Microlink Information Technology College
ማይክሮሊንክ የኢንፎርሜሽን ቴክኖሎጂ ኮሌጅ
Department of Computer Engineering
Lecture Notes
Course Name: Professional Ethics
Course Code: Mgmt-404
Chapter: Chapter- 2
Section: ED4CE1
Instructor Name: Abinet E.
Major Reference: [1]. Engineering, Business and Professional Ethics
Simon R., Ross D., Christopher P. and Krisen M.
[2]. Professional Ethics and Human Values by R.S
NAAGARAZAN.
Chapter 2
Ethics and Professionalism
The foundations of ethics
Moral, ethics and professionalism
Characteristics of ethical decision making
Liability of engineers in design, implementation of
projects
Loss of professionalism
Ethical issues in professional engineering in dealing
with other professions
2.0. The foundations of ethics
1. What do you see as the foundation of your ethical practice?
2. What informs your understanding of right and wrong, good or bad
behavior?
3. .Where does that understanding come from. Your family, your culture,
your community, your religion, your school, your place of work, your
college?
4. What difference do your different foundations make to each other?
By Abinet E. professional Ethic Chapter - 2 Ethics and Professionalism 2
For ages we have countless people standing in the marketplace of ethics,
telling us what they think should be the ethical foundation of our life journey
doctrines, metaphysical theories, ethical theories and the like.
2.1. Morals, Ethics, and Laws
Moral measures the standard of good behavior by which people are
judged. Engineering moral measures the standard of good behavior of
engineers.
An infrastructure (road, bridge, tower, transmission lines, building,
telephone connection, etc.) destroyed by natural events such as an
earthquake, flood, or landslide is a non-moral event.
A resident engineer of a project forced to change alignment of a road or
an MIS engineer of an internet service provider or a social media site
forced to reveal password of its clients, under threat of life, is a non-
moral event.
Morals are values that a person adheres to base on personal conviction.
Ethics are standards of behavior expected from and individual by a
group / society, and violating them would be frowned upon.
Laws are rules about what you can or cannot do. The government
enforces them.
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What is a Professionalism?
• A profession is defined as having a systematic knowledge acquired through
specialized training or education and practicing the same as an occupation.
Professionals bear moral and ethical behavior.
• A profession means practice or application of such knowledge and skill that
are acquired through a systematic study or training for the betterment of the
society or people in the form of services.
• The content of profession with moral and ethical behaviors is
professionalism.
A profession is different from a mere “occupation” in the following aspects:
Requires extensive Training,
Requires vital knowledge and skills,
Control of services,
Autonomy in the workplace, and
Claim to ethical regulation.
Professional ethics is a set of standards adopted by professionals insofar as
they view themselves acting as professionals.
Examples of professions: Engineering, Law, Architecture, Accounting,
Medicine and Pharmacy.
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Some of the features of a professional person:
• A professional acquires a systematic knowledge and skill through study,
training and experience.
• A professional exercises the knowledge and enhance skill ethically as an
expert. As such, professionals are endowed with specific rights/authority.
• The public evaluates the service or work as an expertise of a professional.
• Professionals follow code of conducts to keep morale of the profession high.
The activities of a professional are regulated by the professional
organizations through licensing, code of conducts, and disciplinary actions.
• Professionals have their own cultures, developed through mutual contacts in
social and professional gatherings.
Why study Engineering Ethics? Desirable outcomes
Increased ethical sensitivity,
Increased knowledge of relevant standards of conduct,
Improved ethical judgment, and
Improved ethical will power (that is, a greater ability to act ethically when
one wants to).
Why study Engineering Ethics? Practical Skills
Moral awareness, recognizing moral issues
Moral reasoning, assessing arguments on opposite sides of moral
issues
Moral coherence, forming consistent viewpoints
Moral imagination, alternative responses & creative solutions
Moral communication, express & support your views
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Difference between Ethics and Moral
1. Moral constitute a basic human marker of right conduct and behavior,
the ethics is more like a set of guidelines that define accepted practices
and behavior for a certain group of people.
2. Ethics relates to a society or a profession where morality is related to
an individual person.
3. Ethics relate more in a professional life while morals are what
individuals follow independently.
4. “Morals are how you treat people you know. Ethics are how you treat
people you don’t know”
5. Morals are the principles on which one’s judgments of right and
wrong are based. Ethics are principles of right conduct.
Examples of un-professional behavior of an engineer:
Time related late arrival in meetings/office/duty station, late submission of
reports/deliverables, i.e., missing deadlines
Quality related failing to monitor quality of works performed, failing to detect
apparent errors in drawings/designs
Meeting: Talking on phone during meeting/ loud ring tones of cell phones, talking
with others during meeting, late arrival, Taking frequent breaks.
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Personal Integrity: Hiding conflict of interest, accepting extra offer from
client/contractor, disclosing client’s confidential information,
Personal Manner: Shouting at subordinates/workers, Sloppy dress up/attention
grabbing hairstyle/ jewelry, Respect to others, especially to those who are less
fortunate.
Criminal offense: Forging document, Falsifying data, Accepting/offering bribes,
Abuse/misuse/disuse of authority: use of official property for personal purpose,
asking office personnel to do personal works, nepotism, Plagiarism, Plotting against
firm, client, other engineers
Code of Conduct: Forgetting to sign on documents, Disregard for code of conduct,
standards, bylaws, and norms, Advertisement in newspaper/TV/Radio, Part time
work as a salesman, Attempt of undue influence, Intentionally misleading public,
client, employer, Accepting offer from potential client/contractor
Negligence: Using different coefficients from engineering handbooks, without
checking their applicability in particular conditions, allowing breach of terms and
conditions at construction sites, Not checking documents properly for formatting,
contents, etc. before submission.
2.2. Characteristics of Ethical Decision Making
Ethical decisions hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the
public, over financial profit.
Ethical decisions uphold and enhance the honor, integrity and dignity of
the profession,
Ethical decisions uphold integrity
free from conflict of interest
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Abide by all prevailing laws, rules, regulations
Follows guidelines, directives, bylaws, codes
Follows applicable codes of conduct
Fair, honest, transparent, aspires highest quality and open
communication
Ethical decisions reflect loyalty to client, organization, and society.
Respect: culture, social customs, practices, self-respect of others,
customer, environment
Concern: Concern to the benefit of all stakeholders: Client, public,
government, material suppliers, worker, contractor, consultant, funding
agency.
2.3. Liabilities of engineers in project design, construction and
implementation
Three sources of liability:
1. Liabilities due to contract: liable to fulfill all terms of contract; if there is no
contract, legally, there is no liability under this category.
An engineer is liable for loss of damage due to breach of contract clauses.
2. Liabilities due to criminal law: liable to follow all prevailing laws of nation,
breach of law related to design, construction and implementation of design
can result in criminal case, whether there is damage or not.
3. Liabilities due to tort: liable to prevent customers/users of products and
services from loss or damage; even if there is no specific contract and no laws
have been breached, an engineer can be held liable for loss or damage to the
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customer. Pre-information or pre-warning or disclaimer can prevent an
engineer from liability due to tort.
Two types of liability:
A) Vicarious Liability: liable due to acts of staff of a company or
contractor/subcontractor of a company or project
i) Control test: degree of liability depends on level of control a company has
on its staff or contractor.
ii) Business integration test: degree of liability depends on level of business
integration.
iii) Multiple test: both the control test and business integration can be used
to evaluate degree of liability.
B) Partnership Liability: liability due to acts of partner(s)
Liabilities of engineers in project design
▪ Fitness for purpose
▪ Negligent misstatement
▪ Statutes, bylaws and building regulations/codes
▪ Public and private rights
▪ Plans, drawings and specifications
▪ Materials (quantity, quality and availability)
▪ Novel, risky design and employers’ interference in design
▪ Completion of project in time, within budget
▪ With quality: material, workmanship, method of construction
▪ Safety and welfare of project workers, people living in and
around project area, and people travelling through or visiting the
project area
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▪ Follow applicable laws, rules, regulations, guidelines,
conventions, codes and bylaws
▪ Meet social obligations
2.4. Loss of Professionalism: causes
Defective social norms or values
Low morale of the individual
Irregular, or inconsistent, application of laws and regulations
Lack of political commitment
Weak or negligent professional societies.
Inadequate salary
Sort the causes based on their importance.
2.5. Ethical Issues in professional engineering dealing with other
professions
Accounting: when accountant expects approval of bill before work
completed or works of inferior quality
Banking: over valuation, project progress report, not evaluating parameters
to affect feasibility, not disclosing assumptions and associated risks
Law: disclosing/hiding client’s info, lying under oath, partial truth
Journalism: disclosing client’s confidential info, provide statement without
proof, data, temptation to be on mass media
Management: Loyalty to management, whistle blowing, witness protection,
leaking of confidential data to government for public good.
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