Ethical Software Development
One of the most exciting times for an engineer is during conception and up front planning on a new project. Ideas dance in the mind of an engineer. A new project offers creative possibilities for job advancement, market success, design elegance, exploration, camaraderie and power over a problem. At first, engineers and their managers are motivated to consider the impact of new features and products. This paper explores some of the ethical landscape that the engineer may face in the creative stages of a software development project.
I want to explore ethical issues seen by a Western engineer working with Western engineers and also working with Offshore engineers. What issues would the engineer face with those in China? All prejudices aside, this paper attempts to uncover ethical issues that affects the engineers and the software product. A person may naturally experience some fears when faced with the prospect of jointly developing software with engineers located in a different country. To get an idea of what may happen, we will need to look beyond the “us” vs. “them” barrier and see people in their own context. I took this paper as an opportunity to learn about ethics from a Chinese perspective. The intent, however, is to find what has positive ethical effects.
Example Issues
High Technology: Sometimes a project will be started that requires a technology breakthrough or else a high level of creativity. Stresses from not making those discoveries will often test an engineer’s ability to make good, ethical decisions.
Software Process: The process is a required part of any discussion on software development. Software development occurs over many phases, requiring many different skills. The process is a management tool for making sure that everything gets accomplished. One issue with using a process is avoiding the tendency to over-regulate or bureaucratize the engineers and thus impact their sense of respect and positive responsibility. [[1]]
Global: The engineer may worry about the potential for delivering a shoddy software product from, cutting corners, the language barrier or any unequal standards of excellence. In addition, will engineers from either country experience a dilution of their moral foundation or feel like they are merely being exploited? It should be clear that ethical issues like these can effect engineers in any country. Global issues will be presented by contrasting the individual morality in the West vs. the relational morality in China.
Martin, M.W. and Schinzinger, R. (2005) Ethics in Engineering. 4th ed. New York: McGraw Hill.
For them the issue is to maximize the gains and minimize the losses, stemming from technology. For example, they focus upon the principal practitioners of technology, the engineers, and wish to examine the moral nature of
To clarify, the Engineering Code of Ethics is the set of rules established by the National Society of Professional Engineers that all engineers are expected to adhere to. In essence, the fundamental tenets of this code are that all engineers are expected to prioritize public safety, as well as be honest with their clients and the general public while only doing work that they are qualified to do. (“Code of Ethics,” n.d.). The reason this code is crucial in this case is because it offers guiding principles for the men and women who are in charge of so many of the various structures and buildings that are used by everyone in society. If the engineering population were to fail to adhere to this code, many people’s lives would be put in jeopardy; buildings might crumble, planes may crash, and bridges could collapse. This means that this code serves to keep engineers in check so that the world maintains stability, therefore its importance cannot be emphasized enough. Furthermore, since this code is nationally recognized, if a company’s engineers were to violate any aspect of it, it would be seen nation-wide as a misuse of power for the sake
In the end, in my opinion, science cannot solve a problem without creating a new one. There’s always going to be environmental and ethical issues associated with science and technology. As an engineer, he or she should have a critical attitude towards technology and science and always be cautious and aware of both the benefits and risks/costs.
In dealing with children and adolescents with ADHD one must be very particular about the interventions that are chosen for them. As previously stated a combination of interventions and medication is the best treatment for this diagnosis and an ongoing treatment is best. Some of the well-known interventions for ADHD are parent skills training, psychotherapy and behavioral therapy. Behavioral therapy and parent training can be used to motivate the child to modify their behavior and teach parents and children better ways to discipline as well as reward the child for good behaviors.
There are many obstacles to coming up with a good design for engineers. Taking an ethical approach, one should be able to assume that the design they asked for was given due diligence and put together by a team of professional engineers who live by the Code of Ethics for their professional organization.
Although, some engineers look at the advancements as improvements to society and no harm can be done. “There are two main reasons why Engineers often stray from their code of ethics. The first reason is because they are overconfident in their work, which in turn causes them to neglect things that might be wrong with it. They may overlook small mistakes or remain stubborn about their beliefs because they think highly of their education level. However, in engineering, these small mistakes might be the very thing that causes a disaster (e.g. the Challenger and
Poel, Ibo Van De, and Lambèr M. M. Royakkers. Ethics, Technology, and Engineering: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, 2011. Print.
A virtue is a trait believed to be morally good, and a vice is a trait believed to be morally wrong. Eventually, a person will make a decision and take action based on their virtues and vices. Therefore, it is virtues that help engineers reach their purpose and evaluate ethical behavior. This paper will attempt to generate a list of virtues that an engineer must possess in order to be regarded as virtuous. Before doing this, Aristotle’s virtue ethics, virtues of thought, and virtues of character will be explained.
In the paragraphs that follow you will be introduced to the Code of Ethics as outlined by IEEE, and what it means to its members. A comprehensive summarization will be provided for each guideline along with examples of how this code has been recently violated. The vast world of technology, as ever-changing as it is, can affect almost everyone in any aspect of life. This being the case it is important that we as students and engineers adhere to the guidelines set forth by the IEEE, and commit to conduct ourselves to act in a professional and ethical manner. While this is the conduct expected to be exemplified by the members of IEEE, many organizations and firms have similar codes to which they too expect their members to follow.
In conclusion, companies that seek to integrate into global markets usually encounter several problems because of the effect of globalization on business practices. The challenges originating from such integration is attributed to the differences in cultures in various societies across the globe. As evident in Google’s dilemma in China, there is no single set of universal ethics that are applicable to all settings and societies across the globe. Companies such as Google need to develop varying ethical standards that are relevant and appropriate to various nations and cultures in the world. This would enable the companies that are integrating into global markets to avoid ethical issues while maintaining effective business practices.
In the early years of computers and computerized technology, computer engineers had to believe that their contribution to the development of computer technology would produce positive impacts on the people that would use it. During the infancy of computer technology, ethical issues concerning computer technology were almost nonexistent because computers back then were not as multifaceted as they are today. However, ethical issues relating to computer technology and cyber technology is undeniable in today’s society. Computer technology plays a crucial role in all aspects of our daily lives. Different forms of computer technology provide unique functionalities that allow people to perform daily activities effectively and efficiently. In modern society, we use computer and cyber technology to communicate with friends and family via social networking sites, participate in business transactions, and get current news. Different tasks require unique technological feature in computer technology to function properly. Although, unique technological features increase people’s proficiency in accomplishing various tasks, unique technological features in computer and cyber technology increase security vulnerabilities. In many cases, the security vulnerabilities in computer technology are exploited by cybercriminals to invade people’s privacy, and steal people’s identity. We know that computers have no moral compass; they cannot make moral decisions for themselves. Essentially, people make moral decisions that affect others positively or negatively depending on how they use computer technology. Some of the biggest ethical issues facing people in the computing environment include privacy concerns on the web and identity theft. Privacy concerns...
Virtue ethics, which was systematized by Aristotle, helps define what it means to have a good life and what kind of person you should be in your life. Virtue ethics says that although you can work to develop traits, you must achieve your full potential in order to lead a virtuous life. While virtues have applications throughout your daily life and in many different professions, they are particularly relevant in engineering. Successful engineers need to reflect many different virtues in their actions, including being intelligent and hardworking. This paper defines Aristotle’s virtue ethics and how it is specifically applicable to engineers.
McLaren, B. (2010, July 22). The ethical responsibility of engineers and the rest of us, too [Web log article]. Retrieved from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/brian-d-mclaren/the-ethical-responsibilit_b_653812.html
9. Martin, M. W., & Schinzinger, R. (2010). Introduction to engineering ethics (2nd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill Higher Education.