Ethics Essay
When we speak of ethics, we speak of behaviors that a person decides to make based on moral principles. Ethics in a way is a philosophical idea in which we decide what is wrong or right. So what is the purpose of having or following a “Code of Ethics”? Do we truly know what wrong and right are, and are there other situations in which our own personal ethics conflict with the organization with whom you are affiliated with?
Ethics is a way to conduct oneself in an expected manner in regards to a certain culture. That culture decides what is wrong and what is right. Sometimes these cultures can be dangerous like religious extremism or it can be a well known organization that provides products to the masses and must hold a standard to maintain a certain amount of respect from its consumers. The purpose of ethics is dependent on the culture; if it is a public entity, or a place of business their ethics may be to help keep the public safe whether that means creating products that aren’t harmful to the environment or if it is a judicial court; making decisions that benefit the good of all. What happens when you are personally involved in an ethical situation? How would you handle it?
As a military veteran, I encountered many ethical situations. The ones that stood out the most were situations in which people’s own personal worth were violated. These were acts of discrimination; race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and national origin. The military consists of people from all walks of life that may or may not have encountered one another. There exists a lot of tension when differences are so apparent, and I believe it is within human nature to feel threatened when faced with the unfamiliar---but that does not mean that we should act hostile towards one another. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy at the time also did not help matters but only fueled the situation as trained military are expected to follow orders. In the situations that I’ve encountered, many of these people were my friends and colleagues. Human relationships can be very complex, and I was faced with following orders thus risking the career of someone I know, or keeping the situation a secret. Instead, I chose not to do either as both were a complete violation of my own personal ethics. What I chose to do instead is to take care of the situation at a lower level with all parties involved. It was about bringing to the table the real problem and exploring it. The human element of ethics can be messy and sometimes the ethics put in place does not work. The ability to have empathy in these situations can keep the situation from escalating and can be a rewarding learning experience for all.
A case study following carmaker Volkswagen involved them cheating on emissions test. A device was put in place to make sure that legal amounts of emissions were being measured when in reality the amount was beyond what was legal thus violating public safety and the environment. The case also mentions that certain employees knew about the device but did not report it, an internal investigation was launched, and a descendent of the founder was also involved. All of these situations are violations of the IEEE Code of Ethics. As an engineer, the technology we create should not deceive our consumers or threaten the safety or welfare of the public or the environment. Volkswagen pushed the responsibilities from the top down, at first denying any knowledge of the device, while other employees were well aware. A conflict of interest exists when the company decided to launch their own internal investigation and had a descendent of the founder deny such claims. Our group was able to point out these violations and decided that the most effective way to prevent this situation was to report the device before the vehicles were distributed. This means the employees who knew about the device should have been responsible and critical about the product they were distributing. The situation could have been taken care of internally while still adhering to a code of ethics, thus avoiding a public fiasco.
In relation to the case, the three virtues from the Virtue of Ethics that I think is relevant to the case is integrity, honesty, and responsibility; numbers 1, 2, and 5, respectively. These are major virtues that were violated by Volkswagen. The definitions are as follows as defined from the Virtue of Ethics:
INTEGRITY
Integrity may be thought of as a moral uprightness and being of strong moral principle and ethics, as well as exercising good and ethical judgement in your field of practice.
HONESTY
Honesty is perhaps the pinnacle of all virtues you can have for yourself. Honesty is comprised of truthfulness, fairness, sincerity, and openness. If you are honest with yourself in all aspects of your life, honesty will carry over into your professional life as well.
RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility is accountability, trustworthiness, dependability, reliability, and recognizing a personal and moral obligation to act for the good of others.
The integrity of the company was compromised as they decided to distribute vehicles that cheated on emissions tests, thus deceiving their consumers. I personally would not trust a company who so willingly decided that cheating on an emissions test was more important than the safety of the public and environment. Honesty was compromised when the company first denied ever knowing what happened. Finally, it is the responsibility of the company to make sure that what they distribute is reliable for the consumer and the environment. The Volkswagen case, unfortunately, is an example of a violation of ethics. Hopefully, their situation helps set the example for the responsibilities a public entity should be conducting themselves in.
Ethics comes in various forms. Whether it is personal or business, the ability to understand your own ethics and our place of work’s ethics is an invaluable skill. This ability helps create a more inclusive environment while at the same time holds ourselves responsible in how we conduct ourselves around or towards others. Though ethics is generally described as knowing right from wrong, there are some cases where empathy may be a higher form of ethics as we deal with our fellow human beings.
Ethics is a way to conduct oneself in an expected manner in regards to a certain culture. That culture decides what is wrong and what is right. Sometimes these cultures can be dangerous like religious extremism or it can be a well known organization that provides products to the masses and must hold a standard to maintain a certain amount of respect from its consumers. The purpose of ethics is dependent on the culture; if it is a public entity, or a place of business their ethics may be to help keep the public safe whether that means creating products that aren’t harmful to the environment or if it is a judicial court; making decisions that benefit the good of all. What happens when you are personally involved in an ethical situation? How would you handle it?
As a military veteran, I encountered many ethical situations. The ones that stood out the most were situations in which people’s own personal worth were violated. These were acts of discrimination; race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and national origin. The military consists of people from all walks of life that may or may not have encountered one another. There exists a lot of tension when differences are so apparent, and I believe it is within human nature to feel threatened when faced with the unfamiliar---but that does not mean that we should act hostile towards one another. The “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy at the time also did not help matters but only fueled the situation as trained military are expected to follow orders. In the situations that I’ve encountered, many of these people were my friends and colleagues. Human relationships can be very complex, and I was faced with following orders thus risking the career of someone I know, or keeping the situation a secret. Instead, I chose not to do either as both were a complete violation of my own personal ethics. What I chose to do instead is to take care of the situation at a lower level with all parties involved. It was about bringing to the table the real problem and exploring it. The human element of ethics can be messy and sometimes the ethics put in place does not work. The ability to have empathy in these situations can keep the situation from escalating and can be a rewarding learning experience for all.
A case study following carmaker Volkswagen involved them cheating on emissions test. A device was put in place to make sure that legal amounts of emissions were being measured when in reality the amount was beyond what was legal thus violating public safety and the environment. The case also mentions that certain employees knew about the device but did not report it, an internal investigation was launched, and a descendent of the founder was also involved. All of these situations are violations of the IEEE Code of Ethics. As an engineer, the technology we create should not deceive our consumers or threaten the safety or welfare of the public or the environment. Volkswagen pushed the responsibilities from the top down, at first denying any knowledge of the device, while other employees were well aware. A conflict of interest exists when the company decided to launch their own internal investigation and had a descendent of the founder deny such claims. Our group was able to point out these violations and decided that the most effective way to prevent this situation was to report the device before the vehicles were distributed. This means the employees who knew about the device should have been responsible and critical about the product they were distributing. The situation could have been taken care of internally while still adhering to a code of ethics, thus avoiding a public fiasco.
In relation to the case, the three virtues from the Virtue of Ethics that I think is relevant to the case is integrity, honesty, and responsibility; numbers 1, 2, and 5, respectively. These are major virtues that were violated by Volkswagen. The definitions are as follows as defined from the Virtue of Ethics:
INTEGRITY
Integrity may be thought of as a moral uprightness and being of strong moral principle and ethics, as well as exercising good and ethical judgement in your field of practice.
HONESTY
Honesty is perhaps the pinnacle of all virtues you can have for yourself. Honesty is comprised of truthfulness, fairness, sincerity, and openness. If you are honest with yourself in all aspects of your life, honesty will carry over into your professional life as well.
RESPONSIBILITY
Responsibility is accountability, trustworthiness, dependability, reliability, and recognizing a personal and moral obligation to act for the good of others.
The integrity of the company was compromised as they decided to distribute vehicles that cheated on emissions tests, thus deceiving their consumers. I personally would not trust a company who so willingly decided that cheating on an emissions test was more important than the safety of the public and environment. Honesty was compromised when the company first denied ever knowing what happened. Finally, it is the responsibility of the company to make sure that what they distribute is reliable for the consumer and the environment. The Volkswagen case, unfortunately, is an example of a violation of ethics. Hopefully, their situation helps set the example for the responsibilities a public entity should be conducting themselves in.
Ethics comes in various forms. Whether it is personal or business, the ability to understand your own ethics and our place of work’s ethics is an invaluable skill. This ability helps create a more inclusive environment while at the same time holds ourselves responsible in how we conduct ourselves around or towards others. Though ethics is generally described as knowing right from wrong, there are some cases where empathy may be a higher form of ethics as we deal with our fellow human beings.