Child Labor Is Defined by the International Labour Organization - Essay Example

Exercise Child labor is defined by the International Labour Organization (ILO) as work done by children who are under the age of twelve; work done by children who are under the age of 15 that prevents them from attending school; and labor done by children under the age of 18 that is dangerous to their mental or physical health. In short, child labor is an economic activity that gets in the way of his or her education or that is detrimental to children in any sort of way. The cruelest forms of child labor are when children work in hazardous conditions for little to no payment. Children working in factories that make electrical components have to work for long hours, are at risk of getting injured and in the endeavor to make money inevitably compromise on education. These are the ethical issues that a buyer from an engineering company has to face when buying electrical components from these sorts of companies. In a way, he will be indirectly promoting child labor. He will also need to be aware of the fact that in such factories children become incapacitated, emotionally and physically, from less than appropriate working conditions. With brutal injuries, they are unable to attend school and pass on the chance to have a better life for themselves. Those that survive face psychological and physical scars that will remain with them for the rest of their lives. Hazardous jobs generally include: mining, jobs that necessitate the operations of heavy machinery, working in dirty and unsafe environments and any job that goes beyond eight hours a day. [1] Exercise 2 This is a particularly touchy case. There has been a lot of money invested and there seems to be a lot at stake. Also, it is the last opportunity for the team to earn fame, money and glory. The predicament for the person who knows about the failings of the car is understandable, especially as he happens to be the new one in the project. It is difficult to voice opinions if you have been the most recent entrant into a project. There is always an unspoken hierarchy in situations of this nature, and the value of the lowest in the pecking order is never taken too seriously. However, the person's bigger responsibility is to the person who is driving the car. It is evident that the car may go out of control during the course of the race, and the consequences could be anything. While the rest of the team may argue that the risk is minimal - and you can't fault them from thinking that way - the driver could be in danger of his life. The best thing to do in this case is to reason with his teammates. Quitting is the easier solution but that does not help the unsuspecting driver in any case. If his teammates do not want to pull the car out of the race even after much coaxing then the best thing to do is to inform the organizers of the race to take action. The person may lose friends in the process but he could well be saving a life. Exercise 3 This is a tricky situation for Paul. He is left to choose between his work and his marriage. Objectively, the choice does not seem to be that difficult. However, for the person facing the predicament it could be a tough issue. Paul has to look at his peace of mind when making this decision. Professionally, he is under obligation to take the task. If others in the team are willing to work long hours, Paul would like to do the same, simply out of professional pride, especially if he happens to be heading the project. Plus, the incentive of money is a great pull. Paul is seeing this as a career making opportunity. However, it is impossible for him to stand firm on professional ethics when his marriage is at danger. He has three children and his wife to cater to. In a situation like this the best thing to do would be to open up to the company's hierarchy and explain the problems. He may not have to tell all details; giving a hint of what is at stake can be perfectly understood. This way he stands to gain any way. He will be saving the marriage in any case, even if he is to lose on the lucrative offer. Or, better still, his honesty could secure him a job and save his marriage at the same time. Exercise 4 I would like to have an honest outlook towards my job. If you keep a high moral standard and be true to yourself, you stand to gain in the long run. Employers, all said and done, seem to respect honesty and straightforwardness. Skill is not the only criteria that can take employee up the promotion latter. I have learnt to understand that having some skill is doubtless a prerogative if you are to make it as a professional, but doing the job in the right and ethical manner has its own rewards. As professionals we tend to face myriad problems along the way. There are times when it seems it is impossible not to compromise a little on ethics. Unforeseen situations stand in front of you begging immediate solution. Before jumping into anything, step back a little and try and look at the problem differently. Remember, the easiest solutions are the most difficult to find. Better still, before joining a company, I have always studied it thoroughly. You can have a fair idea of what you are getting into with proper research. As long as I meet my end of the bargain without compromising on my ethics, my employers will not have a problem with me. Exercise 5 The application of engineering ethics offers a consensus on the ethics of engineering decisions and gives guidelines for moral conduct by all business professionals. These codes of ethics encourage engineers to act in a manner that does good to both the society as well as the profession. Above anything else, engineers are serving the society, and they should always place public good over their own. In this case, Sue does not do any good to the society or her company. She is keeping her company in the dark and is compromising her ethics big time doing so. She is not doubt being successful keeping her product in the market and earning good money from that. However, there are some questions she needs to address. The first is: is she executing the role her company hired her to do The insurance company hired her to research and recommend the best software applications available in the market. Checklt, her product, is on the verge of being dropped from the market. Sue breaks a major rule in any company policy - working for personal gains. There is no real need to notify the company before the market study. However, the real need is to find the software that is best for the company. [2] Exercise 6. a) Mishandling of an automated information system is at times deemed illegal, it is certainly unethical, and always shows poor judgment or lack of care in adhering to security rules and regulations. Misuse can, unintentionally, lead to security vulnerabilities or even cause damage to vital information. It also shows lack of responsibility on the employee's part to follow rules and casts doubts over his or her trustworthiness. It also depends on the personal information the employee storing on the system. While simply using the system is a breach of trust and warrants legal action, there are other misuses that can lead to sterner actions. For example, storing pornographic images is, at times, seen as criminal action. [3&4] 6.b) The best thing to do in cases is to tutor the employees of Security Policy and the legal actions that could ensue if the policies are not adhered to. The employees should be made to read Expect end-users. Also they should sign it initially and on a yearly basis. The policies should be consistent with organizational culture and readable. Security should be made explicit. Good security habits should be rewarded. And the leader should lead example. [5] Exercise 7. a) The non-financial rewards at Honda's plant are several. There is a distinct lack of discrimination that plagues so many offices these days. There is a frank exchange of views with senior people and a feeling of being wanted which promotes better performance and, consequently, benefits the company. The lack of a hierarchy means that the employees are close to each other, giving them a sense of emotional security. b) The work study or an industrial engineer is generally present for the sake of specialization. At Honda's plant, there is no need for specialization. Employees are expected to do all jobs, and they successfully manage that by feeding off and exchanging ideas with each other. Everybody is expected to develop and execute their job functions. c) Job enrichment is the process of improving environments for the satisfaction of employees. Workers often feel disillusioned due to dearth of challenges, monotonous procedures, or a controlling authority. At Honda's plant, there is an absence of any real authority. The work is monotonous. However, employees are encouraged to feed off each other and develop own ideas. Therein lies the challenge. Also, this novelty prevents the job form being boring. d) i) The benefits of working in teams are that the employees learn from each other. Concomitantly, a feeling of togetherness is there. ii) The problems that may arise is from the absence of a qualified engineer. While teamwork fosters harmony and a congenial working environment, a person with necessary expertise can greatly enhance the potential of a team. References [1] http://www.un.org/works/goingon/labor/lessonplan_labor.html [2] http://www.tcnj.edu/rgraham/ethics.html [3] http://www.usda.gov/da/pdsd/Security%20Guide/S1class/Computer.htm [4] http://www.dur.ac.uk/its/training/itgs/responsible/ [5] http://www.secureitconf.com/presentations/13_SecurityAwarenessEnterprise-103- jpl.ppt. Read More