This article discusses the policies concerning the relationship between the company and the supplier. This is to prevent the appearance of conflict of interest.
Engineers leaving public employ and then working in the same area in the private sector is a delicate issue; the engineer had access to government knowledge that a private client may desire. This case raises questions about whether such employment is ethically permissible.
An engineer wants to provide international marketing services on a commission basis. The case raises questions about whether working for a commission where professional judgment is exercise creates a conflict of interest.
Payment for work on a contingency or commission basis is considered by some to undermine the professional standing of engineers and in some circumstances to create a conflict of interest. Others consider it to create an incentive for an engineer to deliver the best services of which she is capable.
New York: Cambridge University Press. Other keywords for this article: ethics and prudence; preferences vs. values; negligence; trust, distrust; ambiguity; moral ambiguity; responsibilities, general; professional responsibility; public safety; worker safety; laboratory safety; design process; environmental issues, global; environmental issues, chemical; criteria for competence; ethical codes and guidelines from professional societies; harassment, sexual harassment and aggression; workplace relationships; research misconduct; falsification and fabrication; plagiarism; authorship; human subjects in research; animals in scientific research.