The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers

1
Chapter 6

• The Rights and Responsibilities of Engineers

2
Professional Responsibilities

• Confidentiality and Proprietary Information

• Engineers are required to keep confidential
  certain information belonging to their employer
  or client

Such information, if released, might allow other
companies or organizations to gain an unfair
competitive advantage
Borderline area how long does confidentiality
extend once an employee moves to a new company?
3
Conflict of Interest

• Occurs when an interest, if pursued, could keep a
  professional from meeting one of his/her
  obligations

• Actual Conflict of Interest
• Occurs when a compromise of objective engineering
  judgment takes place

Potential Conflict of Interest Situations which
could easily become an actual conflict of Interest

• Appearance Conflict of Interest
• An engineer is paid on a percentage basis of the
  cost of a design
• No incentive to keep costs down
• Distrust can arise form this type of situation

Avoid conflicts of interest by consulting company
policies and seeking second opinions
4
Environmental Ethics

• Control the introduction of toxic and unnatural
  substances into the environment

• Protect the integrity of the biosphere

Ensure a healthy environment for humans
5
Resolution Types of Environmental Problems

• Cost-oblivious
• Maintain the integrity of the environment at all
  cost

• Cost-Benefit analysis
• Achieve an economically beneficial balance of
  pollution with health and environmental
  considerations

6
Ethics and Computers

• Computers as the Instrument of Unethical Behavior
• Computers make it easier to perpetrate crimes
  such as theft from an employer or financial
  institution
• Privacy is more difficult to maintain because of
  the number of personal records stored on and
  transferred among computers

• Computers as the Object of Unethical Acts
• Computer Hacking
• The issuance of computer viruses

7
Autonomous Computers

• Computers which have the ability to make
  decisions without the intervention of humans

• Automatic programmed stock trading has created
  brief periods of economic instability

Automated military computers which rely on
computer sensors and controls to select targets
and deliver ordinance are not always reliable
The ethical codes described previously can easily
be adapted to cover issues pertaining to the use
and abuse of computers
8
Professional Rights

• Work-related rights accorded to individuals
  regardless of their professional status
• Right to privacy
• Right to participate in activities of ones own
  choosing outside of work
• Right to reasonably object to companys policies
  without fear of retribution
• Right to due process

9
Professional Rights

• Rights accorded to engineering professionals
  include the right of professional conscience

• Engineers may choose not to participate in
  activities which he/she considers to be unethical

10
Whistle-Blowing

• The act by an employee which informs the public
  or higher management of unethical or illegal
  behavior by an employer or supervisor. Often seen
  as an act of extreme disloyalty to the company
  and to coworkers

11
Types of Whistle-Blowing

• Internal Occurs when an employee goes over the
  head of an immediate supervisor to report a
  problem to a higher level of management

• External Occurs when an employee goes outside
  the company and reports wrongdoing to the media
  or law-enforcement authorities

Anonymous Occurs when the employee blowing the
whistle refuses to divulge his/her name when
making the accusation
12
When to Blow the Whistle

• Need There must be a clear and important harm
  that can be avoided by blowing the whistle
• Proximity The whistle-blower must be in a very
  clear position to report on the problem
• Capability The whistle-blower must have a
  reasonable chance of success in stopping the
  harmful activity
• Last Resort Whistle-blowing should only be
  attempted if you feel that all other lines of
  action within the organization have been explored
  and shut off

13
Moral Obligation

• When is an engineer morally obligated to blow the
  whistle?

You may blow the whistle if all of the previous
conditions have been met

• You must blow the whistle when you feel that
  there is great imminent danger of harm if the
  activity continues unchecked and if all of the
  previous conditions have been met

14
Preventing Whistle-Blowing

• Employers should try to minimize the need for
  employees to blow the whistle through the
  following methods
• Corporations should indicate a clear commitment
  to ethical behavior at all levels
• Corporations should establish clear lines of
  communication throughout the organization
• Corporations should provide meaningful access to
  high-level managers for all employees so that
  they may bring concerns forward without threat of
  retaliation
• Management should be willing to admit mistakes
  and should admit to them publicly, if it is
  deemed necessary

15
Conclusion

• Professional responsibilities
• Confidentiality and proprietary information
• Conflicts of Interest
• Actual
• Potential
• Appearance
• Environmental Ethics
• Ethics and Computers
• Computers as Instrument of unethical behavior
• Computers ad Object of unethical behavior
• Autonomous computers

16
Conclusion

• Professional Rights
• Whistle-Blowing
• Types of whistle-blowing
• Internal
• External
• Anonymous
• When to attempt whistle-blowing
• Need
• Proximity
• Capability
• Last resort