GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES 1 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE GE1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES 2 MARKS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS UNIT - I 1. What are human values? Values decide the standard of behavior. Some universally accepted values are freedom justice and equality. Other principles of values are love, care, honesty, integrity, self respect. 2. What are ethical values? Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring is ethical values 3. Distinguish values from ethics and culture. Values are mainly related to individuals and since they are related to justice, they remain the some for every one. E.g. truth, honesty, empathy, self respect. Values do not change from individual to individual. Ethics is common to a group of individuals; the group may be religious or professional. Ethics is mostly based on some code or law and judgment of any action is based on code of conduct or law. Ethics change from individual to individual Culture commonly refers to conduct of a group. E.g system of worship, marriage It may differ from society to society, nation to nation or religion to religion. 4. What is integrity? Integrity is the unity of character based on moral values. Consistency in attitudes, emotions and conduct in relations to morally justified actions and values are also the part of integrity of individual. It implies honesty, trustworthiness. 5. Define work ethics By one’s work one cannot harm others. Any worker cannot escape accountability. Worker has the moral responsibility to see that no other person’s right, private or freedom is impaired or transgressed.
60
Embed
Professional ethics 2 mark & 16 mark question bank
This document is posted to help you gain knowledge. Please leave a comment to let me know what you think about it! Share it to your friends and learn new things together.
Transcript
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
1 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
GE1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
2 MARKS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNIT - I
1. What are human values?
Values decide the standard of behavior. Some universally accepted values are freedom
justice and equality. Other principles of values are love, care, honesty, integrity, self
respect.
2. What are ethical values?
Trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring is ethical values
3. Distinguish values from ethics and culture.
Values are mainly related to individuals and since they are related to justice, they remain the
some for every one. E.g. truth, honesty, empathy, self respect.
Values do not change from individual to individual. Ethics is common to a group of
individuals; the group may be religious or professional. Ethics is mostly based on some code
or law and judgment of any action is based on code of conduct or law. Ethics change from
individual to individual
Culture commonly refers to conduct of a group. E.g system of worship, marriage
It may differ from society to society, nation to nation or religion to religion.
4. What is integrity?
Integrity is the unity of character based on moral values. Consistency in attitudes, emotions
and conduct in relations to morally justified actions and values are also the part of integrity of
individual. It implies honesty, trustworthiness.
5. Define work ethics
By one’s work one cannot harm others. Any worker cannot escape accountability. Worker has
the moral responsibility to see that no other person’s right, private or freedom is impaired or
transgressed.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
2 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
6. What is service learning?
Service learning tells that one has moral responsibility to increase the desirable effects and to
decrease the harmful effects. Any service should increase the desirable result.
7. Mention some civic virtues?
Good citizen demand civic virtue. It is the principle of not harming the surroundings .it also
includes living peacefully, respect for others, protecting the environment and being normally
and ethically good.
8. Write short notes on caring and sharing.
Caring is the essence of moral life. Caring involves feelings, relationship, contends with other
persons and protecting others and causing least damage to others.
Sharing means sharing of feelings, ideas thoughts, resources and profits. Sharing is always
mutually beneficial. Sharing morally acceptable feelings, resources and materials is a value.
9. Write notes on honesty.
Any human being should imbibe honesty-honesty in acts, honesty in speech and honesty in
beliefs. Honesty is the fundamental virtue in human relationship even though in may be
difficult to follow some times.
10. What is courage as a value?
Courage implies self respect and governs confrontations with danger and risk. It is not
excessive rashes or cowardice, but it is the middle ground. Taking calculated risks and
boldness in facing crises are the hallmarks of courage as a human value. It defines the mental
make up of an individual in taking bold decisions even under adverse situations.
11. Define co-operation.
Co-operation means extending help to others, for a good cause. Co-operation may be through
an idea, a suggestion, an assistance or physical work which extends to others for common
benefit.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
3 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
12. Define empathy.
Empathy means putting self in a position of someone else and thinking as the later and
reasoning suitable action.
13. Define spirituality.
Spirituality raises a man above the materialistic world into a realm where he seeks peace and
real happiness.
14. Define Integrity?
Integrity is the bridge between responsibility in private and professional life.
15. Define Compromise?
In a negative sense it means to undetermined integrity by violating one’s fundamental
moral principles.
In a positive sense, however, it means to settle differences by mutual concessions or to
reconcile conflicts through adjustments in attitude and conduct.
2. What do u understand by the term moral dilemma? Differentiate with moral
autonomy.
MORAL:
• Refers only to personal behavior.
• Refers to any aspect of human action.
• Social conventions about right or wrong conduct
Moral dilemmas are kind of situations where a difficult choice has to be made. The
sorts of complexity and murkiness that may be involved in moral situations are,
♣ Vagueness
♣ Conflicting reasons
♣ Disagreement
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
43 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
The steps in confronting Moral Dilemmas:
� Identify the relevant moral factors and reasons.
� Gather all available facts that are pertinent to the moral factors involved.
� Rank the moral considerations in order of importance as they apply to the situation.
� Consider alternative courses of actions as ways of resolving dilemma, tracing the full
implications of each.
� Get suggestions and alternative perspectives on the dilemma.
� By weighing all the relevant moral factors and reasons in light of the facts, produce a
reasoned judgment.
Moral autonomy:
� Self-determining
� Independent
� Personal Involvement
� Exercised based on the moral concern for other people and
recognition of good moral reasons
3. Briefly explain the three main levels of moral development, developed by Laurence
Kohlberg.
Reference-Professional ethics and human values by Dr.K.R. Govindan
S.Senthil kumar
Page number-1.14
Answer:
Level Stage Social orientation
Pre-conventional 1
2
Obedience and Punishment
Individualism, instrumentalism and exchange
Conventional 3
4
Good boy/Good girl
Law and Order
Post-conventional 5
6
Social contract
Principled conscience
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
44 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
4. How did Gilligan recast Kohlberg’s level of moral development?
Answer:
Kohlberg gives greater emphasis to recognizing rights and abstract universal rules.
Gilligan stresses the importance of maintaining personal relationships based on mutual
caring.
Reference-Professional ethics and human values by Dr.K.R. Govindan
S.Senthil kumar
Page number-1.16
Stage Goal
Pre-conventional Goal is individual survival
Conventional Self-sacrifice is goodness
Post-conventional Principle of nonviolence-do not hurt
others
5. Explain with examples the various ethical theory available for “right of action”
Reference: Professional ethics and human values by Dr.K.R. Govindan
S.Senthil kumar
Page number-1.33- 1.46
Answer:
Theories about right action:
Utilitarianism :most good for the most people
(Act utilitarianism and Rule utilitarianism)
Duty ethics :duties to respect persons
Rights ethics :human rights
Virtue ethics :virtues and vices
Drawbacks of Utilitarianism:
☺ Sometimes what is best for the community as a whole is bad for certain individuals in
the community.
☺ It is often impossible to know in advance which decision will lead to the most good.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
45 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
Drawback of Duty Ethics:
� Duty ethics does not always lead to a solution which maximizes the public good.
Drawbacks of Rights Ethics:
� How do we prioritize the rights of different individuals?
� It often promotes the rights of individuals at the expense of large groups / society.
Uses of ethical theories:
*Resolving moral dilemmasss
*Justifying moral obligations
*Relating professional and ordinary morality
6. Discuss in detail about Self-interest, Customs and Religion.
Answer:
Self-interest:
Ethical egoism— it says that the sole duty of an individual is to maximize his/her own
Good.
Customs:
Ethical relativism— Ethical relativism says that actions are morally right when law or custom
approves them; they are wrong when they violate laws or customs.
Ethical pluralism— Ethical pluralism says that there may be alternative moral perspectives
that are reasonable, but no one of which must be accepted completely by all rational and
morally concerned persons.
Descriptive relativism — the statement that beliefs about values differ from culture to culture.
Moral relationalism — the view that moral judgments should be made in relation to factors
that may vary from case to case.
Religion:
Divine command ethics-it says that an act is right means it is commanded by God, and to say
it is wrong means it is forbidden by God.
Christianity--virtues of hope, faith and love.
Judaism --virtue of righteousness
Buddhism --virtue of compassion
God centered religion (theistic)—Judaism, Christianity, Islam.
Not emphasizing belief in God (non-theistic)—Buddhism-call for faith in Right path.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
46 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
Unit III
1. i. Engineering projects can be viewed as social experiments. Compare them with
standard experiments. In what ways are they similar and how do they differ?
ii. What are the four features of engineers as ‘Responsible Experimenters’? Describe the
contemporary threats?
P.No. 80 to 87 Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
P.No. 89 to95 Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
2.i. Describe the roles of “Codes of Ethics” of various professional engineering societies?
Indicate the relative importance of the various categories of these roles.
ii. What are the limitations of these codes?
iii. List in brief the codes of ethics of the “Institution of Engineers (India)”?
P.No. 106 to 109- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
P.No. 109 to 111- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
P.No. 408 to 414- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
3. Explain Babylon’s Building Code & The United States Steamboat Code?
P.No. 114 to 115- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
4.. Discuss the Industrial Standards?
P.No. 117 to 118- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
5. i. Explain the problems with the law in engineering?
ii. Explain the proper role of law in engineering?
P.No. 118 to 121- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
6. How do the functions of standards, regulations and laws differ from one another in their
effects on engineering products and practice?
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
47 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
7. Explain Challenger case and then examine about the disaster if and how the principal actors
in this tragedy behaved as responsible experimenters within the framework of the
engineering-as-experimentation model? Under what conditions would you say it is safe to
launch a shuttle without an escape mechanism for the crew? Discuss the role of the astronauts
in shuttle safety. To what extent should they have involved themselves more actively in
looking for safety design or operations?
P.No. 96 to 104- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
8.. Should owners of passenger cars be protected against extensive front-end damage to their
cars when they or other authorized drivers back-end trucks or high-riding off-road vehicles
that have incompatible (or no) bumpers? Are these standards governing bumper location?
What do they say, and are they enforced?
9. A common excuse for carrying out a morally questionable project is “If I don’t do it
somebody else will.” This rationale may be tempting for engineers who typically work in
situations where someone else might be ready to replace them in on a project. Do you view it
as a legitimate excuse for engaging in projects that might be unethical? Comment on the
concept of responsible conduct developed?
10. Engineering and medical practice are intimately linked in medical engineering. Its
products range from artificial limbs and organs to heart pacers and x-ray machines. Its
engineers and medical experts are experimenters with excellent track records, but failures do
occur. For example, the State University of New York at Albany admitted that its psychology
department had conducted electroshock experiments on patients who were not given fair
explanation of risks and whose consent had not been obtained. The machine itself was unsafe.
Discuss the ethical implications of this case.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
48 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
1. Write short notes on Trade secrets, Patents, Trademarks, Copyrights?
A Trade secret is a secret formula, pattern, or device that is used in a business and provides a
commercial advantage. Trade secrets are formulas, patterns, devices, or compilations of information,
which are used in business to gain an advantage over competitors who do not possess the trade secret.
Trade secrets must not be in the public domain and the secrecy must be protected by the firm, because
trade secrets are not protected by patents.
Patents are documents issued by the government that allow the owner of the patent to exclude
others from making use of the patented information for twenty years from the date of filing. To obtain
a patent, the invention must be new, useful, and non-obvious.
Trademarks are words, phrases, designs, sounds or symbols associated with goods or services.
Copyrights are rights to creative products such as books, pictures, graphics, sculpture, music,
movies, and computer programs. It protects the expression of the ideas, but not the ideas themselves.
2. Define Whistle Blowing?
Whistle-blowing is alerting relevant persons to some moral or legal corruption, where
“relevant persons” are those in a position to act in response, if only by registering protest. i.e. the
employee disclosure of an employer’s illegal or illegitimate practices to persons or organizations that
may be able to take corrective actions. The conditions to be met for whistle-blowing are
e. Need
f. Proximity
g. Capability
h. Last resort
3.How does the engineer act to safeguard the public from risk?
� Provide the background material to support or to prove the faulty positions and actively
take part in the debate.
� Act as the model of a science court.
� Record the statistics with caution i.e. give reasonable numbers.
� Measure the risks and benefits on a relative scale rather than absolute scale
4.Give the criteria which helps to ensure a safety design?
� The minimum requirement is that a design must comply with the applicable laws.
� An acceptable design must meet the standard of “accepted engineering practice.”
� Alternative designs that are potentially safer must be explored.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
49 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
� Engineer must attempt to foresee potential misuses of the product by the consumer and must
design to avoid these problems.
� Once the product is designed, both the prototypes and finished devices must be rigorously
tested.
5.How will an engineer assess the safety?
The risks connected to a project or product must be identified.
The purposes of the project or product must be identified and ranked in importance.
Costs of reducing risks must be estimated.
The costs must be weighed against both organizational goals and degrees of
acceptability of risks to clients and the public.
The project or product must be tested and then either carried out or manufactured.
6.Explain in detail about Safety & Risk?
P.No.129-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
7 Explain the effect of information on risk assessment?
P.No.134-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
8.Conduct Fault Tree Analysis for the Water System?
P.No.149-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
9.Explain the assessment of Safety & Risk?
P.No.141-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
10.Explain RBA? How will you reduce Risk?
P.No.153-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
11.Explain Three Mile Island Case?
P.No.168-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
12.Explain Chernobyl Case?
P.No.173-Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
13.Explain Collegiality & Loyalty?
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
50 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
P.No.189- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
14.Discuss about the respect for authority?
P.No.196- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
15.Explain Collective Bargaining?
P.No.202- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
Unit-V
1. Enumerate the code of ethics of engineers?
� Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the
performance of their professional duties.
� Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence.
� Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
� Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful agents or
trustees, and shall avoid conflicts of interest.
� Engineers shall build their professional reputation on the merit of their services and shall
not compete unfairly with others.
� Engineers shall act in such a manner as to uphold and enhance the honor, integrity and
dignity of the profession.
� Engineers shall continue their professional development throughout their careers and shall
provide opportunities for the professional development of those engineers under their
supervision.
2. Explain the Bhopal Plant Case?
P.No.299- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
3. Discuss about Environmental Ethics?
P.No.304- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
4. Describe about Computer Ethics?
P.No.319- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
5. Write a note on Weapon Development?
P.No.332- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
6. Explain how should engineers act as managers, consultants, leaders?
P.No.350, 359, 375- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
51 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
7. Explain how should engineers act as expert witnesses & advisers?
P.No.367- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
8. Explain the various Global Issues?
P.No.290- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
9. Explain the various Sample Code of Conduct?
P.No.397- Engineering Ethics – Mike W. Martin & Roland Schinzinger
� ABET
� AAES
� NSPE
� IEEE
� CSI
� ASME
� ASCE
� Institute of Engineers
� Indian Institute of Materials Management
� IETE, India
� Other Professional Societies…
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
52 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
GE1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
2 MARKS QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
UNIT – V
25. What is meant by moral leadership?
� Whenever the goals of a leader become permissible and also morally valuable, it is
known as moral leadership.
� Moral leadership also means that employing morally acceptable ways to motivate
the groups to move towards morally desirable ways. The ways are depending on the
situations.
26. What are the questions that arise while considering the voluntary service in the field of
Engineering?
The following questions arise:
� should engineering profession encourage rendering voluntary services with out
fees or at moderate fees?
� Do the engineering professional societies really need this?
27. What is code of ethics?
o Code of ethics is a frame work for arriving at good ethical choices.
o The code of ethics establishes a frame work for ethical judgment for any
profession.
o A code of ethics does not develop new moral principles.
28. What are the common features involved in the code of ethics for Engineers?
� Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health and welfare of the public in the
performance of their professional duties.
� Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence.
�Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.
�Engineers shall act in professional matters for each employer or client as faithful
agents or trustees.
�Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts in the solicitation of professional employment.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
53 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
29. Differentiate eyewitness and expert witness?
30. What is the need for Honesty?
Honesty is necessary to avoid deceiving and to be frank in giving all the relevant facts.
It is also necessary to be truthful in interpreting the facts. Honesty in technical data is
essential to be honest in engineer’s role and for the values guiding his studies.
31. What is meant by Competence?
Competence means being well trained and having proper experience in the relevant
field and also having the required additional skills planning and policy making.
32. What does Diligence mean?
Diligence means carrying out the given job carefully and in a prompt way.
33. Define Loyalty?
Loyalty refers to serving the interests of the clients. It includes avoiding conflicts of
interests maintaining confidentiality and expressing concern for the interest of the clients.
34. What is the basic ethical and moral responsibility of a manager-engineer?
Ethical responsibility:
The basic ethical responsibilities of managers are to produce a good product or
valuable service, only after taking into consideration maintaining respect for human
beings, which includes customers, employees and the general public.
Moral responsibility:
As managers, engineer’s moral responsibility is to produce safe and useful products
that are also profitable.
Eye Witnesses Expert Witnesses
Eyewitnesses give evidences in the court
about what they have seen actually.
Expert witnesses are allowed larger
freedom in giving evidence on facts in
there areas of expertise on explaining
facts in commenting on the views of the
expert witnesses of the opposite side and
also in reporting on the professional
standards
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
54 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
35. .What is the different ways to create an ethical climate?
The following are the ways to create an ethical climate:
• Ethical values must be accepted and appreciated by the managers and employees with its
full complicated features.
• The sincere use of ethical language has to be recognized as a justifiable part of the
company.
• The management has to create a strong confidence among the employees that the
management is more serious about ethics by establishing moral tone in words, in policies
and also by personal example.
• The management has to establish some procedures for resolving conflicts.
36. What are the important forms of conflicts that may arise for an engineering project
manager?
The important forms of conflicts that may arise for an engineering project manager
are,
� Conflicts based on schedules.
� Conflicts which arises in evolving the importance of projects and the department.
� Conflicts based on availability of personal for a project.
� Conflicts over technical matters.
� Conflicts which arises due to administrative procedure.
� Conflicts of personality.
� Conflicts over cost or expenditure.
37. What are the principles for conflict resolution?
The following are the principles for conflict resolution:
� People must be separated from the problem
� Focus must be only on interest and not on positions
� Various options must be generated
� An evolution criteria should be established
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
55 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
38. Who are referred as consulting engineers?
Consulting engineers are those involved in private practice. For the services rendered
by them, they will be paid some fees. They won’t be compensated by salaries from
employers. They are the sole employer of their practice. So they have greater freedom to
take decisions on the tasks undertaken by them.
39. What are the rules framed by NSPE in case of professional advertisements?
The rules framed by NSPE (National Society of Professional Engineers) in case of
professional advertisements are as follows:
� The use of statements containing a material misrepresentation of fact or omitting a
material fact necessary to keep the statement from being misleading.
� Statements intended or likely to create an unjustified expectation.
� Statements containing prediction of future success.
� Statements containing an opinion as to the quality of the engineer’s services.
Statements intended or likely to attract clients by the use of slogans, jingles or sensational
language format.
40. What do you mean by appropriate technology?
Appropriate technology means identification, transformation and implementation of the
most suitable technology for a new set of conditions.
41. What are the ill effects of acid rain?
Bacteria’s that are essential for life systems to be active are killed.
High acidity results in reduced growth and killing of fishes.
Vanishing of greenery and destruction of forests.
Germination of seeds is affected affecting the growth of trees.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
56 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
42. What do you mean by technology transfer?
Technology transfer is a process of changing the technology to a new setting and
implementing it. Technology includes hardware such as machines and installations as well
as techniques such as technical, organizational and managerial skills and procedures.
43. What are the ethical issues or questions that arise in environmental protection?
Often the questions that arise in the ethical issues are,
Who is affecting?
Who are affected?
Does the environment gets disturbed?
When do the disturbances takes place and how does it happen?
44. Quote some examples of pollution that spoiled the environment?
Some examples of pollution that affected the environment are Bhopal gas tragedy,
Chernobyl nuclear plant explosion, Artificial rains, Meuse valley disaster at Belgium,
Oleum gas leak in Delhi, HPCL disaster in Vizag, Donova (USA)steel and chemical plant
disaster, Tehri Dam in U. P. state, etc.
45. What is computer ethics?
Computers contribute to a variety of moral problems. In order to evaluate and
act appropriately with such problems, a new field of applied ethics termed as ‘computer
ethics’ has been developed.
46. Give any ten commandments of computer ethics?
f. Don’t use a computer to harm other people.
g. Don’t interfere with other people’s computer works.
h. Don’t snoop around in other people’s computer files.
i. Don’t use a computer to steal.
j. Don’t use a computer to bear false witness.
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
57 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
47. What is hacking?
When computers are the main objects of an unethical act, it will create some
ethical issues. This kind of act is called hacking.
48. What is autonomous computer?
The autonomy of computers means the ability of computer to make
decisions without the interference of human beings. This autonomous function of
computers creates a lot of implication.
49. What are professional issues of using computers?
d. Computers failures
e. Computer implementation
f. Health conditions
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
58 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
Part – B (16 marks)
1. Explain Gilligan’s theory of moral development?
1.(a) What is meant by professional responsibility and discuss the theories about virtues? Or
(b) Explain Moral disagreement, moral absolutism, moral relativism and moral pluralism? 2.(a) What are the aspects of engineering that make it appropriate to view engineering projects as experiments?
Or (b) Describe in detail the concept of ‘Risk-Benefit Analysis’. 3.(a) What is the importance of loyalty and collegiality in team work?
Or (b) Discuss the ways and means of reducing occupational crime in industries? 4.(a) What is meant by computer ethics?
Or (b) Discuss an engineer’s involvement in weapons work.
5.i. Name, and very briefly each of the four ‘Ethical Theories’ (Theories about Right Action). ii. Apply any three of these theories in resolving the following moral problem. Find if these theories lead to the same or different answers to the problem, and make your judgment about the right action. Building of large dams across rivers, often leads to great benefit to the society, by providing stable supplies of irrigation and drinking water, flood control, power generation and recreational opportunities. However, these benefits often come at the cost of people who live in areas that will be flooded by the dam. They lose their homes, livelihood and are subjected to the trauma of drastic changes in their lives. It may also result in loss of prime forest, loss of already endangered species though with no current economic value, and loss of cultural treasures of historic value, which are going to be submerged. 6.a.i. Engineering projects (taken in their totality) can be viewed as social experiments. Compare them with standard experiments. In what ways are they similar and how do they differ? (10) ii. What are the four features of engineers as ‘Responsible Experimenters’? Describe very briefly the contemporary threats to any two of them. (6)
Or 6.b.i. Write a note on Risk-Benefit Analysis, including its conceptual difficulties? (6) ii. Take any example of an engineered system in your area of specialization,. Construct fault tree analysis staring with the system failure at the top and working down to failures in various sub-systems, components, and outside factors or events that could have caused the problem. One or more events can be shown to be the cause for the event at the next level. Don’t use the example given in the textbook. (10) 7.a.i. Describe the roles of “Codes of Ethics” of various professional engineering services. Indicate the relative importance of the various categories of these roles? (8) ii. What are the limitations of these codes? (3) iii. List in brief the Codes of Ethics of the ‘Institution of Engineers (India)’? (5)
Or 7.b.i. Describe the ethical issues arising out of the multinational operation of co-operations. Illustrate the relevant ones using disaster at the Union Carbide plant at Bhopal, as an example?(8) ii. Describe briefly the human-centric and eco-centric approaches to environmental ethics, and how engineers can deal with problems associated with environmental issues? (8) 8.a.i. Describe four important responsibilities of engineers to employees? (8) ii. List the rights of engineers as employees. Describe one most important right? (4) iii. Following is an example of conflict of interest between an employer and an employee. Explore it. (4) Workers at a company are on strike over ‘unsafe’ working conditions. But, this claim, by the workers, is disputed by the company. The company offered to pay its engineers overtime and bonus to work during the workers strike. One of the engineers, whom the company considers to be part of the ‘management’, believes that the conditions ‘may’ be unsafe as the workers complain. But the extra money he gets through overtime and bonus could help him to clear some of the pending bills or to use as down payment for the car that he has been thinking to buy for a long time. There is also a fear that he may be fired if does not work. What should he do and why?
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
59 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
Or 9.b.i. Define ‘Whistle-Blowing’ and name its different types? (4) ii. Which are the conditions that must be met for Whistle-Blowing to be morally acceptable? Also, what are the ways by which management can ethically prevent Whistle-Blowing’? (8) iii. Examine the following and see if it is a right situation for Whistle-Blowing? (4) A young engineer felt that the level of pollutants her company is pouring into a stream is dangerously high, considering the fact that children are using the river downstream for swimming. She expresses her view to her immediate supervisor. He said that her fears are baseless because the pollution caused no complaints in the past. Is she required to do more? 10.a.i. What do you understand by Moral Autonomy? Explain how it can be compatible (not in conflict) with consensus and authority, in the workplace, while on an engineering project? (6) ii. State the six steps necessary in approaching (confronting) a moral dilemma? (6) iii. Describe the three levels of moral development as suggested by Lawrence Kohlberg. To which level does a morally autonomous engineer belong? (4)
Or 10.b.i. How are safety and risk defined? (4) ii. Write a note on how public assess risk, using their-own perception. The factors, which influence the risk perception by the public, should be part of the answer. (4) iii. To achieve an optimal design, the engineer should have knowledge about the uncertainties associated with his design. Briefly describe all the methods by which an engineer can deal with these ncertainties towards minimizing risk. (8)
11.i) Briefly explain, some of the most commonly discussed cases of computer abuse (6) ii) What is technology transfer and appropriate technology? (6) iii) What are the areas, which illustrate some of the special responsibilities of consulting engineers? (4) 12.a) What are the important problems in Moral dilemmas? What are the main levels of moral development in the theories proposed by Lawrence Kohlberg and Carol Gilligan? Explain each one with an example?
OR
12.b) i) What are the functions and limitations of “Codes of Ethics”? (8) ii) Is code of Ethics different from code of conduct? Explain. (8) 13.a) In the late 1960s. Ford designed a small car Pinto and brought it into market at a rapid pace. The gas tank was between the rear axle and the bumper. The prescribed rear impact tests have been conducted and the design was found to be alright. The gas tank caught fire at an impact very marginally higher that the value stipulated in the impact test. Ford engineers calculated that paying the insurance claims of the accident victims would be much cheaper than changing the design at that stage. What responsibilities do engineers have in situations like this? Is it appropriate to undertake safety improvement at any cost?
OR
13.b) i) Explain in detail the effect of information on risk assessment? (8) ii) Describe the concept of risk benefit analysis? (8) 14.a) Many accidents are caused by using cellular phones white driving. The risk of accident is four times greater when the driver is using the cell phone. This is the same as driving the car drunk. 23 countries have banned the use of cell phone while driving. Cell phones and the means of mounting them in automobiles are designed by engineers. What responsibility do engineers have regarding this problem?
OR
14.b) i What is an Intellectual Property Right? (2) ii) Discuss briefly the various forms of Intellectual Property Rights? (14) 15.a) i) Write briefly on the sequence of events that occurred during the launch of the Challenger space ship? (8) ii) Write briefly how the challenger disaster can be observed as a poor ethical episode with respect to the acts of (8)
GE 1301- PROFESSIONAL ETHICS & HUMAN VALUES
60 DEPARTMENT OF EEE, NICE
1) deliberate deception 2) failure to seek out the truth 3) allowing one’s judgment to be corrupted 4) engineers with no right to free speech
OR
15.b) A country engineer in Virginia demanded a 25% kickback in secret payments for highway works contract he issued. Allan Kammerer, a young Vice-President of a struggling consulting firm agreed to this condition. Allan cited that bringing work to his concern and retaining his employees is the main reason for the decision. Discuss the Normative or moral issues involved in this case.