There are a number of ethical issues that are arising from this movie. Some of these issues are that some ethical obligations and responsibilities do not just stop at the border of the United States. As a professional, one should uphold these ethics wherever he or she goes. This is the case that happens with Fred. Another important issue that arises is that ethics happens to be an integral part of our profession as engineers and this should be a core factor in our decision making processes. Even without complete data, it is sometimes important to come up with a solution to an ethical problem that may be in existence. Another ethical issue that is presented in the film is that the code of ethics happens to be a very important tool in dealing with some ethical issues that may arise in our profession. (Martin, 2002)
a) As Fred, I would act ethically and believe that the life of the people in the community together with the environment is very important. Even though the top management would be pressuring me to work quickly and cut on the budget, I understand that this would be putting the life of the people in the community, the employees and the environment at risk. Therefore, before I do what the management is requesting me, I would first clearly demonstrate to them the repercussions of what they want to do. (Martin, 2002)
As the design progresses, there are chances that the management would cut on the budget of the goods that may be necessary to make the design good and safe for the people. I therefore understand that I will have hard time convincing the management the importance of using the appropriate budget. I would convince them that cutting on the budget means that we will be producing a substandard factory which happens to be a health hazard to the employees and the workers. In addition, I will turn out to be their accomplice and this is not ethically right according to my profession. I cannot put the life of the workers at a risk and therefore I have to really fight with the management and ensure that they comply with the required standards. I understand that I will have to use threats such as resigning if the company insists on cutting the budget to unreasonable values and this may work. There will be a lot of conflict that will exist between me and the management. (Martin, 2002)
However I would cut the budget where possible but there are some things that I would consider while cutting the budget. First, I would not encourage production of a plant that is substandard. The reason is that this is illegal and secondary it is obvious that it will be putting the lives of the people who are living in the area at risk. Secondly, I would consider the effect of the company to the environment. We should protect our environment and therefore, I would not encourage a factory that has more pollution to our environment. The third factor that I would consider is the lifetime of the plant. If we construct a plant that is substandard or one with too many compromises, it is more likely that it will not last long and this should not happen. (Martin, 2002)
I do not agree with the management and therefore I cannot discuss with them or look for suggestions from them. The reason is that they are the ones who are advocating for the cut on the budget. Therefore, the only person that I trust and the one that I would look for advice from is my lawyer. The reason is that he is the only who can properly understand that situation. In addition he is my confidant and therefore I can share with him my secrets and I believe that this is supposed to be a business secret. (Martin, 2002)
b) If I was the engineer in charge, I would not cut on the budget. I would use the money that they have up to the point that the construction will reach. Alternatively, I would give then an alternative construction that would be covered by the money that they want to use. A most probable alternative construction is constructing a firm that is of lower capacity than the one they want. However, it will be of good quality. I have the responsibility of ensuring that the plant is safe to the community and to the workers. (Martin, 2002)
I would advise the company on the consequences of what they want to do. This is supposed to sensitize the management and make them realize that they will be putting the life of their workers at risk. I would give them previous examples of what had happened of the companies which wanted to do like them. This is supposed to change them and make them change the culture of the whole organization. In this process, I would involve the policy makers of the organization as they are supposed to improve on their policies as this is the most effective method of improving organization culture. (Martin, 2002)
The employees should be the first people to communicate to about the changes that will take place. This should happen immediately the management or the officials have approved of the changes. Then there should be the clients who would be informed through the emails or any other convenient method and lastly is the public which would be informed through the media. I understand that I have the ethical responsibility of ensuring that the life of every person that is associated with the plant is safe. (Martin, 2002)
a) As Fred, I would act ethically and believe that the life of the people in the community together with the environment is very important. Even though the top management would be pressuring me to work quickly and cut on the budget, I understand that this would be putting the life of the people in the community, the employees and the environment at risk. Therefore, before I do what the management is requesting me, I would first clearly demonstrate to them the repercussions of what they want to do. (Martin, 2002)
As the design progresses, there are chances that the management would cut on the budget of the goods that may be necessary to make the design good and safe for the people. I therefore understand that I will have hard time convincing the management the importance of using the appropriate budget. I would convince them that cutting on the budget means that we will be producing a substandard factory which happens to be a health hazard to the employees and the workers. In addition, I will turn out to be their accomplice and this is not ethically right according to my profession. I cannot put the life of the workers at a risk and therefore I have to really fight with the management and ensure that they comply with the required standards. I understand that I will have to use threats such as resigning if the company insists on cutting the budget to unreasonable values and this may work. There will be a lot of conflict that will exist between me and the management. (Martin, 2002)
However I would cut the budget where possible but there are some things that I would consider while cutting the budget. First, I would not encourage production of a plant that is substandard. The reason is that this is illegal and secondary it is obvious that it will be putting the lives of the people who are living in the area at risk. Secondly, I would consider the effect of the company to the environment. We should protect our environment and therefore, I would not encourage a factory that has more pollution to our environment. The third factor that I would consider is the lifetime of the plant. If we construct a plant that is substandard or one with too many compromises, it is more likely that it will not last long and this should not happen. (Martin, 2002)
I do not agree with the management and therefore I cannot discuss with them or look for suggestions from them. The reason is that they are the ones who are advocating for the cut on the budget. Therefore, the only person that I trust and the one that I would look for advice from is my lawyer. The reason is that he is the only who can properly understand that situation. In addition he is my confidant and therefore I can share with him my secrets and I believe that this is supposed to be a business secret. (Martin, 2002)
b) If I was the engineer in charge, I would not cut on the budget. I would use the money that they have up to the point that the construction will reach. Alternatively, I would give then an alternative construction that would be covered by the money that they want to use. A most probable alternative construction is constructing a firm that is of lower capacity than the one they want. However, it will be of good quality. I have the responsibility of ensuring that the plant is safe to the community and to the workers. (Martin, 2002)
I would advise the company on the consequences of what they want to do. This is supposed to sensitize the management and make them realize that they will be putting the life of their workers at risk. I would give them previous examples of what had happened of the companies which wanted to do like them. This is supposed to change them and make them change the culture of the whole organization. In this process, I would involve the policy makers of the organization as they are supposed to improve on their policies as this is the most effective method of improving organization culture. (Martin, 2002)
The employees should be the first people to communicate to about the changes that will take place. This should happen immediately the management or the officials have approved of the changes. Then there should be the clients who would be informed through the emails or any other convenient method and lastly is the public which would be informed through the media. I understand that I have the ethical responsibility of ensuring that the life of every person that is associated with the plant is safe. (Martin, 2002)
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