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Augustine University of Tanzania

CE 400
Engineering Ethics and Professional Conduct

Lecture 5

ETHICAL DILEMMAS

Lecturer: M. Kaswa

1. ETHICAL DILEMMAS
Now that we have a full framework for making ethical
decisions, let us discuss the types of ethical dilemmas engineers
encounter at work. Please note that in some textbooks, job
choice is also considered an ethical dilemma. Job choice may
involve ethical decisions, such as whether to work for a
military/defense contractor or for a company with a poor
environmental record.
2. PUBLIC SAFETY & WELFARE
As discussed previously, engineering projects may directly
impact public safety. Engineers are obliged to inform their
supervisors of project risks so that these risks can be
communicated

to the public.

They should attain safety

through conscientious design.

2.1. DATA INTEGRITY & REPRESENTATION
High-quality engineering analysis starts with careful acquisition
of engineering data. Misrepresentation of these data or their
subsequent data analysis may disrupt a project. Misrepresentation
may take the form of fabrication (inventing data or results),
falsification (manipulation of data or results), or plagiarism
(appropriation of anothers results without proper credit).
2.2. TRADE SECRETS & INDUSTRIAL ESPIONAGE
A trade secret is proprietary company intellectual property
that has not been patented. Typically, a new employee signs
a confidentiality agreement on the first workday that he or she
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will not disclose these trade secrets to others, even after leaving
for another employer. Industrial espionage may occur when
these trade secrets are publicized without consent.
2.3. GIFT GIVING & BRIBERY
The acceptance of a gift from a vendor or the offering of a
gift to a customer to secure business has the potential to be
perceived as a bribe. Company policy should be followed in
accepting or giving gifts.

Any

conflict

of

interest

or

appearance of impropriety should be avoided.

2.4. PRINCIPLE OF INFORMED CONSENT
The principle of informed consent refers to the right of each
individual potentially affected by a project to participate to an
appropriate degree in decision making concerning that
project.
2.5. CONFLICT OF INTEREST
Conflict of interest refers to the potential to distort good
judgment while serving more than one employer or client. When
this potential exists, an engineer should openly admit to these
relationships in order to prevent impropriety.
2.6. ACCOUNTABILITY TO CLIENTS & CUSTOMERS
Although an engineers primary responsibility is to protect
public safety, the engineer should also perform tasks for the
client or company responsibly.
2.7. FAIR TREATMENT
Engineers are entitled to a fair work environment. Employees
are entitled to an environment where treatment is based on
merit

(nondiscrimination)

and

ethnic,

sexual,

and

age

harassment are not tolerated. Company policies should be

spelled out in an employee handbook.
3. Determining Your Personal Engineering Ethics Threshold For
Action
During their careers, many engineers will become involved in
unethical situations they cannot control. Though they choose to
act

responsibly

attuned

to

public

safety,

technically

competent, and quickly informing their managers of positive

and negative resultstheir managers may choose to act
based on other concerns. For example, the day before the
Challenger space shuttle exploded NASA and Morton Thiokol
managers decided that the O-ring data just presented were
inconclusive. The launch had already been postponed by bad
weather

several

times;

launch

delays

had

received

considerable media attention because the first teacher in

space was a member of the shuttle crew. President Reagans
State of the Union address was also scheduled for the
following day. His prewritten speech contained references to
the Challenger already being launched. These managers
decided that the launch would proceed as scheduled.
In preparation for being involved in unethical situations you
cannot control, it is important to know your limits. If one or
more of the ethical dilemmas discussed in the last section
occur

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at

your

place

of

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employment, do you still want to work

there? If you

personally have kept up your professional responsibilities,

should you stay? Other engineering ethics textbooks, written
by engineers or philosophers without industrial engineering
experience, advocate internal or external whistleblowing. This
is impractical advice for the rank-and-file engineer, who may
be supporting a family and may be financially tied to his or her
work position. Certainly, this engineer has the right to practice
his profession.
3.1. What Is Your Personal Threshold?
What is your personal engineering ethics threshold for
action? In each case, an engineer is extremely troubled about
an unethical work situation and resolves the situation in a
unique way, whether by leaving the company, leaving the
field, fighting for internal change, or minimizing interaction
with the offending party. It is up to you to decide your own
threshold. Because the probability is high that you may work
in such an environment, it is recommended that you know
your threshold before you start working full time.
3.2. Options for Action When an Engineering Ethics Threshold
Is Reached
We discussed our framework for ethical engineering decision
making, which is based on ethical theories we have learned,
ethical behavior we have observed, and engineering ethics
codes. We advocate that engineers use this framework, as well
as three professional responsibilities, to guide their professional
behavior. These three responsibilitiesconcern for public safety,

technical competence, and timely communication of positive

and

negative

results to

managementare grounded in

respecting others and keeping them safe.

We also discussed ethical engineering dilemmas that we may
encounter at work and asked each engineer to determine his
or her personal engineering ethics threshold for action. This
threshold refers to the ethical dilemmas that may occur at a
workplace before an engineer is forced to an extreme action.
3.3. DEPARTURE
Once an engineer reaches his or her ethics threshold, an
obvious solution is to leave. The ease with which a new job is
found is affected by the economy. If at all possible, the engineer
should time the job search so his or her total tenure at the
current job will have been at least 12 months. Twelve months is
the minimum length of time required for job duration so that
managers do not consider an applicant unstable. During the
interview process, the recommendations of current colleagues
are not requested.

However,

care should be

taken in

announcing departure to a new job in order to preserve

recommendations for future jobs. In announcing his or her
resignation, the engineer should give a personal reason for leaving that
in no way reflects on the company and should give this reason to
everyone.
Standing by the stated personal reason and deflecting blame from
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the company improves the engineers chance of receiving a positive

recommendation later from his direct supervisor.
3.4. Whistleblowing
In some cases, an engineer chooses to fight an unethical situation
in an attempt to correct the problem. Historically, this action has
been referred to as whistleblowing. As defined by Schinzinger and
Martin, whistleblowing occurs when an employee or former
employee conveys information about a significant moral problem to
someone in a position to take action on the problem, and does so
outside regular in-house channels for addressing disputes or
grievances (Schinzinger and Martin, 2000). When the information
is conveyed to someone within the organization, it is called internal
whistleblowing. When it is conveyed to someone outside the
organization, it is called external whistleblowing.
Whistleblowing is an unfortunate term. As Unger observed, It
conveys the wrong impression, of someone running around, being
noisy and disruptive, and behaving in an erratic way. Which is the
very opposite of all the engineer whistleblowers Im aware of. They
did everything they could to avoid publicity, to avoid making waves.
Engineers are very quiet people (Kumagai, 2004).
Regardless of whether an engineer decides to act within or outside
an organization, there are practical procedures that should be
followed. First, this action should only be performed if all normal
channels have already been exhausted. During the time these
normal channels are being pursued and during subsequent action,
detailed records, including copies of sup- porting documents,

should be kept of all relevant data, formal meetings, and

applicable interactions. The records should stick to facts and
exclude emotional observations. If possible, these actions should be
conducted with other employees, as there is strength in numbers.
Even if others are unwilling to join the employee, they should at
least be consulted for advice so that the employee does not work in
isolation. Especially if this is an external case, a lawyer should be
consulted about potential legal liabilities (Schinzinger and Martin,
2000).
3.5. Employee Protection Legislation
An Act to make provisions for core labour rights, to establish basic
employment standards, to provide a framework for collective
bargaining, to provide for the prevention and settlement of
disputes, and to provide for related matters (EMPLOYMENT AND
LABOUR RELATIONS ACT, 2004)

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