Character-Based

Ethics of Amazon
This presentation analyzes Amazon's lack of courage,
honesty, temperance, and justice.
 Courage

Poor warehouse working conditions Long shifts with few breaks

Amazon warehouses had poor ventilation, extreme Employees worked 10-12 hour shifts with short and limited
temperatures, and unreasonable performance quotas. breaks.

Amazon lacked courage by subjecting employees to poor working conditions and

unreasonable performance expectations.
 “"They were not honest that the time spent
waiting and on short breaks were wrong." - From
the document”
DOCUMENT
 Temperance
Amazon required warehouse workers to pack up to 240 boxes per shift. This high
workload demonstrated Amazon's lack of temperance, or self-restraint, in how
hard they pushed their employees.
 Justice

Tax avoidance in 2017 Impact

Tax avoidance reduced money
Amazon paid no federal tax available for everyone, hurting
on $5.6 billion in U.S. the vulnerable.
profits.

Past 5 years
Amazon paid 11.4% tax rate
on $8.2 billion profits, around
1/3 of what they should pay.
 Harms of Tax Avoidance

Less Money for the Vulnerable Avoiding Responsibilities Lack of Justice

Amazon's tax avoidance showed a lack of
Tax avoidance by Amazon left less money to Amazon avoided its responsibilities to pay justice as part of its character.
go around for everyone, hurting the its fair share of taxes.
vulnerable.

Unethical Behavior Lack of Courage

Tax avoidance is considered unethical behavior. Amazon lacked courage by avoiding taxes rather than paying its fair
share.
 Virtues Lacking

• Courage • Temperance
Amazon lacked courage because they treated employees poorly and Amazon did not have temperance because they gave employees a
made them work in bad conditions. large workload by packing 240 boxes per shift.

• Honesty • Justice
Amazon was not honest about the time spent waiting and short breaks Amazon lacked justice in the tax avoidance case in 2017, paying much
being wrong. less tax than they should have.