ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
1. Write briefly. What do you think is your purpose in life? My purpose in life is to attain a peace of mind – for my family to have a great opportunity to enjoy our being together. Just like having a stable life that even if there's a big problem in front, we can solve it always in the best way.
2. What are your priorities in life? a. My studies, career and capabilities as a human being. To have a greater chance of success in life. b. My family. To make a good pride not just for myself but also for my love ones. c. My relationship. To have independence and to prove myself worthy of being human and appreciate the beauty of life.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS 1. Identify the moral values, issues, and dilemmas, if any, involved in the following cases, and explain why you consider them moral values and dilemmas. a. An engineer notified his firm that for a relatively minor cost, a flashlight could be made to last several years longer by using a more reliable bulb. The firm decides that it would be in its interests not to use the new bulb, both to keep costs lower and to have the added advantage of “built-in obsolescence” so that consumers would need to purchase new flashlights more often. ANSWER: I believe that what the engineer did was a moral value because he carefully distinguished between right and wrong. Obviously, it is wrong to sell consumers a low quality product with such minor price even though you can still improve it. The dilemma here is for the company to decide whether to take that action or not and still they chose not to.
b. A linear electron accelerator for therapeutic use was built as a dual-mode system that could either produce X-rays or electron beams. It had been in successful use for some time, but every now and then some patients received high overdoses, resulting in painful after-effects and several deaths. One patient on a repeat visit experienced great pain, but the remotely located operator was unaware of any problem because of lack of communication between them: The intercom was broken, and the video monitor had been unplugged. There also was no way for the patient to exit the examination chamber without help from the outside, and hence the hospital was partly at fault. On cursory examination of the machine, the manufacturer insisted that the computerized and automatic control system could not possibly have malfunctioned and that no one should spread unproven and potentially libelous information about the design. It was the painstaking, day-and-night effort of the hospital’s physicist that finally traced the
ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
problem to a software error introduced by the manufacturer’s efforts to make the machine more userfriendly. ANSWER: The dilemma here came first, the manufacturer seemed to play politics when it comes to their product and they strongly deny their fault. It is somewhat depressing because a lot of it happen in various occasions but this situation is somewhat not negligible because they are handling patients (or humans). But the physicist did a great job to thoroughly study the software or machine for better and user-friendly functions and I believe that is a moral value because that is the right thing to do for a professional.
2. Regarding the following example, comment on why you think simple human contact made such a large difference. What does it say about what motivated the engineers, both before and after the encounter? Is the case too unique to permit generalizations to other engineering products? A team of engineers are redesigning an artificial lung marketed by their company. They are working in a highly competitive market, with long hours and high stress. The engineers have little or no contact with the firm’s customers, and they are focused on technical problems, not people. It occurs to the project engineer to invite recipients of artificial lungs and their families to the plant to talk about how their lives were affected by the artificial lung. The change is immediate and striking: “When families began to bring in their children who for the first time could breathe freely, relax, learn, and enjoy life because of the firm’s product, it came as a revelation. The workers were energized by concrete evidence that their efforts really did improve people’s lives, and the morale of the workplace was given a great lift.” ANSWER: I think this a terrifying thing to do. I can’t imagine the team to succeed all the time, what if they fail to make a good revelation, are they going to take responsibility. I don’t think so, because they’re focused on the technicalities of their project. Their motivation is somewhat not reliable because they are trying to be mad scientists but testing on humans. But I still believe that at the very least, they are motivated to make a success. 3. Should SUV problems at the macro level be of concern to engineers as a group and their professional societies? Should individual automotive engineers, in their daily work, be concerned about the general social and environmental impacts of SUVs? ANSWER: I think engineers should have a shared responsibility since they are the ones who designed and created the SUV. The vehicle should also conform to the requirements and standards set and although they are established, all involved parties should act accordingly. 4. It is not easy to define morality in a simple way, but it does not follow that morality is a hopelessly vague notion. For a long time, philosophers thought that an adequate definition of any idea would specify a set of logically necessary and sufficient conditions for applying the idea. For example, each of the following features is logically necessary for a triangle, and together they are sufficient: a plane figure, having three straight lines, closed to form three angles. The philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein (1889– 1951), however, argued that most ordinary (nontechnical) ideas cannot be neatly defined in this way. Instead, there are often only “family resemblances” among the things to which words are applied, analogous to the partly overlapping similarities among members of a family—similar eye color, shape of nose, body build, temperament, and so forth. Thus, a book might be hardback, paperback, or electronic;
ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
printed or handwritten; in English or German; and so forth. Can you specify necessary and sufficient conditions for the following ideas: chairs, buildings, energy, safety, engineers, morality? ANSWER: Chairs: These things have their own specification and conditions, just like categorizing it by how you use it, for what purpose, and to whom. Because of this, many kinds of chairs are produced. Buildings: All buildings should conform to the standard design. All conditions should be based primarily for human safety and environmental impact. Safety: I think there should not be conditions on giving safety because all the things and person should have a great importance in keeping one self away from harm. Engineers: As a student, it is really vital for us to have a license for us to have a reliable and concrete evidence that we are capable. But also, we need to act and behave professional all the time. Lots of firms and companies require these qualities because obviously and naturally, they want a better performance and result for the betterment of the company.
5. Mention of ethics sometimes evokes groans, rather than engagement, because it brings to mind onerous constraints and unpleasant disagreements. Worse, it evokes images of self-righteousness, hypocrisy, and excessively punitive attitudes of blame and punishment—attitudes that are themselves subject to moral critique. Think of a recent event that led to a public outcry. With regard to the event, discuss the difference between being morally reasonable and being moralistic in a pejorative sense. In doing so, consider such things as breadth of vision, tolerance, sensitivity to context, and commitment. ANSWER: I think the most recent event was the conflict of Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago. She was offended personally by her fellow senators. Although this is political, it is just not right to badmouth other people according to his/her capabilities and way on how she handles a problem.
1. As soon as he identified the structural danger in the Citicorp building, should LeMessurier have notified the workers in the building, surrounding neighbors, and the general public who might do business in the building? Or was it enough that he made sure evacuation plans were in place and that he was prepared to provide warning to people affected in the event of a major storm?
ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
ANSWER: I would rather advise to do the both. All the possible ways of how to prevent these events should be properly explained and thoroughly examined. But also, he should also include the possible remedy on how to improve the building.
2. Laws play an enormously important role in engineering, butsometimes they overshadow and even threaten morally responsibleconduct. Thus, attorneys often advise individuals not toadmit responsibility. Bring to mind some occasions where thatis good advice. Then discuss whether it would have been soundadvice to LeMessurier in the Citicorp Tower case. ANSWER: There are laws pertaining such circumstances that most often they overlook or ignore the safety of an establishment. Since most of people prefer a higher profit out of a single project, they limit the materials and its costs resulting to a lesser strength of a building. In the Philippines, this is a current event because most of the roads, buildings and establishments are below the required standards. LeMessurier should be advised always to do the right thing because in a long run, it will not just benefit the people involve but also his pride as a professional.
3. Michael Davis defines professions as follows: “A profession is anumber of individuals in the same occupation voluntarily organizedto earn a living by openly serving a certain moral ideal in a morally permissible way beyond what law, market, and[everyday] morality would otherwise require.”22 He argues thatcarpenters, barbers, porters, and other groups who organizetheir work around a shared code of ethics should be recognizedas professionals. Do you agree or disagree, and why? Can thisissue be settled by reference to a dictionary? ANSWER: Strongly agree. I appreciate the thought of considering those small jobs as a profession. I honestly think that although we have different statuses in life, degree in studies, different persons living a different life, we have our own purpose in building a community. All have their profession because they prefer or it is just the only way to continue living morally. As long as they don’t overlook their values and ethics because of experiences and knowledge they acquire as they continue to practice their own capabilities, one should have their profession and declared as a good job. 4. Disputes arise over how a person becomes or should become a member of an accepted profession. Such disputes often occur in engineering. Each of the following has been proposed as a criterion for being a “professional engineer” in the United States. Assess these definitions to determine which, if any, captures what you think should be part of the meaning of “engineers.” a. Earning a bachelor’s degree in engineering at a school approved by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology. (If applied in retrospect, this would rule out Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Edison, and Nikola Tesla.) ANSWER: We are living in a different era and time but that doesn't mean that in our time we should have a more substantial amount of proof to be considered as engineers. Still, those who have attain license because of their hard work and consistency as a student should also give credits. It just mean to say that they are more capable of learning fast.
ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
b. Performing work commonly recognized as what engineersdo. (This rules out many engineers who have become fulltimemanagers but embraces some people who do not holdengineering degrees.) Just like my father who is considered as a professional in the field of mechanical engineering but doesn't have a degree, I think it is just right to recognize him as a professional in his own profession considering that he acquired a lot of skill through experiences and also know a lot of people because of his interaction between different companies that he worked c. In the United States, being officially registered and licensed as a professional engineer (PE). Becoming registered typically includes: (1) passing the Engineer-in-Training Examination or Professional Engineer Associate Examination shortly before or after graduation from an engineering school, (2) working four to five years at responsible engineering, (3) passing a professional examination, and (4) paying the requisite registration fees. (Only those engineers whose work directly affects public safety and who sign official documents such as drawings for buildings are required to be registered as PEs. Engineers who practice in manufacturing or teach at engineering schools are exempt. Nevertheless, many acquire their PE licenses out of respect for the profession or for prestige.) ANSWER: This situation may have a lot of perspective depending on how a person will perceive the system. I think this is not all bad, although in some way it might mean that only a high status person could be a professional by license, it still reflects that there are certain regulation and proper way on doing things. I believe all things should have a good system for it to be beneficial, good and somewhat make it easier for the people. Nowadays, not just the prestige has the right to attain such degree in learning. Some less privileged people can now acquire such high degree of license because of their hard work and skills and I believe that in our time, the system will not or should not be limited. So, as long as we continue to strive hard and go higher, we don’t need to look up to someone that has more money than us, because in some way, we can surpass them. d. Acting in morally responsible ways while practicing engineering. The standards for responsible conduct might be those specified in engineering codes of ethics or an even fuller set of valid standards. (This rules out scoundrels, no matter how creative they may be in the practice of engineering.) ANSWER: It is just right to prohibit the scoundrels because obviously, no matter good they are, if they can’t overcome their behavior, they cannot work well with other engineers. 5. Milton Friedman argues that the sole responsibility of managers is to stockholders, to maximize their profits within the bounds of law and without committing fraud. An alternative view is stake-holder theory: Managers have responsibilities to all individuals and organizations that make contracts with a corporation or otherwise are directly affected by them. Clarify what you see as the implications of these alternative views as they apply to decisions about relocating a manufacturing facility to lower costs for workers’ salaries. Then present and defend your view as to which of these positions is the more defensible morally. ANSWER: Friedman assumes an economy in which businesses operate under the protections of limited liability, which allows corporations to privatize their gains while externalizing their losses. Although I could not understand very well this issue, I could somehow interpret that it is just morally right to act as a strong and caring company for your people.
ESC 422 Values and Professional Ethics
6. Enron CEO Kenneth Lay betrayed his employees by strongly encouraging them to purchase Enron stock, even after he knew the stock was in trouble—indeed, because he knew it was in trouble—and had begun to sell large amounts of his own shares. In addition, when the stock meltdown began, a company policy prevented employees from selling their stock until it became worthless, thereby causing huge losses in employee retirement programs. Friedman and stakeholder theory would join in condemning such practices. What might each say, however, about Enron’s “rank and yank” program? According to one account, every six months all employees were ranked on a 1-to-5 scale, with managers forced to place 15 percent of employees in the lowest category. Those ranked lowest were given six months to improve, although usually they were given severance packages, especially because at the next six-month ranking the15 percent rule still applied. What are the pros and cons of such employee policies for sustaining both an ethical climate and excellence? ANSWER: The pros are that the company will have a good system on maintaining their good performance because of properly ranking their employees, at the same time making a good profit for all. The cons are there will be somehow battle of the wise or the worst is battle of politics because in such system, there will always a way of acquiring a higher profit because of the competition. I think in a long run, the company will have to suffer envy and greed.
