03-10-2012, 12:28 PM
ENGINEERING ETHICS
ENGINEERING.pdf (Size: 643.44 KB / Downloads: 47)
VARIETY OF MORAL ISSUES
It would be relevant to know why and how do moral issues (problems) arise in a
profession or why do people behave unethically? The reasons for people
including the employer and employees, behaving unethically may be classified
into three categories:
Resource Crunch
Due to pressure, through time limits, availability of money or budgetary
constraints, and technology decay or obsolescence. Pressure from the
government to complete the project in time (e.g., before the elections), reduction
in the budget because of sudden war or natural calamity (e.g., Tsunami) and
obsolescence due technology innovation by the competitor lead to manipulation
and unsafe and unethical execution of projects.
Involving individuals in the development of goals and values and developing
policies that allow for individual diversity, dissent, and input to decisionmaking
will prevent unethical results.
2. Opportunity
(a) Double standards or behavior of the employers towards the employees and
the public. The unethical behaviors of World Com (in USA), Enron (in USA as
well as India) executives in 2002 resulted in bankruptcy for those companies,
TYPES OF INQUIRIES
The three types of inquiries, in solving ethical problems are: normative inquiry,
conceptual inquiry, and factual or descriptive inquiry.
The three types of inquiries are discussed below to illustrate the differences
and preference.
Normative Inquiry
It seeks to identify and justify the morally-desirable norms or standards that
should guide individuals and groups. It also has the theoretical goal of
justifying particular moral judgments. Normative questions are about what
ought to be and what is good, based on moral values. For example,
1. How far does the obligation of engineers to protect public safety extend in
any given situation?
2. When, if ever, should engineers be expected to blow whistle on dangerous
practices of their employers?
3. Whose values ought to be primary in making judgment about acceptable
risks in design for a public transport system or a nuclear plant? Is it of
management, senior engineers, government, voters or all of them?
4. When and why is the government justified in interfering with the
organisations?
Factual or Descriptive Inquiry
It is aimed to obtain facts needed for understanding and resolving value issues.
Researchers conduct factual inquiries using mathematical or statistical
techniques. The inquiry provide important information on business realities,
engineering practice, and the effectiveness of professional societies in fostering
moral conduct, the procedures used in risk assessment, and psychological
profiles of engineers. The facts provide not only the reasons for moral problems
but also enable us to develop alternative ways of resolving moral problems.
ENGINEERING.pdf (Size: 643.44 KB / Downloads: 47)
VARIETY OF MORAL ISSUES
It would be relevant to know why and how do moral issues (problems) arise in a
profession or why do people behave unethically? The reasons for people
including the employer and employees, behaving unethically may be classified
into three categories:
Resource Crunch
Due to pressure, through time limits, availability of money or budgetary
constraints, and technology decay or obsolescence. Pressure from the
government to complete the project in time (e.g., before the elections), reduction
in the budget because of sudden war or natural calamity (e.g., Tsunami) and
obsolescence due technology innovation by the competitor lead to manipulation
and unsafe and unethical execution of projects.
Involving individuals in the development of goals and values and developing
policies that allow for individual diversity, dissent, and input to decisionmaking
will prevent unethical results.
2. Opportunity
(a) Double standards or behavior of the employers towards the employees and
the public. The unethical behaviors of World Com (in USA), Enron (in USA as
well as India) executives in 2002 resulted in bankruptcy for those companies,
TYPES OF INQUIRIES
The three types of inquiries, in solving ethical problems are: normative inquiry,
conceptual inquiry, and factual or descriptive inquiry.
The three types of inquiries are discussed below to illustrate the differences
and preference.
Normative Inquiry
It seeks to identify and justify the morally-desirable norms or standards that
should guide individuals and groups. It also has the theoretical goal of
justifying particular moral judgments. Normative questions are about what
ought to be and what is good, based on moral values. For example,
1. How far does the obligation of engineers to protect public safety extend in
any given situation?
2. When, if ever, should engineers be expected to blow whistle on dangerous
practices of their employers?
3. Whose values ought to be primary in making judgment about acceptable
risks in design for a public transport system or a nuclear plant? Is it of
management, senior engineers, government, voters or all of them?
4. When and why is the government justified in interfering with the
organisations?
Factual or Descriptive Inquiry
It is aimed to obtain facts needed for understanding and resolving value issues.
Researchers conduct factual inquiries using mathematical or statistical
techniques. The inquiry provide important information on business realities,
engineering practice, and the effectiveness of professional societies in fostering
moral conduct, the procedures used in risk assessment, and psychological
profiles of engineers. The facts provide not only the reasons for moral problems
but also enable us to develop alternative ways of resolving moral problems.