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Stakeholder Roles

15 January, 2016 - 09:10
Available under Creative Commons-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Download for free at http://cnx.org/contents/05c97be4-3ad0-47f2-b5a7-a75d0ad90ab7@3.72

Mexican Government Regulatory Agencies

  • Look at OSHA regulations on safety. Do any of these apply to the incident at morales. Pay particular attendion to responsibilities for providing safe working conditions and to mandated procedures for accident prevention. How as a government agency can you encourage companies to take active and positive measures to increase workplace safety and prevent accidents?
  • Look at EPA or JCA for ideas on environmental issues. What are Phaust's responsibilities regarding local environmental conditions? (Should the Mexican government require lining waste water ponds?)
  • As an official representing Mexican government regulatory agencies, how do you balance the safety and environmental needs of Mexican citizens and workers with the need to attract foreign companies and investors to Mexico to promote economic development. Should safety and environmental values ever be traded off to promote economic development?

Workers at Morales Plant

  • Manuel, your plant manager, has just died. You and your co-workers are concerned about the safety of this new plant. Can you think of any other issues that may be of concern here?
  • Develop a statement that summarizes your interests, concerns, and rights. Are these being addressed by those at Phaust and the parent company in France?
  • The Mexican Commission established to investigate this "incident" will ask you questions to help determine what cause it and who is to blame. What do you think some of these questions will be? How should you respond to them? Who do you think is to blame for the incident and what should be done in response?

Designing Engineer: Fred

  • Examine Fred's actions and participation from the standpoint of the three responsibility frameworks mentioned above.
  • Develop a two minute position paper summarizing Fred's interests, concerns, and rights.
  • Anticipate questions that the Commission might raise about Fred's position and develop proactive and effective responses.
  • Be sure to use the three responsibility frameworks. Is Fred to blame for what happened? In what way? What can professional societies do to provide moral support to members in difficult situations? How can interested parties provide moral support? Finally, what opportunities arose in the video practicing moral responsibility as a virtue? (Think about what an exemplary engineer would have done differently.)

Phaust Management: Wally and Chuck

  • Chuck and Walley made several decisions responding to the parent company's budget cuts that placed Fred under tight constraints. Identify these decisions, determine whether there were viable alternatives, and decide whether to justify, excuse, or explain your decisions.
  • Develop a two minute position paper that you will present to the commission.
  • Anticipate Commission questions into your responsibility and develop effective responses to possible attempts by other groups to shift the blame your way.

Corporate Governance: French Parent Company

  • You represent the French owners who have recently required Phaust Chemical. You have recently shifted funds from Phaust operations to fnance further mergers and acquisitions for your company.
  • What are your supervisory responsibilities in relation to Phaust?
  • Develop a preliminary two minute presentation summarizing your position and interests.
  • Anticipate likely commission questions along with possible attempts by other groups to shift the blame your way.

Engineering Professional Society

  • You represent the professional engineering society to which Fred belongs.
  • Develop a two minute presentation that outlines your group's interests and position.
  • Anticipate possible Commission questions, develop responses, and anticipate attempts by other groups to shift the blame your way.
  • Respond to whether your professional society should extend moral support to engineers in difficult positions like Fred's. Should they clarify code provisions? Provide legal support and counseling? Make available a professional/ethical support hotline?

Investigative Commission

This role will be played by your instructor and other "guests" to the classroom. Try to anticipate the commissions questions. These will be based on the conditions of blame responsibility, the principle of responsive adjustment, and responsibility as a virtue.