Ethical Behavior in the Workplace - Report Example

Running Head: Morality and Ethics Morality and Ethics Customer’s name: Institution: Customer’s Course Tutor’s Name 26th March, 2015 Introduction Engineering is a discipline that has a number of effects on the lives of human beings and other living things. Based on these, people in the profession need to uphold the highest level of standards when undertaking their roles and duties in the respective field. By so doing, their activities will be of benefit and will not harm the environment and the living things found in the environment. This report sets out to explain the importance of intellectual property provisions for engineers and the engineering issues. This will be closely followed by a demonstration of the ethical standards required by engineers and the environmental issues and the role of an engineer in protecting the environment. Lastly, the report will deal with the importance of occupational safety and health procedures in the workplace. Importance of intellectual property provision for engineers The idea of IP is not a new one, but over time, it has become increasingly important as the global economy shifts to the information economy. The shift has also started to have an impact on what is considered as valuable in a private exchange. As an alternative to the physical objects, the aspect is considered essential to the new world in intellectuals that are the creative products that have been developed by the human mind. Intellectual property provision is defined as the inventions, ideas and creative expressions based on which the public has the willingness to grant the status of the property (Maskus, 2000). Under the intellectual property laws, the owners are given certain rights. Some of the most common intellectual property rights are patents, copyright, industrial design rights, trademarks, trade secrets as well as trade dress. One of the major importances of IP provisions is that they offer guarantees regarding the safety and quality of products sold to the general public. A great number of products and invention usually place people’s health and safety at risk for instance, vehicle spare parts. By enforcing the IP provisions, it ensures that the products origins are well known and that the products are genuine while counterfeit products do not act in accordance with the set safety standards (Burk & Mark, 2009). Another importance of the IP provision is that, it enables indirect exploitation. In instances where companies have protected their inventions, design and products by the use of IP provisions, they are able to derive revenues from both the direct and indirect exploitation. This gives assurances to the engineers that their inventions are well protected through the provision of IP. The supplementary indirect revenues at times exceed the profits made by direct exploitation since no internal manufacturing capacities are required. An additional importance of IP provisions is that, it enhances cost-free mechanisms. While some of the procedures that need to be fulfilled are the registration of IP provisions, people term them as too expensive. Engineers need to note that, there are certain IP provisions which can be enjoyed without any formal procedures for example copyrights. The other importance is that, IP provisions act as collateral for engineers when they want to obtain financial aids (Burk & Mark, 2009). Though the IP provisions are intangible assets, they play an important role for engineers who may try to convince other parties to finance their ideas. Engineering issues Like any other profession, the engineering profession has changed over the years, and this has eventually led to the emergence of a number of pressing issues. An important engineering issue is the pace at which the field is moving at. Like most other professionals, a great number of companies can do more with less (Sacks & Barak, 2010). When this issue is coupled with the increased rivalry from all corners of the globe, that is companies can source for engineers to complete on a job from all over the globe, and the increased technological advancement, the engineering pace seems to have been amplified. The other issues relate to the complexity associated with the engineering profession. The complexity of most engineering activities has increased over time. Based on this, one cannot specialise in one area of engineering for long. The complexity calls for having engineering knowledge in more than one discipline, for instance, when one is a mechanical engineer; one also needs to have some software engineering or electrical engineering skills and knowledge. This is the kind of complexity that is evident in the engineering profession and to cope with the changing dynamics in the engineering field, engineers need to advance their knowledge and study more than one of the engineering area or fields. Combining various fields has been known to have an added advantage to engineers. In addition, engineers need to be abreast with the inventions and innovations made by other engineers across the globe. For instance, an engineer needs to constantly review the work of other engineers who have been contracted for major projects to keep abreast with the changing trends in the engineering field. An additional engineering issue is that, it has become harder for modern day engineers to get answers to the toughest and biggest questions. A great number of the early engineers had knowledge in one area of specialisation, and they are already eligible for retirement, this makes them unavailable to answer some of the questions (Sacks & Barak, 2010). Also, in instances when they are available, the responses given calls for knowledge in more than one engineering discipline and they lack such knowledge. In a bid to resolve such issues, some engineers end up replicating the work of earlier engineers. Thus, engineers have to dedicate a lot of time and resources to arrive at the answers. For instance, modern day engineers need to apply modern ways of building for instance a sky scrapper which is built in a manner to enable more daylight to the ground floor while limiting the wind exposures to the building may require fresh knowledge and designs that just normal engineers may not be aware of. Ethics in the engineering profession Engineering is an important course. As essential members of the profession, engineers are supposed to show the highest standards of integrity, as well as honesty. Engineers tend to have a direct impact on human lives. Consequently, the services they provide calls for impartiality, honesty, equity, fairness and they must be aimed at protecting the public health, welfare and safety. Therefore, engineers are supposed to work under a professional behaviour that calls for observance of highest ethical principles. One of the ethical standard that engineers need to adhere to is that, they need to know and hold supreme the health, safety and welfare of the general public when performing their professional duties. In regard to this ethical standard, engineers need to be aware of the fact that the health, lives, safety and welfare of the public is largely dependent on their decisions, judgement and practices integrated into machines, structures, products, devices and processes (Fleddermann, 2011). For instance, engineers are supposed to be aware of such factors like light, safety of houses, fire fighting strategies to be employed in a building among other factors and hence, safety, health and welfare of the public is of importance. The other ethical standard that engineers need to adhere to is that, they are only supposed to perform duties and services only in the areas that they have competence in. They are required to engage in engineering assignments in areas that they are qualified in terms of experience and education in the field involved. At the same time, they should not affix their seals or signatures dealing with areas that they are not qualified in, and no such document should be prepared under their supervision. Additionally, engineers should only issue public statements that are truthful and objective (Fleddermann, 2011). In relation to this ethical standard, engineers are supposed to extend the knowledge to the public and prevent any form of misunderstanding of the achievements that the engineering field has made. Engineers ought to build their reputation through merit and should always avoid unfair competition with other engineers as an ethical standard that they have adhere to. Engineers should not offer to pay both directly or indirectly for them to secure a job. In relation to this ethical standard, engineers should not attempt to replace other engineers in their duties when they become aware that certain definite steps have been put in place for the engineer's employment or after the engineer have been employed (Fleddermann, 2011). Engineers are supposed to continue with their professional development all the way through their careers, and they should also offer opportunities for development for any engineers who may be working under them. Thus, an engineer should always encourage other engineers to further their education and be registered by the relevant bodies within the required time limits. Environmental issues and the role of an engineer in protecting the environment The environment is constantly changing and at the same time, there are environmental changes. Therefore, engineers need to be aware of these changes. With the trend in which natural disasters keeps on occurring on earth, different weather patterns, warming and cooling periods among others, it is paramount for engineers to be aware of the environmental issues affecting the globe. One major environmental issue is pollution. Pollution of water resources, air and soil calls for a considerable amount of time to be reversed. Motor vehicle and industry exhaust are the primary pollutants. Nitrates, heavy metal and plastics are toxins that are responsible for pollution. Water pollution, on the other hand, is caused by acid rain, oil spill and urban runoff (Brown & Sovacool, 2011). Air pollution is caused by toxins and gases released by factories and industries and also by the combustion of fuels. This pollution is as a result of engines that have been developed by the engineers. Soil pollution is usually caused by industrial waste which slowly by slowly deprives the soil some of its essential nutrients. Global warming is another environmental issue that need to be addressed with a lot of urgency. Climate changes are usually as a result of certain human practices such as global warming which causes a rise in temperatures leading to disasters such as excessive snow, flash floods and desertification. The other environmental issue is waste disposal. Humans have been consuming resources and at the same time more plastics have been manufactured, these two issues seem to be creating a global crisis in relation to waste disposal (Buckeridge et al., 2002). The manner in which nuclear waste is disposed off has a number of health hazards associated with it. Fast food packaging materials, plastics and cheap electronics waste are a threat to the well-being of people. Most electronic waste such as default phones are the work of engineers. Engineers and other specialists such as the ecologist need to collaborate more as compared to the past. The collaboration can describe the requirements of essential ecological processes and conditions which can be incorporated into the engineering designs. At the same time, while planning any form of development, it would be critical to take into consideration the impacts as well as the environmental damages that the event will cause (Brown & Sovacool, 2011). Engineers also need to guide the public and government on the acceptable boundaries for human environmental impacts. These aspects state that, the rate at which renewable resources are extracted should not exceed the regeneration rates and waste emission should also not go beyond the assimilative ability of the environment. Based on the above defined environmental issues, engineers have a role of developing management and design plans with the potential of meeting the defined environmental constraints. For instance, chemical engineers and chemists can work collaboratively to address any environmental concerns in their area. Engineers also have a role in developing new analytical tools and instruments so as to address the three principal fields related to field measurement, laboratory analysis and theoretical tools. An additional role that engineers can play in protecting the environment is through the transformation of the energy systems to make use of fuels that have low carbon levels (Brown & Sovacool, 2011). Transport accounts for about 20% of carbon emissions, the industries contribute the other 20% while the commercial and domestic sector emits about 25%, and lastly power generation accounts for the remaining 35% (Brown & Sovacool, 2011). Engineers can call for policies to be changed with regard to generation of power, use of less carbon emitting resources and also using their knowledge to make coal carbon free (Brown & Sovacool, 2011). The engineers can also play an essential role in designing and developing engines that are ultra-efficient and thus will make the engines consume less fuel at the same time cover higher mileage. Engineers also have a role to play in making sure that more efficient buildings are developed leading to high savings in terms of energy. They should also give more attention to making improvement to the environment and achieving sustainable development (Buckeridge et al., 2002). Engineers, therefore, have to place a lot of emphasis on the concept of sustainability, for instance, sustainable economic development, sustainable environment, and sustainable food security among others. Importance of occupational safety and health procedures Occupational safety and health procedures are essential for the well-being of both the employees and their employees. Violence in workplaces is an issue that is of great concern to the business world. Poor health affects the ability of the employees to undertake their duties. Thus, employers ought to take the necessary measures to ensure that their employees are protected from the various health and safety concerns (Kaufman, 2004). A significant benefit of health and safety in the workplace is that it offers guidelines that help the employers and their workers understand how various hazards can impact on them negatively, and the emergency situations should be handled. These guidelines usually enable the employees to conduct duties that are dangerous and to work with hazardous chemicals without encountering any form of harm mostly by wearing protective gears such as gloves. Engineers in the electrical field are also supposed to use certain tools which enable them to work more effectively. The important role is that they play an essential role in preventing illness and injury in the workplace. The health programs help the employees who may include the engineers in the company and their employers to understand the potential hazards that they are exposed to when working. Effective occupational health and safety programs train the employees on the benefits that can be attained by practising safe workplace behaviours (Budd, 2004). Occupational health and safety procedures prevent to a considerable level the interoffice violence and also make the employees aware of the potential danger that they are likely to face. Violent behaviours in the workplace is an issue of major concern since it threatens the well-being of the company (Kaufman, 2004). Companies' need to be actively involved in the training of employees in the benefits associated with practising safe habits so as to maintain a safe and healthy working environment. Conclusion Based on the above discussion, it is clearly evident that IP provisions are of great importance to engineers. Through the provision, the engineers can protect their ideas and thus attain the financial rewards for the time and resources used in their inventions. Additionally, the provision also acts as collateral enabling the engineers to gain necessary financial aid to further their innovations. The report also stresses the point that, there are a number of engineering issues which include complexity of the profession, complexity of attaining answers to emerging complexity in the field and augmented pace of development in the area. In relation to the ethical standards, engineers need know and hold supreme the health, safety and welfare of the general public when performing their professional duties. Engineers are supposed to perform duties and services only in the areas that they have competence. They are required to engage in engineering assignment in areas that they are qualified in terms of experience and education in the field involved. Engineers should build their reputation through merit and should always avoid unfair competition with other engineers and offer statements that are truthful. The report further addresses the environmental issues such as global warming, waste disposal and pollution. In regard to these environmental issues, engineers are supposed to put mechanisms in place to curb these effects. Lastly, the report addresses the benefits associated with occupational health and safety procedures. Also through the procedures employers and the engineers can prevent the number illness and injury in the workplace for instance by wearing gloves and other protection. The health programs help the employees and their employers to understand the potential hazards that they are exposed to when working, and thus they will take all the necessary measure to avoid them. References Alford, C.F. (2002). Whistleblowers: Broken Lives and Organizational Power. New York: Cornell University Press. Brown, M., & Sovacool, B. (2011). Climate Change and Global Energy Security: Technology and Policy options. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press. Buckeridge, D., Glazier, R., Harvey, B., Escobar. M., Amrhein, C., & Frank, J. (2002). Effect of Motor Vehicle Emissions on Respiratory health in an Urban Area. Environmental health Perspectives, 110 (3), 293–300. Budd, J. (2004). Employment with a Human Face: Balancing Efficiency, Equity, and Voice. New York: Cornell University Press. Burk, D., & Mark A. (2009). The Patent Crisis and How the Courts Can Solve It. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Fleddermann, C.B. (2011). Engineering Ethics. New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Kaufman, B. (2004). Theoretical Perspectives on Work and the Employment Relationship. Cornell University: Industrial Relations Research Association. Maskus, K (2000). Intellectual Property Rights and Economic Development. Case Western Reserve Journal of International Law, 32, 471. Sacks, R., & Barak, R. (2010). Teaching Building Information Modelling as an Integral Part of Freshman Year Civil Engineering Education. J. Prof. Issues Eng. Educ. Practice, 136(1), 30–38. Read More

Engineers need to note that, there are certain IP provisions which can be enjoyed without any formal procedures for example copyrights. The other importance is that, IP provisions act as collateral for engineers when they want to obtain financial aids (Burk & Mark, 2009). Though the IP provisions are intangible assets, they play an important role for engineers who may try to convince other parties to finance their ideas. Engineering issues Like any other profession, the engineering profession has changed over the years, and this has eventually led to the emergence of a number of pressing issues.

An important engineering issue is the pace at which the field is moving at. Like most other professionals, a great number of companies can do more with less (Sacks & Barak, 2010). When this issue is coupled with the increased rivalry from all corners of the globe, that is companies can source for engineers to complete on a job from all over the globe, and the increased technological advancement, the engineering pace seems to have been amplified. The other issues relate to the complexity associated with the engineering profession.

The complexity of most engineering activities has increased over time. Based on this, one cannot specialise in one area of engineering for long. The complexity calls for having engineering knowledge in more than one discipline, for instance, when one is a mechanical engineer; one also needs to have some software engineering or electrical engineering skills and knowledge. This is the kind of complexity that is evident in the engineering profession and to cope with the changing dynamics in the engineering field, engineers need to advance their knowledge and study more than one of the engineering area or fields.

Combining various fields has been known to have an added advantage to engineers. In addition, engineers need to be abreast with the inventions and innovations made by other engineers across the globe. For instance, an engineer needs to constantly review the work of other engineers who have been contracted for major projects to keep abreast with the changing trends in the engineering field. An additional engineering issue is that, it has become harder for modern day engineers to get answers to the toughest and biggest questions.

A great number of the early engineers had knowledge in one area of specialisation, and they are already eligible for retirement, this makes them unavailable to answer some of the questions (Sacks & Barak, 2010). Also, in instances when they are available, the responses given calls for knowledge in more than one engineering discipline and they lack such knowledge. In a bid to resolve such issues, some engineers end up replicating the work of earlier engineers. Thus, engineers have to dedicate a lot of time and resources to arrive at the answers.

For instance, modern day engineers need to apply modern ways of building for instance a sky scrapper which is built in a manner to enable more daylight to the ground floor while limiting the wind exposures to the building may require fresh knowledge and designs that just normal engineers may not be aware of. Ethics in the engineering profession Engineering is an important course. As essential members of the profession, engineers are supposed to show the highest standards of integrity, as well as honesty.

Engineers tend to have a direct impact on human lives. Consequently, the services they provide calls for impartiality, honesty, equity, fairness and they must be aimed at protecting the public health, welfare and safety. Therefore, engineers are supposed to work under a professional behaviour that calls for observance of highest ethical principles. One of the ethical standard that engineers need to adhere to is that, they need to know and hold supreme the health, safety and welfare of the general public when performing their professional duties.

In regard to this ethical standard, engineers need to be aware of the fact that the health, lives, safety and welfare of the public is largely dependent on their decisions, judgement and practices integrated into machines, structures, products, devices and processes (Fleddermann, 2011).

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