AAPL Company

Apple the world's most reputable firm, despite controversial Foxconn sweatshops?

9to5 Staff | Jun 8 2011 - 11:45 am PT

A consumer study by Reputation Institute has Apple and Google sharing the #1 spot as the world’s most reputable companies. According to the 2011 Global RepTrak 100 index, Disney, BMW and LEGO placed third, fourth and fifth, respectively. Sony, Daimler, Canon, Intel, and Volkswagen round out the top ten. As a matter of fact, the study found out that Apple, Google, LEGO and Sony are the only companies to make the top ten in nine of the 15 countries. This quote caught our attention:

A major finding of this study is that most companies have stronger reputations in their home countries than abroad.

Now, that’s interesting. While Apple is admired as the world’s most reputable powerhouse, they are at the same time facing criticism from groups like SACOM, a Hong Kong-based labour organization. Per this story by setteB.IT, SACOM today denounced latest statements by Foxconn CEO Terry Gou from a recent shareholder meeting. Gou praised Apple and told investors that employees do not object to the working conditions at the company’s new plants. SACOM took it upon themselves to investigate working conditions at said factories during March and April 2011. Today saw their release of the below clip depicting what the iPad sweatshop looks like.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3YFGixp9Jw&version=3&hl=en_US]

In their summarized findings SACOM says the Foxconn footage reveals “misleading job advertisement, dangerous working environment, inadequate measures on work safety, excessive and forced overtime work, and deprived of social life”. Coincidentally, In Marc of 2011 Wired deemed working conditions in iPad factories severe enough to justify the below cover. Of course, Foxconn makes products for almost everyone, including Sony and Hewlett-Packard, but it’s kinda telling that both Google and Apple – the world’s two most admired companies – are having issues in China.