Values and Value Judgements Preferences should be distinguished from value judgements which are statements about the thing which is judged good or bad in some respect.
The Institution of Engineers, Australia, Code of Ethics - Engineering is a creative process of synthesizing and implementing the knowledge and experience of humanity to enhance the welfare, health and safety of all members of the community, with due regard to the environment in which they live and the sustainability of the resources employed. The community places its trust in the judgement and integrity of members to pursue the above values and to conduct their activities in a manner that places the best interests of the community above those of personal or sectional interests.
Scenario A-- The Choice of a Job You are seeking a job as a design engineer and have had several interviews. You have firm job offers from several companies. Now, you must choose. How do you choose?
Heat Pump Ethics Problem You are an engineer at a HVAC/Energy consulting company in your area. Your responsibility is to design and purchase equipment for projects that you work on. You notice that one supplier has bid the equipment at about 20% below the average price of all the other suppliers. Although you realize that because you are buying such a large number of heat pumps you can obtain a competitive price advantage, this supplier's price seems too good to be true.
Playing Favorites Displays of favoritism, or even its perception, can destroy some important values such as relationships, initiative, and trust in the workplace. We must always be alert to its presence and suppress it.
Whitbeck, Caroline. 1998. Ethics in Engineering Practice and Research. New York: Cambridge University Press. Other keywords for this article: ethics and prudence; negligence; trust, distrust; ambiguity; moral ambiguity; responsibilities, general; professional responsibility; public safety; worker safety; laboratory safety; design process; engineering competence; environmental issues, global; environmental issues, chemical; conflict of interest; 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.
Susskind, C. Understanding Technology. San Francisco Press, San Francisco, 1985. Other keywords for this: global environmental issues; design and the environment; professional responsibility; technological disasters.
Marx, L. The Machine in the Garden. Oxford University Press, NY, 1964. Other keywords for this: design and the environment; self-deception; endangered ecosystems; responsibilities, general.