Raj Gupta thought he had it all. After earning a full five-year scholarship to a premier engineering university in the United States, he married Aashna, who graduated from the same program. Raj had managed to earn his undergraduate degree and MBA in five years, and both he and Aashna graduated at the same time and secured jobs at one of the biggest multinational mining corporations: Rio Bravo Inc.

The first year at the firm went fast. Raj's specialty was copper mining and production, while Aashna's was mineral exploration and waste disposal. They had been lucky being assigned to different mines only 50 miles apart, but days and nights seemed to merge with 12-hour shifts. They were being tested by their bosses to see if they would make it in the small global mining world. For every 100 engineers the company hired, only 10 survived their first year.

They both survived 18 months of intense pressure and hard work at Rio Bravo. Their reward was a posting of their choosing: Chile, Peru, Mexico, or Indonesia. By moving overseas, their pay would double, and they would receive a few additional perks. After considering all the variables, they chose Mexico because Raj and Aashna could work in the same area but in different divisions. The large home the firm provided inside a guarded compound was modern and included a full staff from drivers to cooks. It took some time to adjust to the country, lifestyle, the mining family, and living in a compound, but six months in, they had a routine they both could live with until a single phone call.

Raj found out that his parents would be visiting. When his parents visit, they stay for at least six to nine months. Aashna had only met Raj's parents once at the wedding in California. Though both of his parents spoke some English, Raj's mother chose to exclusively speak in her dialect. After two months, Aashna began to feel like a foreigner in her own home. Being Indian herself, she was very familiar with many parts of their culture, but she was born and raised in California and did not speak the dialect. She also couldn't help but feel pressured by Raj's dad, who seemed to repeatedly push for Raj and Aashna to have children. Raj and his family had discussions about Aashna that sounded rather negative, but she couldn't be sure. Despite Aashna's discomfort, Raj began to discuss having his family stay permanently.

Raj was rather oblivious to Aashna's plight because he was focused on work at Rio Bravo. Copper processing facilities are usually located near mining sites. Copper production typically includes environmentally problematic issues such as leaching, solvent extraction, smelting, and large waste volumes. At Raj's mine, they had two sites going around the clock. For the past month, the contract mine workers had become angry because of safety issues at the mines and smelters. Raj knew that to keep everyone happy, including adjoining town mayors and the federal Mexican government, "la mordida" (a slang term for bribes) was customary. The same system was employed in India, so Raj found this acceptable. But problems had begun with contract laziness. In this case, the workers tasked to haul away the worst chemicals outside mine property had been dumping it in various places, and some children in the surrounding areas showed signs associated with arsenic, lead, and uranium poisoning. The town mayors couldn't keep it quiet and the international media had come into the picture.

Also, some of the workers in the smelters hadn't done their jobs properly, so injury and death rates had climbed dramatically. When the contract workers wanted the mine's hospital to help them, per mine protocol, the private security firm denied them access and they had to drive 30-50 kilometers to local, under-supported hospitals. The result: everyone was upset. But that's why they had the private security force. All mines have contracted private security forces because of such situations. Raj had been chosen to deal with the protesters and security for the upcoming confrontation. He quickly reviewed The Voluntary Principles on Security and Human Rights document, highlighting the following items, with the security chief:

The type of forces deployed should be proportional to the threat.

Force is used only when necessary.

Companies should hold frequent meetings with public security and other stakeholders.

Only preventative and defensive services should be provided.

Companies should seek to employ private security providers from the local population.

"Tell me what this means," said Raj to the security chief.

His reply was, "We have the tacit approval of the local and federal government to do what's necessary. We've hired cartel locals who will be in the front lines. Per regulations, they will start with mace, then tear gas, rubber bullets, and on their local command's order, live rounds. Finally, if the fallout is too great, we have resources available to leave the country per standard mine protocol giving Rio Bravo plausible deniability."

That night Raj told Aashna the situation for tomorrow. "You're kidding!" she said.

"No, this is how it works in a lot of countries," said Raj.

"I don't think this is right," she blurted.

"Aashna, this is exactly what was done in West Virginia in the coal mines decades ago. Less developed countries have to go through this learning curve. And what if I don't do what is expected of me? That means getting fired and being blackballed from any other mining company in the world. Besides, after the conversation with my parents, we'll need my job as well as yours. When we have a family, they can take care of the baby when you go back to work." he explained.

"But what if I don't want your family here forever?" she asked.

"But dear, you married into my family, and this is what they expect. This is what I expect."

 Describe the personal, business, and legal (local, country, country) issues in the challenge.

Discuss how different societal norms impact employees (moral/immoral), businesses, (ethical/unethical), and countries (legal/illegal) and what solutions are feasible now.

Relative to sustainability, discuss how governments should deal with polluting industries that benefit citizen wealth but have global consequences.

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

This scenario presents a complex web of personal business and legal issues with profound societal and ethical implications Personal Issues 1 Cultural Clash Aashna although Indian by heritage feels ali... View the full answer