ECE 481

Ethics in 
Electrical and Computer Engineering

Lecture #9: Global Issues

Prof. K.M. Passino

Ohio State University

Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering

 What are “global issues”?

•  Global issues:

–  World-wide impacts (the world is shrinking)

–  Long time periods (we are learning about this)

–  Cross-cultural, multi-national (real impacts; is doing
engineering the same here as everywhere else?)

•  Relevance to engineering?

–  Broad thinking in engineering design process is
essential!

–  Engineering is naturally cross-cultural (e.g., students)

–  Globalization is happening!

–  Impact on engineering profession is unfolding

 Global Issue Example: 
Career Choice

•  Example: Weapons development

–  Career choice, a personal decision

–  Good? Protect, a force of good.

–  Bad? Products beyond your control?

–  Depends on type of weapon? Economics?

•  Think globally about the impact of what you do as
an engineer: long-term, range of people,
environment, etc.

•  Example: Tobacco industry, automotive safety,
medical electronics, energy, education (thinking
long-term and broad impact in career choice is
important!)

 Environmental ethics and design

•  Adam Smith - “invisible hand”. Engineers hold

paramount safety, health, welfare of public, but
are self-interested and all goes well?

•  Problem: Often effects on environment are
ignored (not global thinking)

•  “Tragedy of the commons” - selfishly destroy
common property…

•  Competitive, unmalicious, but unthinking
exploitation with common natural resources: air,
land, forests, lakes, oceans, species, biosphere

 Sustainable development

•  Design considerations - global in space and time

•  Engineers are “singularly well-placed” to make
contributions - find ways to make environmental
concerns economically feasible, and that laws are
obeyed.

•  Sustainable development for engineers: Products
and process that “meet the needs of the present
without compromising the ability of future
generations to meet their own needs”

•  Significant technical challenge!

 Corporations - Leadership?

•  Public perceptions matter to bottom line

•  Example: Compaq Computer Corp. (now
merged with Hewlett-Packard), Life-cycle
strategy, “Design for Environment”

–  Efficient use of resources

–  Energy-efficient products

–  Easy disassembly for recycling

–  Waste minimization

 Broader issues…

•  Government can play important role, but

can also be too involved

–  Laws

–  Technology assessment

•  Market roles - “internalizing costs”…
Engineer’s role in that?

–  Assessment of impact, cost of pollution

–  Good designs to reduce impact and keep costs
down

•  Ethical frameworks (see book, elsewhere)

 Case studies…

Student: “I was working for a company that adjusted the level
of waste dumped into a river according to the level of the
river. In other words, they would dump excess (well over
EPA regulations) amounts of waste into the river after
periods of excess rain, or would wait until the river rose so
that they could dump more waste again.” What should the
engineer do?

Student: “I used to work for a civil engineer modeling a sewer

system. We collected observations from survey crews.
One day a photo came in of a company actively dumping
industrial waste chemicals (paint) into a sewer. A note was
attached, reporting that this is illegal. No one did anything
about it.” What should the engineer do?

 Students taking action…

Student: “I have worked in industry for a while. Employees were dumping

trichloroethane down the sanitary drain (it is a hazardous material).
After discussing this with other employees we decided to put a stop to
this nonsense.”

Student: “I was employed for one day at Company X, a place where fuels
and other chemicals are tested and created. I was hired as a utility
person cleaning glassware, etc. When faced with disposal of heavy
metals I inquired as to their procedure. They told me to dump it down
the drain and don't ask questions. Clearly this was wrong, but I agreed
to do it. Again, when two quarts of diesel fuel was to be disposed, I
asked and got the same response. The next day I was fired for being an
"environmentalist." I contacted a relative who has ties with the EPA.
Recently, I saw that Company X was fined by the EPA for
infractions.”

 Multinational corporations

•  Technology transfer: “moving technology to

a new location and implementing it
there” (hardware or technique)

•  Engineers need to be “cross-cultural social
experimenters”

•  Appropriate technology: “identification,
transfer, and implementation of the most
suitable technology” (social, cultural, value
factors play a key role)

 Appropriate technology

•  Scale (too big, start small...)

•  Technical/managerial skills (e.g., for
safety). Example: Bhopal disaster

•  Materials and energy (availability, cost)

•  Physical environment (temperature,
humidity, salinity, water)

•  Human values (acceptability to end users)

•  Sustainable development

•  Impact on local jobs and economy

•  Participation of locals is very important!

 Engineer’s moral responsibilities at
a global scale?

•  “When in Rome?” (“ethical relativism”)

•  This can excuse horrors! Safety, environment, etc.

•  “Ethical absolutism”? One detailed world-wide set
of rules possible? No, not likely!

•  “Ethical relationalism”, “ethical pluralism”… all
things considered in the current context, many
moral perspectives acknowledged…

•  Example: Degree of safety (e.g., workplace,
product), reductions of cost of manufacture

•  International human rights creates constraints

 International Human Rights...

1.  Right to freedom of physical movement

2.  Right to ownership of property

3.  Right to freedom from torture

4.  Right to a fair trial

5.  Right to nondiscriminatory treatment

6.  Right to physical security

7.  Right to freedom of speech and association

8.  Right to minimal education

9.  Right to political participation
Example: Women
10.  Right to subsistence
engineers’ rights and
nondiscrimination

 Corporations promoting morally just
measures

•  Corporations should seek to promote the
“common good”

–  Respect basic human rights in every country

–  Utilitarianism perspective - business to benefit the host
country (e.g., communities like companies do here such
as Battelle) benefits the company, “win-win”

–  Promote morally just institutions, policies

•  Example: What is a “fair wage”?

–  As in host country? Called exploitation!

–  As in origin country?

–  Somewhere in between? “Living wage”?

 Globalization of Engineering

•  Student/Alumni Example: Motorola phone

•  Example: Off-shore IT growth (other
technologies to follow?)

•  Effect on you?

–  Salary (compete with other countries)

–  Job quality (technical challenges)

–  Need for global awareness? Read, travel.

–  Need for technical competence, creativity,
language skills, professionalism in order to
compete!

 Globalization’s Impact on 
Engineers’ Unions?

•  What will the impact of globalization
effects on the creation of engineer’s unions?

•  Should engineers unionize / strike?

•  Is it “professional”?

•  Doctors and lawyers have their own
organizations but do they strike?

•  What are our professional responsibilities to
work even if we are not being treated fairly?

•  Should more engineers get involved in
politics and policy?

 Attendance Question

•  For those of you who have worked in

engineering industry, has globalization
affected you or your company?

–  Answer via one number on a scale of -1
(adversely) to +1 (positively)

–  Answer “0” if there is no effect on you or your
company.

Please: Put your name on the sheet of paper

and turn it in...