Briefly discuss the difference Between Ethics and Morality

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of conduct of

an individual or group. It works as a guiding principle as to decide what is
good or bad. They are the standards which govern the life of a person.
Ethics is also known as moral philosophy. Few ethical principles are:
Truthfulness, Honesty, Loyalty, Respect, Fairness, Integrity.

However, Morals are the social, cultural and religious beliefs or values of
an individual or group which tells us what is right or wrong. They are the
rules and standards made by the society or culture which is to be followed
by us while deciding what is right. Some moral principles are: Do not
cheat, Be loyal, Be patient, Always tell the truth, Be generous.

Morals deal with what is ‘right or wrong’. While, Ethics deals with what is
‘good or evil’. Morals are general guidelines framed by the society, like, we
should speak truth. Conversely, ethics are a response to a particular
situation, like, is it ethical to state the truth in a particular situation? Morals
may vary from society to society and culture to culture. As opposed to
Ethics, which remains same regardless of any culture, religion or society.
Morals do not have any applicability to business, whereas Ethics is widely
applicable in the business known as business ethics. As morals are framed
and designed by the group, there is no option to think and choose; the
individual can either accept or reject. Conversely, the people are free to
think and choose the principles of his life in ethics. Every single individual
has some principles which help him throughout his life to cope up with any
adverse situation; they are known as ethics. On the other hand, Morals are
not the hard and fast rules or very rigid, but they are the rules which a
majority of people considered as right. That is why the people widely
accept them. This is all for differentiating Morals from Ethics.

Difference between Ethics and Law

Ethics, a branch of moral philosophy that guides people about what is good
or bad. It is a collection of fundamental concepts and principles of an ideal

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human character. The principles help us in making decisions regarding,
what is right or wrong. It informs us about how to act in a particular
situation and make a judgment to make better choices for ourselves.

On the contrary, law is described as the set of rules and regulation, created
by the government to govern the whole society. The law is universally
accepted, recognized and enforced. It is created with the purpose of
maintaining social order, peace, justice in the society and to provide
protection to the general public and safeguard their interest. It is made after
considering ethical principles and moral values.

The law is created by the Government, which may be local, regional,

national or international. On the other hand, ethics are governed by an
individual, legal or professional norms, such as, workplace ethics,
environmental ethics and so on. The law is expressed in the constitution in
a written form. As opposed to ethics, it cannot be found in writing form.
The breach of law may result in punishment or penalty, or both which is not
in the case of breach of ethics. The law creates a legal binding, but ethics
has no such binding on the people. Law and ethics are different in a manner
that what a person must do and what a person should do. 

Discuss the different types of ethics with examples.

Ethics is a branch of philosophy that deals with the principles of conduct of

an individual or group. It works as a guiding principle as to decide what is
good or bad. They are the standards which govern the life of a person.
Ethics is also known as moral philosophy. Few ethical principles are:
Truthfulness, Honesty, Loyalty, Respect, Fairness, Integrity. There are
normative ethics, Descriptive Ethics and Professional Ethics.

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Normative ethics is the study of ethical behaviour, and is the branch of
philosophical ethics that investigates the questions that arise regarding how
one ought to act, in a moral sense. We should do to others what we would
want others to do to us. For example, Since I do not want my neighbor to
steal my car, then it is wrong for me to steal his car.

Descriptive ethics, also known as comparative ethics, is the study of

people's beliefs about morality. Descriptive ethics is the division of
philosophical or general ethics that involves the observation of the moral
decision-making process with the goal of describing the phenomenon. For
instance, people often overestimate the importance of consequences when
considering how well reasoned people’s moral decisions are.

Professional ethics are principles that govern the behaviour of a person or

group in a business environment. Professional ethics provide rules on how a
person should act towards other people and institutions in such an
environment. Not adhering to these may harm professional reputation. In
particular Examples: no gossiping, time management, punctuality,
confidentiality, transparency these should be maintain by professionals like
journalists, doctors, lawyers, etc.

Elaborate the importance of ethics in the Engineering Sector

Engineers are the engines of the modern world. They are the people that
keep the world operative through various construction, inventions,
discoveries and manufacturing They are the creator of modern civilization.
An engineer should have the ability and judgement to refine one’s
behaviours, decisions and actions in performing the duty to the family,
organization and to the society. Thus, engineers have to often make difficult
choices while performing his responsibilities. A set of attitudes and habits
is thus essential for an engineer so that he is able to make correct decision.
Ethics are, therefor, the guiding principles to the decision-making capability
of an engineer. Improving the ability to reflect carefully on moral issues can

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be accomplished by improving various practical skills that will help
produce autonomous thought about moral issues. As related to engineering
ethics, these skills include the following.

1. Moral awareness: Proficiency in recognizing moral problems and issues

in engineering

2. Cogent moral reasoning: Comprehending, clarifying, and assessing

arguments on opposing sides of moral issues

3. Moral coherence: Forming consistent and comprehensive view- points

based on consideration of relevant facts

4. Moral imagination: Discerning alternative responses to moral issues and

finding creative solutions for practical difficulties

5. Moral communication: Precision in the use of a common ethical

language, a skill needed to express and support one’s moral views
adequately to others

6. Moral reasonableness: The willingness and ability to be morally

reasonable

7. Respect for persons: Genuine concern for the well-being of others as

well as oneself

8. Tolerance of diversity: Within a broad range, respect for ethnic and

religious differences and acceptance of reasonable differences in moral
perspectives

9. Moral hope: Enriched appreciation of the possibilities of using rational

dialogue in resolving moral conflicts

10. Integrity: Maintaining moral integrity and integrating one’s professional

life and personal convictions

Thus, ethics in engineering ensure economy, productivity, safety, privacy,

security, welfare and offers opportunities for all without discrimination.

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 Discuss the scope of engineering ethics with example
Engineering is an art of specifying application of scientific, economic,
social, practical knowledge in order to invent, design, build, maintain,
research and improve structures, devices, machines, material and processes.
Ethics is the activity and field of studying morality; It refers to moral values
that are sound or reasonable, actions or policies that are morally required,
morally permissible, or otherwise morally desirable. In other word, it
studies which actions, goals, principles, policies, and laws are morally
justified. Using this sense Engineering Ethics is the study of moral issues
and decisions confronting individuals and organizations engaged in
engineering. Is the study of the decisions, policies, and values that are
morally desirable in engineering practice and research. An array of
powerful forces, including demographics, globalization and rapidly
evolving technologies, increasing demand of power resources is driving
profound changes in the role of engineering and also increasingly asked to
understand excellence and ethics in terms of broader societal and
environmental concerns.

Discuss the right and responsibilities of engineers

A great deal of the literature in the field of “engineering ethics” concerns

itself with the duties and professional responsibilities which engineers owe
to clients, colleagues, employers, and society, or with case histories of their
failures to adequately satisfy these duties and responsibilities. It is
important that professionals acknowledge their right and responsibilities.

The few important responsibilities of engineers are: loyalty to corporations,

respect for authority, collegiality and teamwork. Loyalty to an employer
can mean two things. Agency-loyalty is acting to fulfill one’s contractual
duties to an employer. These duties are specified in terms of the particular
tasks for which one is paid, as well as the more general activities of
cooperating with colleagues and following legitimate authority within the
corporation. Attitude-loyalty, by contrast, has as much to do with attitudes,
emotions, and a sense of personal identity as it does with actions. People
who do their work grudgingly or spitefully are not loyal in this sense, even
though may adequately perform all their work responsibilities.

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The rights that engineers have as professionals are called professional
Rights. These professional rights include- the basic right of professional
conscience, the right of conscientious refusal, the right of professional
recognition, employee rights, privacy and equal opportunity.

Professional Conscience is a basic right which explains that the decisions

taken while carrying on with the duty, where they are taken in moral and
ethical manner, cannot be opposed. The right of professional conscience is
the moral right to exercise professional judgement in pursuing professional
responsibilities. It requires autonomous moral judgement in trying to
uncover the most morally reasonable courses of action.

The right of conscientious refusal is the right to refuse to engage in

unethical behavior. This can be done solely because it feels unethical to the
doer. This action might bring conflicts within the authority-based
relationships. Hence it is understood that engineers and other professionals
have a moral right to refuse the unethical acts such as bribery, forging
documents, altering test results, lying, coercing employees into acting by
threatening, etc.

An engineer has a right to the recognition of one’s work and

accomplishments. An engineer also has right to speak about the work one
does by maintaining confidentiality and can receive external recognition.
The right for internal recognition which includes patents, promotions, raises
etc. along with a fair remuneration, are also a part of it.

An employee right can be any right, moral or legal, that involves the status
of being an employee. They involve some professional rights also, such as
the right to be paid according to the salary mentioned in one’s contract.
Privacy and equal opportunity can be considered essential rights too.

The right to privacy refers to the right of having a private life, off the job. It
is the right to control the access to and the use of information about oneself.

The demeaning of a person based on trivial factors such as one’s sex, race,
skin color, age or political or religious outlook can be understood as
Discrimination. Such a discrimination should never be allowed at any

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workplace; this is where everyone has to be treated equally. These things
internally affect the person’s self-identity and self-respect, where the work
itself should represent a person’s self-image. There should be no sexual
harassment.

Briefly discuss the progression of engineering tasks

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The idea of a new product is first captured in a conceptual design, which
will lead to establishing performance specifications and conducting a
preliminary analysis based on the functional relationships among design
variables. These activities lead to a more detailed analysis, possibly assisted
by computer simulations and physical models or prototypes. The end
product of the design task will be detailed specifications and shop drawings
for all components. Manufacturing is the next major task. It involves
scheduling and carrying out the tasks of purchasing materials and
components, fabricating parts and subassemblies, and finally assembling
and performance-testing the product. Selling comes next, or delivery if the
product is the result of a prior contract. Thereafter, either the
manufacturer’s or the customer’s engineers perform installation, personnel
training, maintenance, repair, and ultimately recycling or disposal. Seldom
is the process carried out in such a smooth, continuous fashion as indicated
by the arrows progressing down the middle of Figure . Instead of this
uninterrupted sequence, intermediate results during or at the end of each
stage often require backtracking to make modifications in the design
developed thus far. Errors need to be detected and corrected. Changes may
be needed to improve product performance or to meet cost and time
constraints. An altogether different, alternative design might have to be
considered.

What do you understand by engineering ethics

Engineering ethics is the study of moral issues and decisions confronting

individuals and organizations involved in engineering and the study of
related questions about moral conduct, character, ideals, and relationships
of peoples and organizations involved in technological development.
Basically, it’s the duty of an engineer to take reasonable precautions and
care in fulfilling their duties, and also to maintain the honor and integrity of
the profession. Caring about public safety and health, performing services
only in the area of competence, being truthful with clients and/or the public,
avoiding conflicts of interest, representing yourself truthfully, and

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respecting the proprietary nature of your clients' information are just some
of the actions an ethical engineer should perform on a daily basis. So,
engineering ethics is the study of the decisions, policies, and values that are
morally desirable in engineering practice and research.
Define conflict of interest

A conflict of interest (COI) is a situation in which a person or organization

is involved in multiple interests, financial or otherwise, and serving one
interest could involve working against another. An "interest" is a
commitment, obligation, duty or goal associated with a particular social
role or practice. By definition, a "conflict of interest" occurs if, within a
particular decision-making context, an individual is subject to two
coexisting interests that are in direct conflict with each other. Such a matter
is of importance because under such circumstances the decision-making
process can be disrupted or compromised in a manner that affects the
integrity or the reliability of the outcomes.

Discuss different form of conflict of interest

A conflict of interest arises when what is in a person’s best interest is not in

the best interest of another person or organization to which that individual
owes loyalty. Several common activities that forms different kinds of
conflict of interest:
“Self-dealing” is an action taken by a corporate fiduciary for that person's
personal gain, rather than for the benefit of the company. Examples
including using corporation funds as a personal loan, or buying company
stock based on insider information—which is also an insider trading
violation. In a non-profit organization, setting compensation or benefits for
officers, directors, or trustees may result in a conflict of interest. For
instance, paying an employee in a position or substantial authority
excessive compensation serves a private interest.

“Nepotism” in which a spouse, child, or other close relative is employed by

an individual, or where goods or services are purchased from a relative or
from a firm controlled by a relative. Nepotism is a common accusation in

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politics when the relative of a powerful figure ascends to similar power
seemingly without appropriate qualifications (Political). Nepotism can also
occur within organizations, when a person is employed due to their familial
ties. It is generally seen as unethical, both on the part of the employer and
employee (Organizational).

“Outside employment”, in which the interests of one job conflict with

another.

Discuss the different ways to mitigate the conflict of interest.

When an individual form a relationship, personal or professional, he may
begin to desire and work towards certain goals. If two or more
relationships have incompatible goals, the individual may make decisions
that benefit one side over the other. This is called a "conflict of interest."
While it is not always possible to eliminate conflicts of interest, the
frequency and gravity of such situations may be lessened through
mitigation.

Removal: Sometimes, people who may be perceived to have a conflict of

interest resign from a position to eliminate the conflict of interest going
forward. For instance, A board member who profited from serving on the
board should be removed from the board.

Blind trusts: A blind trust is a trust established by the owner (or trustor)
giving another party (the trustee) full control of the trust. The trustee has
full discretion over the assets and investments while being charged with
managing the assets and any income generated in the trust. Blind trusts are
often established in situations when individuals want to avoid conflicts of
interest between their employment and investments.

Disclosure: Generally, politicians and high-ranking government officials

are required to disclose financial information - assets such as stock, debts
such as loans, typically annually. Certain professionals are required either
by rules related to their professional organization, or by statute, to disclose
any actual or potential conflicts of interest.

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Recusal: Those with a conflict of interest are expected to recuse themselves
from decisions where such a conflict exists. The imperative for recusal
varies depending upon the circumstance and profession, either as common-
sense ethics, codified ethics, or by statute. For example, if the governing
board of a government agency is considering hiring a consulting firm for
some task, and one firm being considered has, as a partner, a close relative
of one of the board's members, then that board member should not vote on
which firm is to be selected. In fact, to minimize any conflict, the board
member should not participate in any way in the decision, including
discussions.

Discuss the different phase of industrial revolution with major key

inventions of that time.

The First Industrial Revolution: also known as the Age of Mechanical

production, was marked by a transition from hand production methods to
machines through the use of steam power and water power. The
implementation of new technologies took a long time, so the period which
this refers to it is between 1760 and 1840.Its effects had consequences on
textile manufacturing, which was first to adopt such changes, as well as
iron industry, agriculture, and mining. Ultimately, advancing
industrialization created a middle class of skilled workers. Cities and
industries grew more quickly than ever before, and economies grew along
with them.

The Second Industrial Revolution: also known as the Technological

Revolution, was a phase of rapid standardization and industrialization from
the late 19th century into the early 20th century. the Second was
characterized by the build-out of railroads, large-scale iron
and steel production, widespread use of machinery in manufacturing,
greatly increased use of steam power, widespread use of the telegraph, use
of petroleum and the beginning of electrification. It also was the period
during which modern organizational methods for operating large scale
businesses over vast areas came into use Most notably, the assembly line,
which effectively powered mass production.

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The Third Industrial Revolution: also known as the Digital Revolution,
beginning in the 1950s, the third industrial revolution brought
semiconductors, mainframe computing, personal computing, and the
Internet—the digital revolution. Things that used to be analog moved to
digital technologies, like an old television with an antenna (analog) being
replaced by an Internet-connected tablet. Moving from analog electronic
and mechanical devices to pervasive digital technology dramatically
disrupted industries, especially global communications and energy.
Electronics and information technology began to automate production and
take supply chains global.

The Fourth Industrial Revolution: 4IR is a way of describing the blurring

of boundaries between the physical, digital, and biological worlds. It’s a
fusion of advances in artificial intelligence (AI), robotics, the Internet of
Things, 3D printing, genetic engineering, quantum computing, and other
technologies. It’s the collective force behind many products and services
that are fast becoming indispensable to modern life. Think GPS systems
that suggest the fastest route to a destination, voice-activated virtual
assistants, personalized internet recommendations, ability to recognize face
from internet, self-monitoring, and production of smart machines that can
analyze and diagnose issues without the need for human intervention.

Discuss the Characteristics of Industrial society

Industry literal meaning is a classification that refers to a group of
companies that are related in terms of their primary business activities An
industrial society is a system in which large number of labor and machinery
is involved in production of goods and services.
Characteristics Of Industrial Societies

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Industrial Society Is Associated With Industrial Revolution And
Industrialism: Industrial revolution transformed much of the Europe and
United States by replacing essentially agriculturally based societies with
industrial societies based on the use of machines and non-animal resources
to be harnessed. Industrialism is based on the application of scientific
knowledge to the technology of production, enabling new energy sources to
be harnessed.
Technology Initiating Vast And Rapid Social Changes: New technologies
such as steam engine, atomic energy tend to bring about social changes as
the economic and other institutions constantly adjust to altered conditions.
Larger Societies With Huge Populations: The high level of productivity of
industrial societies further stimulates population growth with increasing
members living in cities and metropolitan areas. Populations of these
societies often run to tens or hundreds of millions.
Large Scale Division Of Labor: Industrial society creates thousands of new
specialized jobs. In this society statuses of politicians, teachers, doctors etc
could be achieved.
Losing Importance Of Family And Kinship: Family loses many of its
functions, it loses main responsibility of educating the younger ones.
Kinship ties are also weakened. It does not play an important role in
unifying and controlling people.

Religion Losing Its Hold Over The People: Religion no longer play an
important role in controlling the behavior of people. The world no longer
remains as god-centered world for it is looked upon as the man-centered
world.
Increasing Importance Of Science And Education: Science is looked upon
as a promising and an effective means of socio-economic progress.
Similarly, education has evolved into an independent and distinct
institution.
Increasing Important Role Of The State: State is increasingly involved in
the economic, educational, military and other activities. State as the central
power has increased important role in the industrial society.

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Widening Gap Between The Rich And The Poor: According to Karl Marx,
the rich class which is Known as the exploiting class, and poor class as
exploited class. So, there is a widening gap between the rich and the poor.
Spread Of Heterogeneous Culture: New lifestyles and values create a much
more heterogeneous culture which spreads its influence far and wide.

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