Download AIChE Code of Ethics

Engineering Ethics
Dr. Pete Parker
Bribery Equation:
OG = PLR * AEB
Opportunity for Graft =
Plethora of Legal Requirements *
Number of Architects, Engineers & Builders
Ethics
The study of the characteristics of morals.
The moral choices that we make in our
relationships with others.
Ethics Codes
Most professional societies have a “Code of
Ethics” which their members, by joining, state
that they will support.
Membership Application
American Institute
Of Chemical
Engineers (AIChE)
Institute of
Electrical
And Electronic
Engineers (IEEE)
AIChE Code of Ethics
Members of the American Institute of Chemical
Engineers shall uphold and advance the integrity,
honor and dignity of the engineering profession by:
being honest and impartial and serving with fidelity
their employers, their clients, and the public; striving
to increase the competence and prestige of the
engineering profession; and using their knowledge
and skill for the enhancement of human welfare. To
achieve these goals, members shall:
Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public
and protect the environment in performance of their
professional duties.
Formally advise their employers or clients (and consider
further disclosure, if warranted) if they perceive that a
consequence of their duties will adversely affect the
present or future health or safety of their colleagues or the
public.
Accept responsibility for their actions, seek and heed
critical review of their work and offer objective criticism of
the work of others.
Issue statements or present information only in an
objective and truthful manner.
Act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees, avoiding conflicts of interest and never
breaching confidentiality.
Treat fairly and respectfully all colleagues and co-workers,
recognizing their unique contributions and capabilities.
Perform professional services only in areas of their competence.
Build their professional reputations on the merits of their services.
Continue their professional development throughout their careers,
and provide opportunities for the professional development of
those under their supervision.
Never tolerate harassment.
Conduct themselves in a fair, honorable and respectful manner.
Ethics Codes
Often difficult to find clear guidance from a
code when problem complex.
Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of
the public in the performance of their professional duties.
Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer
or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall avoid conflicts
of interest.
Ethical theories developed over time
Our Western ethical theories are rooted in the
Judeo-Christian religious thought, but also
have a strong component from the early Greek
philosophers, such as Socrates & Aristotle.
Non-Western cultures have many similar ideas
and constructs --- some have common heritage.
(e.g. Islam shares a common heritage with both
Judaism and Christianity through about the 4th
century AD.)
Moral theories are like scientific theories.
They attempt to supply a uniform set of definitions
and link ideas and problems together in consistent
ways.
Four major moral theories :
Utilitarianism
Duty Ethics
Rights Ethics
Virtue Ethics
Respect for persons
Utilitarianism
Great proponent: John Stuart Mill
Those actions are good which serve to
maximize human well-being.
The greatest good for the greatest number
Individual actions should be judged based on
whether the most good was produced in a given
situation
Uses:
Cost - benefit analysis
When some project will hurt some and help
others, can use utilitarianism to help decide.
Concerns:
Don’t (and probably can’t) truly know all costs
and benefits.
Measurement issues
Minorities lose
Respect for Persons
Virtue Ethics
(Aristotle is the hero here)
Interested in determining what kind of people we
“should” be
Focus is on personal responsibility in areas such as
honesty, responsibility, competence & loyalty.
Respect for Persons
Duty Ethics
(Immanuel Kant)
As rational beings, have certain moral duties
These duties are “listable” in some sense
Be honest
Don’t cause suffering to other people
Be fair to others
….
Respect for Persons
Rights Ethics
John Locke
--- the right to life, liberty and property
Declaration of Independence / Thomas Jefferson
--- the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Human beings have certain rights
Debate has been over what is included in this list.
Agreement on life & liberty. Others are in dispute.
Respect for Persons
Virtue, Duty and Rights Ethics
Focus on the individual
Guide for individual behavior
Difficult to apply to large scale problems
So what does all this have to do with conflict of interest?
• Provides bases for many professional codes
• Provides a beginning point for resolution
AIChE Code of Ethics
Hold paramount the safety, health and welfare
of the public and protect the environment in
performance of their professional duties.
Act in professional matters for each employer or
client as faithful agents or trustees, avoiding conflicts
of interest and never breaching confidentiality.
Some possible examples
You are are responsible for maintaining
environmental records and notifying
authorities of any discharges in excess of
permit limits. Some data suggest noncompliance
You are in charge of specifying the process control
system for the new papermachine. One vendor would
like to discuss the project over a game of golf (her
expense) at the local, exclusive country club.
Conflict of Interest
A conflict of interest exists for a professional when
acting in a professional role, he or she is subject to
influences, loyalties, temptations or other interests
that tend to make the professional’s judgement
less likely to benefit the customer or client than
the customer or client is justified in expecting.
Conflict of interest
vs
Conflict of commitment
Types of Conflict of Interest
• Actual
Conflict truly exists between professional duties to
client / customer and self-interest
• Potential
It is possible that a conflict will occur in the
foreseeable future as a result of a current decision
• Apparent
Others may perceive a conflict where, in reality,
none exists
The IBM Approach
Nor can they accept a gift or consideration that could be
perceived as having been offered because of the business
relationship. “Perceived” simply means this: If you
read about it in your local newspaper, would you wonder
whether the gift just might have something to do with a
business relationship.
Solving Ethical Problems
Clearly state the problem
Identify stakeholders
Identify the issues
Factual issues
Conceptual issues
Ethical issues
Factual issues
As in any complex problem, there can be
disagreement as to the facts. Is global warming a
fact?
Conceptual issues
Similar to factual issues, but are of conceptual nature.
When is a gift a bribe? Was the gift meant as a bribe?
Ethical issues
If solving the first two don’t solve the
problem, this may be the toughest.
Line Drawing (Casuistry)
Draw a line, which represents a continuum of
ethical responses to the type of problem at hand.
At one end, place a problem statement (case)
that is unambiguously ethically correct (morally
acceptable). The positive paradigm
At the other end, place a case that is unambiguously
morally unacceptable. The negative paradigm
Line Drawing (Casuistry)
Place current problem and other similar problems on the line
If sample like positive paradigm, place near it.
If sample like negative paradigm, place near it.
Distance from either end indicates relative “nearness” to the
positive or negative paradigm.
Placement of problem will then help make decision
Some helpful reading ( that’s not too dense)
Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases
C. E. Harris, M. S. Pritchard, M. J. Rabins
Wadsworth Publishing
Engineering Ethics
C. B. Fleddermann
Prentice-Hall
Hold Paramount: The Engineer’s Responsibility to Society
A. Gunn, P. A. Vesilind
Thompson Learning