Interaction Rules of Behavior

• Etiquette - rules of acceptable personal behavior and

courtesy when interacting with others in a social setting.
• Morals - personal rules of right and wrong behavior
derived from a person’s upbringing, religious beliefs,
and societal influences.

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 Morality and Ethics
• Morality (Latin mores) usually refers to any aspect of
human action

• Ethics (Greek ethos) commonly refers only to professional

behavior [Acts in a morally responsible way while
practicing engineering]
Personal verses Professional Ethics
• Personal ethics: how we treat others in our day-to-day life.
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• Professional (or Business) ethics: how to behave in an
organizational level.
Interaction Rules of Behavior (cont’d)

• Ethics - a code or system of rules defining

moral behavior for a particular society or
organization.
• Laws - a system of rules and punishments
clearly defined and established by a society to

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maintain a safe and orderly social
environment.
PROFESSIONAL CODES
“Interaction Rules”
Increasingly severe consequences

Etiquette Professional Codes Laws

Morals
(Ethics)

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Why is it important to have code of ethics?
- Indicate dedication to professional behavior
- Recognition of professional responsibilities
- Create ethical environment

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 What is a professional engineer?

 Has a bachelor’s degree in engineering from an

accredited program.

 Performs engineering work.

 Is a registered Engineer.
 Acts in a morally responsible way while
practicing engineering.
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 Professional Ethics
Professional ethics guide the conduct of a
professional.
Most technical societies have written codes of ethics.

• As professionals, engineers have a code of ethics

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 What should I do to be
an ethical engineer?
THE ETHICAL ENGINEER
1. • Protect the public safety, health, and welfare.
2. • Be honest and unbiased.
3. • Behave in an honorable and dignified manner.
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4. • Continue learning to sharpen technical skills.
5. • Perform duties only in areas of competence.
6. • Provide honest hard work to employers and clients.
7. • Inform the proper authorities of harmful, dangerous, or illegal
activities (called whistle-blowing).

8. • Be involved with civic and community affairs.

9. • Protect the environment.

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10.Do not accept bribes or gifts that would interfere with engineering
judgment.
11. • Protect confidential information of employer or client.
12.• Avoid conflicts of interest.

Personal verses Professional Ethics

• Personal ethics (moral): how we treat others in our day-to-day life.

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• Professional (or Business) ethics: how to behave in an
organizational level.
Why Ethics is Important for Engineers?
• Engineers requires adherence to the highest principles of ethical conduct
• Engineers are responsible to confront moral issues raised by research and
technological activities
• It is expected from engineers to provide safe and reliable products and
services
• Mistakes made by unethical and incompetent engineers do not just cost
money, they could cost many lives.

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 Ethical Egoism
• An act is moral provided that you act in your enlightened self interest.

- Example: It’s okay to compete aggressively in the business world,

provided you do not break the law or ethical codes.

- Example: When a criminal attacked you and when defending yourself

you killed him. Your act is moral when defending yourself.

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 Utilitarianism
• Utilitarianism: do the most good for the society
regardless of the consequences to individual.

• Increase benefits and decrease harm.

(benefit) (importance) (harm) (importance)
i i j j
i j

Utilitarianism assumes:
 costs/benefits are measurable
 all those affected are included in the analysis.
 we can assign numerical values to intangibles such as beauty,
health, & life

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 Rights Theory
• Moral actions are those that equally respect each
human being.
• Not all rights are equally important.
• Rights hierarchy (from most important to least
important):
1. Rights to life, physical integrity, mental health.
2. Rights to maintain purposeful fulfillment (e.g.
right to not to be cheated or insulted).
3. Rights to Increase purposeful fulfillment (right to
self-respect, to nondiscrimination)

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 Virtue Ethics Theory
• The main massage in virtue theory is:
‘good actions come from good person’
Virtues are a set of acquired traits of character that enable a person to lead a good life. In
education, good life means academic success with satisfaction of employees, good
relations among all members of the institution, and the harmonious relations with all
stakeholders being equally important.

Features of Virtue Ethics

• We can only judge an individual on overall character, and not on the
basis of a single observed action.

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• Virtue theory looks at the context of an action.

• Virtue theory recognizes that our actions take place within communities
and have to be judged in those terms.

Code of Ethics
Why is it important to have code of ethics?
- Indicate dedication to professional behavior

- Recognition of professional responsibilities

- Create ethical environment

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 Researcher Ethical Principles
1. Protect the public safety, health, and welfare.
2. Be honest, do not fabricate, falsify, or misrepresent data.
3. Avoid using deceptive practices
4. Protect the environment.
5. Protect confidential information of clients or participants
6. Responsibility, collaborate with your team and transfer
knowledge for the benefit of the society
7. Legality, know and obey relevant laws and institutional and
governmental policies.
8. Maintain and improve your professional competence
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9. Avoid discrimination, in all forms, against colleagues or
students

Ethics Keywords
• Honesty • Equity
• Integrity • Responsibility
• Dignity • Privacy
• Fairness

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 NSPE Code of Ethics (Summarized version)
https://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics

1. Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and

welfare of the public.
2. Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their
abilities.
3. Engineers shall issue public statements only in an
objective and honest manner.

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4. Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees.
5. Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.
6. Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the
highest standards of honesty and integrity.
7. Engineers shall at all times strive to serve the public
interest.
8. Engineers shall avoid all conduct or practice that
deceives the public.

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9. Engineers shall not disclose, without consent, confidential
information concerning the business affairs or technical processes of
any present or former client or employer, or public body on which they
serve.
10.Engineers shall not be influenced in their professional duties by
conflicting interests.
11.Engineers shall not attempt to obtain employment or advancement
or professional engagements by untruthfully criticizing other
engineers, or by other improper or questionable methods.
12.Engineers shall not attempt to injure, maliciously or falsely, directly or
indirectly, the professional reputation, prospects, practice, or employment of
other engineers. Engineers who believe others are guilty of unethical or
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 illegal practice shall present such information to the proper authority for
action.
13.Engineers shall accept personal responsibility for their professional
activities, provided, however, that engineers may seek loss for services
arising out of their practice for other than gross negligence, where the
engineer's interests cannot otherwise be protected.
14.Engineers shall give credit for engineering work to those to whom credit is
due, and will recognize the politeness interests of others.

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Kamel Eid 23