Ethics in the digital workplace
Digitisation and automation technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), can affect working conditions in a variety of ways and their use in the workplace raises a host of new ethical concerns.
Poundland, the UK-based discount retail chain, has announced that it will open 7 new stores in the UK by Christmas, creating 160 new permanent jobs.
The managing director said that with the planned expansion Poundland is contributing to keeping shopping areas and town centres alive, at a time when many shops are closing down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. He also added that the company is planning to open further 45 stores in the next 12 months as part of a GBP 15 million (€16.5 million as at 26 November 2020) investment.
Poundland sells a wide range of products, including food and drink, health and beauty, gardening and DIY products, offering many items for GBP 1. The company opened its first store in 1990 and now it has a network of 800 stores in the UK, and it also operates in Ireland under the brand name 'Dealz'.
Eurofound (2020), Poundland, Business expansion in United Kingdom, factsheet number 102680, European Restructuring Monitor. Dublin, https://restructuringeventsprod.azurewebsites.net/restructuring-events/detail/102680.