FUTURE INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY

VALUE AND ETHICS ASSIGNMENT

SUBJECT CODE: HU301 DEPT: CE

Q1. What do you mean by Technology Transfer? Discuss the process of Technology
Transfer. Discuss the problems/limitations/challenges of technology transfer.

Ans: Technology transfer:

Technology transfer is the process of skill transferring, knowledge, technologies,

methods of manufacturing, samples of manufacturing and facilities among governments
and other institution to ensure scientific and technological developments are accessible
to a wider range of users who can the further develop and exploit the technology into
new products, processes, materials or services.

Process of Technology Transfer:

Technology transfer is achieved by ―

i. Handing over descriptive information, flow sheet, reactions etc.
ii. Handing over engineering drawings, specifications, instrumentation etc.
iii. Training and demonstration

Problems/Limitations/Challenges of Technology Transfer

1) Material specification varies from country to country and quality of material may
differ
2) Disagreement about the design specification
3) Problems with availability of spare parts
4) Delay in payment
5) Lack of requisite skill sets by personnel
6) Legal regulations pertaining to import of materials

Q2. Explain the “Reports of Club of Rome.”

Ans: The Club of Rome is a global think tank consisting of current and former Heads of
States, UN bureaucrats, diplomats, scientists, engineers, diplomats, economists,
business leaders from around the world. It deals with a number of international and
political issues

Reports of Club of Rome:

It is basically a graphical depiction of parameters such as ―

➢ Population
➢ Food per capita

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 ➢ Resources
➢ Industrial output per capita
➢ Pollution
It produces a standard world model which depicts the future of humanity by plotting a
graph of Quantity of Goods & Services v/s the above parameters.

Q3. What is Global Warming? What are their effects on the society? How as a
technologist, can you contribute in mitigating the problem?

Ans: Global Warming:

The slow Gradual rise in temperature of the Earth due to emission of excess quantities
of greenhouse gasses is called Global Warming.

Effects on Society:

1) Impact on Agriculture: A rise in CO2 may increase production of some crops ,

but overall crop production reduces due to dry soil having higher temperatures
and acute scarcity of water required for irrigation.

2) Impact on Marine Food: The freshwater from icecaps which melt due to global
warming changes the pH and the temperature of the sea which causes death of
marine life on which the livelihood of many fishermen depends on.

3) Impact on Humans: Humans will not be able to cope with rise in temperature
and as result might get sick. Also of properties in coastal areas due to rising sea
level might be a traumatic emotional experience for the families living there.

Mitigation of Global Warming:

1) Reducing consumption of fossil fuels such as coals and petroleum.

2) Recovering and disposing greenhouse gasses formed elsewhere.
3) International co-operation for attempting the reduction of greenhouse gases.
4) Population control, to reduce demand for resources such as energy and land
clearing.

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Q4. What is Societal Value? What do you mean by Value Crisis? Discuss the various
levels where Value Crisis is found in a contemporary society. How can these crises
be avoided?

Ans: Societal Value:

Societal values are basically principles which generally guide human behavior within a
society. It forms a important part of a functioning society and provides a general
guideline for social conduct. Values such as Fundamental rights, patriotism, respect for
human dignity, rationality, sacrifice; individuality, equality, etc. guide our behavior and
maintains stability within the social order.

Values Crisis:

In a good society certain values are observed like, children pay respect to their elders,
citizen obey the law, principles of democracy and secularism is observed and business
man conducts his business without jeopardizing the benefits and health of other people.
But crisis arises when one or several or all of these values are disturbed. The society
today has become primarily money oriented. Students hardly show any respect towards
their teachers, people sometimes dishonor secularism as was done in Godhara and
Ayodhya incidents. Democratic values where destroyed during the 2007 Nandigram
incident. Even the sanctity of a human life is not maintained as seen in the recent
murder of man in Rajasthan. Corruption, rape and terrorism also appear to be on the
rise. All these are sign of value crisis, which have become the norm of the day.

Levels of Value Crisis Found in a Contemporary Society:

1) Individual Level: The sole aim of all the strivings at the individual level has
become attainment of personal success in terms of acquisition of money, power
and prestige have led to the decline of values in an individual. The value crisis at
an individual level have three dimensions ―

i. Increasing respectability of selfish individualism

ii. Rise in right-consciousness and decline in duty-consciousness
iii. Adopting double standards of value judgment, i.e., even the smallest
mistake by someone else is scrutinized and criticized harshly whereas
we casually ignore or explain away our own mistake and refuse to take
responsibility.

2) Societal Level: The ascendency of ideologies and individualism have declined

communitarian feeling of a society leading to the deadening of social
consciousness which have made us insensitive toward various social evils like
injustice, corruption, exploitation and inequalities based on caste, class and
gender

3) Cultural Level

4) Intellectual Level

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 Avoiding Value Crisis

1) By educating all sections of the society

2) By providing health care and employment opportunities to the common man
3) Political and social leader should set up examples through upholding honesty
and integrity of the highest order
4) Higher education systems must provide value based education in which human
values and business ethics would be made an essential component.
5) Mass media should act in a responsible manner
6) Transparent administration and corruption free governance is required for
inoculating human values in general minds.

Q5. Introduce the “Appropriate Technology Movement”. Who proposed it and when?
What are the major focus areas of this movement? Explain with some real world
scenario.

Ans: Appropriate Technology Movement:

Appropriate Technology refers to an industrial civilization which does not consume too
many and too much of resources. According to it, consumption must diminish by
suitable adjustment of technology which should be simple, easy to operate without
much of raw materials using least energy and producing least byproduct or waste
product. The concept of Appropriate Technology was given by Dr. E. F. Schumacher in
1966.

Focus of Appropriate Technology Movement:

1) Minimum utilization of resources.

2) Minimum quantity and types of resources to be employed.
3) Should meet general demands of common people.
4) Should not cause environmental pollution
5) Should use technologies which create a lot of employment opportunities

Examples:

1) Food and Fruit Technology: Since India is a highly populous country food and
fruit technology comes under the purview of appropriate technology. It should
incorporate technologies for quick preparations of readymade food for the
common people and also apply technology during production like using tractors,
irrigation systems etc.

2) Medicine and Pharmaceutical Technology: Another appropriate technology

suitable for India is production of small drugs, tonics, capsule and tablets. Under
appropriate technology medicine and pharmaceutical companies will incorporate
milk foods like Horlicks, Complan etc.

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Q6. Define the term “Corporate Social Responsibility”. How can a company provide
support to the society through proper implementation of Corporate Social
Responsibility? Give Some Examples.

Ans: Corporate Social Responsibility:

Corporate social responsibility, often abbreviated "CSR," is a corporation’s initiatives

to assess and take responsibility for the company's effects on environmental and social
wellbeing. The term generally applies to efforts that go beyond what may be required
by regulators or environmental protection groups.

Benefits of Society from Corporate Social Responsibility:

1) Higher standard of living

2) Better employment opportunities
3) Protection of environment
4) Sense of security
5) Technological and infrastructure development

Examples:

1) Enact corporate policies for protecting environments.

2) Providing free and good education to the children of the employee.
3) Providing health care to the employee and his family.
4) Promoting sports in localities and schools.
5) Conducting community development program.
6) Providing scholarships to meritorious students
7) Providing housing arrangements to its employee.
8) Conducting workshops, seminars and training at colleges.
9) Investing in infrastructure development projects.

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