Ethics, Professionalism and Contemporary Issues - Report Example

Ethics, Professionalism and Contemporary Issues Introduction Brief case summary Marsha is recently recruited by the XYZ Enterprises, Inc. She has worked together with a senior product development engineer Tom on the design of a new device of ground fault interrupt (GFI). Their design reduces the product cost, response time among other benefits. Tom risks getting fired from the company which he cannot afford given he needs money for the medical treatment of his son. The two are under pressure to release the product and streamline its development process. The product fails while testing under the high humidity conditions and Marsha learns it coincidentally. Tom rationalizes saying that the test failed because of faulty data collected during power failure in the lab and advises Marsha not to bring it up in the meetings with the CEO. In the meeting, it is shown that the new design passed all tests successfully and the failed test was not mentioned. Traditional ground fault interrupt (GFI) technology A current leaking through a body may cause electrocution and ventricular fibrillation. The GFI technology halts the flow of current in a circuit upon detecting the leakage current to the ground. The GFI technology draws comparison between the neutral path return current and the line path current and opens the circuit as soon as an imbalance is detected. The GFI technology is implemented in a circuit breaker as well as the electrical outlet, and functions to detect the leakage down-circuit. The advantages of installing the traditional GFI technology include shock prevention, fire prevention, and prevention of appliances’ damage. The disadvantages of installing the traditional GFI technology is that it is costly, the power is lost when it trips, and obtaining high interrupting capacities of the short circuit become harder and costlier. Values The values involved in the case are truth and honesty. It is both Marsha’s and Tom’s duty to bring it to the attention of the owner of the XYZ Enterprises that the product had failed under the high humidity conditions. They may attribute it to the power failure in the lab. Tom should also tell that the product has been tested three times rather than ten under those conditions. Ideally, the owner should allow retesting of the product under the high humidity conditions for ten times. The dilemma that exists in the case is that on one hand, if Tom tells the owner that the product had failed and that he had conducted only three tests rather than ten under the high humidity conditions, he might be fired from the job as a result of which, he would not only become unemployed but also would run short of money to finance the medical treatment of his son. On the other hand, if Tom does not reveal these facts, the new GFI system would not only fail to provide the XYZ Enterprises with an edge in the market but would also incur the company a bad name that would further tarnish its image. Options for Marsha Marsha’s options can be generally categorized into three approaches; she should tell everything to the owner of the XYZ Enterprises, she should hide everything from the owner, and she should tell part of the hidden facts and keep the other part secret. Option 1 If Marsha tells the owner everything, its advantage would be that the owner would get to know that the product cannot be trusted for being competent enough to be released into the market at this point in time until it has been tested according to the standards. This would save the owner from experiencing all the unfavorable results that may surface if the product fails to function appropriately under the conditions of high humidity after the customers have purchased it. The disadvantage of this option is that Tom may instantly get fired because of hiding such important information from the owner and exposing the owner to the risk of failure, embarrassment, and loss in the market. Option 2 If Marsha hides everything from the owner and grants Tom his wish, its advantage would be that Tom would be saved from getting fired at least for the time being so that he would hopefully be able to arrange money for the medical treatment of his son from his salaries. The disadvantage of this option is that the owner would be kept oblivious of the truth which not only exposes him to the risk of failure in the market but also makes both Tom and Marsha dishonest in the performance of their duties as loyal employees to the XYZ Enterprises. Option 3 If Marsha tells the owner that it would be appropriate to retest the product under the conditions of high humidity because of any reason without telling the owner that Tom had hidden the failed test report thus far, and if she also manages to convince the owner to grant them some more time to make the product even better, she might be able to not only improve the product but also save Tom from being fired. The IEEE Code of Ethics The IEEE Code of Ethics delineates all important points that professionals must consider and try to follow while making ethically justified decisions in their respective professions. The first, third, fifth, sixth, seventh, and ninth point of the IEEE Code of Ethics completely define what Martha should do i.e. she should go with the first of the three aforementioned options. According to the first point of the IEEE Code of Ethics, Tom is obliged to take responsibility for the failure of the test for the welfare of the company as well as the company at large. The third point obliges Martha and Tom to be honest in stating claims (“IEEE Code of Ethics”). The fifth point requires them to not only improve the technology’s understanding, but also the understanding of its possible consequences. The sixth point demands them to fully disclose the limitations of the product’s use i.e. it might fail if used under highly humid conditions. The seventh point requires them to acknowledge and correct the faults in the product whereas the ninth point obliges them to avoid tarnishing the reputation of the XYZ Enterprises by hiding the truth from the owner. Conclusion The dilemma in the case under consideration is that Tom might lose his job and fail to manage the expenses for the medical treatment of his son if he tells the owner that the product failed one of the tests whereas the owner might incur great losses in the long run if Tom hides this important information from him. Marsha has three options; to tell the owner everything, to hide everything from the owner, and to partly tell what happened. If she adopts the first option, the owner is benefited but Tom is at loss. If Marsha chooses the second option, Tom benefits for the time being but the owner is at loss. If Marsha chooses the third option, both Tom and the owner benefit, though it really depends upon whether or not Marsha manages to convince the owner to grant Tom and her some more time. In light of the IEEE Code of Ethics, Marsha should tell the owner everything. Marsha should choose between the first and the third option; if she feels that she can manage to convince the owner to let them retest the product without putting Tom’s job at stake, she should go with the third option. If she has no way out, only then she should go with the first option. Works Cited: “IEEE Code of Ethics.” 2013. Web. 13 Feb. 2013. . Read More