Code of ethics assignment -JTC 300

Code of ethics assignment

 JTC 300

Minh Anh Nguyen

Locate the code of ethics for your discipline or potential career field, copy and paste into a Word document. Choose three issues included in the code and explain why each could be helpful to someone working in that area. An example is the Society of Professional Journalists Code of Ethics. Doctors, lawyers, electricians, business marketing, accounting, etc., also have codes.

Background information of the Code of Ethics is copied directly from the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers, “Engineering is an important and learned profession. As members of this profession, engineers are expected to exhibit the highest standards of honesty and integrity. Engineering has a direct and vital impact on the quality of life for all people. Accordingly, the services provided by engineers require honesty, impartiality, fairness, and equity, and must be dedicated to the protection of the public health, safety, and welfare. Engineers must perform under a standard of professional behavior that requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct.”

            In the engineering field, the code of ethics is a set of principles which can be used for determining and suggesting the right ways to solve problems.  According to the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers paper, there are six Fundamental Canons, five Rules of practices and nine Professional Obligations which engineers must follow. In this essay, I will mainly focus on three professional obligations; these professional obligations are: honesty, impartiality and fairness.

Engineering is considered to be a “profession” instead of “occupation” because of the necessary skills and requirements of extensive training, special knowledge and responsibilities. Engineers are expected to utilize their independent judgment in carrying out their professional responsibilities. Therefore, they must be guided by ethical principles. The ethical principles leading the engineering profession are exemplified in codes of ethics. The codes protect the engineering profession from some undesired consequences of competition.

Qualities of truth, honesty, and fairness are core concepts of engineering principle. There must truthful in discussions, reports and actions.   When testing a product or equipment, if the equipment has failed, then the test result must be stated as Failed, even though this result could affect his or her career performance. However, it could save a life and prevent any accident in the future. To ensure something is done correctly, we must think of others first; therefore, one of the engineering ethics standards is to put others before ourselves.  Engineers must accept responsibility for any of their actions and give appropriate credit to others. If engineers make a mistake or an error in testing or designing equipment, then they must honestly accept their mistake and correct the problem. If that mistake was discovered by a colleague, then engineers must acknowledge and give credit to their colleague.  Fairness makes room for engineers to generate solutions and compromises based on reason and circumstance. In day to day life, fairness is intently listening, sharing information to others and is not taking advantage of others based on their weaknesses.

Impartiality is a key part of fairness and is a lack of prejudgment or decision. If engineers know the product does not work correctly and could cause accident, then they must inform their bosses and clients regardless of potential conflict of interest that might affect the performance of jobs or tasks to the clients. Engineers should not accept a reward which biases or changes his or her perspectives or decision.  Engineers must know what the right decision is from the wrong, and make a right choice.

All professional engineers are expected to obey the National Society of Engineers code of ethics. The preamble which summarizes of this code is copied and provided above. Codes of ethics help engineers to apply right principles to unique situations that they encounter. These codes define the rights, duties and responsibilities of engineers’ profession.  In engineering field, ethics plays a role in the decision making of all engineers. It must always be in “the back of their minds” to ensure that all things are done “by the book”.

References:

1.      Code of Ethics. (n.d.). Retrieved June 23, 2015, from http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics