Engineering Ethics

Notes collected and gathered by:

Subhrajit Majumder
(All of the notes originally belong to different websites and books so please dont try and steal those.)

1. What are human values? Values decide the standard of behaviour. 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 and caring are 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 same for everyone. (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, 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. 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. 6. 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. 7. 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 is the of feelings, ideas thoughts, resources and profits. Sharing is always mutually beneficial. Sharing morally acceptable feelings, resources and materials is a value. 8. 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. 9. 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.

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 makeup of an individual in taking bold decisions even under adverse situations. 11. Define empathy. Empathy means putting self in a position of someone else and thinking as the later and reasoning suitable action. 12. Define spirituality. Spirituality raises a man above the materialistic world into a realm where he seeks peace and real happiness. 13. Define Integrity? Integrity is the bridge between responsibility in private and professional life. 14. Define Compromise? In a negative sense it means to undetermined integrity by violating ones 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. 15. Give the two aspects of Honesty? Truthfulness meeting responsibilities concerning truth -telling. Trustworthiness Meeting responsibilities concerning trust. 16. Differentiate self-respect and self-esteem? Self-respect: It is a moral concept; refers to the virtue properly valuing oneself. Self-esteem: It is a psychological concept; means having a positive attitude toward oneself, even if the attitude is excessive or otherwise unwarranted. 17. Define Ethics? Study of right or wrong. Good and evil. Obligations & rights. Justice. Social & Political deals. 18. Define Engineering Ethics? Study of the moral issues and decisions confronting individuals and organizations engaged in engineering / profession. Study of related questions about the moral ideals, character, policies and relationships of people and corporations involved in technological activity. Moral standards / values and system of morals. 19. Give the need for Authority? Authority provides the framework in which learning can take place.

20. What is the need to study Ethics? To responsibly confront moral issues raised by technological activity. To recognize and resolve moral dilemma. To achieve moral autonomy. 21. Differentiate Moral and Ethics? Moral: Refers only to personal behaviour. Refers to any aspect of human action. Social conventions about right or wrong conduct. Ethics: Involves defining, analyzing, evaluating and resolving moral problems and developing moral criteria to guide human behaviour. Critical reflection on what one does and why one does it. Refers only to professional behaviour. 22. What is the method used to solve an Ethical problem? The method of solving an ethical problem is done by the following ways: Recognizing a problem or its need. Gathering information and defining the problem to be solved or goal to be achieved. Generating alternative solutions or methods to achieve the goal. Evaluate benefits and costs of alternate solutions. Decision making & optimization. Implementing the best solution. 23. What are the Senses of Engineering Ethics? An activity and area of inquiry. Ethical problems, issues and controversies. Ethical problems, issues and controversies. Particular set of beliefs, attitudes and habits. Morally correct. 24. What are the criteria required for a Profession? Knowledge. Organization. Public Good. 25. Give the general criteria to become a Professional engineer? Attaining standards of achievement in education, job performance or creativity in engineering that distinguish engineers from engineering technicians and technologists. Accepting as part of their professional obligations as least the most basic moral responsibilities to the public as well as to their employers, clients, colleagues and subordinates. 26. What are personal ethics and business ethics? Personal ethics deals with how we treat others in our day - to day. Business ethics deals with the desired norms of behaviour that pertain to transactions.

27. What are the types of Theories about Morality? Virtue ethics Virtues and vices. Utilitarianism Most good for the most people. Duty ethics Duties to respect people. Rights ethics Human rights. 28. Mention some universally accepted ethical principles. Honesty. Integrity. Fulfilling commitments. Abiding by agreements in both letter and spirit. Willing to admit mistakes. Being caring and compassionate. Having respect for human dignity. 29. What are the general features of morally responsible engineers? Conscientiousness. Comprehensive perspective. Autonomy. Accountability. 30. What is the relationship between the Loyalty to the company and Professional responsibility to the public? Acting on professional commitments to the public can be a more effective way to serve a company than a mere willingness to follow company orders. Loyalty to companies or their current owners should not be equated with merely obeying ones immediate supervisor. An engineer might have professional obligations to both an employer and to the public that reinforce rather than contradict each other. 31. Define Conflicts of Interest? Conflict of interests is a situation in which two or more interests are not simultaneously realizable. It is the disagreement between public obligation and selfinterest of simultaneously realizable. It is the disagreement between public obligation and self-interest of an official. 32. Why does a conflict of interests arise? Financial Investments. Insider Trading. Bribe. Gifts. Kickbacks. 33. What is a Bribe? A Bribe is a substantial amount of money or goods offered beyond a stated business contract with the aim of winning an advantage in gaining or keeping the contract. 34. What is a Gift? Gifts are not bribes as long as they are small gratuities offered in the normal conduct of business.

35. What are Kickbacks? Prearranged payments made by contractors to companies or their representatives in exchange for contracts actually granted are called kickbacks. 36. What are the types of Conflicts of interest? Actual conflict of interest. Potential conflict of interest. Apparent conflict of interest. 37. What are the forms of Conflicts of interest? Interest in other companies. Moonlighting. Insider information. 38. How will you solve the Conflict problems? Finding the creative middle way. Employing Lower-level considerations. Making the hard choice. 39. 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. 40. What is code of ethics? Code of ethics is a frame work for arriving at good ethical choices. The code of ethics establishes a frame work for ethical judgment for any profession. A code of ethics does not develop new moral principles. 41. 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 engineers role and for the values guiding his studies. 42. 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 as follows: 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.

43. 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 criterion should be established. 44. 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. 45. What are the ill effects of acid rain? Bacterias 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. 46. 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. 47. What are the reasons for the disaster at Bhopal? The tanks used to store Methyl Isocyanate were overloaded to a tune of 75%. The emergency plant was also filled with a large amount of chemicals. The entire refrigeration unit had been shutdown as a measure to reduce the cost and this led to increase of temperatures to a higher level. One of the disappointed workers unscrewed a pressure gauge on a tank and inserted a hosepipe into it, knowing that it would cause damage, but not to this extent. Scrubber has also been shut down. Flare tower was also not in an operating condition. Unfortunately there were no emergency drills or evacuation plants available. 48. What are the important forms of Conflicts? Conflicts based on schedules. Conflicts which arises in evolving the importance of projects and the department. Conflicts based on the availability of personal for a project. Conflicts over technical matters. Conflicts arise due to administrative procedure. Conflicts of personality. Conflicts over cost or expenditure or money. 49. Give the usage of the code of conduct? The code of conduct will help the engineers to have a set of standards of behaviour. They act as guidelines for their behaviour. It helps to create workplaces where employees are encouraged to make ethical implications.

50. Define Whistle Blowing? Whistle -blowing is alerting relevant persons to some moral or legal corruption, where relevant personsare 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 Need. Proximity. Capability. Last resort. 51. What are the main features of Whistle Blowing? Act of disclosure. Topic. Agent. Recipient. 52. Differentiate External Whistle Blowing and Internal Whistle Blowing? External Whistle Blowing: Information is passed outside the organization. Internal Whistle Blowing: Information is conveyed to someone within the organization. 53. When is Whistle Blowing morally permitted? Whistle blowing is morally permitted when: If the harm that will be done by the product to the public is serious and considerable. If they make their concerns known to their superiors. If getting no satisfaction from their immediate supervisors, they exhaust the channels available within the corporation, including going to the board of directors. 54. Distinguish values from ethics and culture. Values are mainly related to individuals and since they are related to justice, they remain the same for everyone. 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. 55. ENGINEERING ETHICS is: The study of moral issues and decisions confronting individuals and organizations involved in engineering and The study of related questions about moral ideals, character, policies and relationships of people and organizations involved in technological activity. ENGINEERING ETHICS is a means to increase the ability of concerned engineers, managers, citizens and others to responsibly confront moral issues raised by technological activities.

PROFESSIONS AND PROFESSIONALISM Engineers normally imagine that they are servants to organizations rather than a public guardian. Responsibility to the public is essential for a professional. Who is a professional? A member of any profession with some respomsibilities. What is a profession? Profession is a JOB or OCCUPATION that meets the following criteria from which a person earns his living: Knowledge Exercise of skills, knowledge, judgment and discretion requiring extensive formal criteria. Organization - special bodies by members of the profession to set standard codes of ethics, Public good-The occupation serves some important public good indicated by a code of ethics. Who is a professional engineer? Has a bachelors degree in engineering from an accredited school. Performs engineering work. Is a registered and licensed Professional Engineer. Acts in a morally responsible way while practicing engineering. Differing views on Professionals Only consulting engineers who are basically independent and have freedom from coercion can be called as professionals. -Robert L.Whitelaw Professionals have to meet the expectations of clients and employers. Professional restraints are to be imposed by only laws and government regulations and not by personal conscience. -Samuel Florman Engineers are professionals when they 1) attain standards of achievement in education, job performance or creativity in engineering and 2) accept the most basic moral responsibilities to the public as well as employers, clients, colleagues and subordinates. -Mike Martin & Roland Schinzinger ENGINEERING CODES OF ETHICS Engineering Codes of Ethics have evolved over time EARLY CODES Codes of personal behaviour. Codes for honesty in business dealings and fair business practices. Employee/employer relations.

NEWER CODES Emphasize commitments to safety, public health and environmental protection. Express the rights, duties and obligations of members of the Profession. Do not express new ethical principles, but coherently restate existing standards of responsible engineering practice. Create an environment within the Profession where ethical behaviour is the norm. Not legally binding; an engineer cannot be arrested for violating an ethical code (but may be expelled from or censured by the engineering society). Are Engineering Codes Needed? NO: Engineers are capable of fending for themselves. Common law is available to defend in ethical disputes. Offended public can seek redress through courts. Are Engineering Codes Needed? YES: Engineers have few or no resources to defend themselves in an ethical dispute. Common law is available in reality only with great difficulty. Conversely, the public has similar problems in seeking redress through legal channels. Objections to Existing Engineering Codes of Ethics: Relatively few engineers are members of engineering societies. Non-members dont necessarily follow the ethical codes. Many engineers either dont know that the codes exist, or have not read them. Which ethical codes apply? Depending upon your discipline and organizational affiliations, you may be bound by one, two or even more ethical codes: Discipline related (ASME, IEEE, ASCE, IIE etc.). National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE). Employee codes (corporation, university, etc.). Union Codes. Engineering Ethics: Our engineering ethics codes are derived from a Western cultural tradition Ancient Greeks. Judeo-Christian religions. Philosophers and thinkers (e.g. Locke, Kant, Mills).

CODES OF ETHICS - ROLES OR FUNCTIONS 1. Inspiration and Guidance: Codes provide positive stimulus for ethical conduct and helpful guidance by using positive language. Codes should be brief to be effective and hence such codes offer only general guidance. Supplementary statements or guidelines to give specific directions are added by a number of societies or professional bodies. 2. Support: Codes give positive support to those seeking to act ethically. An engineer under pressure to act unethically can use one of the publicly proclaimed codes to get support for his stand on specific moral issues. Codes also serve as legal support for engineers. 3. Deterrence and discipline: Codes can be used as a basis for conducting investigations on unethical conduct. They also provide a deterrent for engineers to act immorally. Engineers who are punished by professional societies for proven unethical behaviour by revoking the rights to practice as engineers are also subjected to public ridicule and loss of respect from colleagues and local community. This helps to produce ethical conduct even though this can be viewed as a negative way of motivation. 4. Education and mutual understanding: The codes can be used for discussion and reflection on moral issues and, thereby improves the understanding of moral responsibilities among all engineers, clients, public and good organizations. 5. Contributing to the professions public image: Codes present the engineering profession as an ethically committed society in the eyes of the public thus enhancing their image. 6. Protecting status quo: Codes establish ethical conventions, which can help promote an agreed upon minimum level of ethical conduct. 7. Promoting business interests: Codes can place unwarranted restraints of commerce on business dealings. Relative importance of the various functions of codes of ethics The perspective of engg as social experimentation clearly emphasizes the primary role supportive function of the codes of ethics. This is so because, only this support enables engineers, speak out clearly and openly their views, to those affected by engg projects. The, inspiration and guidance and educative functions are also important in promoting mutual understanding and in motivating engineers to act with higher moral standards.

The disciplinary function in engg codes is of secondary importance. Those with unethical conduct when exposed are subject to law. Developing elaborate paralegal procedures within professional societies duplicates a function which can be done better by legal system. At best, codes should try to discipline engineers in areas which are not covered by law. The worst abuse of codes has been to restrict honest moral effort in the name of preserving professions public image and protecting status quo. The best way to increase trust is by encouraging and aiding engineers to speak freely and responsibly about public safety.

Limitations of Codes of Ethics Codes are restricted to general and vague wording. They cannot be straightaway applied to all situations. It is impossible to foresee the full range of moral problems that can arise in a complex profession like engg. It is easy for different clauses of codes to come into conflict with each other. Usually codes provide no guidance as to which clause should have priority in those cases, creating moral dilemmas. They cannot serve as the final moral authority for professional conduct. If the code of a professional society is taken as the last word, it means that we are getting into a particular set of conventions i.e. ethical conventionalism. Andrew Oldenquist and Edward Slowter pointed out how the existence of separate codes for different professional societies can give members the feeling that ethical conduct is more relative than it is and that it can convey to the public the view that none is really right. The current codes are by no means perfect but are definitely steps in the right direction. Conflict of Interest Conflict of Interest arises when two conditions are met: The professional is in a relationship or a role that requires exercising good judgment on behalf of the interests of an employer or client and The professional has some additional or side interest that could threaten good judgment in serving the interests of the employee or client. E.g. When an engineer is paid based on a percentage of the cost of the design and there is no incentive for him to cut costs- The distrust caused by this situation compromises the engineers ability to cut costs and calls into question his judgement.

Whistle-blowing and Its Features Whistle blowing is an act of conveying information about a significant moral problem by a present or former employee, outside approved channels (or against strong pressure) to someone, in a position to take action on the problem. The features of Whistle blowing are: Act of Disclosure: Intentionally conveying information outside approved organizational channels when the person is under pressure not to do so from higher-ups. Topic: The information is believed to concern a significant moral problem for the organization. Agent: The person disclosing the information is an employee or former employee. Recipient: The information is conveyed to a person or organization who can act on it. Types of Whistle Blowing External Whistle blowing: The act of passing on information outside the organisation. Internal Whistle blowing: The act of passing on information to someone within the organization but outside the approved channels. Either type is likely to be considered as disloyalty, but the second one is often seen as less serious than the latter. From corporations point of view both are serious because it leads to distrust, disharmony, and inability of the employees to work together. Open Whistle blowing: Individuals openly revealing their identity as they convey the information. Anonymous Whistle blowing: Individual conveying the information conceals his/her identity. Procedures to be followed before Whistle Blowing Except for extreme emergencies, always try working through normal organizational channels. Be prompt in expressing objections. Proceed in a tactful manner with due consideration to the feelings of others involved. As much as possible, keep supervisors informed of your actions, both informally and formally. Be accurate in observations and claims and keep all formal records documenting relevant events. Consult colleagues for advice and also to avoid isolation.

Consult the ethics committee of your professional society before going outside the organization. Consult a lawyer regarding potential legal liabilities. A great deal of introspection and reflection are required before WB. Motive should neither be for revenge upon fellow employee, supervisor or company nor in the hope of future gains like book contracts or speaking tours etc. Conditions to be satisfied before Whistle Blowing Richard T. De George suggests the following: The harm that will be done by the product to the public is serious and considerable. The individual makes his/her concern known to his/her superiors. If one does not get any proper response from immediate superiors, then one should exhaust the channels that are available within the organization including the board of directors. One must have documented evidence that would convince a reasonable and impartial observer that ones view of the situation is correct and the company policy is wrong. There must be strong evidence that making the information public will in fact prevent the threatened serious harm. Prevention of Whistle Blowing The following actions will prevent/reduce whistle blowing: Giving direct access to higher levels of management by announcing open door policies with guarantee that there wont be retaliation. Instead such employees should be rewarded for fostering ethical behaviour in the company. This gives greater freedom and promotes open communication within the organization. Creation of an Ethics Review Committee with freedom to investigate complaints and make independent recommendations to top management. Top priority should be given to promote ethical conduct in the organization by top management. Engineers should be allowed to discuss in confidence, their moral concerns with the ethics committee of their professional societies. When there are differences on ethical issues between engineers and management, ethics committee members of the professional societies should be allowed to enter into these discussions. Changes and updations in law must be explored by engineers, organizations, professional societies and government organizations on a continuous basis.

Give an account of Bhopal Gas Tragedy. On December 3, 1984, Union Carbide's pesticide-manufacturing plant in Bhopal, India leaked 40 tons of the deadly gas, Methyl Isocyanate into a sleeping, impoverished community - killing 2,500 within a few days, 10000 permanently disabled and injuring 100,000 people. Ten years later, it increased to 4000 to 7000 deaths and injuries to 600,000. Risks taken: Storage tank of Methyl Isocyanate gas was filled to more than 75% capacity as against Union Carbides spec. that it should never be more than 60% full. The companys West Virginia plant was controlling the safety systems and detected leakages through computers but the Bhopal plant only used manual labour for control and leak detection. The Methyl Isocyanate gas, being highly concentrated, burns parts of body with which it comes into contact, even blinding eyes and destroying lungs. Causal Factors: Three protective systems out of service Plant was understaffed due to costs. Very high inventory of MIC, an extremely toxic material. The accident occurred in the early morning. Most of the people killed lived in a shanty (poorly built) town located very close to the plant fence. Workers made the following attempts to save the plant: They tried to turn on the plant refrigeration system to cool down the environment and slow the reaction. (The refrigeration system had been drained of coolant weeks before and never refilled -- it cost too much.) They tried to route expanding gases to a neighbouring tank. (The tank's pressure gauge was broken and indicated the tank was full when it was really empty.) They tried to purge the gases through a scrubber. (The scrubber was designed for flow rates, temperatures and pressures that were a fraction of what was by this time escaping from the tank. The scrubber was as a result ineffective.) They tried to route the gases through a flare tower -- to burn them away. (The supply line to the flare tower was broken and hadn't been replaced.) They tried to spray water on the gases and have them settle to the ground -by this time the chemical reaction was nearly completed. (The gases were escaping at a point 120 feet above ground; the hoses were designed to shoot water up to 100 feet into the air.) In just 2 hours the chemicals escaped to form a deadly cloud over hundreds of thousands of people incl. poor migrant labourers who stayed close to the plant.

What are the benefits of Multi National corporations doing business in less developed countries for both the MNCs and the host country? Benefits to MNCs: Inexpensive labour. Availability of natural resources. Favourable tax conditions. Fresh markets for products. Benefits to developing host countries: New jobs. Greater pay and greater challenge. Transfer of advanced technology. Social benefits from sharing wealth. What are the three senses of relative values? Ethical Relativism: Actions are morally right in a particular society if they are approved by law, custom, or other conventions of the society. Descriptive Relativism: Value beliefs and attitudes differ from culture to culture and this is a fact. Moral Relationalism or Contextualism (Ethical pluralism): Moral judgements should be made in relation to factors that vary between issues. Hence it is not possible to formulate rules that are simple and applicable to all situations. Write in brief about Technology Transfer and Appropriate Technology? Technology Transfer: The process of moving technology to a novel setting and implementing there is known as technology transfer. Novel setting is any situation containing at least one new variable relevant to success or failure of given technology. Transfer of technology from a familiar to a new environment is a complex process. Appropriate Technology: Identification, transfer, and implementation of the most suitable technology for a new set of conditions Conditions include social factors that go beyond routine economic and technical engineering constraints. Identifying them requires attention to an array of human values and needs that may influence how a technology affects the novel situation. Intermediate technology.

How is environment degraded? By causing injuries to nature. Usually this damage is caused slowly. Sometimes this also happens in sudden strikes. Misuse of our resources, fouling our environment. Practicing growths in consumptions and population leading to non-availability of resources. Industrial activity denudes land (to destroy all plant and animal life), pollutes atmosphere and water, and reduces the yield from sea and land. SPIRITUALITY Spirituality is a way of living that emphasizes the constant awareness and recognition of the spiritual dimension (mind and its development) of nature and people, with a dynamic balance between the material development and the spiritual development. This is said to be the great virtue of Indian philosophy and for Indians. Sometimes, spirituality includes the faith or belief in supernatural power/ God, regarding the worldly events. It functions as a fertilizer for the soil character to blossom into values and morals. Spirituality includes creativity, communication, recognition of the individual as human being (as opposed to a life-less machine), respect to others, acceptance (stop finding faults with colleagues and accept them the way they are), vision (looking beyond the obvious and not believing anyone blindly), and partnership (not being too authoritative, and always sharing responsibility with others, for better returns). Spirituality is motivation as it encourages the colleagues to perform better. Remember, lack of motivation leads to isolation. Spirituality is also energy: Be energetic and flexible to adapt to challenging and changing situations. Spirituality is flexibility as well. One should not be too dominating. Make space for everyone and learn to recognize and accept people the way they are. Variety is the order of the day. But one can influence their mind to think and act together. Spirituality is also fun. Working is okay, but you also need to have fun in office to keep yourself charged up. Tolerance and empathy are the reflections of spirituality. Blue and saffron colours are said to be associated with spirituality. Creativity in spirituality means conscious efforts to see things differently, to break out of habits and outdated beliefs to find new ways of thinking, doing and being. Suppression of creativity leads to violence. People are naturally creative. When they are forced to crush their creativity, its energy turns to destructive release and actions. Creativity includes the use of colour, humour and freedom to enhance productivity. Creativity is fun. When people enjoy what they do, it is involvement. They work much harder.

PROFESSION is defined as any occupation/job/vocation that requires advanced expertise (skills and knowledge), self-regulation, and concerted service to the public good. It brings a high status, socially and economically. The characteristics of a profession are: Advanced expertise: Many professions require sophisticated skills (do-how) and theoretical knowledge (know-how and why). Formal education, training, continuing education, updating are needed. Self regulation: Professional societies play important role in Setting standards for admission to profession, drafting codes of ethics, enforcing standards of conduct, and representing the profession before the public and the government. Public good: The occupation provides some important public good, by concerted efforts to maintain ethical standards. For example, a physician promotes health, a lawyer protects the legal rights, an engineer provides a product or a project for use by the public towards their health, welfare, and safety. Teaching is also claimed as a profession as it helps shaping and training the minds of the students, young as well as old. Some argue that jobs such as carpenter, barbers, porters, and drivers are o be recognized as professions. It is open for discussion. Such things cannot be decided by referring to dictionary alone. A thorough analysis of the activities expected of these jobs is to be made and checked with explanation of the requirements of a profession before deciding it as profession. For example, having been engaged for driving ones vehicle is not a profession. But an ace driver who is engaged by a travel agency to drive different types of cars for tourists extends courtesy to the customers, requires education, expertise (a valid driving license), and respect to the public. His job may be termed as a profession. A mercenary is not a professional as he acts against public good. PROFESSIONAL relates to a person or any work that a person does on profession, and which requires expertise (skills and knowledge), self-regulation and results in public good. The term professional means a person as well as a status. PROFESSIONALISM: It is the status of a professional which implies certain attitudes or typical qualities that are expected of a professional. According to Macintyre, professionalism is defines as the services related to achieving the public good, in addition to the practices of the knowledge of moral ideals. The criteria for achieving and sustaining professional status or professionalism are: Advanced expertise: The expertise includes sophisticated skills and theoretical knowledge in exercising judgment. This means a professional should analyse the problem in specific known area, in an objective manner.

Self-regulation: One should analyse the problem independent of self-interest and direct to a decision towards the best interest of the clients/customers. An autonomous judgment (unbiased and on merits only) is expected. In such situations, the codes of conduct of professional societies are followed as guidance. Public good: One should not be a mere paid employee of an individual or a teaching college or manufacturing organization, to execute whatever the employer wants one to do. The job should be recognised by the public. The concerted efforts in the job should be towards promotion of the welfare, safety, and health of the public.

CODES OF ETHICS The codes of ethics exhibit some rights, duties, and obligations for the members of a profession and a professional society. These codes exhibit the following essential roles: Inspiration and guidance. The codes express the collective commitment of the profession to ethical conduct and public good and thus inspire the individuals. They identify primary responsibilities and provide statements and guidelines on interpretations for the professionals and the professional societies. Support to engineers. The codes give positive support to professionals for taking stands on moral issues. Further they serve as potential legal support to discharge professional obligations. Deterrence (discourage to act immorally) and discipline (regulate to act morally). The codes serve as the basis for investigating unethical actions. The professional societies sometimes revoke membership or suspend/expel the members, when proved to have acted unethical. This sanction along with loss of respect from the colleagues and the society are bound to act as deterrent. Education and mutual understanding. Codes are used to prompt discussion and reflection on moral issues. They develop a shared understanding by the professionals, public, and the government on the moral responsibilities of the engineers. The Board of Review of the professional societies encourages moral discussion for educational purposes. Create good public image. The codes present positive image of the committed profession to the public, help the engineers to serve the public effectively. They promote more of self regulation and lessen the government regulations. This is bound to raise the reputation of the profession and the organization, in establishing the trust of the public. Protect the status quo. They create minimum level of ethical conduct and promote agreement within the profession. Primary obligation namely the safety, health, and welfare of the public, declared by the codes serves and protects the public.

Promotes business interests. The codes offer inspiration to the entrepreneurs,

establish shared standards, healthy competition, and maximize profit to investors, employees, and consumers.

Is Switching Job Ethical? When persons change jobs (employers), what happens to their moral obligation? The obligation to protect the information does not cease, when one shifts to another employee. Otherwise, the former employee will reveal this information to the new employer or sell it to a competitor of the former employer. The integrity of the employee, even upon switching the employer demands that he maintains confidentiality and does not to divulge the information. The professional integrity of engineers is more valuable than the loyalty to the current employer. Many engineers value professional advancement than long-term tie and loyalty to a single employer. The engineers involved in research and development and expert contribution change jobs. Normally they are familiar with the innovative developments in the parent organizations. For example, one manufacturing expert along with his colleagues as well as with some secret documents left General Motors and joined Volkswagen. This violation of trade secret, lead the V W to pay huge compensation to GM in cash and compulsion to buy parts from GM for seven subsequent years. Employees, who change jobs, will not able to withhold their knowledge and expertise. They are sought after only for their expertise. They may not carry the papers and but their active brain always carry memories. Although some organizations hold that this is unethical, the individuals cannot be prevented from divulging the facts to benefit the current employer. The courts have held a moral verdict. Even though the previous employers had the right to maintain their trade secrets confidential, the personal rights of the employees, who switched job in pursuit of career advancement, had to be honoured and balanced. EMPATHY Empathy is social radar. Sensing what others feel about, without their open talk, is the essence of empathy. Empathy begins with showing concern, and then obtaining and understanding the feelings of others, from others point of view. It is also defined as the ability to put ones self into the psychological frame or reference or point of view of another, to know what the other person feels. It includes the imaginative projection into others feelings and understanding of others background such as parentage, physical and mental state, economic situation, and association. This is an essential ingredient for good human relations and transactions.