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Ethics.pptxWhat are ethics?
Ethics is a cumulative effort to understand and to control individualism (or existentialism).
Necessary to control this self-regarding human characteristic to live peacefully as an extended group of people.
Ethical behaviour =balance between self-interest and group responsibility.
It is largely a learned skill, rather than an instinct.
Ethics = informal guide to professional decision-making with clear moral guidelines.
The Concept of Engineering Ethics
Ethics is a study of morality in practice
Ethics is given relevance as the application of moral values, particularly in a professional capacity.
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Ethics =provision of a value system
Very often a guide to proper conduct in society/ work place, rather than imposition of a set of rules like the Road Code
It enables professionals to be influenced and guided in their decision making
Ethical guidelines can very often be informative and descriptive, rather than authoritarian and prescriptive
Values, Etiquette, Morals and Ethics
Values: Your own subjective principles including worth and desirability
Etiquette: Considered good mannered and polite
Morality: Applying a set of morally correct/ honourable set of rules/ principles to situation
Morality = generally accepted standards of right and wrong in a society
Ethics = study of moral decision-making
Used when referring to professional behaviour
Can appear in a code of professional ethics
In New Zealand
A code of engineering ethics is published by IPENZ, which is the professional body, representing professional engineers from all disciplines in New Zealand.
The ethical objectives of the institution are to develop and promote ethical engineering practices benefiting the wider community.
Which is particularly appropriate for engineers, and which is published for the information of the public.
These ethical values include aspects of the relationship between technology and society such as a duty of care to protect life and to safeguard people, a commitment to society well-being and the sustainable management and care of the environment.
Clearly defined for an organisation or profession by a written set of guidelines
Any professional code of ethics is based on a set of core values, and these core values are almost always subject to an overriding responsibility to the public interest,
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Key forms of unethical conduct in engineering projects
Unfair conduct
Negligence
Conflict of interest
Collusion
Fraud
Bribery
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The following are the most common forms of conflicts of interests:
1. Self-dealing, in which an official who controls an organisation causes it to enter into a transaction with the official, or with another organisation that benefits the official. The official is on both sides of the "deal.“
2. Outside employment, in which the interests of one job contradict another.
3. Family interests, in which a spouse, child, or other close relative is employed (or applies for employment) or where goods or services are purchased from such a relative or a firm controlled by a relative. For this reason, many employment applications ask if one is related to a current employee. If this is the case, the relative could then abstain from any hiring decisions. Abuse of this type of conflict of interest is called nepotism.
4. Gifts from friends who also do business with the person receiving the gifts. (Such gifts may include non-tangible things of value such as transportation and lodging.)
5. Pump and dump, in which a stock broker who owns a security artificially inflates the price by "upgrading" it or spreading rumours, sells the security and adds short position, then "downgrades" the security or spreads negative rumours to push the price down.
Corruption
Definition:
‘quality of bribery; dishonesty; rotteneness and impurity’ (as cited in Tookey and Chalmers, n.d.)
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Tender phase
Preparation of Plans and specification
Invitation to Tender
Bidding
Bidding Evaluation
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Strategies to instil ethical behaviour
What is ethical behaviour?
Ethical leadership
Whistle Blowers
Criminal Proscutions
Black Listing
Certificate of Fitness
Make best of existing situation
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Ethical behaviour at work
You have the responsibility:
Treat others with dignity
Have a moral awareness of problems and issues in engineering
Find creative solutions to moral issues
Have the ability to be morally reasonable
Have respect for others
Have tolerance of diversity
Have moral integrity in your professional life
Ethical Behaviour- Organisational strategies
Senior management championing and involvement
Constant consciousness of those written, codified values and standards in recruiting and hiring
Stressing code values and standards in educating and training employees
Recognition and tangible rewards for conduct which exemplifies desired values and standards
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Ethical Behaviour- Organisational strategies
Ombudsmen or other designated persons assigned to field employees’ questions and reporting
Thorough concentration on high-risk jobs and areas in terms of violating code values and standards
Periodic certification and auditing to assure compliance with those code values and standards
Well defined and fair enforcement procedures, including sanctions
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What is Important for Ethical Leaders?
Create “Candor” in the workplace - where the employee feels safe bringing up and resolving ethical issues
Foster an environment of “Trust” among individuals in the Workplace - encouraging openness among team members without fear of retribution
Treat everyone as intrinsically valuable…and not as a means to an end
An effective ethical leader will…
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How to Develop Ethical Leadership Skills?
Understanding: A clear understanding of professional ethics
Communication Skills: Ability and willingness to communicate ethical issues
Ability To recognise ethical issues
Appreciation Of frequency at which ethical issues occur
Awareness Of where to get guidance on ethical dilemmas
Comprehension “Knowing What’s Right”
Willingness and courage To do what is right
Ability To resolve ethical issues by using traditional methods of inquiry – i.e.
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Whistle Blowing
Reporting a problem outside the company
The decision is a serious matter and requires careful consideration
Most whistle blowers
have suffered unhappy
fates
Whistle Blowing
Under what circumstances are engineers justified or morally obligated in whistle blowing?
The actual or potential harm is serious.
The harm is well documented.
The concerns have been reported to immediate superiors.
After getting no satisfaction from immediate superiors, regular channels within the organisation have been used to highest levels.
There reasonable hope that whistle blowing will help prevent or remedy harm.
A Dilemma
A challenging moral problem is sometimes referred to as a dilemma.
A dilemma is a choice between courses of action (sometimes two).
However, in a moral dilemma
You may have two choices which are equally unacceptable.
To do nothing can also be unacceptable!
The Decision-making Process
1. Recognise the problem; define problem in terms of goals, scope and meaning.
2. Set objectives; for desired output.
3. Research; gather as much information that is relevant, accurate, complete, and timely.
4. Identify and evaluate all alternative solutions.
5. Evaluate the options; identify positively/ negatively effected parties.
6. Select the best option; from an engineering, environmental, sustainable/ economic prospective.
7. Implement the option.
8. Evaluate the results.
1. Recognise the problem; define the problem in terms of goals, scope and meaning.
2. Set objectives; Set the objectives for the desired output.
3. Research; gather as much information that is possible that is relevant, accurate, complete, and timely.
4. Identify and evaluate all alternative solutions; in terms of feasibility, acceptability, risk, benefits, possible negative outcomes, environment, short term consequences, long term consequences, moral principles, honesty, equality, dignity and fairness to others.
5. Evaluate the options; identify the positively and negatively effected parties.
6. Select the best option; select from an engineering, environmental, sustainable and economic prospective.
7. Implement the option.
8.Evaluate the results.
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The decision can basically be divided into three types of issue.
These are:
Factual Issue.
Conceptual Issue.
Moral Issue.
1 - Resolving a Factual Issue
= an issue having to deal with whether a claim is truthful or false.
Examples include:
Company claims to have a new cure for some human ailment.
Company markets a new device claiming it will perform a particular function.
Individual claims to be a certain person.
Individual claims certain experience / qualification.
Company claims new product does not harm people /environment.
Scientists may disagree over the likelihood of a meltdown in a nuclear power plant.
2 – Resolving a Conceptual Issue
A conceptual issue = leads to debate in terms of scope/ concept/meaning of issue
Resolved by coming to agreement over the proper definition/ scope of a term
Conceptual issues can be many and varied
For example, What is the definition of a bribe? Is the legal financial support of a political candidate with the expectation of later favours a bribe?
3 – Resolving a Moral Issue
A moral issue requires resolving by the application of one or more moral principles.
A moral issue is resolved by agreement over the proper application of one or more moral principles.
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Precautionary Principle in decision-making
Caution recommended when decision has any traits:(Forsberg & Kaiser, 2002)
Scientific uncertainties (e.g. health or environmental consequences).
Scenarios of possible harm (e.g. based on scientific reasoning).
Uncertainties cannot be reduced without increasing the ignorance of other factors.
Potential harm is sufficiently serious/
irreversible for present/ future generations.
If an action is delayed, it could make
countermeasures more difficult at a
later date.
The conflict
In a conflict problem, we can be faced with two or more moral principles that can apply to this situation, and yet the two principles require different and incomparable solutions.
Conflicts between competing obligations, both of which appear to be valid, are common features of moral decision-making.
Ways to resolve a conflict problem
Step 1:
Assuming you’re not breaking any laws, considerations at this point can include:
Can we find a way that satisfies both, where it may be possible to satisfy both moral principles in a modified form.
Who will be hurt?
Who will benefit?
What is the long-term consequence?
What is the short-term consequence?
Is a short-term solution in the long-term interest?
Step 2:
Consider the result of a decision in terms of
moral principles,
fairness to others,
honesty,
equality and
dignity.
Kindness
Is it possible to take a lower-level option into consideration? Is the decision one that may enhance or damage your career?
Step 3:
Take the above considerations into account, and make a hard choice.
When no middle ground is possible, at the risk of upsetting or alienating one party, you make a choice.
However, the certainty of the decision outcome is not always certain.
Decision-making and Certainty or Uncertainty
Generally, there will be one of four outcomes resulting from a decision.
Decisions with certainty – there is only one possible outcome.
Decisions with risk – one needs to assess all the possible outcomes and assess the probability of each outcome.
Decisions with uncertainty – the possibilities of each outcome may be known, but the probability for each is not known.
Decisions under ignorance – there is no predictability of an outcome.
But!
Very few decisions have only one possible outcome
Engineers should rarely if ever make decisions in which the outcome is unpredictable
When making a decision in which risk is involved, the main concern is to determine an acceptable level of risk
Evaluating Ethical actions
Actions can be evaluated using a variety of tests
All the tests promote decisions based on how we “feel” about what we do
The best decision is to “Do the right thing because it is the right thing to do”
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Harm Test
Harms
Benefits
Do the benefits outweigh the harms, short term and long term?
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Reversibility Test
Would I think this was a good choice if I traded places?
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Colleague Test
What would my professional colleagues say?
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Legality Test
S O P
Would my choice violate a law or policy of my employer?
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Publicity Test
How would my choice look on the front page of a newspaper?
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Common Practice Test
What if everyone behaved this way?
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Wise Relative Test
What would my wise old aunt or uncle do?
Would I want them to know what I am doing?
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The Hiding Test
Do I want others to know what I’m doing?
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“Smell” Test
Does this choice “smell” and feel right?
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And Finally, the Self-Respect Test
How will I feel about myself after making this choice?
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