Automotive Fair Price by Todd Low - Essay Example

Case Study One: Automotive Fair Price by Todd Low What constitutes professionalism? The first scenario (charging the customer a flat fee for an hour) seems more professional and less harsh on the customer. In engineering, professional ethics are supposedly based on professionalism (Harris et al. 189). When the customer first came I assigned my number one technician to check out his car. It means that my shop provided the best services we could offer this customer. Spending one hour with the car to diagnose the problem is sufficient because usually the expert technicians find out the fault within 20 minutes. Charging him a standard price for one hour is professional because my technician spent an hour checking out his car. The time in diagnosing the car is separate from the time used in fixing the car. Spending an hour on the car is more than enough to diagnose the problem. If I need extra time to find a fault, I will need to explain the customer in detail about the additional costs. My technician is appointed to diagnose the car; we are spending business hours in finding the fault with his car. That is an opportunity cost for us because we could be spending those hours fixing someone else’s car and earning money. When do you get paid for services rendered - only if the car is fixed?Whether or not the problem is solved? If an arrangement is made with the customer where the technician drives the car to and from work, and driving during lunch breaks then this will be ethically more acceptable. The equipment, installed in the car, will record and diagnose the problem. The time my technician spends this way is not a burden on business hours. In this case the total cost would come up for only two hours. The technician spent first hour diagnosing the problem and did not find the fault. After that, the arrangement is made with the customer that my specialist will keep the car to find the problem. He will be driving the car to and from business and during lunch breaks. When he finds a fault, it will take probably less than an hour to fix it. So one hour for diagnosing and the other hour for fixing the problem would be charged from the customer. This method seems more professional than any of the other scenarios. What if you change every conceivable part that could cause this; would that be professional and ethical? If you cannot fix it, would it be more ethical to charge a nominal fee rather than what is due to you for services rendered? Changing every conceivable part is neither ethical nor professional. This way the customer will have to pay for the time consumed and the cost of new parts. Charging a nominal fee or for the services rendered will be an enormous burden on the client. The technician can use a 'trial and error' method, making educated guesses what the problem could be and then changing that particular part. Ethically speaking this will not be the best option in the interest of the client. Case Study Two: Quality Control by Doug Carter. What problems might occur if Jon does not show the temperature variation in the log? If John does not show the temperature variation in the log, the quality check and performance analysis by the project manager will not be accurate. In engineering, some indicators of professionalism are very clear while others might not be that clear, however, practice and organization of engineering are among them (Christensen, Delahousse&Meganck 347). If Jon does not show and accurate temperature log he will also violate the code of professional conduct in engineering. At the beginning of the next shift the shift supervisor will read the log.Should the defective temperature sensor be replaced before the next run? The faulty temperature sensor should be replaced before the next run. Bill can also notify the next shift supervisor that the temperature sensor is defective. Since Bill has an important dinner engagement, he can ask for a favor from the next shift supervisor to replace the sensor. The next supervisor could point out that Bill should have replaced the temperature sensor so effectively explaining the situation Bill might get some favor. But it is necessary that the faulty temperature sensor should be replaced before the next shift starts. The current supervisor should tell the next supervisor about the defect. Will the process engineer be able to make a correct analysis of the results and recommended valid specification changes if s/he doesn't know about the temperature deviation? The process engineer would not be able to make a correct analysis of the results and therefore would not be able to recommend valid specification changes. The process engineer is supposed to tweak and make adjustments in the process to increase the yield. If he/she did not know when the temperature dropped to 245° (when the temperature sensor is also defective) then making recommendations or adjusting, but not be helpful. Technical problem solving requires thorough analysis of a problem and a failure to do so can result in non-optimal results (McCuen, Richard, & Gilroy 40). Reading from a tampered log can deal a severe blow to the quality management process. What problems might occur if Jon does show the temperature variation in the log? What should Jon do? The single problem that might occur if John shows the temperature variation in the log is Bill could get in trouble. He is a shift supervisor and in charge of the whole process. It is his duty to make adjustments accordingly. If he knew about the defective temperature sensor, he should’ve notified the authorities/administration or should have changed the sensor himself. Later during the baking process when the temperature dropped to 245° he was supposed to stop the process and begin again. If the log shows that the temperature dropped to 245° and the run process during the baking phase kept running without restarting the might question Bill. It might reflect negatively on builds professional conduct. But John’s responsibility lies with the company and his professional integrity. If he tries to hide someone’s negligence then, he will be guilty by association. John should show the correct log timing without any tampering. He should also mention that there might be a defect in the temperature sensor so an action can be taken accordingly. References Christensen, Steen Hyldgaard, Bernard Delahousse, and Martin Meganck.Engineering in Context. Copenhagen: Academica, 2009. Print. Harris, Charles E., Michael S. Pritchard, and Michael J. Rabins. Engineering Ethics: Concepts and Cases. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2000. Print. McCuen, Richard H., and Kristin L. Gilroy. Ethics and Professionalism in Engineering. Peterborough, Ont.: Broadview, 2010. Print. Read More