Ethics and Professional Practice - Coursework Example

Name Tutor Course Date Ethics and professional Practice PART A Introduction A professional engineer is an engineer who is licensed or registered within certain specified jurisdictions to offer services that are professional to the whole public. Industrial engineering decisions revolve around things like workplace hazards, product safety and environmental pollution. Such decisions must be made under schedule pressures and cost. These factors add up to escalation in risks, which in turn can lead the organization and the engineer into an ethical dilemma. Competency, avoidance of harm and responsibility are some of the most upheld values in this profession. In their practice professional engineers must consider assessment of risk before making any decisions. Professional engineering therefore stands out as different as compared to other types of professions (Vesilind and Gunn 45). Discussion Brainstorming An engineer has a responsibility, as a professional, to their employer, to their client and the general public, to carry out their duties in a careful and reliable manner to the best of their ability. Usually this involves more than just operating within the set laws and regulations. He has a huge responsibility of presenting want is right without having any ill motives or having conflict of interest. Engineers deal with technical knowledge which mostly cannot be understood easily with by a layman, it require one to believe what he or she is being told by the engineer and it is only another engineer who can point out mistakes in case they are present. In this perspective we see that the engineer should be truthful to be believed by his or her client. Planning If any particular engineer chooses to hide some information from the client, the affected client would never know because he is not familiar with the kind of terminologies and presentation language that is used in the field of engineering. Look at a carpenter for example; we can easily assess the quality of his work by superficially looking at the end product or merely feeling at the texture of the type of wood. The work of an engineer cannot be judged in this way because his or her work begins from a distant abstract theory work before they are translated into something meaningful. This is not enough until we begin to see the product itself in terms of a structure or a model. Analysis We may not understand the weakness or the strength of a piece of engineering work unless we seek the help of another profession in the some field. You will see architectural and structuring engineering working hand in hand to produce a particular product. In other words we can say that beyond conforming the set rules and standards a professional engineer must be very truthful in his work since without breaking any law he can still misrepresent information or misinform the client if he chooses to unless there is another specialist in the some field who can point out the anomaly. It follows that a professional engineer will choose to be good out of his own will but not that he is being compelled by the set standards or rules. Consequently an engineer can deliver substandard work without going against the set rules. It reaches a point in the practice of engineering when such a professional can offer his own advice based on his personal experience. At this point a professional code of conduct is not enough to direct or guide ones trail of thought and the client will hang on every word because he is a novice in the matter under discussion and he or she will only believe whatever she is told by the expert in that area. Another crucial point why a professional engineer is different from other employees is that any misinformation that he contributes in course of a project can be much cost in the end. A mistake done by him at the beginning my not show its effect soon but it may lead to piling up of other build up mistakes which eventually we result into an absolute disaster. The client may have and in many cases invest heavily in a project and when it does come out perfectly he or she is left counting many losses. Mostly an engineer oversees many processes in a project and his word and direction is depended upon for the rest of the functions to be carried out in a successful way. It follows that an engineer will take on the role of a group leader and if he chooses to mislead the whole group you will find others being blamed for mistake they knew nothing about (Harris 67) A professional engineer has to avoid conflict of interest, should not attempt to misrepresent his knowledge in order to accept jobs that are outside his are of training, he should act in the best interest of the society and environment, meets the terms of the given agreement or contracts in a professional and thorough manner, and should in his own will promote the educational young engineers to ensure continuous flow of knowledge within the field. This is to make sure that there are people to take up or fill the gap as the existing engineers age on. Engineers are expected to show the highest level of integrity and honesty. Engineering has a direct role and important effect on every ones quality of life. In carrying out their duties engineers must exhibit the highest level of ethical conduct. When engineers are compromised a lot of damage is caused. We have seen many buildings collapsing simply because engineers allowed themselves to be compromised by their clients to come up with substandard products (Robinson 121). Conclusion Inclusion it very appropriate to state that a professional engineer as compared to other employees in the industry has been bestowed high amount of trust and faith by the people that he or she serves. Consequently he is expected to live to the standards of this responsibility that he has been accorded by the society. It will be unethical if a professional engineer will use this opportunity for commercial gain and forget to put the welfare of the society at the forefront and not only his client because also the client can only be interest in the money aspect of a project and not the safety of the society. PART B What do we mean by ‘Public Good’ Engineering code of ethics particularly the most recent ones the key word is ‘paramount’. For decisions concerning public safety, welfare and health the code of ethics needs the engineer to make the benefit of the public paramount. In practice whatever the engineer is involved in he should make sure he thinks of the welfare of the society at large. The interest of the large society should be considered in every aspect of the engineering practice. In case of a misguidance in the profession to conceal some information an engineer is required to act as the role of a whistle blower. Under what circumstances does the Golden Rule not apply to a moral judgment? Majority of human being will acknowledge that if we perceive that we are acting in a fashion that is morally acceptable, then we will automatically find it morally acceptable for other people to do the same things in similar circumstances. The same perspective it will lead as to question the aspect of equal and fair treatment. However the golden rule cannot apply to moral judgment if at all it will cause serious damage to the project although the circumstance may be similar. According to Harris, this is aimed at safeguarding the honor and reputation of the profession. The judgment should not simply change because the roles have been reversed (Mines, and Lackey 89). What is meant by 'wisdom'? How do we get wisdom? Wisdom is the experience gathered through ones profession and combines both the moral and ethical aspect of the practice. Wisdom comes with the ability to make the right judgment in cases that requires intuition or instinctive direction. Wisdom can be gathered through long term practice in a given profession and consequently ones become wiser in his dealing because he or she has encountered similar circumstances in life. Wisdom also comes with guidance that is right from the experts who have served long enough in a particular profession. It is also appropriate to say wisdom is God given (American Society for Engineering Education). What common elements make up a 'code of ethics?' Code of ethics is standard of conduct expected from all engineers and these have been adopted by every state society. Engineers’ code of ethics requires that they should hold as paramount the health, welfare and safety of the public. Secondly they should only carry out services in areas of their training and competence. Public statements should only be issued in a truthful and objective manner. They should act for each client or employer as faithful trustees or agents. Moreover they should avoid acts which are deceptive and conduct themselves responsibly, ethically, lawfully and honorably in order to enhance reputation, usefulness and honor of this profession (Challar 34-5). What do we mean by 'Environmental Ethics'? Environmental ethics refers to the consideration or the concern that a professional engineer ahs towards the environment. Engineers are required to act ethically towards the conservation of the environment. It will be very unfair for the engineer to have only the commercial interest at the forefront. He must see to it that he acts accordingly to reduce environmental degradation through any form of pollution or contamination. Environmental ethics are guidelines that have been put in place to give directions to practicing engineers concerning the environment. It follows that engineers should act in accordance with these specified directives (Mines and Lackey 104). What is the difference between a moral and an ethical decision? A moral decision comes from a personal initiative concerning ones belief in behaving in a way that is acceptable in the society at large. A moral decision is where by a person gives his own judgment according to how he has been brought up to accept other unwritten rules as governing principles of general behavior in the society. It comes from a person way of life rather than his training. An ethical decision comes from the written code of conduct that gives guidelines concerning ones decision in a particular line of duty or profession. Works Cited Vesilind, P. Aarne and Gunn S. Alastair. Engineering, ethics, and the environment. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1998. Harris E. Charles et al. Engineering ethics: concepts and cases. London: Cengage Learning, 2009. Robinson, Simon. Engineering, business and professional ethics. New York: Elsevier, 2007 Nemerow, Nelson Leonard and Agardy J. Franklin. Environmental engineering: Environmental health and safety for municipal infrastructure, land use and planning, and industry. London: John Wiley and Sons, 2008. Mines, O. Richard and Lackey Laura. Introduction to Environmental Engineering. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2009. Challar S. S. R. Kuma. Nanomaterials: toxicity, health and environmental issues, Volume 5 Wiley-VCH, 2006. American Society for Engineering Education. Journal of engineering education, Volume 90. New York: The Society, 2008. Read More

The work of an engineer cannot be judged in this way because his or her work begins from a distant abstract theory work before they are translated into something meaningful. This is not enough until we begin to see the product itself in terms of a structure or a model. Analysis We may not understand the weakness or the strength of a piece of engineering work unless we seek the help of another profession in the some field. You will see architectural and structuring engineering working hand in hand to produce a particular product.

In other words we can say that beyond conforming the set rules and standards a professional engineer must be very truthful in his work since without breaking any law he can still misrepresent information or misinform the client if he chooses to unless there is another specialist in the some field who can point out the anomaly. It follows that a professional engineer will choose to be good out of his own will but not that he is being compelled by the set standards or rules. Consequently an engineer can deliver substandard work without going against the set rules.

It reaches a point in the practice of engineering when such a professional can offer his own advice based on his personal experience. At this point a professional code of conduct is not enough to direct or guide ones trail of thought and the client will hang on every word because he is a novice in the matter under discussion and he or she will only believe whatever she is told by the expert in that area. Another crucial point why a professional engineer is different from other employees is that any misinformation that he contributes in course of a project can be much cost in the end.

A mistake done by him at the beginning my not show its effect soon but it may lead to piling up of other build up mistakes which eventually we result into an absolute disaster. The client may have and in many cases invest heavily in a project and when it does come out perfectly he or she is left counting many losses. Mostly an engineer oversees many processes in a project and his word and direction is depended upon for the rest of the functions to be carried out in a successful way. It follows that an engineer will take on the role of a group leader and if he chooses to mislead the whole group you will find others being blamed for mistake they knew nothing about (Harris 67) A professional engineer has to avoid conflict of interest, should not attempt to misrepresent his knowledge in order to accept jobs that are outside his are of training, he should act in the best interest of the society and environment, meets the terms of the given agreement or contracts in a professional and thorough manner, and should in his own will promote the educational young engineers to ensure continuous flow of knowledge within the field.

This is to make sure that there are people to take up or fill the gap as the existing engineers age on. Engineers are expected to show the highest level of integrity and honesty. Engineering has a direct role and important effect on every ones quality of life. In carrying out their duties engineers must exhibit the highest level of ethical conduct. When engineers are compromised a lot of damage is caused. We have seen many buildings collapsing simply because engineers allowed themselves to be compromised by their clients to come up with substandard products (Robinson 121).

Conclusion Inclusion it very appropriate to state that a professional engineer as compared to other employees in the industry has been bestowed high amount of trust and faith by the people that he or she serves. Consequently he is expected to live to the standards of this responsibility that he has been accorded by the society. It will be unethical if a professional engineer will use this opportunity for commercial gain and forget to put the welfare of the society at the forefront and not only his client because also the client can only be interest in the money aspect of a project and not the safety of the society.

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