International Management and Ethics - Coursework Example

International Management and Ethics Introduction In December Qatar, the small Gulf won its bid to have the 2022 World Cup as a host. Through the next decade, the nation will embrace gigantic new development to backing the quadrennial World Cup FIFA. As part of its commitment Qatar has to assemble nine state-of-the-art stadiums furnished with advanced cooling technology to beat high temperatures, a new airport complete with a sail-molded terminal, $20 billion worth of the new road system, the worlds longest bridge in neighboring Bahrain, 54 group camps, and smooth new inns for tourists. As of mid- 2012, a predetermined number of World Cup-related ventures were under development and new tenders started to be issued for contracts fixing to development of venues for the 2022 events (Human Rights Watch, 2012). For the completion of such projects Qatar needs an estimated 500,000 workers from across the world. Unfortunately, Qatar is being criticized by a number of people, sports lovers, labors and social classes for its poor labor laws and for many political and practical reasons. Soccer analysts, fans and experts from social classes have been criticizing the decision of awarding Qatar to host such a well reputed and entertaining game. There are some other issues that are identified by soccer analysts such as corruption, cultural tensions ,i.e. Strict rules regarding dress and behavior within the rules of Islamic religion and high temperature that reaches to 110 degrees regularly. However, the most terrible issue is the human rights law and records of the Qatar government regarding construction labors which are making it an ethically bad choice. In this report, we will address the ethical issue of Qatar as well as will find effective suggestions to resolve this issue according to international standards (Jadaliyya.com, 2014). ETHICAL ISSUE Now the ethical issue that has been widespread discussed by different social classes and human rights organizations is the terrible working conditions of migrants across the country under which employers are exploited and abusing workers regarding free association and collective bargaining rights of labors. For about nine to eleven hours work time workers are getting wages of $8-$11 (Human Rights Watch, 2012). They have no proper place for living, no free access to health care, no free access to their passports and even water is not available to them without the permission of the supervisor at the workplace. In a small room where four labors are allowed to reside, there are 18 workers per room slept in bunk beds with no access to drinkable water and many rooms are windowless with no proper ventilation (Keller and Darby, 1997). This resulted in a high death rate of workers in Qatar. Most of the migrants are from India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and Bangladesh to work as low wage construction labors. According to local Nepali media, 191 workers died in Qatar in 2010: 19 died as a result of workplace accidents and 103 died as a result of cardiac arrest, though they did not fall in the age group at risk of cardiac disorders. In this regard, it is expected that Qatar will kill thousands of construction labors to complete the construction of venues for FIFA world cup 2022 (Human Rights Watch, 2012). ETHICAL THEORIES FOR JUSTIFICATION Rights Theory The theory holds a variety of moral/ethical theories stating that certain human rights are essential and other humans must respect them. The theory focuses on the rights of each individual of the society. In this regard, the migrant workers have a right to have access to proper housing, health care facilities, and free movement in the society and to drinkable water and healthy food in their camps (Messerly, 1995). In Qatar the condition of the construction labors is opposite to the rights theory which is against humanism. Being a human, it is the right of labors to get paid fairly for their work as well as it is their right to have a quality life better than animals (Compa and Hinchliffe-Darricarrere, 1995). Qatar must have a proper and fair law for migrant workers to improve its image ethically and morally across the world. Under this theory, no one has the right to kill or harm another individual except in case of self defense. The issue of migrant workers in Qatar should be addressed because migrant workers are not harming Qatar but are utilizing their skills for the development of Qatar for which they must have proper treatment from the government. Consequentialism Theory The theory believes that different actions can be characterized as good or bad on the basis of its consequences. If an action has positive consequences over the bad ones the action is morally right or vice versa (Messerly, 1995). According to this theory, the laws and the rights of migrant workers in Qatar have a high number of bad consequences over the good ones. For example, people have very low wages as compared to the international standards, no drinkable water which is against the standards of international human rights, high death rates in this class of labors, low satisfaction, and poor health and living conditions. All these actions are harming a group of humans, whereas the change in these actions will have no harmful effect on other people living in the country. Moreover, the change in such laws and action will improve the financial condition of poor labors, will improve health, will reduce death rates and finally will increase productivity. Qatar is one of those gulf countries, which have a heavy dependence on migrant workers, therefore; they should consider the improvement of their laws regarding migrant workers. KLINE’S FRAMEWORK The Kline’s framework is as follows. Creation Kingdoms Creature Kings Day 1: Light Day 4: Luminaries Day 2: Sky Seas Day 5: Sea Creature Winged Creatures Day 3: Dry land Vegetation Day 6: Land Animals Man The Creator King Day 7: Sabbath In this framework, Kline tried to explain that numerous creative tasks of God that have been arranged in a particular order for theological and literary practices rather than sequential practices. The purpose of discussing this framework here is that ethical and moral issues are of great importance and in this world, it is important to deal with such issues on a priority basis. The framework clearly shows that God created man and land animals on the last day to ensure a better place for their living therefore, it is important to have proper legal and regulatory measures in this world regarding human rights to ensure an effective, morally and ethically best place to live and work. In the light of Kline’s framework, in the Qatar case of migrant workers rights, it is the responsibility of stakeholders and consultant companies including British engineering company Halcrow and CH2M Hill Group that they should take certain actions to eliminate this ethical issue. Both the companies should set a standard wage for the migrants as well as for the local workers who will work as part of the construction project. They should also build a committee in the Qatar for the rights of the migrant workers so that they can approach the committee as a result of discrimination on unfair treatment from their supervisors. One of the most important stakeholders of the Qatar migrant workers are the migrants themselves. They should protest against Qatar migrant laws without the fear of their employer because Qatar is heavily dependent on them and they are not in the position to refuse their claims or to fire them. POSSIBLEM SOLUTIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS British engineering company Halcrow and CH2M Hill Group should force the Qatar government to introduce labor laws regarding freedom of association and collective bargaining for the entire labor force in Qatar including migrant workers. They are the key consultants on the projects of infrastructure design and construction of the 2022 event. They can set a minimum wage for the workers as well as can establish a committee to check whether migrant construction labors are treated fairly. United Nation’s International Labor Organization should force the government of Qatar to end the Kafala system because this is the way through which only skilled migrant workers with a fair legal status and visa can get the opportunity to work there. This will also allow labors to keep their passports with them and will save them from abuse by their employers. United nations have the power to force Qatar for eliminating kafala system or can even restrict member nations to stop sending their people to Qatar. This will compel Qatar to change its labor laws because it has a great dependency on migrant workers. Qatar government should work with international recruitment agencies for the fair implementation of labor laws as the Qatar’s Ministry of Labor have a well planned labor law but has no agencies for its implementation. Responsible international agencies can ensure a fair implementation of Qatar’s labor laws, but it seems a bit difficult due to political interference and corruption. The Ministry of labor in Qatar should set a minimum wage for every worker in the Qatar and should end the discrimination on the basis of race, nationality and religion. This will allow the Qatar government to implement the laws fairly as well as will allow them to control any sort of violence easily. CRITICAL EVALUATION According to the tables given in the appendix 1, which shows the critical evaluation of the proposed solutions. The minimum criterion is 1 while the maximum criterion is 3. In this regard the best options for the Qatar government are option number 1 and option number 2. In the current scenario British engineering company Halcrow and CH2M Hill Group are the most powerful bodies that can force the Qatar government in making changes in their labor laws. The reason behind the power of these two companies is that they are the consultants to the Qatar 2022 Supreme Committee and they have the power to bring changes in labor laws to improve productivity and to reduce death and accident rates in the construction sector. On the other hand the United Nation’s International Labor Organization has the power to force Qatar and other Arab countries to end kafala system. Kafala system is restricting the freedom of migrant workers in Arab countries and is against the standards of international labor and human rights (Bajracharya and Sijapati, 2012). United nation has been established to protect human rights across the world and the condition of labor laws in Qatar is seriously threatening the motive of the United Nations. United nations have the power to call Qatar to abolish the Kafala system because this is the root cause of the poor condition of migrant workers in Qatar. REFERENCES Bajracharya, R. and Sijapati, B. (2012). The Kafala System and Its Implications for Nepali Domestic Workers. CESLAM Policy Brief No, 1. Brannagan, P. (n.d.). Qatar’s Soft Power Gamble: The FIFA World Cup 2022. Compa, L. and Hinchliffe-Darricarrere, T. (1995). Enforcing international labor rights through corporate codes of conduct. Colum. J. Transnatl L., 33, p.663. Chiswick, B. (2011). High-skilled immigration in a global labor market. 1st ed. Washington, D.C.: AEI Press. Jadaliyya.com, (2014). The Case Against Qatar: Host of the FIFA 2022 World Cup. [online] Available at: http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/17329/the-case-against-qatar_host-of-the-fifa-2022-world [Accessed 10 Aug. 2014]. Keller, W. and Darby, T. (1997). International labor and employment laws. 1st ed. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of National Affairs. Messerly, J. (1995). An introduction to ethical theories. 1st ed. Lanham, Md.: University Press of America. May, W. (1980). Doing ethics: The bearing of ethical theories on fieldwork. Social Problems, pp.358--370. The grass withers, the flowers fall, (2010). An Analysis of Meredith Kline’s Intrusion Ethics. [online] Available at: http://picketluna.wordpress.com/2010/03/17/an-analysis-of-meredith-kline%E2%80%99s-intrusion-ethics/ [Accessed 10 Aug. 2014]. Woelfle, A. (2012). Human Rights Watch. Alexandra Woelfle. APPENDICES Appendix 1: Critical Evaluation Table Proposed Solutions Ease of Implementation Improvement in Laws Improvement in Productivity Total Actions by British engineering company Halcrow and CH2M Hill Group 3 2 2 7 Ending of Kafala System 3 2 2 7 Joint venture of Qatar government and International agencies 1 3 2 6 Law enforcement by Ministry of Labor Qatar 1 3 2 6 Read More