As stated in the “Brant Scale of Engineering Ethics,” as we progress as engineers, our

level of accountability increases and our measured level of ethics also increases. That is why it
is important for each engineer to have and follow their own code of ethics. The purpose of a
code of ethics is to set common ethical principles to uphold consistency in one’s behavior. An
engineer will not only have to follow their own code of ethics, but they will also have to follow
any ethic code their organization possesses. It is vital that a business ensures that the
employees are aware of the company’s mission and values. The employees will then have a
consistent and clear image of the organization they are employed by.
Having a consistent and clear code of ethics will assist when being faced with an ethical
situation. When reviewing the IEEE Code of Ethics one can see that the first important steps are
to accept responsibility and be honest. If this is not completed, an employee and/or organization
will be handling a larger ethical situation than they first began with. Following this, one must be
sure to follow a step by step action plan to make certain that the situation is handled properly.
These steps could include, but are not limited to: specifying the problem, seeking out resources,
contemplating solutions and implementing a plan. As discussed in class, despite being aware of
stereotypes, one can still be biased. That is why it becomes crucial to consistently double-check
your values, beliefs and actions. Although, at the end of the day, understanding anyone could
find themselves in an ethical situation so ensure to be honest and accept responsibility when
essential. Individuals may never come to a consensus on what the most “ethical” decision would
be, although those same individuals should agree that an ethics code is essential when
handling yourself both in and out of the workplace.
The case study I discussed dealt with the Amazon Echo and how that technology
includes microphones that may be able to listen in on your conversations. In this study, the
broader takeaway revolved around what these organizations are able to do with this data,
especially since the consumers would presume that would be private, untaintable information.
This issue relates back to three virtue ethics: responsibility, honesty and fidelity. As the
consumer, we are funding organizations each time we choose to buy one of their products.
Without consumers, an organization would no longer exist. Therefore, that organization owes
those consumers the three virtue ethics listed previously. Amazon, for example, should first
accept responsibility anytime they are confronted with an ethical situation. Second, they should
be honest and open with all of their consumers when it comes to the finer details of their
products. Finally, they should be faithful to their consumers as their consumers have been
faithful to the organization. In the instance of this case study Amazon did uphold fidelity as they
refused to hand over their consumer’s information to authorities. Although, it can be said that
they were not responsible nor honest with consumers about this device as most probably did
not know this was information authorities could even ask for. Amazon could easily fix this ethical
situation by being more forward with the consumers and listing the details of the device in clear
print, rather than putting information like this in the fine print. It is not that the other three virtue
ethics are not relevant in this case, but the three discussed here are more prominent.