Ethics in Engineering - A Story, as Told by Thomas Phillips

Thomas Phillips
Essay 5 – Ethics in the Engineering Process
19 February 2008

Ethics is a very important issue in terms of engineering. Engineers are entrusted with the safety and well-being of millions of people. Any concerns of an ethical nature should be fully investigated and thought out before any plan goes into effect.

Percy O. Sullivan makes microwaves. He has been in the industry for ten years, has shown some resilience in the market, and emerged as a true competitor. To get a better edge on the competition, POS Microwaves decides to try to cut their overhead by saving money on parts. Percy assembles a team of engineers to research the matter and present their findings to him so that he can make an informed decision. There are big perks in it for the employee who finds the best cost savings.

Laura is in charge of finding a replacement door for the POS Microwave. She has narrowed it down to two choices: one which costs a whole dollar less than the current one, and another which is a mere 10 cents less. She conducts trials and finds some interesting facts. The much cheaper door melts after 20 minutes of continuous microwaving. The plastic melts, bubbles, and explodes outward, spraying whoever is standing within a 10 foot radius of the blast with molten hot plastic. The other door is rated for 60 minutes of microwaving before the same thing happens. Laura is faced with making the decision. She weighs her options: on one side, she rationalizes that no one will ever leave the microwave running that long uninterrupted in real life anyway, so the cheaper door may be a suitable alternative. On the other hand, it is always best to err on the side of caution; assume that anything that can go wrong will go wrong. Knowing all of this, Laura still goes with the cheaper door. Within the first week of this unit’s release, the company has 16 lawsuits to deal with, and the POS Microwave is quickly recalled.

Mark is the heading up the initiative to find a new power supply for the POS Microwave. He has done the appropriate research, conducted trials, and narrowed it down to three choices. The first one costs much less, but does not perform satisfactorily, so he decides against it. The next candidate met all the criteria, and was at a slight cost-savings. And the third contender costs slightly more than all of them, performs just as good as number 2, but the company is owned by Mark’s nephew. Mark knows that this would raise the issues of nepotism, which is a major ethical concern, so he decides to go with the second power supply. Mr. Sullivan gives Mark a raise and a promotion over the entire power supply department.

Amazingly, Laura is not fired. It turns out that Mr. Sullivan was having sexual relations with Laura the entire time she was employed there. As a matter of fact, that is how she got the job; her degree is in General Tomfoolery from Sumdum University. Mr. Sullivan’s judgment on this matter is highly unethical. Lucky for him, he and Laura have managed to keep their relationship a secret.

Later, Mark suggests that they buy his nephew’s small business, and the boss agrees. The company grows exponentially, and they all live happily ever after.