The Development of the Professional Engineer Essay

The Development of the Professional Engineer - Essay Example epartment of Innovation (2009) states that Engineering Council maintains a set of standards that the chartered engineers are expected to follow; these recognized standards are meant for professional outcomes and ethical conduct in the industry. These standards help to ensure the employers that their engineers have confidence in their knowledge areas and have the required expertise. There are a list of member institutions who have been authorized to assess engineers for registration for this recognized title; Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE), Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers (CIOB), Institution of Engineering and Technology etc. Finch (2008) stated in her article that according to the ICE website, there were 79,432 members recorded in 2006. A chartered engineer is required to portray a standard of performance and possess a commendable level of expertise in his field. ICE 3005 Development Objectives (2009) states that in order to acquire the title; one should follow a set of development objectives that will serve as a planning tool for learning and acquiring the desired level of expertise. These development objectives are not any assurance of the membership of the institution, but provide a strong base and foundation on the basis of which one can be confident when the level of expertise is to be judged by the professionals [2]. Fig.1 gives the membership process that is followed by ICE: In the above figure, it can be seen that ICE proposes two approaches for membership. One approach is through the individual himself and the other one is ICE approved company scheme. The common thing in both of these approaches is that development objectives are given utmost importance. If an individual comes for the ICE ‘Training under Agreement’ then a supervisor (SCE) will be appointed to him/her to help him and guide him through the process of increasing his knowledge and level of professionalism. On the other hand if the individual is not under any

Corporate Social Responsibility Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Corporate Social Responsibility - Essay Example Corporate social responsibility, though very important, may rarely come without serious concern for better financial performance or increased market share. In other words, studies reveal that managers are more likely to opt for investment in social ventures if they are certain of monetary gains. Since in most cases social responsibility is closely linked with better financial performance, thus managers are willing to invest in ventures for the public good. Lydenberg et al. (1986) maintain that "Companies fight hard for even a small percentage gain in market share for their products. If and when corporate managers become convinced that their company's social record affects market share, they will be forced to take social initiatives seriously." Social responsibility has also become a buzzword because of the availability of a large variety of similar goods. When a product comes into the market, it has to fight very hard for consumer's attention because there are several other rival goods competing for the same. A marketing and design consultant (Neuborne, 1991) states: "There was a time when you bought a product just for its price or performance...but with the number of products available, it is increasingly difficult to differentiate one product from another." In this situation, a consumer may base his buying decision on a company's image and its commitment to public good. This is clearly indicated by a book, 'Shopping for a Better World' that has been selling millions of copies since it first came out in the market. the book rates and ranks companies according to their social responsibility performance. As a result of this in 1989 alone, 78% of buyers switched brands. (Davids1990). World Bank defines CSR as: "Corporate So cial Responsibility is a term describing a company's obligations to be accountable to all of its stakeholders in all its operations and activities." While it is now true that corporate social responsibility is highly desired, it has not always been the accepted practice for corporations. In 2004, for example, Henry Miller in The Miami Herald, Henry Miller wrote, "Businesses do not have social responsibilities; only people do." (Miller, 2004). Similarly 'The Economist' failed to see why corporations must be forced to adopt a socially responsible framework. Thus in its 2005, issue The Economist skeptically reviewed the firms that were contributing to tsunami relief effort: "All things considered, there is much to be said for leaving social and economic policy to governments."(The Economist) Milton Friedman was probably the first theorist and economic expert to reject the theory of "social conscience of business" when in 1970 essay, he declared: "There is one and only one social responsibility of business-to use its resources and engage in activities designed to increase its profits."