ENGINEERING ECONOMICS & PRACTISE 2B

ASSIGNMENT 1: ENGINERING ETHICS & DECISION MAKING PROCESS

SHORT ESSAYS

General guidelines
1. You have to clearly document the situation, any ethical dilemma involved as well as your
reasoning. Remember an ethical dilemma seldom has a single correct answer. Your mark
will be determined by your ethical argument and how convincingly you explain it.

2. Consider all aspects of the ethical dilemma and provide an objectively balanced overview
of all viewpoints

3. The focus of the assignment is on the development of critical thinking regarding ethical
aspects of engineering work. You should realise that the impact on all affected parties
should be considered and not just the benefit for the organization.

4. Make use of the lecture notes/slides on the topic. Apply the methods discussed in lecture
in order to evaluate the cases.

5. NB – Bonus marks will be earned for additional research into ethical theorems and a
clear argument as to why these should apply to the respective case.

6. Plagiarism is strictly prohibited. Any copying from textbooks, internet, class mates or
any other reference material will result in immediate cancellation of the student’s
registration for this module.

7. All submission may be evaluated through Turnitin before being considered.

8. Short essay must be no more than TWO (2) pages.

9. Discussion of the assignment among students is strongly encouraged, as it will improve

everybody’s insight.

10. Do not write your essay in point form it will not be marked.

MARK ALLOCATION GUIDELINE

Item Allocation
Layout: Logic pattern of layout 10 %
Grammar and spelling 10%
Feasibility of decision 10%
Additional research 10%
Reference and presentation 10%
Comprehensiveness of argument 50%
1. Engineer A is a professional engineer with expertise in electronics engineering and radio
communications. Engineer A designs specialized antenna systems for broadcast stations in
City X. A particular antenna system design was necessitated by the location of a large
municipal highway department maintenance facility on the radio station's property.
Engineer A designs a specialized antenna system and signed and sealed those preliminary
drawings. The construction of a new building for the highway department was about to
begin. A meeting was called so that all parties involved could wrap up last minute details
so the project could proceed expeditiously. During the meeting, Engineer A was asked to
clarify some details about the antenna system’s relationship to the foundation of the
building and to address some other technical questions. Engineer A was unable to answer
the questions about the building foundation because Engineer A was never provided with
the final plans for the building — Engineer A was only provided preliminary drawings for
the building and a site plan. Following the meeting, the project manager sent Engineer A a
full set of drawings. Engineer A’s preliminary drawings were included with the final plans,
but an unknown person had crossed out Engineer A’s notes on each page of Engineer A’s
signed and sealed drawings without Engineer A’s knowledge or permission. The project
manager, not a licensed engineer, subsequently revealed to Engineer A that Engineer B,
one of the prime consultants, made the changes to Engineer A’s plans, and signed and
sealed the drawings and that the changes should not have been made without Engineer A’s
approval. The project manager said that the changes were made to avoid a delay in
distributing the bid documents.
QUESTION: Was it ethical for Engineer B, a prime consultant, to make changes to
Engineer A’s work? [40]

2. You are an engineer in training in your second year of training within a small practice. A
more senior trainee has been on sick leave, and you are due to go on study leave. You have
been told by your manager that, before you go on leave, you must complete some
complicated project assignment work. The deadline suggested appears unrealistic, given
the complexity of the work. You feel that you are not sufficiently experienced to complete
the work alone. You would need additional supervision to complete it to the required
standard, and your manager appears unable to offer the necessary support. If you try to
 complete the work within the proposed timeframe but fail to meet the expected quality,
you could face repercussions on your return from study leave. You feel slightly intimidated
by your manager, and also feel pressure to do what you can for the practice, in challenging
times.
QUESTION: What are you suppose to do? (NB – In your CV submission for the
engineer in training job you have indicated you can work under pressure and you
have good time management!!!!!) [30]

3. As a second year Engineering student at University of Johannesburg (UJ) you got a high
paying summer job as an engineering assistant at City Power. This job enables you to attend
university without having to take out any student loans. You were staring at a 50-gallon
drum filled with used machine coolant, wondering what you should do. Just moments ago,
your supervisor, Engineer A, told you to dump half of the used coolant down the drain.
You knew the coolant was toxic, and you mentioned this to Max. But Engineer A was not
swayed. The following is the conversation you had with your supervisor, Engineer A:

Engineer A: The toxins settle at the bottom of the drum. If you pour out half and dilute it
with tap water while you're pouring it, there's no problem.
You: I don't think that's going to work. Besides, isn't it against the law?
Engineer A: Look, kid, I don't have time for chat about a bunch of laws. If I spent my time
worrying about every little regulation that comes along, I'd never get anything done -- and
neither will you. Common sense is my rule. I just told you --Toxins settle at the bottom,
and most of them will stay there. We've been doing this for years, and nothing's happened.
You: You mean no one's said anything about it? That doesn't mean the environment isn't
being harmed.
Engineer A: You aren't one of those "environmentalists," are you? You students spend too
much of your time with "theory”. It's time to "get real" -- and get on with the job.
You: But....
Engineer A: But nothing. Time to get real-and get on with the job. You know, you're very
lucky to have a good paying job like this, kid. In three months you'll be back in your
university. Meanwhile, how many other students do you think are out there wondering if
they'll be able to afford to go back -- students who'd give everything to be where you are
right now.

Engineer A then left, fully expecting you to dump the used coolant. As you stared at the
drum, you pondered your options.
QUESTION: What do you think you should do? [30]