Business Ethics

A CASE STUDY OF
ETHICAL ISSUE AT
GUCCI IN
SHENZHEN, CHINA Of Li wang and Robin Stanley
Snell
REPORTED BY:
GERALDINE R. MAQUINAY
MARCH 23, 2019

SUMMARY OF THE
CASE STUDY
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SUMMARY OF THE CASE STUDY
Brief Background about Gucci
• Gucci is a multinational company with over 270 directly operated stores worldwide,
serving customers of elite goods, and generating billions of dollars revenue per
year.
• It has an iconic, even noble, luxury brand image in the Greater China region, where
its revenue increased by 35.6% in the first half of year 2011.
• Gucci has expressed its intention to accelerate the process of opening stores on the
Chinese mainland.
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Statement of the Problem
• Gucci came under fire after five former employees from its flagship store in
Shenzhen revealed information online about inhumane working conditions and
labor mistreatment in the company.
• The case study focused on events that took place in a Gucci flagship store located in
Shenzhen, China.
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Objective of the Case Study
• The authors analyzed why labor abuses (as exemplified in the Gucci case) are
allowed to occur and persist in foreign invested firms that are located in the
People’s Republic of China.
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ETHICAL ISSUES
INVOLVED
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ETHICAL ISSUES INVOLVED
Ethical Issues
• Unethical labor management practices and arrangements in Gucci.

• while the restrictions were applied strictly to all frontline employees, including one who
was pregnant, they were not applied to the managers.
• employees had to pay compensation for any product that was stolen or went missing, even
though these luxury products had already been insured.
• Also, the five employees accusing Gucci criticized the company’s goods exchange
policies which appeared to be arbitrary and dependent on the manager’s mood.
• The case also involved falsification of records about working hours, and the
imposition of forced, unpaid overtime work.
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POSSIBLE
SOLUTIONS TO
THE PROBLEM
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POSIBLE SOLUTIONS TO THE PROBLEM
The authors proposed solutions in dealing with this

case:
• Action coordinated by Gucci: One means for a solution is for Gucci to lead efforts in
developing and implementing industry-wide and worldwide codes of ethics, thereby creating
a comprehensive set of explicit norms and expectation about ethical standards.
• Action by Employees: In order to protect employees, it is of utmost importance to challenge
the mindset of tolerance and to equip employees with a strong awareness of rights and of
suitable ways to protect themselves collectively. They should be encouraged to get together
and make their voice heard (like writing a public letter on the Internet).
• Action by the Chinese government: It is recommended that the Chinese government should
revise its entire approach to the monitoring and regulation of labor rights.
• Action by foreign governments: A foreign government is typically responsible for creating
and enforcing laws that apply to all the companies operating in their country.
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ETHICAL ISSUE’S
IMPACT TO THE
BUSINESS
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ETHICAL ISSUE’S IMPACT TO THE BUSINESS
After the allegation on Gucci;
• On 26 October 2011, Gucci and the former employees eventually arrived at a

settlement in conjunction with Shenzhen Federation of Trade Unions.
• The company, then, replaced its store managers.
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REFERENCES
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REFERENCE
Wang, Li & Snell, Robin. (2012). A case study of ethical issue at
Gucci in Shenzhen, China. Asian Journal of Business Ethics. 2.
10.1007/s13520-012-0024-6.
Market News (2011). Gucci replaces 2 China store managers

after staff-abuse allegations. Retrieved from
https://www.reuters.com/article/china-gucci-
idUSL3E7LE02720111014.
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“Ethics is knowing the difference between

what you have a right to do and what is right to
do.”
- Potter Stewart
THANK YOU

Business Ethics

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A CASE STUDY OF

MARCH 23, 2019

Brief Background about Gucci

Statement of the Problem

Objective of the Case Study

• Unethical labor management practices and arrangements in Gucci.

The authors proposed solutions in dealing with this

After the allegation on Gucci;

• On 26 October 2011, Gucci and the former employees eventually arrived at a

Market News (2011). Gucci replaces 2 China store managers

“Ethics is knowing the difference between

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