16-LTL Eng100- Ethics 1 Rev1

8/17/2019 16-LTL Eng100- Ethics 1 Rev1

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Ethics I

Engineering 100Lecture 16

Lew Lipton


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Agenda

• Ethics in the news: Legal vs. Moral

• Ethics in Engineering: personal experiences

• Team exercise

• e!initions


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More Ethical Issues in the "ews Ma#or Executive Trials

• BERNARD J. EBBERS $ormer chairman and chie! executive o! %orld&om

• • L. DENNIS KOZLOWSKI

$ormer T'co International &E(• • JOHN RIGAS

$ormer Adelphia chairman and &E(

• TIMOTHY RIGAS; MICHAEL RIGAS

Former CFO; E xec. V.P., Operations

• RICHARD M. SCRUSHY $ormer )ealth*outh &orp. chairman and &E(

• JEFFREY SKILLING & KEN LAY

$ormer &E(s o! Enron

• JACK GRUBMANFormer Salomon Smith Barney telecom analyst

THIS ISN’T S!"" !TT#$ FF#CTIN% ON"& CO'P"# OF B( PP"#S


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oes the End +usti!' the Means,

%*+ -/06• $annie Maes executives deli2eratel' created 3illusions3 a2out pro!its to

4eep investors happ' and to enrich themselves. At $annie5 3the ends #usti!ied the means53 and senior management massaged the 2oo4s inorder to reap 3maximum5 undeserved 2onuses.3

" Times -//06• ...it !it the administrations pattern o! asserting 2road executive authorit'

at the expense o! the legislative and #udicial 2ranches. 3It is consistentwith a unilateral approach to the use o! authorit' in %ashington5 .&.53

said 7hilip +. &ooper5 a pro!essor at 7ortland *tate 8niversit'. 3I clearl'have serious concerns a2out what happened53 )ouse Ma#orit' Leader95 (hio; +ohn


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Brie) &lass Exercise

A friend tells me I must stop buying handbags from street

vendors on Fifth Avenue in Midtown. I never buy bags

with logos on them -- Kate Spade, Louis uitton, et!. --

"ust the ni!e generi! ones. #hey$re so mu!h !heaper than

the ones in the stores. Must I stop% – The Ethicist in the New York Times

Discuss in your Teams the ethics of this action

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/05/22/magazine/22ETHICIST.html


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eal Ethical ilemmas I=ve $aced 9I;

I was shown stolen drawings o! a competitors piece

o! e>uipment and was told to use the in!ormation asa 2asis !or devising test procedures !or a competingproduct m' compan' was designing. *hould I haveresigned !rom the compan',


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eal Ethical ilemmas I=ve $aced 9II;

I was told 2' &it' inspectors that m' compan'was violating environmental regulations relatingto accepta2le levels o! heav' metals in wastewater 2eing released 2' the compan'=s industrial!acilit'. *hould I have tried to ?dilute@ the metals2' running more water or !ix the pro2lem in a

more !undamental wa',


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Moral evelopment

• 7reconventional: ight conduct is what2ene!its the individual. $ear o! punishment sel!grati!ication

• &onventional: "orms o! !amil'5 group5 orsociet' are accepted uncriticall' as rightBMoral C Legal

• 7ostconventional: All actions and preceptssu2#ected to critical anal'sis 2ased onuniversall'applied principles


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Ethical *tandards: Legal C Moral,

• At least /1 companies have received su2poenas orare 2eing investigated in a widening scandal over

2ac4dating stoc4 options. 9"..Times -/06;

• Allows executives to purchase stoc4 at !avora2le

dates 9and prices;B the' reap DM in extra pa'.

• Is this illegal, Ma'2epro2a2l' not.

• Is this immoral, es.

!oral stan*ar*s aren’t the same as le+al stan*ar*s


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&on!lict in Ethics

• Mismatch 2etween good intentions and goodactions – )uman 2eings are imper!ect

– e.g.5 driving while drun4

• ood intentions are not enough

• Ethical 2ehavior re>uires actuall' *oin+ what isright

Oaes! "eone! an# $%nn! Engineering Your Future! &th E#.! Ch. '5!

$(eat "aes )(ess *200&+


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Exercise: Ethics in our Li!e

• Team mem2ers descri2e an ethical situationinvolving them or people the' 4now 9'ou donthave to reveal the choice made;

• Team decides on one situation that is the

hardest to call.• Team mem2ers voice opinions on situation

• Team reports on situation and opinions

o-l* yo- *o anythin+ *i))erent no/


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)omewor4: iscuss F eport in &lass"ov. /G

*uppose +ames is a chemical engineer who changed emplo'ment !rom&ompan' A to &ompan'


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"ext Agenda

• &odes o! ethics

• Ethical Tests• %h' 2e ethical

Documents

16-LTL Eng100- Ethics 1 Rev1