Engineers in Industry

 Be professional: prioritize tasks, give

constructive criticism, have a positive attitude,
accept appropriate challenges (but balance your
load), listen and understand well, check work,
communicate concisely and clearly
 Benefit from training: for job and P.Eng.
experience
 S
Some problem
bl areas: adjusting
dj i to company
practices, accepting routine jobs, doing what is
expected having realistic ambitions and
expected,
initiative, receiving acceptance and recognition

Engineers in Management - I
 Roles: manage resources (human, material,
financial) to meet corporate objectives and
resolve challenges
 Focus: usually on people (communications,
meetings, etc.), their issues and getting them to
“move in same direction” willingly
 Main tasks: provide leadership and strategic
planning
l i ((e.g., on new company di directions
i or
new products); motivate (through willingness
rather than exerting dictatorial control); decision
making
 Engineers in Management - II
 Leadership requirements: vision, planning,
communicating, monitoring, organizing, role
modelling
 Rewards: money, pride and satisfaction through
achievements, responsibility, challenge,
autonomy
 Drawbacks: stress, loss of personal freedom,
i
impact on ffamily,
il extra ethical
hi l dil
dilemmas
 Relevance to engineers: can make good
managers through
th h th
their
i natural
t l problem-solving
bl l i
skills and logic

Engineers in Private Practice I

 Roles: provision of engineering services directly
to the public (i.e., engineering consulting)
 Characteristics: entrepreneurial,
p , potential
p for
varied and interesting work, increased
responsibilities (e.g., greater legal obligations
and liability, extra licensing and insurance
requirements, need to generate own clients and
work)
 Main tasks: engineering advice, expert witness,
feasibility studies
studies, detail and specialized design
design,
project management, other engineering tasks
 Engineers in Private Practice II
 Extra personal characteristics needed:
confidence, business acumen, financial
reserves, people skills, reputation, willingness to
work hard
 Rewards: potential for money, pride and
satisfaction through achievements,
responsibility, challenge
 D
Drawbacks:
b k stress, risksi k off business
b i ffailure,
il
impact on family, extra ethical dilemmas

Ethical Problems
Engineers in Industry
 Potential ethical pproblems: employer
p y
(management) vs. engineer (technical) authority
and duty, conflict of interest, trade secrets,
confidentiality
 Degrees of ethical conflicts: actions contrary
to: law,
law code of ethics
ethics, engineer’s
engineer s conscience
 Extra resources: employee guidelines, labour
unions
 Approaches to unethical managers: continue
work and try to correct, continue work and alert
regulatory authority (whistleblowing)
(whistleblowing), resign (in
protest)
 Ethical Problems of Engineers in
I d
Industry
Constituency Responsibilities
C
Corporation
ti E i
Engineer
Owners Maximize profit for owners and Serve management loyally
• Owners shareholders and professionally to help
• Shareholders achieve their objectives

Stakeholders Deal with stakeholders so as to Deal fairly and ethically with

• Customers maximize profit for owners and corporation’s stakeholders, as
• Supp
Suppliers
es shareholders ((relationship
p with part of duty
p y to employer
p y
• Distributors stakeholders very important)
• Employees & unions

Society
y ( ) Consider societal issues only
(1)
• General public where they contribute to profit, or
• Public interests (2) Deal ethically with relevant
• The environment societal issues, even if actions
are in conflict with “maximizing g
profit” objective (this is core of
“corporate citizenship”)
y Protect p
public safetyy and
welfare as paramount
responsibility (often placing
engineer in conflict with the
corporation)
p )

Example: Conflict of Interest

Engineer working for a company is assigned to
evaluate
l t merits
it andd select
l t a contractor
t t for f an
underground communication system

Two companies are bidding: X and Y

The engineer has worked for Company Y for 10

years and owns a sizeable investment in the
stock of Y

What should the engineer do, and what options

does he/she have?
Options:
p Conflict of Interest Example
p
Yes Accept No
Assignment

Yes Inform No Next

Employer Job

Select
No Sell Yes
Stocks
Extra Select Y X
Measures
Transparency
Y X
Unethical Choices
Select

Y X

Ethical Choices

Ethical Problems
Engineers in Management
Most of the ethical p
problems in industry, y, plus:
p
 greater potential for conflict of interest (due to
authority over employees)
 ethical
thi l problems
bl ffrom d dealings
li with
ith other
th companiesi
and agencies
 responsibility to adhere to engineering act (avoid
using unlicensed personnel, misusing engineering
titles)
 ethical
thi l conflicts
fli t withith reviewing
i i work k ffor accuracy
and to assess competence
 ethical problems associated with fairness and
discrimination (e.g., hiring, dismissal, performance)
 Ethical Problems
Engineers in Private Practice
Most ethical problems in industry & management, plus:
 more potential for conflict of interest (via suppliers,
clients, contractors, government agencies, etc.)
 unethical practices by other firms or individuals
 unethical contracting practices (and risk of lost work)
 advertising restrictions (which ensure fair and
h
honest t competitive
titi evaluation
l ti off
qualifications/experience)
 ethical conflicts regarding engineering competence
 ethical problems regarding use of engineer’s seal
 confidentiality dilemmas (in acting for different
clients regarding need to disclose)
clients,
 review of work of another engineer (the need to
inform)

Quality--based Contracting
Quality
 Aqquality-based
y selection contracting
gpprocedure
 Steps:
 First choose according to technical competence,
managerial ability, experience, etc.
 Then negotiate fee, following guidelines
 A preferred contracting procedure by some
some, to
avoid bidding too low to do professional work
(i.e, avoid conflict between winning contract and
doping quality work)
 Contentious
 Activity
Examples in specific areas

Identify examples of unethical engineering

behaviour in a manufacturing company related
to:
1. International trade
2. The customer
3. The environment
4. The ee
employee
p oyee
5. The shareholder
6 Suppliers
6.
7. Society

Engineer's Dispute With Client

O
Over Design
D i - Situation
Si i
Client hires Engineer A to design a project. Engineer A
d
develops
l what
h th he b
believes
li tto b
be th
the b
bestt d
design
i and d
meets with the client to discuss the design. After
discussing the design plans and specifications, the client
and Engineer A are involved in a dispute concerning the
ultimate success of the project. The client believes
Engineer A's design is too large and complex and seeks a
simpler solution to the project. Engineer A believes a
simpler solution will not achieve the result and could
endanger the public. The client demands that Engineer A
deliver over to him the drawings so that he can present
th
them to
t Engineer
E i B to
t assist
i t Engineer
E i B in
i completing
l ti th
the
project to his liking. The client is willing to pay for the
drawings, plans, specifications and preparation but will not
pay until Engineer A delivers the drawings
drawings. Engineer A
refuses to deliver the drawings.
 Engineer's Dispute With Client
O
Over Design
D i - Question
Q i
Would
W ld it b
be ethical
thi l for
f Engineer
E i A to
t deliver
d li th
the plans
l and
d
specifications to the client?

Help:
H l See
S source for f discussion
di i andd conclusion.
l i S
Source:
NSPE Case No. 84-4,
http://onlineethics.org/cases/nspe/nspe84-4.html

Ethics in Research
 General guiding principles

 Ethics
Ethi concerning
i use off h
human subjects
bj t

 Ethicsconcerning experimentation on
animals
 General Guiding Principles for
Research
R hE
Ethics
hi I
 Honesty: in carrying out research and
interpreting results

 Integrity: in assessing validity of the

research
h and d itits relevance,
l within
ithi
accepted norms of the scientific
community
it

General Guiding Principles for

Research
R hEEthics
hi II
 Fairness: towards research-team members,, co-
workers and colleagues in
 dividing workload
 evaluating
l ti work k
 giving appropriate credit for work
 respecting intellectual
intellectual-property
property rights

 Responsibility:
p y in assessing g the impact
p of
research on public safety and welfare, the
environment, human rights and societal stability
 Ethical Standards for Research
Involving
I l i H Human SSubjects
bj I
Informed Consent: Fully inform participants about
the research project and their rights within it, and
obtain their signed informed consent

Risks vs. Benefits: Carefullyy assess risks and

benefits of the research (particularly risks to the
physical or psychological well-being of
participants)
i i ) and
d avoid
id methods
h d that
h can h harm
participants

Ethical Standards for Research

Involving
I l i HHuman S Subjects
bj II
Captive
p and Dependent
p Populations:
p Ensure
that informed consent of participants from
captive and dependent populations is obtained
only after their rights are carefully explained to
them in the presence of an impartial third party

Children: Obtain expert advice on the potential

risks to children where appropriate, before
seeking their and their parents’ consent to
participate in research
 Ethical Standards for Research
Involving
I l i H Human S Subjects
bj III
Respect
p for Privacy
y and Confidentiality:
y Ensure
 confidentiality of information obtained for research
 anonymity of the participants

Cross-Cultural Research: In investigating cross-

cultural differences
differences, ensure all relevant ethical
issues are addressed in socially and culturally
acceptable
p ways
y byy
 undertaking the work with care
 involving a researcher team including local
personnel where possible

Ethical Standards for Research

I
Involving
l i AAnimals
i l I
Alternative Methods: Use animals only if no
viable alternative exists

Numbers: Minimize number of animals used

Pain and Distress: Design methods to minimize

any
a yuunnecessary
ecessa y pa
pain a
and
dddistress
st ess to a
animals,
a s,
and humanely kill animals suffering from severe
unrelievable pain
 Ethical Standards for Research
I
Involving
l i AAnimals
i l II
Physical
y Restraints: Avoid experiments
p involving
g
physical restraint of animals that leads to
inhumane suffering (unless exceptional
circumstances exist)

Cruel Practices: Avoid cruel practices (e

(e.g.,
g
multiple invasive procedures), especially when
used only for demonstration purposes