Chase Kirchner

Ethics Assignment
April 27th, 2019

Engineering Ethics
The main goal of the IEEE Code of Ethics is to promote ethical behavior. As an engineer,

you need to make decisions that not only protect yourself and your company, but those around

you. Not following the IEEE Code of Ethics could lead to severe consequences that affect the

lives of others. Engineers directly impact the well-being of individuals every single day through

different products and systems.

When faced with an ethical situation, its important to consider many different factors

before deciding. Engineers should first consider the facts in a situation in order to form an

educated opinion on the subject matter. Next, possible consequences should be evaluated such as

ethical issues and how the situation might affect other individuals. It is crucial for an engineer to

evaluate different options, ultimately leading to implementing the best decision. This allows

them to make the right decision that will benefit not only for themselves but for the well-being of

others as well. If I know something is wrong from what I believe in, I will not support that

decision. The IEEE Code of Ethics are fair and offer a good foundation for professional

behavior. Following a Code of Ethics is important within business because it keeps the business

in good standing with their customers. If a company were to lie about certain statistics of a

product, it would save them money in the short term, until they are caught in the lie. An example

of this would apply to automobile companies falsely passed emissions testing.

In our last class, we discussed a few ethical issues including the Volkswagen scandal and

the Boeing MAX 737. In the Boeing 737 max issue, Boeing redesigned a plane that had issues
with sensors incorrectly make changes to the flight path as well as lack of communication with

airlines and pilots. This has resulted in a death toll of 346 people and Boeing making software

changes as a fix. Boeing knew of the risks but didn’t halt production as they didn’t want to

decrease revenue, even knowing that lives would be in danger. This breaks the IEEE Code of

Ethics of code one, which deals with “accepting the responsibility in making decisions consistent

with the safety, health, and welfare of the public” because clearly the 737 MAX wasn’t safe to

operate because of airplane design issues. Boeing made this decision to continue rolling out the

airplane design even though they knew issues were present and it has since costed hundreds of

lives. This breaks code nine of the IEEE Code of Ethics which says, “to avoid injuring others.”

The case with the Boeing 737 max comes down to responsibility, honesty, and integrity.

Boeing didn’t consider these virtues enough when making decisions to continue production of

this aircraft. Boeing did not value integrity because of the ethical decisions that were made

within the company. Honesty was another virtue that Boeing missed. If Boeing would’ve been

honest to their consumers and airlines to give warning about the problems, many issues could’ve

simply been avoided. Even though their revenue may have decreased, at least they could have

been honest about issues in their new aircraft design. Responsibility on Boeing’s part because of

how the company continued with the design and production of the aircraft. The impact that the

Boeing MAX 737 had will result in lawsuits, use of resources, and time spent making amends to

the situation.

Having people as well as the business carry out ethical duties is essential to growth as a

society. Holding each other accountable as professionals to make ethical decisions is important

in order to lower the chances of problems later. Overall, making unethical decisions hurts the

business, employees, and can greatly impact the consumer.