Ethical Aspects of Engineering - Research Paper Example

MORALITY AND ETHICS Name of Student Institution affiliation MORALITY AND ETHICS TABLE OF CONTENTS BACKGROUND INFORMATION………………………………………………2 1.1. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY……………………………………………2 1.2. INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………..2 1.3. MAJOR FINDINGS…………………………………………………....3 ETHICAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING……………………………………………4 2.0. Engineers, Ethics and Sustainable Development…………………………4 2.1. Professional Interests and Business Interests……………………………..4 2.2. Public Interest and Self Interest…………………………………………...5 ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF ETHICAL ISSUES…………………………..5 3.0. Professional Interests and Business Interests…………………………....6 3.1. Public Interest and Self Interest…………………………………………..8 LESSONS LEARNT AND RECOMMENDATION……………………………………10 CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………………………11 REFERENCES……………………………………………………………………………12 BACKGROUND INFORMATION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The report is mainly concerned with the ethical aspects, assessment of these ethics and their relevance to the engineers. In the report, I will be concerned with the evaluation of the ethical issues and express them in my opinion and thoughts where need be. The report is written from the research that was made. I shall be highlighting the major findings of the report and explain them in the discussion platform. During the research, I encountered some challenges, especially when producing the required information. However, I managed to overcome these challenges. I shall be discussing the lessons learned during the information gathering process in this report. The report will be addressing the problems and the challenges and probably offering some possible and appropriate recommendations. The report will be discussing the possible and the most common ethical issues that are facing the field of engineering. The competencies have demonstrated in the report which is in terms with the Engineering Australia Stage 1 named as the Competence Document. I shall conclude the report by giving the general though or other scholars and mine too. Afterward, the references are provided which are within the limit from 2006 to 2015. INTRODUCTION An electrical engineer has been involved in a wide range of fields as well interacting with other sorts of professions, therefore, a great need for reconsidering the indispensable curriculum composition. This step will enable the electrical engineers to appropriately and competently to prepare for their work practice. Significantly, engineering education curriculum should create imminent for students connected to the ethical concerns in the engineering career. It was just the other day when the National Academy of Engineering printed the engineering vision that will govern as from 2020 in the new century. The vision draft predicted the responsibilities of an engineer in the future. The Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) normally offers the engineering program criteria which is applied during the performance of the profession. When all these criteria are put together forms the "professional skills" which are open to teaching. Under the current engineering professional skills, an engineer, electrical engineer included should be provided with a 3-credit hour’s course concerning the Engineering, society and ethics. This course is mandatory and essential for every undergraduate student in all universities of Australia. The course is dived into three major sub-sections: 1) the nature of engineering ethics, 2) the engineering activities in a societal context, and 3) the contemporary issues in the engineering profession. The important of the new course in the engineering faculty is because it enables the engineers to understand the professional roles/obligations and ethical responsibilities. The knowledge gained in the course empowers an electrical engineer to communicate effectively and efficiently. The course provides the education knowledge required by any engineer to understand the effects of the engineering elucidations both globally and at the society level. The course offers the engineers the knowledge to contemplate about the issues facing and threatening our contemporary world. The current electrical engineering set of courses is the product of a century elongated deliberation over the symphony along with the duration of the program such as; topics and theoretical versus practical issues. Because professors, scientists, industry, government laboratories, business people, among others have been implicated in the continuing progression of electrical engineering prospectus enrichment, it is comprehensible that there is not always an absolute accord on the composition of the curriculum. Due to this reason, it is very hard to make a person understand that any single theme should be incorporated into the engineering curriculum. Consequently, as engineering diversify the predicament of what to put involved or what to be removed from the curriculum becomes more sensitive. MAJOR FINDINGS The major findings from the research were; 1. Up to now, the electrical engineers, for instance, are struggling with the ethical predicaments that are caused by daily conflicts occurring between environment and economic prerequisites of their job. 2. The modern ethical codes and conducts of the engineering societies in the world spearhead the interest of the public rather than self-centric practices. For instance, in Australian engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold firm paramount the public safety and health. 3. Ethical codes and conducts are of significant impacts to engineers since they serve various purposes to model engineers’ behavior and habits. ETHICAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING Engineers, Ethics and Sustainable Development Mostly the conducts and the codes of ethics that mainly govern the engineers globally have the tendency of exhorting the engineers themselves forgetting the public interest which is superior to all others. This appears to argue against the market of philosophy that the public interest will be accomplished by persons practicing their self-interest. This philosophy latter has become the heart of sustainable development that mainly capitalize on economic appraisal and economic instruments; the approaches that will aid in the achievement of environmental protection. Sustainable development policies usually represent an economic determinism through the help of the technological change. The sustainable development avoids the importance of ethics and instead, holds on the environmental along with economic aims and objectives that are compatible. Up to now, the electrical engineers, for instance, are struggling with the ethical predicaments that are caused by daily conflicts occurring between environment and economic prerequisites of their job. Professional Interests and Business Interests The organization of Civil Engineers from England was the first engineering society to embrace the code and conducts of ethics in back 1910. In 1911, the American Institute of Consulting Engineers adopted these ethical codes and conducts which they had manipulated the British Code to formulate theirs. From this step of England and America, the rest of the engineering societies in the world followed to adopt the ethical codes and conducts so quickly. The present codes were; the mixture of moral norms and the laws governing the business etiquette and regulating the manner in which the engineers are relating to one another in the fields of business. The code of gentlemanly conduct was much preached rather than the code of ethics that guarded the public spheres and welfare. Public Interest and Self-Interest The modern ethical codes and conducts of the engineering societies in the world spearhead the interest of the public rather than self-centric practices. For instance, in Australian engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold firm paramount the public safety and health. Therefore, engineers are supposed to offer their responsibilities for the well-being, safety, and health of the people surrounding then the sectional and private interests to come later (Institution of Engineers Australia, 2015). In 2015, a lately published argumentation paper on "Dealing with Risk" the Institution of Engineers, Australia, claimed that the ethical codes and conducts are part and parcel of a venerable accord the engineering profession and the community. The agreement was; the engineers to put and invest their best in addressing the health, the society welfare and the community safety before their private demands and interest and on the other hand, the community should allow them to regulate their expertise with ease and for themselves. ANALYSIS AND EVALUATION OF ETHICAL ISSUES In the ancient past, a few decades ago, self-interest and the interest of the public were the outstanding antagonist issues. More particularly, the problem was faced by the engineers because the work of any engineer is similar and synonymous with the human progress. In the today's world, the problem has become more intense such that environmental concerns have increased the deflection between professional interest, self-interest, public interest and finally, the employer interest. The engineers are expected to show and practice public interest as the priority than any other interest. The major question that brings the contradictions among the professionals is; pragmatic is it to look forward to the engineers to demonstrate a reasonable and higher ethical principles than those anticipated of widening the community? Surely, can individual ethics be of any important in influencing expertise that is cooperatively wrought by trained and skilled paradigms as well as philosophies? New engineering codes of ethics have been stipulated to guide and lead the engineers, especially those in the faculty of mechanical and electronic. The codes and the conducts require engineers to be public interest oriented and giving the public the priority then the professional and business interest which are the personal interest to come later. However, both professional and business interests have always been associated, and that codes of ethics are established to supply the professional interests within this context. It is wise to put the ethical requirements into consideration if at all the engineers should serve the public interests since it gives a chance to compare the prevailing ethic of the market which mostly lay emphasis on the private interests and the ethical concerns which value the public interests. Professional Interests and Business Interests The organization of Civil Engineers from England was the first engineering society to embrace the code and conducts of ethics in back 1910. In 1911, the American Institute of Consulting Engineers adopted these ethical codes and conducts which they had manipulated the British Code to formulate theirs. From this step of England and America, the rest of the engineering societies in the world followed to adopt the ethical codes and conducts so quickly. The present codes were; the mixture of moral norms and the laws governing the business etiquette and regulating the manner in which the engineers are relating to one another in the fields of business. The code of gentlemanly conduct was much preached rather than the code of ethics that guarded the public spheres and welfare. Ethical codes and conducts are of significant impacts to engineers since they serve various purposes to model engineers' behavior and habits. Firstly these codes and conducts act as the hallmark for the electrical and other engineering professions. Engineers put down claim their professional reputation; distinguishing them from other professional workers in general as well as sharing the esteem of the older and more appreciated professions of medicine and law (Robert & Zussman, 2010). Edwin Layton (2011) claimed that the materialization of an expert personality was also a response to the outsized demanding bureaucratic configurations which engineers were more and more discovering themselves working in. The extreme nature of professionalism was mainly founded on close acquaintance and general overhaul. Layton (2011) identifies the three major themes to this new principle. Firstly, Layton says that an engineer was recognized as the representative of technical change and so indispensable to mankind improvement. Secondly, he states that an engineer was well thought-out as a logical thinker with the liberal mind and free of bias thus capable of leading and arbitrating between parties. Thirdly, Layton suggested that an engineer was considered to be a social being, therefore; he is socially accountable for making sure and enhancing the progress as well the benevolence of industrial change (David, 2010). From the beginning, the facts demonstrate that an engineer was at the service of resources, investment and wealth and, not astonishingly, its codes and conducts were as natural as the laws of science to the engineer. For instance, if a political economist draws a division between expertise and entrepreneurship, the distinction shrink in engineer and consequently in his work of engineering (Max Weber, 2012). Engineers, in the West, have after that incorporated entrepreneurial values into their engineering actions. According to Zussman (2010), the cost is a decisive factor of technical competence; therefore, it should be well thought-out along with the physical material goods. The reason technologies exist in a capitalist civilization is to determine the markets thus making the engineering be viewed as a means but not an end (Peter Whalley, 2012). Ritti's (2013) in his review of the American structure plan company discovered that engineers prioritized great magnitude on creating opportunities that support their employing companies increase the profits. Whaley (2012), give a suggestion that engineering bosses are gotten out and preferred from the foundation to acknowledge the authenticity of both decisive influence and the supremacy of entrepreneurial and business values. Business and engineering interests are usually associated. Since the past, the public and engineering interest had been in peace with no conflicts simply because engineering jobs were thought to be similar to those of human advancement. However, as the people started to pose rhetorical questions on whether the modern technology was always in the interest of the public, consequently, the engineers and the stakeholders changed the engineering interests. Currently, the two interests are conflicting, however, in the recent decades, engineering ethical codes and conducts started to preach the eminence of putting the interest of the public in front. This element of the code of ethics can best be understood regarding a social contact between the engineering profession and the community in which the engineering profession promises public service in return for professional status. Public Interest and Self-Interest The modern ethical codes and conducts of the engineering societies in the world spearhead the interest of the public rather than self-centric practices. For instance, in Australian engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold firm paramount the public safety and health. Therefore, engineers are supposed to offer their responsibilities for the well-being, safety, and health of the people surrounding then the sectional and private interests to come later (Institution of Engineers Australia, 2015). In 2015, a lately published argumentation paper on "Dealing with Risk" the Institution of Engineers, Australia, claimed that the ethical codes and conducts are part and parcel of a venerable accord the engineering profession and the community. The agreement was; the engineers to put and invest their best in addressing the health, the society welfare and the community safety before their private demands and interest and on the other hand, the community should allow them to regulate their expertise with ease and for themselves. In the beginning, the traditionalist viewed morality as religious, laws as well cultural conventions. However, in the world today, people have varying perspective and ideology. People are not religious hence religious morality is being confined to concerns of living, death and sexuality; not impacting deep into the day to day working of the people in their living. Laws also, automatically are limited to a certain jurisdiction. They only cover blatant deception and trickery, however, cannot force the engineers to make moral and upright judgments. Gradually, in a market economy, the principles of operational life to one side from a work ethic stems Protestantism Max Weber (2014), is founded on civilizing principles which regularly fall in the class of ethical self-centeredness. Ethical egoism is an inconspicuous structure of ethical reasoning that is argued that it has no connection to morality. Ethical egoism reasons claim that every person to care and mind about themselves alone. Such an argument and reasoning also in one way or the other involves public interest since in long-term, the reasoning serves personal and self-interest. Adam Smith (2009) verified ethical egoism in his disagreement that social welfare is best served by individuals pursuing their interests and companies pursuing maximum profits in a free market. Engineering ethics is usually further than ethical egotism, at least in a standard. The engineers have their motto "public interest should come before the personal/private interest". This ethical principle helps to fight the egocentrism and self-centeredness in the professional workings. On the other hand, philosophers like Hobbes and Rousseau, argues ethics and morality regarding collective agreement serving self-interest in the long-term. The terms and conditions of such agreement are in that the parties involved should heed to the rules of morality relatively than performing on private self-interest. When this is achieved, therefore, every person is better off, and consequently, the society will be a better place to accommodate people to live in. Morality is comprised of the set of rules; thus, it governs people how to relate and treat others in the society. In this, the rational people must concur and admit its effect, the public significance of the terms and conditions that will allow other people to follow the rules and regulations of that morality (Sharon Beder, 2013). Conversely, as Rachel's position out her point, the social agreement has a limitation. If public keeps these rules and regulations wholly that they may be better off then, in instances when obeying these rules means they will be worse off, they won't do it. Therefore, we should not pressure a sacrifice so weighty that it cancels out the moral of the agreement (Hawkins et al., 2011). This normally happen to the engineering code of ethics since for example if it is kind of a social convention providing the status of the society to the engineers , undoubtedly, it won't be logic to expect engineers to adhere to any policy or regulation in the code of ethics which is demanding them to be deprived of their category as engineers. Therefore, in conclusion, the engineers might deprive the public interest as the priority. The reason for this conclusion is; if giving public interest the upper hand demands them to cause dangers to their jobs and the profession, therefore, it will be viewed as the cumbersome sacrifice by many of the engineers. And for the reason that the individual category of engineers is so reliant on their bosses and managers, this social agreement has diminutive authority for engineers. Various works of literature such as Hawkins et al., 2011; Sharon Beder, 2013; and Adam Smith, 2009, have established that ethical codes and conducts governing the engineers are of less authority. Engineers are for all intents and purposes subsidiary, and their class obtains from managerial mobility to a certain extent than nominal expertise. As the Australian Institution of Engineers' Professional Practices Officer, Derek Baldwin enthusiastically acknowledges, that it takes a man or women of substantial potency, boldness, and bravery to comply with the code of ethics and ignore his or her, manager/boss. And Michael Dack, a Director of the Institution, accepts that the ethical conducts and codes have weak influence on morality when is compared to the boss or the manager who possesses the power of economic life and death over an employee (Sharon Beder, 2013). LESSONS LEARNT AND RECOMMENDATION For the ethical codes of conduct among the engineers to work perfectly and be accepted wholly, the skills on ethical concerns should be incorporated into the engineering curriculum. For instance, the initiatives to emphasize and promote the incorporation of technical communication skills to engineers as well to educate them on the integration of what is learned in different courses, however, taking into convenient contemplation issues, to then fabricate valuable products. Therefore, I would recommend the emphasis on design strategy of approaching things. Such curriculum proposals appear essentially imperative to ascertain engineers as the fashioners of new industrial products and to augment the approach in which engineers' demeanor their practice interactions. Secondly, the area in ethical concerns must receive more attention especially in academics pertaining engineering courses. The topic of concern emerges naturally as one thinks about the extensive continuum of problems in the structuring of products used by the public. These concerns mainly evaluate whether the products produced are causing any safety harm to the public when using them directly or indirectly. Furthermore, it is vitally imperative to develop engineering professionalism as engineering and an occupation relatively for young. Other careers, like medicine and law, are incorporated into obligatory courses in ethics. Reasonably, for the profession of engineering to spread and branch out, their products and services are relating so closely to other expertise and the public. Therefore, it is essential for engineers to get acquitted with knowledge about ethics and the related topics so as to establish rich and firm standards, principles and norms. Currently, research demonstrates that the engineers are among the highly respected people among other professionals; therefore, it is their responsibility and obligation to make sure the professional standards and ethical codes and conducts are maintained and kept. For this to be perfect and run smoothly, it will be logic to illuminate the young engineers and make them aware of the significance of the ethics and maintenance of professionalism in engineering faculty. CONCLUSION The key concerns for the ethical response are attentiveness, responsibility, competence, and responsiveness. The attributes cooperate and successfully respond to any ethical problem that is facing the world currently. Tronto states four good elements influence the responsive moral solving. Attentiveness; is crucial to the ethics of care since it recognizes the need for other people and be capable of responding to them appropriately. Responsibility; for anyone to care about anything, one must take the task as his/her own obligation to manipulate the duty. For instance, the case of the global warming possesses a great risk of diseases and poor environment to the future generation. Therefore, it the duty and the responsibility of the current generation to care and regulate the current emissions that are causing the effect. Competence; to deliver care needs competency. One cannot recognize the necessity to care, and admit the obligation, with no enough adequacy of the action, would result in the need of care not being met. Responsiveness; Tronto states, "Responsiveness indicates an imperative moral delinquent in care: by its nature, care is fretful with situations of susceptibility and dissimilarity". She further contends approachability is not equivalent to reciprocity. Rather, it is another technique to comprehend defenselessness and disparity by sympathizing with what has been articulated by those in the susceptible situation, as contrasting to re-visualizing oneself in a comparable situation. Reference Anon (2009). `Was there unethical behavior in tunnel project,' Engineers Australia, 14 July 2009, p. 10. David Noble (2010). America by Design: Science. Technology and the Rise of Corporate Capitalism, Alfred A Knopf, New York, Layton. David Noble (2014). The Forces of Production: A Social History of Industrial Automation, Knopf, New York, p.44; Edwin Layton (2011). The Revolt of the Engineers: Social Responsibility and the American Engineering Profession, The Press of Cape Western Reserve University, Cleveland, and London. Hawkins R, Kelly T, Knight J, Graydon P (2011) A New Approach to Creating Clear Safety Arguments. SSS '11, Southampton, 2011 The Institution of Engineers Australia, Code of Ethics, Canberra 2015. Institution of Engineers Australia, Code of Ethics, Canberra 2015  Kenneth Prandy (2014). Professional Employees: A Study of Scientists and Engineers, Faber & Faber Ltd, London. Max Weber (2012). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Trans Talcott Parsons, Unwind University Books, London. Max Weber (2014). The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism, Trans Talcott Parsons, Unwin University Books, London. Peter Whalley (2012). The Social Production of Technical Work: The Case of British Engineers, MacMillan, 2010; University of California Press. Robert Perucci and Joel Gerstl (2009). Profession without Community: Engineers in American Society, Random House, New York. Robert Zussman, (2015). Mechanics of the Middle Class: Work and Politics in American Engineers, University of California Press, p.10 Sharon Beder (2013). `Engineers, Ethics, and Etiquette,' New Scientist, 25 September 2013, pp. 36-41. Sharon Beder (2013). `Engineers, Ethics, and Etiquette,' New Scientist, 25 September 2013, pp. 36-41. William Rothstein (2011) 'Engineers and the Functionalist Model of Professions', in Robert Perrucci & Joel Gerstle, eds, The Engineers and the Social System, Read More

Due to this reason, it is very hard to make a person understand that any single theme should be incorporated into the engineering curriculum. Consequently, as engineering diversify the predicament of what to put involved or what to be removed from the curriculum becomes more sensitive. MAJOR FINDINGS The major findings from the research were; 1. Up to now, the electrical engineers, for instance, are struggling with the ethical predicaments that are caused by daily conflicts occurring between environment and economic prerequisites of their job. 2. The modern ethical codes and conducts of the engineering societies in the world spearhead the interest of the public rather than self-centric practices.

For instance, in Australian engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold firm paramount the public safety and health. 3. Ethical codes and conducts are of significant impacts to engineers since they serve various purposes to model engineers’ behavior and habits. ETHICAL ISSUES IN ENGINEERING Engineers, Ethics and Sustainable Development Mostly the conducts and the codes of ethics that mainly govern the engineers globally have the tendency of exhorting the engineers themselves forgetting the public interest which is superior to all others.

This appears to argue against the market of philosophy that the public interest will be accomplished by persons practicing their self-interest. This philosophy latter has become the heart of sustainable development that mainly capitalize on economic appraisal and economic instruments; the approaches that will aid in the achievement of environmental protection. Sustainable development policies usually represent an economic determinism through the help of the technological change. The sustainable development avoids the importance of ethics and instead, holds on the environmental along with economic aims and objectives that are compatible.

Up to now, the electrical engineers, for instance, are struggling with the ethical predicaments that are caused by daily conflicts occurring between environment and economic prerequisites of their job. Professional Interests and Business Interests The organization of Civil Engineers from England was the first engineering society to embrace the code and conducts of ethics in back 1910. In 1911, the American Institute of Consulting Engineers adopted these ethical codes and conducts which they had manipulated the British Code to formulate theirs.

From this step of England and America, the rest of the engineering societies in the world followed to adopt the ethical codes and conducts so quickly. The present codes were; the mixture of moral norms and the laws governing the business etiquette and regulating the manner in which the engineers are relating to one another in the fields of business. The code of gentlemanly conduct was much preached rather than the code of ethics that guarded the public spheres and welfare. Public Interest and Self-Interest The modern ethical codes and conducts of the engineering societies in the world spearhead the interest of the public rather than self-centric practices.

For instance, in Australian engineering code of ethics, engineers should hold firm paramount the public safety and health. Therefore, engineers are supposed to offer their responsibilities for the well-being, safety, and health of the people surrounding then the sectional and private interests to come later (Institution of Engineers Australia, 2015). In 2015, a lately published argumentation paper on "Dealing with Risk" the Institution of Engineers, Australia, claimed that the ethical codes and conducts are part and parcel of a venerable accord the engineering profession and the community.

The agreement was; the engineers to put and invest their best in addressing the health, the society welfare and the community safety before their private demands and interest and on the other hand, the community should allow them to regulate their expertise with ease and for themselves.

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