Amazon’s Fast Delivery: The Human Cost

Rickey E. Richardson; Laura Gordey; Reggie Hall

ORDER ARTICLE PERMISSIONS/REPRINTS/OFFPRINTS/TEACHING NOTES

To order inspection copies, and/or permissions to include this article in textbooks, edited volumes, course booklets, online/digital course packs, etc., and/or to order multiple individual hard copies for classroom use, please use the secure online payment, or the appropriate form available on the Order Forms page, or alternatively, contact the Publishing Editor, Peter Neilson, pneilson@neilsonjournals.com directly.

Amazon’s Fast Delivery: The Human Cost

Rickey E. Richardson, Laura Gordey, and Reggie Hall

Tarleton State University, USA

Volume 17: 2020 pp. 251-254: ABSTRACT

Fast delivery to customers required Amazon fulfillment center employees to meet high daily productivity quotas. In some of the centers, robots and people worked together. The efficiency of the robots and the company’s productivity standards, made it challenging for workers to avoid injury. Candace accepted a position in a center utilizing robots and was injured on the job, just like hundreds of others. Her injuries and lack of workplace accommodations prevented her from meeting productivity quotas and consequently jeopardized her job. She wondered if customers understood the human cost incurred to achieve such fast delivery and if it was ethical to subject employees to such work environments. Students are asked to analyze the situation from various ethical perspectives and offer their opinions to Candace. During their analysis they will learn about ethics, ethical standards, stakeholders, and corporate social responsibility.