HU – 222

Professional Ethics

Credit Hours: 2-0

Book:
1. Business Ethics by Stephen M. Byars & Kurt Stanberry, Openstax, 2018
2. Engineering Ethics, Concepts & Cases by C. Harris Words Worth, Islamic
Education, 2000

Instructor: Ali Hassan

Asst. Professor
Marks Distribution Scheme
- Assignment/Project (5% - 10%)  10%
- Quiz (10% – 15%)  15%
- One Hour Test (30% - 40%)  30% - 35%
- Final Exam (40% - 50%)  40% - 45%

- Tentative dates for One Hour Test - &

Presentations TBD
 Class Rules
• No drinks or eatables in the class
• No discussion/debate on politics/religion
• MOBILE PHONES >> NOT ALLOWED
• Good discipline is of utmost importance
• No collective bunking, or else….
Bibliography
The lecture material has been compiled from the following
sources;
• Business Ethics by Stephen M. Byars & Kurt Stanberry,
Openstax, 2018
• Engineering Ethics, Concepts & Cases by C. Harris
Words Worth, Islamic Education, 2000
• Notes on Professional Ethics, Global Forum for Rural
Advisory Services (GFRAS)
• Notes from Taking Ethics Personally by Kelley
Monterusso, 2016, Grand Valley State University
• Notes on ‘Ethics and Professionalism’ by K. Ockree
• Notes on ‘Professional Ethics’ by Prof Dr Mirza
Jahanzaib, UET Taxila
• Notes on ‘Professional Ethics’ by Asst. Prof. Hingston
Xavier, Christ College of Engineering, IJK
• Word Wide Web
 Course Objective: This course is aimed to develop understanding the
importance of ethics in the professional life of an engineer. Specific
objectives are to help student learn: Understand the difference between
ethics, moral and law; Responsibilities to act ethically in dealing with day
to day matters of their professional life; The code of ethics and apply these
to various ethical problems; Responsibilities towards welfare of society
and environmental protection through engineering practices

CLO Course Learning Outcomes

PLO BT Level
At the end of the course the students will be able to:
Explain the key concepts of various terms related to Professional
1 8 C2
Ethics
Analyze ethical responsibility of engineers by recognizing the
2 6 C4
need for betterment of society
Analyze measures in engineering practices for the sustainability
3 of environment as well as safety & health of personnel 7 C4
S. No. Topics Contents
Professional Profession; What is a Profession? and Professional Ethics.
Ethics: Basic Ethics; What is Ethics?, Why study Ethics?, Professional Ethics,
1 Concepts and Difference between Laws, morals, and Ethics: Character Ethics,
Sources Personality Ethics, Value &Virtue Ethics, and Characteristics of
Code of Ethics
Personality Traits, Desirable Personality Traits and Undesirable
2 Personality Personality Traits, Trust and Honesty, Sincerity, Truthfulness,
Politeness, Respect & Etiquettes,
Human values, values, morals and ethics, Moral Code of Islam,
3 Human Values Struggle for Rizq e Halaal. To identify and adopt the legitimate,
lawful and ethical sources of earning / livelihood.
Moral development, moral dilemma, dealing with moral dilemma,
moral autonomy, Fulfilment of Promise, Pride and Arrogance,
4 Moral Values Malpractice, Engineer’s moral rights, right of professional
conscience, professional rights and Ethical theories, intellectual
property rights, patents, design, trademark etc.
Professional ethics, role of professional bodies, Engineering code
of ethics, Engineering ethics, training in preventive ethics,
5 Professionalism questionable engineering practices, Micro and Macro ethics,
examples of moral problems in engineering. Time management,
Cooperation
Inter-Personal Relations (Employer-Employee relationship),
employee rights, professionalism and loyalty, right to protest,
Responsibilities of obligation of confidentiality, effect of change of job on
6 Employer and confidentiality, conflict of interest. Grievances, Welfare, health &
Management safety of personnel, whistleblowing and its features, types,
procedures to be followed and conditions to be satisfied before
whistle blowing
Problem-Solving, Decision-Making, Engineers responsibilities
towards society welfare, environment degradation, bio-centric
ethics, Ecocentric ethics, Human centered environmental ethics,
7 Case Studies Global examples of catastrophic engineering incidents. Safety,
responsibilities and rights; safety and risks, responsible
engineering, cost of unsafe designed product, Moral thinking, tests
in moral problems solving, problem solving in engineering ethics,
case studies
Introduction
 What is ethics?
• Ethics are the moral codes or principles that guide
behaviour
• Ethos
• Character or Way of Living
• Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or
the conducting of an activity
• In Philosophy:
- Standard responses in necessity or time of
action
- Study of own ethical standards
 What is ethics?
• Applied ethics
– The application of ethical theories to
help choose the most appropriate
action given a specific ethical
problem in a specific field

– E.g. environmental ethics, clinical

ethics, business ethics, professional
ethics
• Ethics with religion
- Is religion linked with Ethics
- ????
• Ethics and Law
- Ethics not linked to Law
- ???
- Law: Man is guilty, if he violates others right
- Ethics: Man is guilty, if he even think of doing so….

Law is sometimes difficult and slow in case of New

Problems……
 Ethics Rules
Ethics consists of ‘Principal of Natural Justice’:
• Bias Rule: No one can be judged of his own
actions
• Hearing Rule: Listen to the culprit
• Evidence Rule: Take evidence against culprit
 Relationship of Ethics

• Ethics and Feelings

- Attitude?
- Behavior?
- Thinking?
- Feeling?

Your answer??
 What is professional ethics?
• The ethical values and principles used to make
decisions within a professional organisation

• Governs relationships with and responsibilities

to colleagues and anyone who uses one's
professional services or who these services
might affect
 Ethics in the workplace
• Ethical behaviour in the workplace
will mean:
– Acting in a way that shows your
belief in the basic values of ethical
behaviour

– Conducting your daily activities

objectively, uninfluenced by your
emotions or personal prejudices
 Ethics in the workplace
• Ethical behaviour in the workplace
will mean:
– Providing objective and constructive
help or information to all people,
regardless of your personal feelings

– Helping the public understand how

they can help achieving objective and
ethical behaviour in the workplace
Why is ethics important?
Increases
credibility of
organisation

Improves
Creates mutual
decision
trust Importance
making
throughout of ethics
throughout
organisation
organisation

Improves
financial
performance
 Code of ethics
• Guidelines for behaviour during
difficult situations
• General and non-specific
– Members make independent
judgements about most
appropriate behaviour in a given
situation
• Aspirational standards of
behaviour
– Not necessarily easily measured
 Code of ethics
• Importance of a code of ethics:

– Promotes reputation and enhances

trust

– Encourages and provides guidance

for ethical decision-making

– Makes social integration easier

– Legitimises ethics
 Code of conduct
• Can be used as a legal agreement
• Outlines specific behaviours required or
prohibited by the organisation
• Clearly defined and specific
– No independent judgement of members

 Mandatory set of
standards
• Failure to comply can
result in disciplinary
action
 Code of conduct
• Importance of a code of conduct:

– Ensures that all the stakeholders are aware of

exactly what is expected of them
• Protects all the stakeholders
involved in the organisation and
enhances trust

• Ensures standard behaviour

throughout the organisation
PROFESSIONS AND PROFESSIONALS
 What is a profession?
• A profession is a disciplined group of individuals who adhere to
ethical standards and who hold themselves out as, and are
accepted by the public as possessing special knowledge and skills
in a widely recognised body of learning derived from research,
education and training at a high level, and who are prepared to
apply this knowledge and exercise these skills in the interest of
others
• A profession performs an essential service to the public, requires
extensive knowledge, is governed by a code of ethics and
emphasises close relationships amongst colleagues
 Characteristics of a profession

Specialised knowledge
Regulatory bodies that Governed by a code of
and skills gained
oversee entry and ethics or code of
through extensive
compliance conduct
education and training

Some form of
examination, High degree of work
certification or autonomy
licensing requirements
 What is a professional?
 A professional is a person who is qualified to
pursue a certain profession

• A professional has to
meet extensive
educational, ethical and
regulatory requirements
set by their profession
before they can provide
their service to the public
Qualities of a professional
A professional will:

Pay attention to detail and take pride in doing a job well

Be dissatisfied with substandard results, and will try to

put things right as soon as possible

Always try to be polite and remain calm when interacting with

customers, superiors or co-workers
 Qualities of a professional
Always be prepared to acknowledge mistakes and learn from them

Show respect to those who consult them in a professional capacity

Always uphold the reputation of the profession

Respect authority and the rules of law when managing or employing

others

Develop and improve their skills and remain up to date with the latest
developments in their field
PROFESSIONALISM IN THE
WORKPLACE
 What is professionalism?
• Professionalism is a specific style of behaviour
and combination of qualities
Features of professionalism
Specialised
knowledge and
competency

Continuing
Honesty and
education and
integrity
lifelong learning

Respect and
Communication
courtesy

Accountability
How is professionalism judged?

Attitude and
Communication
Behaviour

Image and
Competence
Appearance
 Why is professionalism
important?
Maintains Promotes Minimises Establishes
accountability respect conflict boundaries
• Ensures that • Ensures that • Minimises • Ensures clear
organisations all members conflict boundaries
take are treated between between
responsibility with respect, members what is
for their regardless of with diverse appropriate
actions no their backgrounds behaviour
matter what background and what is
the outcome or position not
 What is professional development?
• The process of improving and increasing the knowledge
and capabilities of already qualified professionals
through access to continuous education and training in
the workplace
 Personal benefits of PD
• Helps to uncover and highlight gaps in your
knowledge and skills
• Creates awareness of trends in your
profession
• Helps with career development
• Helps you improve your CV, interview skills
and future employability
• Improves your professional standing with
clients and employers
 Competency
• The ability to integrate and apply your
knowledge, skills and values to perform the
activities required by an occupation to a
defined standard
 Core competency
• Fundamental competencies
essential for the success of
extension services
 Programme
planning and
implementation

Programme
Communication
monitoring and
skills
evaluation

Core
competencies
Sensitivity to
diversity and Leadership skills
multiculturalism

Knowledge
about education Organisational
and management
informational skills
technology
 Guiding documents
• Holy Quran and Sunnah

• A constitution
– Outlines fundamental rules governing the conduct of
organisation
• Operating procedures
– Operational guidelines for the management of the board
of directors and various committees within organisation
• Bylaws
– Regulations that provide a framework for the operation
and management of organisation
 Activity #1

• Suggest any 01 profession and answer the

following;
– What are the 5 minimum ethical requirements for
the stated profession
– Suggest any 03 points for code of ethics
– Suggest any 03 points for code of conduct
Human Values
Sources of Values
 Activity #2

• Moral Code of Islam >> What are the teachings in the

context of ;
• Struggle for Rizq e Halaal a. Profession
b. Ethics
• To identify and adopt the
legitimate, lawful and ethical
sources of earning /
livelihood.
What are the challenges?
Ethics and Professionalism
Attitude, Behavior & Conduct
 CAN ETHICS BE TAUGHT/LEARNED?
Yes –but need a common basis.
At a minimum, professionals should:
Be able to recognize an ethical situation
Be able to identify the issues involved
Be able to identify ALL the stakeholders
Reach a reasoned ethical position AND be able to defend it.

Can we or should we all be whistleblowers?

At least at a personal level – yes!

 What Ethics Training Can DO

1. Help individuals understand rationales, ideas

and vocabulary
2. Help individuals make sense of their own
ethical environment
3. Provide intellectual ammunition to do battle
with advocates of economic fundamentalism
and others who violate ethical standards.
 What Ethics Training Can DO
continued

4. Enable employees to recognize and expose

potentially unethical choices within a firm.
5. Enhance moral reflectiveness and strengthen
moral courage.
6. Help one handle an unethical directive from a
boss
 VIEWS OF BUSINESS/PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
• Ethical Relativism • Ethical relativism is the theory that
– “When in Rome” holds that morality is relative to the
norms of one's culture. That is, whether
an action is right or wrong depends on
the moral norms of the society in which
it is practiced. The same action may be
morally right in one society but be
morally wrong in another.
• Fundamentalism • Fundamentalism usually has a religious
connotation that indicates unwavering
– Self-Righteousness attachment to a set of irreducible beliefs

• Universalism-Particularism • Universalism means that everybody is

treated as subject to the same rules.
– “Who am I to say...” Particularism, on the contrary, means
that some people are more equal than
others.
ATTITUDES TOWARD ETHICS
• Amoral
– Business is business and law = ethics
– Ethically unaware (naïve)
– Business exists only to make money
• Immoral
– If you don’t get caught it isn’t wrong
– Unethical for the firm / Unethical against the firm
• The Moral Employee
– Ethically aware
– Proactive
– Code of conduct
 UNIVERSAL ETHICAL VALUES
• Honesty
• Integrity
• Promise-keeping
• Fidelity
• Fairness
• Caring
• Respect
• Responsibility
• Striving for Excellence
• Accountability
 STAGES of MORAL JUDGEMENT

What is right Reason for doing right Point of View

Level One
Preconventional
a. Obedience Avoid Punishment Egocentric

b. Self-Interest Serve one’s own No abstract

Fair exchange interests where others awareness of right
also exist and wrong
 ETHICS IS A PERSONAL
RESPONSIBILITY
“But who is responsible for increasing our
ethical sensitivity – and how can they
accomplish this?”
The responsibility rests first and foremost with
us as individuals. Ethics is a personal matter
and we cannot pass the buck to others.

The individual must consciously focus on ethical

concerns.
 He or she must go beyond
the rules, thinking about why
the rules are necessary and
written as they are – in other
words, the substance behind
the form.”
Ethical Issues in the Practice of Accounting, p.38
PERSONAL PROFESSIONAL WORK
ETHICS ETHICS ETHICS

COMPARE WITH EXAMPLES

 EVALUATING ETHICAL CHOICES

• Is the action you have arrived at one that lives

up to your sense of moral integrity?
[Could I do this and still look at myself in the mirror]

• Would it be the action chosen by someone

you consider a moral model?
[Could I feel good about telling my mother (father, minister, spiritual advisor,
spouse, etc.) I took this action]

• Would you be comfortable if the action or its

results were made public?
[What if this became headline news?]
 Other Evaluative Helps
• Is it Right ?
• Is it Fair?
• Who Gets Hurt?
• What would you tell your child to do?
• Is this action or decision I’m getting ready to
take compatible with my concept of myself at
my BEST?
 ETHICAL CHOICES
WITHIN ORGANIZATIONS
START AND END AT THE TOP

“The tone at the top”

• FIRM/CORPORATE ENVIRONMENT
• ATTITUDE
• LEADING BY EXAMPLE
• FOLLOWING THROUGH

• CODE OF CONDUCT???
 ASKING KEY QUESTIONS

• What are the core values and beliefs of my organization?

• Whose values, beliefs and interests may be at risk in this decision?

• Who will be harmed or helped by my decision or by the decision of

my organization?

• How will my own or my organization’s core values and beliefs be

affected or changed by this decision?

• How will I and my organization be affected by this decision.

 WHERE
ACCOUNTANTS
SHOULD BE
IN THE ETHICAL SCHEME
OF THINGS
 SERVICE IN THE PUBLIC INTEREST
• INTEGRITY
• ACCEPTABLE PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOR
• OBJECTIVITY AND INDEPENDENCE
• DUE CARE

• Independent in substance and

in appearance
 PRINCIPLES BASED ACCOUNTING?
• Conservatism
Never overstate assets or revenues
Never understate expenses or losses
• Substance over form
Transactional reporting should present the
actual nature of the occurrence NOT the
legal form or other form in which it was
written or presented
 EXAMPLE: ACCOUNTANT’S ADDITION TO
THE LIST OF UNIVERSAL VALUES
• Professional Personal Attributes
– Independent
– Unbiased
– Objective
– Neutral

Our work should be

– Relevant
– Reliable
– Verifiability
– Representationally faithful
 Activity #3

• Compare Ethics w.r.t professionalism as an;

– Individual
– Team member
– Home
– Workplace
– Marketplace
– Society

Class exercise
Ethics and Morality
 Ethics and Morality
Ethics refers to standards of conduct,
standards that indicate how one should
behave based on moral duties and virtues,
which themselves are derived from
principles of right and wrong.

 Morals are the prevailing standards of behavior that

enable people to live cooperatively in groups.
 Moral refers to what societies sanction as right and
acceptable.
 Morality often requires that people sacrifice their own
short-term interests for the benefit of society.
 Moral Relativism
Values are determined by the society
we grow up in, and there are no
universal values. Moral values are
simply customs or conventions that
vary from culture to culture.
 Moral Consistency

To what extent do you think the following individuals are morally

inconsistent?

A. an cleric who remains silent of negative social habits

B. a vegetarian who buys leather shoes
C. a socialist who educates his children at a private school
D. A politician who advocates honesty values and is involved in
financial corruption
E. An environmental activist who drives an SUV
F. Someone who thinks stealing is wrong but makes illegal
copies of computer software or music.
 How do I know what to do?
Can you choose three values which are universal for all humans? Why do you think
so?

We have clearly made scientific progress over the last three hundred years. Does it
also make sense that we have made moral progress?

Are serial killers “bad” or “mad”

Are people basically good, and corrupted by society, or are people basically bad and
must be kept in line by society?

Imagine that you arrive in a “democratic” country in which adult women have the
vote but men have no political power. When you interview them, the men tell you
that they are quite happy with the situation, that public life is for women, and a
man’s place is in the home. To what extent would you accept the situation, and to
what extent would you try to “re-educate” the men and make them see the extent
to which they have been indoctrinated?
 Self Interest Theory
Human beings are always and everywhere selfish. Even if
there are objective moral values, we are incapable of living
up to them.

ｷ Definitional argument – we are selfish when we do what

we want to do, and we always do what we want to do.
ｷ Evolutionary argument – humans are naturally selfish -
programmed (biologically) to survive.
ｷ Hidden benefits argument – selfish benefits to helping
others.
ｷ Fear of punishment argument – what if I get caught?
 Consider This…
Are people basically good, and
corrupted by society, or are people
basically bad and must be kept in
line by society?
 Theories of Ethics
While it may be that some values are relative and that people are often
selfish, we do not have to conclude that all values are relative or that
people are always selfish. An ethical theory attempts to provide a set of
fundamental moral principles in harmony with our moral intuitions.

Religious Ethics – an authoritative rule book to tell us what rules to

follow.

Duty Ethics - Fulfill your obligations. Duties and rights are two sides of
the same coin.

Utilitarianism – There is one and only one supreme moral principal –

that we should seek the greatest happiness of the greatest number.
Maximize happiness. Jeremy Bentham and John Stuart Mill (1800).

Kant’s Approach To Ethics – Can your actions be consistently

generalized? Ask yourself “What if everyone did that?”. According to
Kant, if something is wrong, it is always wrong!
 Duty Ethics

Duties and rights are two sides of the same coin.

Choose 2 rights from the UN Declaration of Human

Rights and rewrite these to describe a human “duty”.
 Utilitarianism
We care about morality because we care about human happiness

What do you think is the relationship between

pleasure and happiness? Is happiness just the
sum of pleasures, or can you have many pleasures
and still be unhappy?

Are the richest nations of the world home to the

happiest people in the world?

According to Bertrand Russell (1872-1970), “To be

without some of the things you want is an
indispensable part of happiness.” What did he
mean? Do you agree?
 Kant’s Approach to Ethics
In Kant’s view, happiness does not equal morality.
Only a good will has ultimate moral value. Moral
rules should be universal.

– Special pleading – rationalizing to ourselves

– The golden rule - treat others the way you wish
to be treated
– Veil of ignorance - imagine the situation from
both points of view
 Which of the following is a special case that
justifies breaking a generally accepted rule?

1a. You should respect the highway code, but it is ok to drive through a red light if
you are late for work.
1b. You should respect the highway code, but it is ok to drive through a red light if
you are taking a critically ill person to the hospital.

2a. You should keep your word, but it is ok to break a social engagement if
something more interesting comes up.
2b. You should keep your word, but it is ok to break a social engagement if you
have just contracted an infectious disease.

3a. You should pay your taxes, but it is ok not to pay them if you are short of
money that year.
3b. You should pay your taxes, but it is ok not to pay them if they are being spent
on a nuclear arms program.

4a. Murder is wrong, but it would have been ok to assassinate Hitler in 1942.
4b. Murder is wrong, but it would be OK to kill someone planning a terrorist
attack.
 Ethical Dilemmas
An elderly woman living alone in poor circumstances with few friends
or relatives is dying, and you, her friend, are at her bedside. She
draws your attention to a small case under her bed, which contains
some momentos along with the money she has managed to save
over the years, despite her apparent poverty. She asks you to take
the case and to promise to deliver its contents, after she dies, to her
nephew living in another state. Moved by her plight and by your
affection for her, you promise to do as she requests. After a tearful
goodbye, you take the case and leave. A few weeks later the old
woman dies, and when you open the case, you discover that it
contains $500,000 dollars. No one else knows about the money, or
the promise you made. You learn that the nephew is a compulsive
gambler and has a drug addiction.

What would Kant say you should do?

What would John Stuart Mill say you should do?
What would you do? Why?
 Ethical Dilemmas
Suppose you are a famous anthropologist. One day you find a
remote tribe in the middle of the Amazon rain forest. The tribe is really
surprised by your visit. After all, you are the first stranger they have
ever seen. The tribe is just in the middle of a religious ritual. They are
preparing to execute 20 prisoners from a neighboring tribe as a gift to
the sun god. However, since they also want to honor you, they offer you
the honor of strangling one of the prisoners with your own hands. If you
do that they will let the others go back to their own tribe. If you refuse
to accept this honor, they will sacrifice all 20 people. You try to tell them
that your god does not allow you to strangle people, but the tribe leader
is unwilling to make any deals. He is very clear, either you strangle one
of the prisoners or else all 20 will be killed.

What would you do? Why?

 Kohlberg’s Stages of Moral Development
Although it has been questioned as to whether it applied equally to different genders and different
cultures, Kohlberg’s (1973) stages of moral development is the most widely cited. It breaks our
development of morality into three levels, each of which is divided further into two stages:

Preconventional Level (up to age nine): ~Self Focused Morality~

1. Morality is defined as obeying rules and avoiding negative consequences. Children in this
stage see rules set, typically by parents, as defining moral law.
2. That which satisfies the child’s needs is seen as good and moral.

Conventional Level (age nine to adolescence): ~Other Focused Morality~

3. Children begin to understand what is expected of them by their parents, teacher, etc.
Morality is seen as achieving these expectations.
4. Fulfilling obligations as well as following expectations are seen as moral law for children in
this stage.

Postconventional Level (adulthood): ~Higher Focused Morality~

5. As adults, we begin to understand that people have different opinions about morality and
that rules and laws vary from group to group and culture to culture. Morality is seen as
upholding the values of your group or culture.
6. Understanding your own personal beliefs allow adults to judge themselves and others based
upon higher levels of morality. In this stage what is right and wrong is based upon the
circumstances surrounding an action. Basics of morality are the foundation with independent
thought playing an important role.
 Gilligan’s Theory
• Carol Gilligan opines that Kohlberg’s theories are
biased upon the male thinking process
• Men had a tendency to solve problems by
applying ethical principles
• She proposed a theory which has the same
three stages of Kohlberg but with different
stages of moral development.
 Stages of theory
• Pre-conventional Level
A person in this stage cares for oneself to
ensure survival.
• Conventional Level
In this stage, the person feels responsible and shows
care towards other people.
• Post-conventional Level
This is the stage, where the principle of care for
self as well as others, is accepted.
 CONSENSUS AND CONTROVERSY
CONSENSUS
• This is that state where people come into
agreement with the judgment given and will
leave the people with a feel that justice has
been done
CONTROVERSY
• This is that state where the persons involved in
an issue are not satisfied by the verdict and
might feel that it was decided on partial
interests.
• This will leave the people with a sense of
dissatisfaction that justice was not done, which
might lead to another conflict.
 THEORIES ABOUT RIGHT ACTION
(Ethical Theories)

Types of Ethical Theories: Depending upon the

ethics a person is intended to follow, theories
were postulated by different philosophers
1. Golden Mean Ethics
2. Duty Based Ethics
3. Right Based Ethics
 The Golden Mean ethical theory
• This theory was proposed by Aristotle
• According to this theory, the solution to a problem is
found by analyzing the reason and the logic
What is Golden Mean?
• The Golden Mean virtue can be understood as the
virtue of reaching a proper balance between
extremes in conduct, emotion, desire and attitude
• This theory phrased by Aristotle states that virtues are
tendencies to find the golden mean between the
extremes of too much (excess) and too little (deficiency)
with regard to particular aspects of our lives.
 Rights-based Ethical Theory

 This theory was proposed by John Locke.

 According to this theory, the solution to a problem
is by realizing that every person has a right to live.
 Live and let live is the philosophy behind this theory.
The rights of a person towards life, health, liberty,
possession, etc. are taken care of under this theory.
 Duty-based Ethical Theory
• The duty-based ethical theory was proposed by
Immanuel Kant.
• According to this theory, every person has a duty to follow
which is accepted universally, with no exceptions.
• Kant observed that everyone is bound to follow some moral
laws.
There are four virtues that come under this law
• Prudence > Every individual has duties which should be done
without any exception.
• Temperance > The temptations that might lead to the violation
of duties and ethics have to be restrained
• Fortitude > Sense of having tolerance
• Justice > Truth and fairness
 MORAL AUTONOMY
• Moral Autonomy is the philosophy which is
self-governing or self-determining
• The moral autonomy is the ability to think
critically and independently about moral issues
and apply this moral thinking to situations that
arise during the professional engineering
practice.
• Moral autonomy helps in improving self-
determination.
 Skills required for Moral Autonomy
• Ability to relate the problems with the problems of
law, economics and religious principles
• Skill to process, clarify and understand the
arguments against the moral issues
• Ability to suggest the solutions to moral issues
• Must have the imaginative skill to view the
problems from all the viewpoints
• Tolerance while giving moral judgment
 Integrity
What is integrity?
• the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles
• the state of being whole and undivided
• Integrity is a term used to describe a person's level of honesty,
moral commitments, and willingness to do what's right.
What does integrity mean to you? Do you aspire to be a virtuous person?
Having integrity means that you live in accordance to your deepest
values, you're honest with everyone, and you always keep your
word. Integrity is a highly valued trait, especially in leaders. When
you live with integrity, you're more likely to be considered for
important promotions and leadership positions

Has someone of high moral principles been an inspiration to you?

 Reflection - Integrity
1. Have you had ethical dilemmas in your own
life? How did you reason your way through
them? What ethics theory best matches your
approach?
2. What does integrity mean to you? Do you
aspire to be a virtuous person? Has someone
of high moral principles been an inspiration to
you?
Business Ethics
Business ethics help firms decide what actions
are right or wrong in certain circumstances.

E.g. Should a firm relocate to a country paying

lower level of wages?
Should a firm release a life-saving drug after
limited testing?
Should advertising aimed at children be
restrained?
 BUSINESS ETHICS
The term ‘Business Ethics’ refers to the system of
moral principles and rules of the conduct applied to
business.
• A business should aim to have fair dealing with everyone
dealing with it

3 Sources of Business Ethic:

• Religion
• Culture
• Law
Importance of Business Ethics
• Corresponds to Basic Human Needs
• Credibility in the Public
• Credibility with the Employees
• Better Decision Making
• Profitability
• Protection of Society
 Comparing Working Conditions

Bangladesh The UK

Wage per month: £12 £813

Wage per week: £3 £203
Wage per hour: 33p £5.35
Hours per week: 90hrs 38hrs
What ethical issues are faced by business?
• Should firms use child labour?

• Is animal testing needed in products and ingredients?

• What wages should firms pay to poor countries?

• To what extent should firms seek to be environmentally friendly?

• Should firms get involved in certain activities?

e.g making weapons
Identify any 10 ethical issues in your
organization
 Who cares about business ethics?
• Customers
• Managers/Owners/Shareholders
• Pressure Groups/Activists
• Workforce
• The Community
• Trading Partners
 Why be ethical?

•Create good image and good press

•To act within the law
•Because the owners want to be
•It is one of their unique selling points
•To attract customers/employees/investors
•To be socially responsible
 Two sides to every story
• Companies often find it difficult to please all of its stakeholders, as they
have different interests.

• Being ethical depends on an individual view of what is

right and wrong. What might be considered
good behaviour to one individual, may
seem bad to another.

• Ultimately companies aim to make a profit and

sometimes this can conflict with acting in a responsible way.

• Larger, global companies can often find it difficult to regulate their

activities in other countries.
 The worst offenders
The Fraser 2006 rating on ethical reputation (1st being regarded as least
ethical), based on interviews with 1,300 adults:

1)McDonald's
2)Nike
3)Shell
4)Adidas
5)Barclays
6)Coca-Cola
7)BP
8)Camelot (National Lottery)
9)American Express
 True or False?
Is the following statement true or false?

“Ethics has to do with whether my feelings are right or

wrong.”

True – but we must realise that

sometimes our feelings can cloud are
judgement and make it difficult to see
both sides.
 True or False?
Is the following statement true or false?

“Ethics has to do with my religious beliefs.”

True – it can be linked to religious

beliefs, but remember it is much more
than this.
 True or False?
Is the following statement true or false?

“Being ethical is doing what the law always requires.”

True – people and business have to

follow law, but remember that some
laws may be unethical.
 True or False?
Is the following statement true or false?

“Ethics consists of the standards of behaviour our

society expects.”

True – but remember that society is

sometimes unpredictable and cruel.
 Project # 1
• What should be main points of concern for
any business enterprise in terms of
professional ethics

• Go through the book and Identify any 5 points

each for the following categories
– Helps promotes business
– Harms business
– Helps in our personal grooming
Engineering Ethics
 ENGINEERING AS EXPERIMENTATION

• The process of engineering lets you go through a

series of different experiments when it comes to
practical use.
• Experimentation plays an important role in the
process of designing the product.
• Though it is not like an experiment in laboratory
under controlled conditions, which is done while
learning, an engineer should be ready to do the
same on a social scale involving human subjects.
Engineering Projects v/s Standard Experiments

Similarities Contrasts
Uncertainty ( E.g. leakage of Experimental control
nuclear radiation )
Continuous monitoring Humane touch ( Medicine )

Learning from the past Informed consent

Partial ignorance Close Observation

 ENGINEERS AS RESPONSIBLE EXPERIMENTERS
• In the process of developing a product, an engineer
generally learns through experimentation.
Responsibility of Engineers in Experimentation
1. Conscientiousness ( Sense of awareness)
2. Informed Consent (One should be informed of the facts )
3. Moral Autonomy
4. Accountability (Moral responsibility )
 CODES OF ETHICS
The ‘codes of ethics’ exhibit, rights, duties, and
obligations of the members of a profession and a
professional society.
The codes exhibit the following essential roles:
1. Inspiration and guidance
2. Support to engineers
3. Serving and protecting the public
4. Education and Mutual understanding
5. Shared Standards
6. Create good public image
7. Deterrence (discourage to act immorally) and
discipline (regulate to act morally).
8. Promotes business interests
 Advantages of Codes of Ethics
• Set out the ideals and responsibilities of the
profession.
• Improve the profile of the profession.
• Motivate and inspire practitioners
• Provide guidance.
• Raise awareness and consciousness of issues.
• Improve quality and consistency.
Limitations
• General and vague wordings
• Not applicable to all situations
• Often have internal conflicts
 PLAGIARISM vs INTELLECTUAL
HONESTY
• Princeton perceives plagiarism as the "deliberate" use
of "someone else's language, ideas, or other original
(not common-knowledge) material without
acknowledging its source."
• Oxford characterizes plagiarism as the use of "a writer's
ideas or phraseology without giving due credit."
• Plagiarism can occur in many forms (writing, art, music,
computer code, mathematics, design etc.,)
• What we call originality is actually the innovative
combining, amending, or extending of material from
that pool.
 A BALANCED OUTLOOK ON LAW

• The ‘balanced outlook on law’ in engineering

practice stresses the necessity of laws and
regulations and also their limitations in
directing and controlling the engineering
practice.
• Laws are needed to provide a minimum level
of compliance.
 Responsibilities of Engineers
• Care for the Environment
• Care for health and safety (within the company as
well as the user of product)
• Following SOPs
• Maintain Quality
– Safety
– Durability
– Ease of Use
• Documentation
– Traceability
– Training
 The following codes are typical examples of how they
were enforced in the past:
Babylon’s Building Code (1758 BC)
• This code was set by Hammurabi, king of
Babylon.
• “If a builder has built a house for a man and has not
made his work sound, and the house which he has
built was fallen down and so caused the death of the
householder, that builder shall be put to death. If it
causes the death of the house holder’s son, they shall
put that builder’s son to death. If it causes the death
of the house
holder’s slave, he shall give slave to the
householder….”
The United States Steamboat Code (1852 AD)
• Alfred Guthrie, an engineer of Illinois had inspected
around 200 steam boats with his own funding and
found out the reasons for the boiler explosions and
later prepared a report relating to the care that
could be taken later.
• The recommendations made by Alfred Guthrie, an
engineer of Illinois were published by Senator
Shields of Illinois and incorporated in senate
documents which later was made a law, which
made the ASME, to formulate the standards in the
manufacturing of steam boats.
 The Challenger Case study
• Explosion of the space shuttle ‘Challenger’
• This case had been reviewed vigorously by
media coverage, government reports and
transcripts of hearings. This case deals with
many ethical issues which engineers faced.
• It poses many questions before us. A few
questions are listed below −
• What is the exact role of the engineer when safety
issues are concerned?
• Who should have the ultimate authority for decision
making to order for a launch?
• Whether the ordering of a launch be an engineering or
a managerial decision?
• The accident took place on 28th January 1986,
due to the failure of one of the solid boosters. In
the design of the space shuttle, the main parts
which needed careful design of the fields joints
where the individual cylinders were placed
together.
• Challenger space shuttle mainly consisted of an
orbiter, two solid propellant boosters and a
single liquid-propeller booster, which was
actually designed to be a reusable one. All the
boosters were ignited and the orbiter took a lift-
off from the earth. But the cold temperature
caused trouble to the O-rings which were
eroded.
• Delayed in launch due to many factors
• President Regan appointed a commission
called the Rogers Commission which
constituted of many distinguished scientists
and engineers.
• The investigation results shows how lack of
responsibility and morality, improper
functions, and lax performance of duties of
the engineers resulted in the crash.
The Challenger Case study : Inferences
• Moral/Normative Issues
– The crew had no escape mechanism. A ‘safe exit’ was rejected
as too expensive
– The crew were not informed of the problems existing in the
field joints.
– Engineers gave warning signals on safety. But the management
group prevailed over and ignored the warning.
• Conceptual Issues
– NASA counted that the probability of failure of the craft was
one in one lakh launches.
– There were 700 criticality items, which included the field joints. A
failure in any one of them would have caused the tragedy. No
back-up or stand-bye had been provided for these criticality
components.
• Factual/Descriptive Issues
– Field joints gave way in earlier flights. But the authorities felt
the risk is not high.
– NASA has disregarded warnings about the bad weather, at the
time of launch, because they wanted to complete the project,
prove their supremacy, get the funding from Government
continued and get an applaud from the President of USA.
 BHOPAL GAS TRAGEDY

• Bhopal’s Gas tragedy is the world’s worst

industrial disaster that occurred in 1984, due to
the gas leakage from a pesticide production
plant, The Union Carbide India Limited (UCIL)
located in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• It was believed that slack management and
deferred maintenance together created a
situation where routine pipe maintenance
caused a backflow of water into the MIC tank,
triggering the disaster.
• It was understood that a large volume of
water had been released into the MIC tank
and this further caused a chemical reaction
that forced the pressure release valve to
open and allowed the gas to leak
• As per government’s announcement, a total
of 3,787 deaths occurred immediately.
Around 8,000 of the survivors died within
two weeks and other 8,000 or more died
from acute diseases caused due to the gas
later.
 As Engineers….we
• Solve a problem / develop a solution
• Reduce cost
• Ensuring safety of everyone
• Minimum time
• Efficient design
• Good Quality
• User friendly
• No Harm to the environment
 Roles of Engineers in a Project within
the domain of Engineering Ethics
• Authority (Administration) Example:
– Following Standard
– Obeying Law For Building control
– Hiring qualified workforce authority;
– Hiring experienced
workforce - Designer
– Ensuring safety
• Designer - Approver
• Fabricator/Manufacturer - Builder
• Programmer
- Inspection
• Inspection/QC
 Responsibility of Management
• Prior to Operation
– Detailed analysis of the job/task
– Inform staff/train about the job
– Inform and train about risks and hazards
– Provide tools and safety gear
• In case of an emergency
– Rescue and evacuate the injured
– Medical help
– Compensation
• Post accident
– Detailed investigation to determine the root cause of
problem and prevent repetition
 SENSES OF ENGINEERING ETHICS
• Engineering ethics has also various senses which are related to one
another.
• 2 different senses (meanings) of engineering ethics
A.) Normative senses B.) Descriptive senses
• Normative sense includes:
 Knowing moral values, finding accurate solutions to moral problems and
justifying moral judgments in engineering practices,
 Study of decisions, policies, and values that are morally desirable in the
engineering practice and research, and
 Using codes of ethics and standards and applying them in their transactions
by engineers.
Descriptive senses includes:
The descriptive sense refers to what specific individual or group of engineers
believe an act, without justifying their beliefs or actions.
 Examples
• To Ship or Not to Ship: A quality assurance engineer must decide
whether or not to ship products that might be defective
• Copyright Concerns: A computer startup company risks violating
copyright laws if it reuses a code that is the intellectual property of
another company.
• Misinterpretation Mishap: Full transparency might prevent a project
leader from closing a deal with a valuable client. Should he still clarify
the situation to his client?
• Trimming Data: A medical researcher is asked to trim data before
presenting it to the scientific advisory board.
• Unintended Effects: A project engineer believes his company is
providing the wrong form of technology to an in-need community in
East Africa.
• A Sinking Situation: A systems engineering company employee quits
after getting pressured to falsify product testing paperwork.
• Insurmountable Differences: An African-American electronics design
lead wonders whether his colleague's contentious behavior is
motivated by racism.
• Questioning the Average: An employee overseeing data analysis on a
clinical drug trial has concerns about the safety of a client's drug.
 Ethics v/s Engineering Ethics
Ethics Engineering Ethics
Ethics is making investigations Engineering ethics aims at
and knowing about moral knowing moral values related
values to engineering

Total view on moral issues How to solve moral issues

related to engineering field.

Ethics is used a means of Codes and standards which are

describing the beliefs, to be followed by group of
attitudes etc., engineers
 VARIETY OF MORAL ISSUES

• According to the Oxford dictionary, morality means

principles concerning right and wrong or good and bad
behavior.
The word morality is concerned with:
1.) What morally ought or ought not to be given in a
situation
2.) What is morally right or wrong in handling a situation
3.) What is morally good or bad about the people,
policies, and ideals involved in it?
 TYPES OF INQUIRY
• Inquiry means an investigation.
• Engineering ethics also involves investigations into
values, meaning and facts.

Inquiries in the field of Engineering ethics are of three

types.
1.) Normative Inquiries
2.) Conceptual Inquiries
3.) Factual or Descriptive Inquiries
 Normative Inquiries
• These inquiries are mostly helpful to identify the values
which guide the individuals and groups in taking a decision

• Identifying and justifying some norms and standards of

morally desirable nature for guiding individuals as well as
groups.

• It encompasses inquiry into what agents should do,

think, or feel, and into what should or ought to be the
case. We also take it to encompass inquiry into
evaluative issues, such as what is good or bad, valuable
or not-valuable.
 Conceptual Inquiries
• These are meant for describing the meaning of concepts,
principles, and issues related to Engineering Ethics
• Conceptual Inquiry refers to the description of the meaning of
concepts, principles and issues related to engineering ethics.
The ethics that an engineer should possess to protect the safety,
health and welfare of the public, etc. are described under
conceptual inquiries.

Factual / Descriptive Inquiries

• These help to provide fact for understanding and finding solutions
to value based issues.
 MORAL DILEMMAS
• Moral dilemmas are situations in which two or
more moral obligations, duties, rights, goods, or
ideals come into conflict with each other
• Causes of Moral Dilemmas
• Problem of vagueness;
• Problem of conflicting reasons; and
• Problem of disagreement.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iy35gT8rMG8
 Steps / Procedures in facing moral dilemma

• Identifying the relevant moral factors and reasons

• Collecting all the available facts which are relevant
to the moral factors
• Ranking the moral considerations or principles on the
basis of importance as applicable to the situation
• Considering alternative courses of action for
resolving the problems
• Suggestions and alternative ideas on resolving that
dilemma from colleagues, friend etc.,
• Arriving at solution by taking into consideration of all
important moral factors
 MODELS OF PROFESSIONAL ROLES

(PROFESSIONAL ROLES TO BE PLAYED BY AN ENGINEER)

1. Engineers as Saviors
2. Engineers as Guardians
3. Engineers as Bureaucratic Servants
4. Engineers as Social Servants
5. Engineers as Social Enablers and Catalysts
6. Engineers as Game Players
 Activity #4

• Considering different case studies discussed

earlier, identify the following;
– Our responsibility as an engineer when working on a
project [5 points]
– Our responsibilities when designing a product
[5 points]
– Our responsibilities when conducting an investigation
of any industrial accident [5 points]

Class exercise
 Project # 2
• Ethical responsibility towards society by
recognizing the approach of safe-design of
engineering products

– Select any case study on any engineering

design/product/project which failed due to lack of
engineering ethics
– Identify deficient areas in terms of engineering
ethics
– What could have been done to avoid such issues
 Project # 3
• Identify engineering practices for protection
of environment, safety & health of personnel
in the case study (selected in previous project)
• Suggest areas for improvement
Rights and Responsibilities
 COLLEGIALITY
• Collegiality is the tendency to support and
cooperate with the colleagues. it is a virtue
essential for the team work to be effective
• Collegiality is the relationship between
colleagues. It consists of
1. Respect
2. Commitment
3. Connectedness
 LOYALTY
• Loyalty is a devotion and faithfulness to a nation,
cause, philosophy, country, group, or person
• Loyalty is the faithful adherence to an organization and
the employer. Loyalty to an employer can be either of
the two types
1. Agency-loyalty − Agency-loyalty is acting to fulfill
one’s contractual duties to an employer
2. Attitude-loyalty − Attitude-loyalty has a lot to do with
attitudes, emotions and a sense of personal identity as
it does with actions.

Is it based on logic or emotions?

 MANAGING CONFLICT
• Conflict refers to any kind of opposition or antagonistic
intersection between two or more parties.
• If it is managed correctly, it can be helpful (functional) in
meeting the organisational goals.
• If it is mishandled or not managed correctly, it can be
destructive (dysfunctional).
Causes of Conflict
a. Unfamiliar language
b. Ambiguous or incomplete information
c. Organisational structure
d. Power struggles
 Methods for Managing Conflict
1. Collective Bargaining : Negotiations
2. Conciliation : Series of conferences, including informal
sitting between representatives of the two parties
3. Mediation: Third party acts as a moderating
influence on the two contending parties
4. Arbitration: A third person is chosen as the Arbitrator
by agreement between the employers and employees
 Conflict Management Process
1. Preliminary step — knowing the conflict
2. Diagnosing the issue
3. Conflict Handling Modes

a. To avoid appearance of conflict

b. Not permitting conflict to surface
c. Mediation
d. Letting the parties in conflict to settle their scores
e. To solve the problems mutually
 COLLECTIVE BARGAINING
• The process of voluntary negotiations between the employers and a
group of employees to resolve the conflicts is called Collective
Bargaining.
• It is the responsibility of an organization to look into the welfare of
the section of people working in it.
• In order to deal with such complex situations, an Employee Union
is formed wherein, each employee becomes a member and a
leader is elected to represent the group whenever needed.
 Types of Collective Bargaining
There are four main types of collective bargaining

1. Distributive Bargaining − In this, one party’s gain is another party’s loss.

Example − Wages
2. Integrative Bargaining − In this, both the parties may gain or none of the
parties may face a loss. Example − Better training programs
3. Attitudinal Structuring − When there is backlog of bitterness between both
the parties then attitudinal structuring is required to make smooth
industrial relations.
4. Intra-organizational Bargaining − There can be conflicting groups in both
management and unions also. So, there is need to achieve consensus in these
groups.
 Process of Collective Bargaining
6 steps
1. Preparing for Negotiations

2. Identifying Bargaining Issues

3. Negotiations Procedure

4. Reaching the Agreement

5. Ratifying the Agreement

6. Administration of the Agreement

 Objectives of Collective Bargaining
– To increase mutual confidence between the
employer and employees;
– To regulate terms and conditions of employment without
intervention of a third party;
– To create cordial environment in the establishment;
– To protect the interest of the employees; through
collective action
and by preventing unilateral action on the part of the
employer;
– To raise the socio-economic attributes of the employees.
Advantages of Collective Bargaining
 Effective in Protecting and Promoting Interests of Workers
 Control of Management’s Autocracy
 Promotion of Durable Industrial Peace
 Conducive to the Enhancement of Managerial Efficiency
 Establishment of Industrial Rules and Creation of Labour
Standards
 RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY
• In order to meet the organizational goals, the professionals should
possess respect for authority.
Types of Authority
1. Executive Authority − The corporate or institutional right given
to a person to exercise power based on the resources of an
organization.
2. Expert Authority − This is the possession of special knowledge,
skill or competence to perform a particular task or to give sound
advice.
• According to the goals of the company, the hierarchical authority
is distributed.
 CONFIDENTIALITY
• Confidentiality is that practice which helps to keep all
information secret.
• The maintenance of secrecy refers to the unrevealing of
any data concerning the company’s business or technical
processes that are not already in public knowledge.
Types of information under confidentiality
• 1. Privileged information : “available only on
the basis of special privilege” such as a
privilege accorded an employee working on
a special assignment
• 2. Proprietary information : The information
that a company owns or is the proprietor of,
and hence is a term carefully defined by
property law. It is simply called trade secret.
 CONFLICTS OF INTEREST
• A conflict of interest occurs when the employee has more than one
interest
• Example
If another instance is considered where a man works for a company,
being in some crucial position where he has access to all the
confidential information and if he works as an unofficial adviser to
his wife’s company, it would be morally wrong, where a moral
conflict definitely arises. This can be termed as “Conflict in
interests”.
Conflicts of Interest means
• A person working in an organization might have
multiple interests related to the job he is doing; if he
does some side business which means he might be a
competitor or he might work with a competitor, it
might pose a problem for the employer.
• This arises due to Bribe, Gifts , etc.,
• An Employee while working in his company, if
supports another company, during his leisure time to
earn more or for some other career aspects, can be
understood as committing an immoral act. Such an
act is called Moonlighting which usually creates
conflicts of interests
 OCCUPATIONAL CRIME
• Occupational crimes are defined as offenses that are
committed by someone during the course of his or
her employment.
Common Forms of Occupational Crime
Altering company records without authorization
Committing tax fraud
Money laundering
Misusing company data or property
Committing stock and securities violations

What else can you think of?

 PROFESSIONAL RIGHTS
The rights that engineers have as
professionals are called Professional Rights.
These professional rights includes:
1.) The basic right of professional conscience: Moral
right to exercise professional judgment in pursuing
professional responsibilities.
2.) The right of conscientious refusal: Right to refuse
to engage in unethical behavior
3.) The right of professional recognition: Right to the
recognition of one’s work and accomplishments.
 EMPLOYEE RIGHTS

• It includes moral or legal rights that involves

the status of being an employee. They are:
1. Privacy
2. Equal Opportunity – Non-discrimination
3. Equal Opportunity – Sexual Harassment
4. Equal opportunity – Affirmative Action
 Rights of Subordinates?

• What would be the rights of your

subordinates?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
• ?
 Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
• Intellectual property right is a type of property right
which allows the creators or owners of patents
trademarks or copyrighted works to benefit from
their own work or investment.
• The global IPR system strengthens protection,
increases the incentives for innovation, and raises
returns on international technology transfer.
 Protection of IPR / Why IPR ?
• IPR protection stimulates creativity, research, and
innovation by ensuring freedom to individuals and
organizations to benefit from their creative
intellectual investments. The IP serves many
purposes, namely
– It prevents others using it,
– Prevent using it for financial gain,
– Prevent plagiarism
– Provides a strategy to generate steady income etc,.
 Types of Protection
1. Patents 2. Trademarks
• A Patent is an exclusive right granted • It means certain distinctive marks or
for an invention. It provides the signs that identifies certain goods or
patent owners with protection services produced or provided by an
generally for a period of 20years. individual or a company.
• Once the patent protection is • The protection offered through the
granted, that invention cannot be trademarks is limited for a period, but
commercially made, used, can be renewed indefinitely upon
distributed or payment of the corresponding fee.
sold without the patent owner’s consent. 4. Trade Secret
• Courts provide the legal safety for • A trade secret is the information
these patent rights.
which is kept confidential as a secret.
3. Copyright • This information is not accessed by the
The copyright is a specific and any other (competitor) than the owner.
exclusive right, describing rights given • The trade secrets may be formulae,
to creators for their literary and methods, programs, process, test
results, data collected, analyzed,
artistic works. E.g software, synthesized etc.,
multimedia, paintings, sculptures Etc.,
 SAFETY – SAFE WORKING
• An employer's main
responsibility is
to make sure that the
workplace is safe and
that anyone working
in or visiting the
workplace is not
exposed to hazards or
harmed by the work.
For example, the
employer must: make
sure that work areas,
machinery and
equipment are kept in
a safe condition.
GRIEVANCES
WELFARE
HEALTH & SAFETY OF PERSONNEL
 Review

Self Study Slides

Main Responsibilities of Employees
• Employees have responsibilities towards their employers, even
if they work part time or don’t have a written contract
with their employers.
• These are the main responsibilities of employees:
• to personally do the work they were hired to do
• to do their work carefully and seriously (In some cases, they could
be fired or disciplined if they’re often late for work, or
if they’re absent too often or for no good reason.)
• to avoid putting themselves or others in danger
• to follow their employer’s instructions (There are some
exceptions. For example, if an employer asks an employee to do
something dangerous or illegal, the employee doesn’t
have to follow these instructions.
• to be loyal and honest

Source: https://educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/rights-and-responsibilities-
of-employers-and-employees/
 When Employees Don’t Respect
Their Responsibilities
• If employees don’t respect their responsibilities, the employer is
allowed to take certain actions:
• discipline employees, such as giving a
written warning, or suspending them
• take other action against employees, such as giving a letter
evaluating their performance, or demoting them (that is, giving
them a lower job)
• fire employees if they do something very serious, such as stealing
from the office
• take employees to court to make them pay an amount of
money (for example, if the
employee quits without telling the employer in advance, or
if the employee quits before the date in the employment contract)
• take employees to court to stop them from doing things that
are harmful to the business
• Source: https://educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/rights-and-
responsibilities-of-employers-and-employees/
Employers’ Responsibilities Towards Employees
• These are the main ones:
• Employers must give their employees a place to work and make
sure they have access to it. They must give them the tools, equipment
and other things they need to do their work.
• Employers must pay their employees the salary and benefits they agreed
to, including vacation, paid holidays and other types of holidays.
• Employers must make sure that working conditions protect their
employees’ physical and psychological health and safety.
• In some cases, employers must give their employees written
notice that their contracts are ending or that they are being laid off. Note
that employers can pay employees a sum of money instead of giving
the notice.
• Employers must treat their employees with respect. They must
make sure their employees are not harassed or discriminated against.
• Employers must take steps when they know, or reasonably should know,
that employees are exposed to domestic, family or sexual violence in the
workplace. They must do this whether the employee is working in the
office or working from home.
• Source: https://educaloi.qc.ca/en/capsules/rights-and-responsibilities-of-
employers-and-employees/
Global Ethical Issues
 MULTI NATIONAL CORPORATIONS
(MNCs)
• A multinational company is one which is incorporated in
one country (called the home country); but whose
operations extend beyond the home country and which
carries on business in other countries (called the host
countries)
• A multinational corporation is known by various names
such as: global enterprise, international enterprise, world
enterprise, transnational corporation etc.
• E.g. : Cadbury, Coca-Cola Corporation, Unilever etc,.
 Advantages of MNCs from the
Viewpoint of Host Country
• Employment Generation
• Automatic Inflow of Foreign Capital
• Proper Use of Idle Resources
• Technical Development
• Managerial Development
• End of Local Monopolies
• Improvement in Standard of Living
• Promotion of international brotherhood and culture
 Limitations of MNCs from the
Viewpoint of Host Country
• Danger for Domestic Industries
• Repatriation of Profits
• No Benefit to Poor People
• Danger to Independence
• Disregard of the National Interests of the Host
Country
• Careless Exploitation of Natural Resources
• Selfish Promotion
 ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS

• Environmental Ethics deal with issues related to the

rights of individuals
• The environment ethics include −
1. The study of moral issues concerning the
environment
2. Moral perspectives, beliefs and attitudes
concerning those issues.

It is observed that big corporations usually have no regard

for the environment, its perseverance and sustainability
Two World Views on Environmental
Ethics

1.) Anthropocentric Worldview

- Man is considered to be most capable for

managing the planet earth.
- The success of mankind depends upon how
good managers we are for deriving benefits
for us from nature.
2.) Eco-centric Worldview
• Nature exists not for human beings alone, but
for all the species
• The earth resources are limited and they do not
belong only to human beings.
• The success of mankind depends upon how best
we can cooperate with the rest of the nature
while trying to use the resources of nature for
our benefit.
 COMPUTER ETHICS

• Computer ethics are related to all

the computer professionals such as
programmers, analysts, operators,
designers, etc. along with the
users.
 The ten commandments of Computer Ethics, created in
1992 by the Computer Ethics Institute consists of
the following
One should never use a computer −
1. To harm the people (anti-social activities)
2. To interfere with other’s work (illegal manipulations)
3. To snoop into other’s files (malware)
4. To steal a computer/data (hacking)
5. To bear false witness (manipulation and morphing)
6. To use/ copy a software you didn’t pay for (like illegal downloads and usages)
7. To use other’s intellectual output inappropriately (violating IPR)
8. Doing without thinking of social consequences of the program being written
9. Always use a computer ensuring consideration and respect towards fellow
beings.
10. To use or copy other’s software without compensations (illegal pirated versions)
 ENGINEERS AS MANAGERS

• An Engineer is responsible in promoting ethics in an

organization, through framing organizational policies,
responsibilities and by personal attitudes and obligations.
• An engineer should be able to work as a manager in such
situations, resolving conflicts according to priorities,
keeping the organizational benefits in mind.
• The issue must be resolved without hurting anyone’s
feelings and by developing a mutual understanding
 CONSULTING ENGINEERS
• The consulting engineers differ from the salaried
engineers of an organization
• These consulting engineers work in private and
are paid per advice they offer or for the service
• Consultants are individuals who typically work
for themselves but may also be associated with
a consulting firm.
 The consulting engineers have ethical
responsibilities different from the salaried
engineers, as follows
• Advertising
• Competitive Bidding
• Contingency Fee ( Commission paid)
• Safety and Client’s Needs
 ENGINEERS AS EXPERT WITNESSES

• Engineers are required to act as consultants

and provide expert opinion and views in
many legal cases of the past events.
• They are required to explain the causes of
accidents, malfunctions and other
technological behavior of structures,
machines, and instruments
 Engineers as expert witnesses implies :

• Exhibit the responsibility of confidentiality

• They must answer questions truthfully
• Experts should earnestly be impartial in
identifying and interpreting the observed
data, recorded data, and the industrial
standards
 ENGINEERS AS ADVISORS

• The engineers are required to give their view on the future such as
in planning, policy-making, which involves the technology.
• Various issues and requirements for engineers who act as advisors
are:
 Objectivity
 Study All Aspects
 Values
 Technical Complexity
 National Security
 MORAL
LEADERSHIP
• Engineers contribute to technological process, as
managers provide many forms of leadership in
developing and implementing technology.

• Moral leaders, are the individuals who direct,

motivate, organize groups towards morally
valuable goals.
 Moral Leadership is Important
because:
• To build Morally creative leaders
• Participation in Professional Societies
• Voluntary service
• Leadership in Communities
• Motivate the group
Taking Ethics Personally
 Open discussion
a. Where do we encounter personal ethics?
b. Why are personal ethics important?
c. How can personal ethics affect our professional and
personal lives?
d. How can personal ethics affect decision making?
e. How can personal ethics be helpful in tough
situations?
How to develop strong work ethic

Step 1: Be professional about your work

• Reliability and honesty
• Deliver best outputs
• Be consistent in delivering good quality work and earn
good reputation
Step 2: Manage your time
 Know your strength and weaknesses
 Set yourself deadlines for delivering even small tasks
 Prioritize tasks
 Avoid procrastination
 Avoid negative talk and gossip
Step 3: Keep a balance and deliver consistent high
performance work

Step 4: Develop good work habits

 Create and learn habits
 “Do it now” habit
 Elements of a strong work ethic

 Honesty &Integrity
 Alertness
 Openness
 Respect forothers
 Reliability and Dependability
 Determination &Dedication
 Accountability &Responsibility
 Confidentiality
 Initiative
 Benefits of Social Learning
 Learning Outcomes
 Personal Outcomes
 Social Outcomes
 Career Development
 Relationship with the Institution
 Civic Virtue

 Civic virtue is morality or a standard of righteous

behavior in relationship to a citizen's involvement
in society

 Civic virtue is the harvesting of habits important

for the success of the community.
 Eg. Voting
 RESPECT FOR OTHERS

 Respect, also called esteem, is a positive feeling

or action shown towards someo ne or something
considered important, or held in high esteem or
regard
 It is also the process of honoring someone by
exhibiting care, concern, or consideration for
their needs or feelings.
 How to Respect Others
 Listening to the other person.
 Being empathetic, understanding each other and
putting ourselves in their shoes.
 Apologizing to each other when we make
mistakes.
 Keeping other people’s secrets.
 Complying with and respecting laws and
regulations
 Respecting the privacy and intimacy of others.
 Being grateful.
 CARING AND SHARING

 Caring includes feelings, relationship, protecting

others and causing least damage to others.

 Caring is feeling for others

 It includes showing respect to the feelings of

others, and also respecting and preserving the
interests of all others concerned.
 Sharing means ‘sharing’ of feelings, ideas
thoughts, resources and profits. Sharing is always
mutually beneficial

 Sharing is voluntary and it cannot be driven by

force, but motivated successfully through ethical
principles

 Sharing should be genuine, legal, positive,

voluntary, and without any expectation in return
 HONESTLY

* Honesty is speaking the truth.

* Being honest means
you act in a way that
you know is the right thing to do

Examples of what speaking the honest truth means:

 Honesty means you don't say things about people
that aren't true
 Being honest means you admit to your actions,
even if you'll get in trouble.
 Honesty means you explain how a situation really
happened
Honesty is a virtue, and it is exhibited in two
aspects namely,

1.) Truthfulness
Truthfulness is to face the responsibilities upon
telling truth

2.) Trustworthiness
Trustworthiness is maintaining integrity and
taking responsibility for personal performance
 LIVING PEACEFULLY

 To live peacefully, one should start install peace

within (self).
Self > Family > Workspace > Society
Factors that promote Peaceful living
 Conducive environment
 Absence of unnecessary interference or
disturbance, except as guidelines.
 Healthy labor relations and family situations.
 Secured job and motivated with ‘recognition and
reward’ etc.,
 COURAGE
 Courage is the tendency to accept and face risks
and difficult tasks in rational ways. Self-
confidence is the basic requirement to nurture
courage.

Courage is classified into three types, based on

the types of risks, namely
1.) Physical courage ( Physical strength, including
the muscle power )
2.) Social courage (Leadership abilities )
3.) Intellectual courage (Empathy and Sacrifice)
 COOPERATION

 It is a team-spirit present with every individual

 Cooperation is activity between two persons or
sectors that aims at integration of operations
(synergy), while not sacrificing the autonomy of
either party
 Cooperation promotes collinearity, coherence
(blend), co-ordination and the synergy.
 The absence of cooperation leads to lack of
communication, misinformation etc.,
 COMMITMENT

 Commitment means acceptance of the

responsibilities and duties
 Commitment means alignment to goals and
adherence to ethical principles during the
activities.
Commitment helps :
1.) Maintain quality
2.) Attain production targets
3.) Decreasing complaints from team members
4.) Limited conflict between team members
 EMPATHY
 Sensing what others feel about, without their
open talk, is the essence of empathy.
 Empathy begins with showing concern, and then
obtaining and understanding the feelings of
others, from others‘ point of view
The benefits of empathy includes:
1.) Good customer relations
2.) Harmonious labor relations
3.) Good vendor-producerrelationship
 SELF-CONFIDENCE

 Self-confidence is positive attitude, wherein the

individual has so me positive and realistic view of
himself, with respect to the situations in which
one gets involved.
 The people with self- confidence exhibit courage
to get into action and unshakable faith in their
abilities, whatever may be their positions
 The self-confidence in a person develops a sense
of partnership, respect, and accountability
 The people with self-confidence have
the following characteristics:

 A self-assured standing,
 Willing to listen, to learn from others and adopt
 Frank to speak the truth, and
 Respect others’ efforts and give due credit.
 Sources of self-confidence
 Heredity
 Friendship
 Influence of superiors/role models
 Training in the organization
 Self-talk & SWOT analysis
 SOCIAL EXPECTATIONS

Social expectations are ideas that how

so meone in our social surroundings will
behave in the future or in a specific
situation.
 Personal ethics statement
• A statement developed by an individual reflecting the
most important personal values and morals used to
build their roadmap for living.

• What is the statement meant to do?

Represent what we strive to be
Influence our actions and interactions
Demonstrate how we put our guiding ideals into
practice
Serve as a support system for decision making
Be our “Go To” during difficult situations
 Personal ethics

Important to remember:
Can be very different from person to person
May change/flex over time (stages of life, significant experiences,
etc.)

Based upon many things (personal goals, upbringing, religion,

culture, education, etc.)
 Example
• I will abide by the laws, rules, and regulations of my community, school, work,
and country.
• I will conduct myself with integrity, fidelity, and honesty. I will openly take
responsibility for my actions, and only make agreements, which I intend to
keep.
• I will not intentionally engage in or participate in any form of malicious harm to
another person or animal.
• I will remain curious, objective, and open minded about other people’s ideas,
choices, and religious beliefs.
• I will practice thoughtful self-control when responding to others.
• I will continue to learn, observe, read, connect, listen, and search for
knowledge. I will proactively participate and openly communicate such
gained knowledge with others.
• In my personal relationships, I will adhere to all of the above, including
disengaging and/or limiting interaction with those who purposefully
contravene my code of ethics.
• In my work relationships, I will adhere to all of the above, while maintaining
professionalism in the face of adversity.
• Source: Winde Chavez, https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/20140611015424-
41035293-my-personal-leadership-and-ethics-statement
 Example
As an aspiring journalist, wri ng about personal ethics is provoking endless thoughts in my mind―what is right,
according to me, and what is wrong? Are my beliefs in accordance to what society thinks and feels? Will my personal
ethics help me go a long way in my career? As I go on thinking and penning down my thoughts, I am relieved, and proud
to say that my list of ethics answers every question in my mind affirmatively.

Excellence
I will always strive to be excellent at everything I do. I will not settle for anything lesser than the best, and will do
everything I can to achieve the best results in all my professional endeavors. I will not procrastinate when it comes to
my work and will deliver the expected results on or before time.

Integrity
As a journalist and person, I will always be sincere and honest in everything I do. I will not bend any facts or rules just
for personal benefit, and will always be dependable, trustworthy and reliable for the organization. I promise to build my
reputation only on the basis of merit, and nothing else.

Courage
With integrity comes courage. I will never hesitate to stand up for what is right, and will do so even if I am in a difficult
situation that demands me to ignore what is wrong. I will always support the truth and never let anyone influence me
to do otherwise. I will not give in to peer pressure and will never let the fear of failing affect my actions.

Humility
I will always strive to remain humble and grounded. I will not let any accolades or praise affect my attitude, and will
always be polite to my peers, superiors and juniors. I will make sure to never hurt or mock anyone intentionally.

I would like to conclude by saying that it is the responsibility of every journalist to abide by ethics that will benefit not
only themselves, but also their working environment, and society as a whole, and my list of personal ethics will
definitely help me fulfill this responsibility.
Source: Buzzle, http://www.buzzle.com/articles/how-to-write-a-personal-ethics-statement-with-examples.html
 Example
• As a result of my background, I place a special emphasis on maintenance of
personal integrity, pursuit of excellence, acceptance of responsibility, love of
family and achievement of ambitious goals. I have high expectations for
myself with regards to my actions; on at least a weekly basis, I take time to
reflect on who I am and how that compares to my best possible self. My
actions make me who I am, so it is important that I honor the following
commitments in all of my actions, both personal and professional
(Georgetown University, n.d.):
 A commitment to doing in my heart what I know is just and right.
 A commitment to performance that produces exceptional results and quality as a
way of life.
 A commitment to valuing the trust and confidence of my family, friends, co-
workers, employers and/or clients and community.
 A commitment to spending time with my family, supporting them in all of their
endeavors and making them proud.
 A commitment to my personal image of what can be and my belief that it will be; a
commitment to setting goals and systematically working towards achieving
them.
• Source: https://consciousincompetence.wordpress.com/2010/07/28/my-
personal-code-of-ethics/
 Building your statement

 Decide on the values and morals that are most

important to you (handouts)
 Decide on a format (next slide)
 Work on your statement over time…tweak along
the way
 Consider sharing it with others for feedback
 Keep it somewhere visible/handy
 Good place to start
 “I will…”
 “I commit to…”
 “You can expect…”
 “My actions…”
 Working session

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TvWZEVf6go
 Rationalization filter

Does your personal ethics statement leave

room for any of the following?
 “Everybody does it.”
 “Nobody will notice.”
 “I don’t get paid enough to deal with that.”
 “It will take too much time to do it right.”
 “Just this one time.”
 “It’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”
 “I’m not a whistleblower.”
 “I’m too close to retirement.”
 “I’m minding my own business.”
 Putting your statement to work
 Review the goal
 Consider your options
 Determine the consequences of each option
 Make the right decision
–Are you being objective?
(not influenced by personal feelings, interpretations, or
prejudice; based upon facts)
–Are you setting an example for others?
–Are you avoiding going with the “wrong” flow?
–Do you hope others would make the same decision?
 Scenarios
• You are experiencing personal problems at home. Despite your
best efforts, the quality of your work is suffering and coworkers
are starting to notice.
• Using your personal ethics statement as a guide, how do you
handle this situation with your supervisor, coworkers and
customers?
• _____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
__________________
 Scenarios
• You and two coworkers are assigned an important project due to your supervisor at the
end of the month. As a team, the three of you decide on the distribution of work and
agree to meet every Wednesday and Friday morning for the next three weeks to report
on progress.
• A few days later, one of your team members indicates they are too busy to attend the
meetings due to workload but will get the work done by the deadline.
• Using your personal ethics statement as a guide, how do you handle this situation?

• ___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
___________________________________________
____
 Scenarios
• A coworker shares details with you about a confidential decision recently made by
management. Your coworker won’t divulge their source but tells you why the decision was
made, who was involved in the decision, and what the decision means for your team. If true,
it will impact every member of your team in a significant way.
• Using your personal ethics statement as a guide, how do you handle this situation?

• __________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
__________________________________________
____________________
Why bother with personal ethics?
Strong personal ethics typically translate into worthwhile
benefits:
 Trusted relationships at home and work
 Valued contributions at home and work
 Positive attention from employers, family and friends
Peace of mind, better overall health, emotional stability
& lasting relationships

Can you think of more benefits?