Introduction:

I have observed that several cases have emerged in recent years in which
engineers have taken unethical judgments that have had substantial consequences
for their organization, industry, and society. The use of social media has increased
the speed with which an event's knowledge can be spread. By the afternoon, an
event that occurs in the morning practically any place in the world can make
international headlines. Engineers must be cognizant of a new level of
accountability in this setting. Engineers would be introduced to the concept of
social accountability as a result of their decisions. While today's society's online
character can provide obstacles, it also allows for the exchange of ideas and
knowledge.
I honour the engineering profession because of the immense good it can
accomplish in addressing a wide range of critical issues that influence society's
happiness and well-being. Engineers' contributions to technological advancements
have considerably improved our quality of life in so many ways that we can't
picture life in the current world without them. Engineering is the profession that
provides the technical solutions necessary for contributing to a better and more
efficient world. It takes what we know and applies it to solving society’s problems.
While engineering education concentrates almost entirely on building aspiring
engineers' technical capacities for solving a variety of technical challenges
confronting society, it has not properly advanced the moral character of those who
call themselves "Engineers."
What is ethics? “Ethics” or “morals”—we regularly use these two terms
interchangeably—means those habits or customs that are standards of good
conduct or character. To be ethical is to do the right thing; to consider the well-
being of others as equal to your own; and to act in ways that aim to maximize the
good. To be ethical is to be righteous, in the sense that our conduct and character
are grounded on principle and a commitment to doing our duty regardless of
narrow self-interest. To be moral is to be fair and considerate of others, particularly
to show them the respect we ourselves demand that acknowledges rights to life,
liberty and property. Ethics is a voluntary discipline that governs our baser
instincts in order to foster a healthy community and thereby eliminate conflict and
disorder. We expect others to regulate their behavior in such a way that they do not
hurt things of worth, and being ethical is the most effective way to safeguard and
preserve those values. In summary, the decisions we make and the habits we
develop as a result of those decisions should be ethical, because such a life is a
good life, one that boosts our satisfaction while also benefiting society.
The next generation of decision-makers is today's engineering students. As
this decision-makers, more than ever, I need to know how ethical actions affect our
organization and the society around us. If the country is to become price
competitive in the global market, the government's goal of increasing farmer
income through intensified programs on food production and development, as well
as promotion of import substitutes and export products, will necessitate the use of
less and energy efficient technologies. All these would require a strong unified
engineering research component with a good common shop service backup and a
real interdisciplinary support from the other sector of the research community.
Likewise, the need to popularize the engineering technologies would require a
strong monitoring and evaluation system. With changes towards increased job
responsibility and new accountabilities and opportunities enabled by social media,
engineers today need to be equipped with the understanding that decisions have
consequences. One way to introduce this understanding is by requiring ethics as
part of the engineering curriculum.

https://agris.fao.org/

It's all about ethics. According to studies, there is a set of universal guiding
principles that, when properly applied, can provide guidance in dealing with ethical
dilemmas. In theory, engineers should not need to study engineering ethics if they
are well-versed in the application of these principles. Engineers must develop their
ability to apply moral intelligence (knowledge of what is right) when we are under
pressure in real-life situations due to the complexities involved in ethical
dilemmas. We develop moral intelligence by studying ethics so that when
confronted with an ethical dilemma, we can respond in a way that is consistent
with these universal principles.

While moral intelligence involves knowing what to do, moral competence is

the skill of actually doing the right thing. Moral competence helps us apply moral
intelligence (knowledge of what is right) when we are under the pressure of an
ethical dilemma. Moral competency is developed by accepting the universal
principles, identifying our personal values and beliefs, making sure they are
consistent with the universal principles, and learning how to apply these principles
when faced with an ethical dilemma.
The way we learn to apply this moral competence is by studying ethics so that
when we are faced with a real world ethical dilemma we can reply in a manner that
is consistent with the universal principles.

Engineering ethics failures make engineers more aware of their

responsibilities as engineers and the cost of moral failure that they and others must
pay. When engineers comprehend how their technical work and management
decisions have a far-reaching impact on society, the study of ethics takes on new
significance. Engineers' work can have an impact on public health and safety, as
well as business.

The purpose of engineering ethics research is to make engineers more aware

of major ethical concerns before they are confronted with them. A rigorous study
of engineering ethics will teach you how to analyze and resolve ethical dilemmas
when they emerge. This goal is to be accomplished not by teaching you the right
thing to do, but rather to train you how to analyze complex issues and learn to
resolve them in the most ethical manner.

Ethical problem solving shares attributes with engineering design. Although

there will be no unique correct solutions to most of the problems in engineering
ethics, there will be a range of solutions that are clearly right, some of which are
better than others, and some that are clearly wrong.

Engineering ethics have been defined as the rules and standards governing
the conduct of engineers in their roles as professionals. Codified rules and
regulations have limits—they have been shown to have internal conflicts in certain
situations, and they have also become dated. They often are not enforceable, since
not all engineers are licensed or members of professional societies that can censure
unethical behavior. Engineering ethics should be more than just a set of hard rules.
They must be considered to be a body of philosophy indicating the ways that
engineers should conduct themselves in their professional capacity. This
philosophy must be based on more than simply working within the codes of ethics
and include the ability to make decisions based on values and beliefs that are
founded on the universal principles. The study of ethics as related to the practice of
engineering helps us develop moral competence when applied to our profession.
That is why it is important to develop moral competence in engineering issues.

I can develop and improve my moral competence. Even though we are born
with a moral compass, it takes study and practice to become proficient in
recognizing and dealing with a moral dilemma. There are a multitude of resources
available for the study of engineering ethics. Think through the training exercises,
read books, but most of all, practice, practice, practice. Develop your own set of
moral values that you can apply when the opportunity or moral dilemma arises.

When it comes to ethics, ethics is ethics. If we want to live ethical lives as

engineers, we must practice ethical behaviour based on the Golden Rule or Code of
Ethics in engineering. However, because engineering is a complicated profession
with technical, business, and social dimensions, we must also study and learn how
to apply these ethical concepts to engineering practice. This study and exercise
helps us develop our moral competence, especially when related to the practice of
engineering, which can have such a great impact on the lives of others.

However, we must be careful not to compartmentalize our ethics, and

instead endeavor to apply a single norm to all aspects of our lives. The Golden
Rule is compatible with engineering ethics, and it can be demonstrated that it
applies to all components of engineering ethics as defined by professional bodies'
codes of ethics. The adoption of the Golden Rule is a useful beginning point since
it is all-encompassing and can fill up the gaps left by many codes of ethics, as well
as providing consistency and a link between engineering ethics and other elements
of our life.Each engineer chooses his or her own ethical standards by which to live
and conduct his or her profession. Ethics are rules that people set for themselves.
When it comes to ethics, there are only two things that matter: having a standard to
follow and having the resolve to follow it.
Engineers follow a set of standards and guidelines as a moral commitment to their
profession and the world. Engineering is a profession that has a significant impact
on people's lives. When ethics are not followed, disasters frequently occur; these
disasters not only result in significant monetary expenses and environmental
consequences, but they also frequently result in human life loss. Engineering
Ethics can be used in a variety of situations.
The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) decides the overall
standards and codes of ethics for all the engineering professions. The Preamble of
the NSPE Code of Conduct for Engineers (2007) states: “Engineers shall at all
times recognize that their primary obligation is to protect the safety, health,
property, and welfare of the public. If their professional judgment is overruled
under circumstances where the safety, health, property, or welfare of the public
are endangered, they shall notify their employer or client and such other authority
as may be appropriate.” This means that engineers should always be aware that
their safety and the safety of those around them comes before anything, including
any engineering projects they take on, no matter how wonderful the end product
might be. That being said, engineering standards change from one professional
engineering society to the next because of the work that different type of engineers
do. For example, the work that an agricultural engineer does (e.g. constructing
dams and irrigation) will be different from the work that a biomedical engineer
does (e.g. making an artificial heart). However, no matter what type of engineer
you are, Engineering Ethics is important because if you do not follow it you can be
putting yours and someone else’s life in danger.
Herbert Hoover, the only true engineer who was the president of the US
compares engineers with other professionals: “His acts, step by step, are in hard
substance. He cannot bury his mistakes In the graves like the doctors. He cannot
argue them into thin air or blame The judge like the lawyers. He cannot, like the
architects, cover his failures With trees and vines. He cannot, like the politicians,
screen his shortcomings by blaming his opponents and hope that the people will
forget. The engineer simply cannot deny that he did it. If his works do not work, he
is damned.” All engineering codes of ethics give a very prominent place to
safety ,stating that engineers must hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
the public. Of course, there is an implicit recognition that every design, every
product developed by humans carries a certain degree of risk with it. And the
relationship between risk and safety is an obvious one. If designs, products,
techniques and materials used are in some manner unsafe they expose humans and
the environment to undue risk. Engineers are the people who are responsible for
the safety of the general public, they are responsible for making engineering
decisions consistent with the safety, health and welfare and these decisions must be
made in terms of accepted engineering approaches, they must conform to codes
and standards and approved practices. Engineers are to be held responsible for
disclosing anything that would subject the public or environment to dangers. In
order to perform their functions properly engineers must maintain and improve
their competency and engage in continuous learning. Furthermore, engineers must
practice their profession only in the areas in which they posses the requisite
knowledge and expertise.

Every engineer will find himself in a conflicting position. Although he is in a

touch predicament, he can make his decision better by using the steps of problem
solving in engineering ethics to help him make the best decision. The steps of
Problem Solving in Engineering Ethics are (Johanssen, 2009):

 State the Problem: Clearly define what the ethical engineering problem is.
 Get the Facts: Obtain all relevant facts to the matter (i.e. the different moral
viewpoints) and then analyze them all.
 Identify and Defend Competing Moral Viewpoints: Analyze the pro and
cons of different moral viewpoints and pick the best course of action.
 Come up with a Course of Action: Pick the best course of actions, and
answer all un-answered questions.
 Qualify the course of Action: Back up the course of action with facts or
statistics.
Conflict of interest situations take place where engineer’s loyalties and
obligations may be compromised due to self-interest or other obligations and
commitments which lead to biased judgments. Situations in which the proper
conduct may be questioned requires that the engineer avoid being put in the
position of making decisions which could be challenged later on. Whistle blowing
is a situation in which engineers who are aware of a harmful, illegal and dangerous
mode of behavior decide to go public with that information. This may take place in
a number of methods: the information may be reported to the appropriate
authorities (city, county, state or federal), released to media or a combination of
these may be employed. An engineer who is engaged in revealing the information
has a serious conflict of interest. The engineer has an obligation to the employer
but also to protect the society. Clearly, the protection of the public is paramount
and must be held as such. But the consequences may be extreme: the engineer may
lose the job and destroy a career, finding a new job may prove to be difficult as
employers could be unwilling to hire a potential whistleblower. The effects of such
actions may prove very damaging to the family of the engineer and cause a
financial disaster. The engineer who engaged in whistle-blowing may be ostracized
by the colleagues in the company and in the profession. One must carefully weigh
potential consequences of such actions. Still, the gratification of doing the right
thing should be a powerful motivator to do just that. Concern for the environment
is an integral part of ethical practices of engineering. Humanity can no longer be
the adversary of nature, it must be its ally, its guardian. Careless practices of
engineering may destroy complete ecosystems, pollute the air, water and soil, bring
about the change in the weather pattern and destroy varieties of life species. We
must also be aware of the impact on the protective ozone layer which safeguards
plants and animals from the deleterious ultraviolet light. The concept of sustainable
development incorporates the requirement of people to live well and improve their
standard of living while at the same time protecting the environment. Emphasis on
conservation of resources, recycling and nonpolluting technologies are a required
mode to reach the sustainable development while reducing our dependence on
fossil fuels. Engineers are the only profession that can make efficient usage of
renewable energy sources such as solar, wind, biomass, tidal or fission breather
reactors. Engineers must develop energy efficient resources and minimize waste
and inefficiency.
The main engineering ethics problem that I, as college students are face with is
academic integrity. Academic integrity can show itself in the form of cheating by
copying someone’s work, intentional cheating, plagiarism, and/or self-plagiarism.
However, professional ethics is something that can be learned even when it
conflicts with personal ethics, as for example, a situation where 1 are personally
okay with building a product that can harm the environment, yet save lives. 1 can
learn professional ethics and realize that something that is harmful to the
environment is not okay. Ethics codes can even help you see the bigger picture. In
the professional world, ethical engineering problems come up in many cases. One
of these includes the case of a professional using someone else’s work that is
published in the widespread market of publication. Another is the case of a
professional using someone else’s work that is not published yet and stealing their
idea. Engineers who have good engineering ethics often have a good sense of the
value of life. They don’t hesitate to admit that they made a mistake because they
know that the cost of not owning up to your mistakes can have disastrous
consequences. It might even cost a human life. Not only do individual engineers
have to be conscious of engineering ethics, but also companies. Companies have to
be aware of their Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental
Responsibility. Corporate Social Responsibility is a company’s responsibility to
give back to the community that they profit from and to behave ethically so that
both they and their community can benefit. Environmental Responsibility is a
business’s initiative to leave the environment (where it is taking its resources from)
the same, if not better, that it is found it. Thus, as student in college, we are making
the transition from an academic environment to a professional environment. The
further we are in our career p;ath, the more important ethics is, especially
engineering ethics. Thus, the soon we start defining our ethics the better, beginning
with our final project in college and the first design project of our lives: senior
design.

It is evident that the engineering ethics is the very essence of the engineering
profession. It is the roadmap of behavior of engineers and points out the values and
traditions of the profession in leading humanity to make crucial choices and
confront the challenges necessary for a better and more meaningful life. The
academic engineering community has the difficult and responsible task and
challenge of ensuring that future practitioners of the profession are educated and
equipped with the skills of confronting the ethical problems, examining the
standards of conduct with critical thinking and the competence and ability that are
illustrated and taught in engineering classes. This challenge can be met only by
making a conscious effort to acquire the understanding of ethical issues by
following the test cases which appear on the regular basis in the courts of law,
recalls by companies, discussions and seminars presented by professional societies
and exercising the utmost dedication and commitment to professional integrity.

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