Addressing Problems in Engineering Ethics
Below are problems submitted by visitors to the Center and
student projects (problem situations followed by interviews
with knowledgeable people on how best to address those
problems). All have been edited slightly for clarity, and
most names appearing within the scenarios have been
changed.
- Comparison of
Ethical Concern Channels in Aerospace Corporations
- by Jeff Evernhan. Based on interviews with
representatives of several aerospace firms, this module
explores how ethical concerns are managed within these
organizations.
- Ethics in the
Machine Shop
- by Eric L. Gravengaard. The author presents a scenario
in which a student is faced with finding out whether his
laboratory is appropriately disposing of the scrap metal,
which he produced in a Machine Shop.
- Intellectual
Property Rights and Responsibilities: A Student's
Guide
- by Chin Yee Ng. For this project, the author presents a
scenario involving subtle issues of intellectual property
rights to a number of interviewees, and compiles their
responses. Also includes links to the MIT Technology
Licensing Office and the MIT Office of Sponsored Programs,
as well as relevant documents.
- Military
Projects in the Workplace
- by Francisco Juan Donez. The author presents a scenario
in which an employee objects to working on a
federally-sponsored corporate project to develop parts for
use in a new weapon. Interviews with employees in various
companies reveal a diversity of responses to this
problem.
- Scenario:
Entrepreneur on Company Time
- Submitted by an visitor to the Online Ethics Center.
This scenario details a case in which proprietary issues
arise when employees are encouraged to develop ideas for
new businesses while working for the company.
- Scenario: The
Mirage Referral
- Submitted by a visitor to the Ethics Center. One
engineer deceptively recruits another engineer to work as a
subcontractor. Ethics Center Advisors give comments.
- Ethics and
Reverse Engineering
- by John L. Wallberg. Using interviews with Texas
Instruments employees, this module explores the ethical
ramifications of reverse engineering.
- Sexual Harassment
in Corporate America
- By Lauralee Grizzaffi and Christine Rosenwasser. Based
on interviews with representatives from the aerospace and
biomedical industries, this project compares sexual
harassment policies within each industry as well as across
industries.
- Sexual Harassment
and the Foreign Client: What Do You Do When A Client
Harasses One of Your Employees?
- By Sohan "Billy" Lall. In this project, the author
interviews two professionals who work with sexual
harassment cases, in order to ascertain the best ways for
individuals to cope with sexual harassment on the job.
- Legal
Records
- By Michael C. Loui. This scenario explores the ethical issues involved in
the electronic monitoring of the secretarial staff's
email.
Return to Engineering Practice
Index
More problems and projects can be found in Responsible Research and The Diverse Workplace sections of
the OEC.