trillion riches based on innovation and exploitation

August 6, 2018UncategorizedApple, corporate social responsibility, exploitation, Foxconn, human rights, innovation, iPhone, labour standards, Martijn Boersma, Profit Margin, social, Supply Chain, supply chains, The Conversation, transparency, Value Chain, working conditionsmartijn

Apple has become the first American company to reach US$1 trillion in market capitalisation – US$1,000,000,000,000 in stockmarket value. Behind this glittering success, however, lies ~~a series of unresolved ethical dilemmas~~ a history of staggering labour exploitation.

The approaches of Apple and the other giant US platform technology companies (Google, Facebook, Amazon) to corporate taxation, concentration and privacy have attracted widespread criticism.

But as a manufacturing company Apple faces a more deep-seated problem. This involves the millions of people employed in its supply chain, which is largely located in China with the major contractor Foxconn.

Our research shows human rights, environmental and ethical problems persist inside Apple’s vast global supply chains.

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The Sustainability Record of Australia’s Big Banks

July 17, 2015UncategorizedAustralia, Australia and New Zealand Bank, banking, banks, Catalyst Australia, civil society, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, companies, Corporate Governance, corporate social responsibility, environment, GFC, global financial crisis, governance, National Australia Bank, regulation, Reporting, self-regulation, social, stakeholders, supervision, Sustainability, sustainable finance, The Conversation, TheConversation, Westpacmartijn

Australian companies will soon be publishing financial results, as well as information about sustainability efforts. Corporate social responsibility of the big four banks – Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ), Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA), National Australia Bank (NAB) and Westpac is a continuing topic of debate following recent scandals and reports of unsustainable activities. Yet according to ANZ chairman, David Gonski, Australians ought to “stop bashing the banks” for being large and profitable. This comment should put civil society on guard.

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The ‘Myth’ of the Australian Entrepreneur

May 21, 2014UncategorizedAustralia, budget, entrepreneurship, government, innovation, start-ups, The Conversationmartijn

We are still awaiting the details of the Federal Government’s Entrepreneurs’ Infrastructure Program, and how this may impact the Australian entrepreneurial ecosystem.

While this program is estimated to provide $484 million of funding, this is only half of what was spent under now-scrapped programs such as Commercialisation Australia, the Innovation Investment Fund and the Industry Innovation Precincts, representing a significant decline in government spending on entrepreneurs and innovation. While many agree that government programs can be improved, the cuts show a lack of understanding of the Australian entrepreneurial ecosystem.

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Tag Archives: The Conversation

The ‘Myth’ of the Australian Entrepreneur