Engineering Ethics-Chapter-6 (1).pptChapter5- Safety updated (1).ppt

Engineering Ethics-Chapter-6 (1).ppt

1. Ch 6: The Rights and
Responsibilities of Engineers
•Objectives
•Discuss the responsibilities and rights that
engineers have
•Understand what a conflict of interest is
and know how to manage one
•Determine what whistle blowing is
and when it is appropriate to blow it.

2. Professional Responsibilities
•Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) System
BART is an automated train system that
was constructed in
• San Francisco in the early 1970s.
•Three engineers working on the project
had
•some safety concerns and were not
satisfied with the testing procedures
•were fired for insubordination

3. rights and responsibilities overlap.
For example, the BART engineers had a
responsibility to the public to see that
the BART system was safe and the right
to have their concerns taken seriously
by management without risking their
jobs

4. Professional Responsibilities
1.Confidentiality & Proprietary Information:
Engineers must keep proprietary information of
their employer or client confidential.
Most information about how business is run, its
products and its suppliers, directly affects the
company’s ability to compete in marketplace.
Such information can be used by a competitor to
gain advantage or to catch up.
(Test results , unreleased products, and designs or formulas, suppliers,
cost,
employees )
for the government!!!!!!

5. how long confidentiality
extends ?
•A gray area is the question of how long
confidentiality extends after an engineer leaves employment with
a company. In practice, its difficult to be confidential after
moving to a
new job.
Individuals have the right to seek career advancement, even from
a competitor.
Companies have the right to keep information away from their
competitors.

6. 2.Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest arises when an
interest, could keep a professional from
meeting one of his obligations. For
example, a civil engineer working for a
state department of highways might have
a financial interest in a company that has a
bid on a construction project

7. types of conflicts of interest.
Actual conflicts of interest, such as
the one described previously, which
compromise objective engineering judgment
Potential conflicts of interest
engineer might find himself becoming
friends with a supplier for his company.
 Appearance of a conflict of interest. If an
engineer is paid a percentage of the cost of the
design.

8. ways to avoid conflicts of interest
•Follow the guidance of the company policy.
•Ask a coworker or your manager to obtain
a second opinion and make it clear that you
aren’t trying to hide something.
•Examine your motives and use ethical
problem-solving techniques.
•look to the codes of ethics and test your
situation.

9. 3.Competitive Bidding
•It forbid engineers to compete for work
based on submitting price proposals rather
than soliciting work and charging
customers based on a fixed fee structure.
•This could lead to engineers cutting corners
on design and undermine engineers’ duty to
protect the safety and welfare of the public.

10. Competitive Bidding( cont..)
many ethical issues related to competitive bidding that
engineers should consider:
•submitting an unrealistic low bid in order to secure work
and then making up for this through change orders once the
work has been secured
•Overstating of qualifications to secure work
•Making negative and disparaging comments about potential
other bidders
•Attempting to destabilize the bidding process through back
channel contacts.

11. Professional Rights
•the right to privacy.
•the right to participate in activities of own
•choosing outside of work.
•the right to reasonably object to company
•policies without fear of retribution.
•the right of the engineer to refuse
to engage in unethical behavior.

12. Whistle-blowing
•Whistle-blowing is the act by an employee
of informing higher management or the
public of unethical or illegal behavior by an
employer or supervisor.

13. When Should Whistle-Blowing Be
Attempted?
Need. There must be a clear and important
harm
Proximity. The whistle-blower must be in a
very clear position and must have enough
expertise to report on the problem
Last resort. if there is no one else more
capable or more proximate to blow the
whistle and if you feel that all other lines of
action within the context of the organization
have been explored and shut off.

14. Preventing Whistleblowing
key ways to prevent whistleblowing
* Strong corporate ethics culture
* Clear lines of communication
within corporation, and access to
high-level managers

15. Ethical Issues in Engineering Practice
•Computer Ethics
Computers as a Tool for Unethical Behavior
 Computers are used to more efficiently steal money
computers are used for “hacking
The issuance of computer viruses is also unethical.
Copyright violation
Computers as an Engineering Tool
–design tools and as components integrated into
engineered systems.
–the engineer who uses software in the design process is
still responsible for the designs that were generated and
the testing that was done using a computer