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Moral dilemma

 
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I just wondered if anyone had moral dilemma's applying for certain jobs.
MoDs, Oil Companies , Fur Trappers, .....
Also are these likely to be terrorist targets ?
(After recent events in Turkey, HSBC )
Bush seems to be recalling American jobs from London back to America.
So we might expect some HSBC jobs back in the UK , perhaps.


regards
[ November 21, 2003: Message edited by: HS Thomas ]
 
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Originally posted by HS Thomas:

Bush seems to be recalling American jobs from London back to America.
So we might expect some HSBC jobs back in the UK , perhaps.


I have not seen any sign of this. Do you have documentation?
Nominally Bush does not possess the constitutional power to compell private enterprises, non-profit corporations, or state/ local governments to repatriate jobs to the US from anywhere. I suppose that he might be able to do so with employees of the Federal government, but probably could not be effective except in cases where the safety of the employees and their families is at stake. He might bring 'non-essential federal employees' back to the US from danger spots, for example.
Most of what Presidents say on the topic of jobs is hot air except for things like running a large deficit and increasing demand in the economy. That that doesn't affect specific jobs but rather the whole economy.
Bush might have been talking about outsourcing to India. Which is become a major issue in the US (and the UK for that matter). But he really doesn't have any power other than his influence in Congress to affect things like regulation and the tax codes. Talk talk....
 
HS Thomas
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AN:I have not seen any sign of this. Do you have documentation?


There was a link on Yahoo! yesterday that had some news along those lines. The words could have been "urging recall" and it could have referred to governmental type jobs. I can't find the link again.
Thanks for pointing that error.
My main issue was reconciling supporting Anti-War and working for the MoD or BP or being anti killing of animals for their pelts and working for a Fashion outfit.
regards
 
Al Newman
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I'm against the vicious slaughter of polyesters to make purple fur AND the horrific butchery of thousands of Naugas to make Naugahyde.
On the other hand the Velcro farms of Thailand are an exemplary example of how mankind can use agrotechnology to mange the earth in a green manner while making useful products.
How do you stand on these compelling issues?
P.S. the velcro farms grow GM velcro....
[ November 21, 2003: Message edited by: Alfred Neumann ]
 
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personally i would never work for microsoft, SCO, any company that infringes animal rights or any company with a dodgey environmental policy.
 
HS Thomas
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Alfred you fun in jest.
What's a polyester ? And it's Naugahyde.

And your point is? (As they'd say in MD.)

I agree it surrounds us; difficult to draw the line.
We need jobs. We need oil. We need oil by-products. We need the MoD.
I can feel a rap coming on.
regards
 
Al Newman
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Originally posted by HS Thomas:
Alfred you fun in jest.
What's a polyester ? And it's Naugahyde.
And your point is? (As they'd say in MD.)


Google polyester and I'm sure you will be Enlightened. Thanks for the correction, which I immediately incorporated into my post to make you look like a fool.
My point? Why it's on the top of my head of course. I keep my hat on so it won't show, but for some reason people laugh anyway. It's a perfectly good stocking cap, so I don't know why....
Where would I draw the line? Well I won't work for the SS, Stasi, KGB, GRU, KKK, or the BBC. Unless they offer me buckets of dosh, free poontang, AND allow me to do it incognito of course. The SPanish Inquisition is right out. I will have nothing to do with the Curia (Catholic Church). Al-Quaeda is right out on pragmatic grounds, being that the average time a car-bomber lives from the time he starts the car until he almost hits the target is less than 10 minutes......
 
HS Thomas
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AN : Unless they offer me buckets of dosh, free poontang, AND allow me to do it incognito of course.


Money isn't everything. As Kevin Thompson pointed out in one of the threads that stupid people are just as effective at negotiating high salaries than clever ones. Perhaps even better at it.
There must be other values in doing a job. It would seem as though one'd only be considered successful if he/she earns xxxxx amount. So would that mean there are that many disappointed/ disatisfied people around ?
regards
 
Al Newman
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Originally posted by HS Thomas:

Money isn't everything. As Kevin Thompson pointed out in one of the threads that stupid people are just as effective at negotiating high salaries than clever ones. Perhaps even better at it.
There must be other values in doing a job. It would seem as though one'd only be considered successful if he/she earns xxxxx amount. So would that mean there are that many disappointed/ disatisfied people around ?


I just have a hard time taking basic question seriously at all. I don't see any of these normal occupations as having much of a moral dimension. Some parts of some individual companies seem to have behaved in a dodgy matter, 'tis true. Upper echelons of Enron and Worldcom spring to mind. But that doesn't seem to apply to working for another company such as Exxon or AT&T. Anywhere you work it's how you behave that counts.
Even an animal testing lab is necessary. If I thought animal testing was dead wrong I suppose I'd be wrong to work at a laboratory, unless I was there in the capacity of trying to reduce pain and/or carnage to a minimum. In which case it would be defensible.
Fashion? The majority of the industry are more concerned with clothes made of cotton, wool, or plastics than have anything to do with fur. So there would be plenty of moral space there.
Oil companies. If one drives a car I'd say that scorning the refiner is like meat-eaters scorning the butcher. Imbecillic.
 
HS Thomas
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I just have a hard time taking basic question seriously at all.


Basic to some perhaps.

HR works out these nice grades and salary levels that fit employees into categories. Nice to watch the grades rolling by as the months/years go by. How many bosses have you worked for that you really admired ? Once you get past being grateful being offered a job ? Actually, having a boss that keeps jobs may be quite an achievement these days.
I cannot think of any examples where employees turned a company right round. Anita Roddick , Erin Brokovitch and that New Zealand guy who started the Green movement spring to mind. Right now I think they did have something valid to say and changed a quite a few things for the better.
It would be nice to see some of that carried forward.
I've heard lots of Virgin's Richard Branson employees think it's relly cool to be working for his companies. Needs looking into. Virgin might have become just like the rest by now.
Jonathan Porritt CBE is the Green Peace Warrior I refered to earlier.

regards
[ November 22, 2003: Message edited by: HS Thomas ]
 
HS Thomas
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A long process that's a bit like checking the E-numbers on food as to what's good for you! A regular health check on work issues may be in order, too.Work E-numbers ? Unfortunately I never paid much heed to the questionnaires that came around quite often :
Are you happy with a), b), c), d) e) and if not what would you change ?
Sometimes the boss would tell staff what to put down!
It's worth taking the trouble over these and making sure your objections go forward to the right place. In as nice a manner as possible, of course.
As one of my most notable managers once told me : How would I know unless you told me ? ( Managers are not all pointy haired bosses.)
Be prepared to accept that some issues take time to resolve and you may well be long gone by then. But at least you had a say just make sure the process is one where every say counts.
It's well worth trying to understand how the questionnaires are prepared at a company but requires special skills.
Simple things like Energy conservation, waste re-cycling make a huge difference to the company and employees and worth concentrating on to start with. Anyone fancy telling an Oil Company how to conserve Energy ?

Which goes right back to what Alfred said (I think) :

Alfred Neumann : Anywhere you work it's how you behave that counts.


(My third chug this morning)
regards
[ November 22, 2003: Message edited by: HS Thomas ]
 
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a bit of art, as a gift, that will fit in a stocking
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