Apple CEO Tim Cook remains in China this week on an ambitious venture that has taken the new company head inside the controversial facilities of Foxconn, which operates a plant in Zhengzhou, China.
In recent months, Apple has come under fire in response to claims that horrendous working conditions threaten the physical and emotional well being of those who work at the facility.
But just this past January, Apple became the first technology company to join the Fair Labor Association, a move that subjects factories that produce products for member companies to inspection.
Although issues were found via inspection, progress has been steadily made – thanks in no small part to the enormous attention given to the situation by media coverage and Apple-related protests around the world.
“Apple has had a string of negative publicity this year with Foxconn factory issues,” Mark Natkin, managing director of Marbridge Consulting Ltd., a Beijing-based market research firm, tells Bloomberg. “Apple is trying to demonstrate how seriously they take these issues, and how strong their commitment is to China.”
No word on how much longer Cook will remain in China.
