Group number: 4

Nguyễn Quang Phát K214020181

Lê Minh Ngọc K21402
Đặng Phúc Loan Thảo K21402
Nguyễn Ngọc Thảo Nguyên K214020180

A visiting American executive finds that a foreign subsidiary in a poor nation has hired a 12-
year-old girl to work on a factory floor, in violation of the company's prohibition on child
labor. He tells the local manager to replace the child and tell her to go back to school. The
local manager tells the American executive that the child is an orphan with no other means of
support, and she will probably become a street child if she is denied work.

What should the American executive do?

This real-life scenario has occurred globally, presenting American executives with a ethical
dilemma. Each of the two options has its own ethical merits and drawbacks. Neither option, whether
it involves breaching the company's regulations on child labor or leaving the child without support,
appears to be an acceptable solution.

There are two potential solutions to mitigate the risk of ethical breaches in this situation:

Solution 1: In this case, the company's management could provide the child with accommodations,
sleeping arrangements, and cover necessary expenses. In return, the child can be assigned to tasks
that are both light and suitable for their abilities. This approach aligns with the guidelines of the
International Labor Organization (ILO):

Minimum Age Convention, 1973 (No. 138) - International Labour Organization (ILO)
This fundamental convention sets the general minimum age for admission to employment or work at
15 years (13 for light work) and the minimum age for hazardous work at 18 (16 under certain strict
conditions). It provides for the possibility of initially setting the general minimum age at 14 (12 for
light work) where the economy and educational facilities are insufficiently developed.

In this case, the American executive should first enquire about the child labour laws in that country.
If the country's law allows 12 years old children to work in economic activities then there isn't much
left for the executive to do. He or she can ask the subsidiary manager to take good care of the child,
ensure her safety from factory equipment and if possible arrange for her education in the factory
itself in her spare time.

Solution 2: Alternatively, if the company is unwilling to proceed with this course of action due to
legal restrictions on employing children of this age in labor-related roles, they should promptly
remove the child from the factory and arrange for her placement in a well-established orphanage
that can provide her with proper care. If suitable orphanages are not readily available, the company
could explore the option of reaching out to local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) that
specialize in assisting homeless children.