Deck 2: Professional Codes of Ethics

Question 1

Is it ever morally permissible to violate one's professional code of ethics?

Answer 1

No Answer.

Question 2

What should engineers do if their professional codes of ethics seem to give conflicting advice, or no advice at all?

Answer 2

No Answer.

Question 3

According to the NSPE code of ethics, engineers shall "avoid deceptive acts." How should we understand this principle?

Answer 3

No Answer.

Question 4

Who was morally responsible for the Challenger disaster?

Question 5

Who was morally responsible for the Columbia disaster?

Question 6

Which is not a reason to follow a code of ethics that was discussed?

A) It is important for maintaining personal integrity.
B) Joining a profession is effectively making a promise.
C) Having professional standards strengthens an engineer's ability to stand by principles.
D) The personal cost to refusing moral actions is diminished by practicing the code.

Question 7

Philosopher Michael Davies writes, "Without a professional code, an engineer could not object [to doing something unethical] as an engineer. An engineer could, of course, still object 'personally' and refuse to do the job. But if he did, he would risk being replaced by an engineer who would not object." Which ethical theory fits best with this view about professional codes?

A) Utilitarianism
B) Ethical egoism, as applied to groups
C) Virtue ethics
D) Kantianism

Question 8

Which of the following is an example of an aspirational ethical principle in the NSPE code? Engineers shall

A) hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.
B) perform services only in areas of their competence.
C) issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
D) conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Question 9

Which of the following principles is a prohibitive principle?

A) Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.
B) Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
C) Engineers shall perform services only in areas of their competence.
D) Engineers shall conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Question 10

According to the Fundamental Canons of the NSPE Code of Ethics, engineers shall conduct themselves

A) honorably, morally, responsibly, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.
B) honorably, morally, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the prestige, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.
C) honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and prestige of the profession.
D) None of the above

Question 11

The moral principles expressed in a professional code of ethics, including the NSPE code, can typically be characterized as a

A) prohibitive, descriptive, or normative principles.
B) prohibitive, preventive, or aspirational principles.
C) prohibitive, descriptive, or aspirational principles.
D) factual, descriptive, or normative principles

Question 12

Which of the following are Fundamental Canons of the NSPE Code of Ethics?
"Engineers, in the fulfillment of their professional duties, shall

A) hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public."
B) avoid deceptive acts."
C) conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession."
D) All of the above

Question 13

Which of the following principles is a preventative principle?

A) Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.
B) Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public.
C) Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
D) Engineers shall conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor, reputation, and usefulness of the profession.

Question 14

According to the NSPE code of ethics, engineers shall "avoid deceptive acts." This is a(n) __________ element of the NSPE code.

A) prohibitive
B) preventive
C) aspirational
D) All of the above

Question 15

According to the NSPE code of ethics, engineers shall "perform services only in areas of their competence." This is a(n) __________ element of the NSPE code.

A) prohibitive
B) preventive
C) aspirational
D) All of the above

Question 16

LeMessurier violated the third fundamental canon to only issue public statements in an objective and truthful manner. How might this violation have been required to comply with one of the fundamental canons of the NSPE code?

A) Citibank, his client, specifically ordered him to lie.
B) His honor and reputation and that of the profession rested upon repairing the building without anyone knowing.
C) A faithful agent delegates the responsibility of informing the public to the client.
D) Truthfully disclosing all the relevant information to the public would have caused a panic and actually harmed the public good.

Question 17

How do the ACM and NSPE codes differ from the IEEE code?

A) The ACM and NSPE codes distinguish between fundamental moral principles and more specific rules.
B) The IEEE code emphasizes honesty and integrity.
C) The IEEE code has no prohibitive principles.
D) The IEEE code specifically discusses bribes.

Question 18

The direct technical cause of the Challenger disaster in 1986 was

A) a leaking O-ring in a fuel tank, which could not cope with the unusually low temperature at the day of the take-off.
B) a lack of respect for the NSPE code of ethics, which stipulates that engineers shall hold paramount the health, safety and welfare of the public.
C) foam-shedding, which was caused by the unusually low temperature at the day of the take-off.
D) normalization of deviance.

Question 19

A Proper Engineering Decision (PED) is a decision that

A) requires technical expertise.
B) may significantly affect the health, safety and welfare of others.
C) has the potential to violate the standards of an engineering code of ethics in other ways.
D) All of the above

Question 20

A Proper Management Decision (PMD) is a decision that

A) affects the performance of the organization.
B) does not require any technical expertise.
C) does not significantly affect the health, safety and welfare of others or has any potential to violate the standards of an engineering code of ethics in other ways.
D) All of the above

Question 21

Determining whether Challenger's launch should be delayed or not was treated as a management decision by Gerald Mason rather than as a proper engineering decision and has been identified as a major mistake leading to the Challenger disaster. All of the following are aspects of a proper engineering decision except:

A) Has the potential to violate the standards of an engineering code of ethics.
B) Affects the performance of the organization.
C) Requires technical expertise.
D) May significantly affect the health, safety, and welfare of others.

Question 22

When Gerald Mason told Boisjoly's supervisor Bob Lund to "take off your engineering hat and put on your management hat," Mason

A) violated all six fundamental canons of the NSPE code of ethics.
B) violated the first fundamental canons of the NSPE code of ethics.
C) violated the sixth fundamental canons of the NSPE code of ethics.
D) did not respect the distinction between Proper Engineering Decisions and Proper Management Decisions.

Question 23

Sociologist Diane Vaughn coined the term normalization of deviance for describing the process in which

A) a technical error is accepted as normal, even though the technological system is not working as it should.
B) an nontechnical error is accepted as normal, even though the technological system is working as it should.
C) the process in which an ethical mistake is accepted as normal, even though the technological system is working as it should.
D) All of the above

Question 24

Which of the following is an example of normalization of deviance?

A) The low oil pressure warning in your car lights up every morning for two weeks; you think it is an electric problem until the engine stops working and needs to be replaced.
B) Small pieces of foam fell of the space shuttles many times; nobody took any notice until the Columbia disaster.
C) Your computer fails to install the latest updates on several occasion; you don't worry about it until it crashes, and your work is lost.
D) All of the above

Question 25

Which aspect of the Challenger case is an example of the normalization of deviance?

A) The burden of proof shifted from the engineers being able to prove the launch was safe to launch to having to prove it is not safe to stop launch.
B) The O-ring blow-by was an aberration known to have occurred without disaster in the past and so did not alarm engineers.
C) Lund was told to take off his engineering hat and put on his management hat.
D) The conditions were unusually cold for launch that January.