Personal Values and Kantianism Ethics in Apple

also sells a range of related software, services, applications, accessories and other networking solutions. Steve Jobs, as the company’s first CEO, led the organization through years of growth by producing quality products and services (Reuters, 2018). However, the company has recently been hit by a case of ethical misconduct where it admitted slowing down older versions of the iPhones. In this reflective essay, I provide a detailed analysis of this case based on my personal values and Kantianism theory. In addition, I provide what I would have done as a CEO of the company. Helping is important because we are not always going to be able to deal with all situations in our lives by ourselves. At any given time we may need somebody to help us, and it would be easier if we are in the habit of helping them and other people.

Finally, I believe in peace as a core value especially when finding solutions to disputes. Apple Admits to Slowing down iPhones Apple admitted to deliberately slowing down iPhones as they age. Based on their statement, the company revealed that it slowed down the processors in older iPhone models that include the iPhone 6, 6s, 7 and SE (McMahon, 2017). They will be associated with hiding information from the public. Also, the company might face a reduction in its sales and this will affect the profits of the company. After reading this case I feel disappointed in Apple Inc. This is because of the trust that I have had in the company over the years. I believed that it is among the best in the world and such do not need to engage in dishonesty and unfair business practice just to stay ahead of competition.

That is, an action can only be morally good if the principle or motive behind it, otherwise known as maxim, is duty to the moral law (Bowie, 2017).   At the center of construction of the moral law according to Kant, is the categorical imperative which acts on all persons regardless of their desires or interests. Kant used several principles in the formulation of this theory. The first one is universalizability. Based on this, Kant provided that for an action to be permissible, there must be a possibility of applying such an action to all people without the occurrence of a contradiction. Finally, any action should be motivated by goodwill (Bowie, 2017).   Therefore, Kantianism can be used to analyze Apple’s practices as described in the case.

Kantianism in the Apple Case Study Based on the principles of the Kantian ethics theory, actions of an individual or a company should be rational, allow and assist other people make rational decisions, respect other individuals, their autonomy as well as their individual differences and needs. Most importantly, these actions should be motivated by goodwill. According to these provisions, the Apple’s case in question would be considered as unethical. Slowing down their phones would mean that they miss on some updates or get late updates. As a result of this, they will be prompted to buy new iPhones. Therefore, I believe Apple was not motivated by goodwill to perform the updates and instead was looking for how to drive up the sales of new iPhones.

In addition, it is also important to notice that Apple did not deliberately reveal the information on their software updating activities that slowed down the iPhones. Instead they only opened up after an informative blog was released by an independent third party on the same. Apple shall educate the consumers that there is a need to slow down the processors of the iPhones as the battery ages to ensure that the phones are able to retain reasonable amount of charge for a reasonable period of time. This will help avoid cases of misunderstanding with the customers since they will now be having this knowledge before purchasing the iPhones. This practice is in line with the principle of Kant’s’ ethics theory that provides that actions of an individual or organization should be in a manner that promotes rational decision even for other people.