Civil Engineering Laws, Ethics and Contract

Name of Student: ANDOYAN, HARVEY R. Course: BSCE

Assignment for: CE 14 Semester: First Semester -A.Y. 2021-2022
Activity No. 1 Instructor: ENGR. NENITA M. ABARADO

Q1. How does ethics affect my personal life in addition to my professional life?

A1. Ethics are very powerful motivational tool on making decisions. Ethics help us lead a

more fulfilling life. When making personal choices, we use ethics to came up with the best

and good decisions. Everyday we make personal decisions, and as a person we are defined

by how we do things and what we did. People around us oftentimes judge us whether we are

good or bad. So constantly, we think before making decisions to avoid mistakes. Specially

on todays society where there are many temptations and wrong norms or traditions that the

people adapt. Examples are drinking alcoholic drinks when there are parties, or even

constantly using phones as past time that we neglect other duties such as academic works

and other problems that we face every day. Talking to such personal problems, ethics is a

great guidance for us to be good. It helps us make choices that will be good for ourselves

and also for the society. In addition to that matter, civil engineers are also face with problems

that needs to be addressed correctly and effective. As a civil engineer we have been trained

to design and oversee construction of various improvements to enhance civilization, growth,

and society as a whole. In the course of making the decisions that will be required to plan,

design, and oversee construction, we will be faced with many moral and ethical dilemmas.

Many decisions will be made with regard to safety, public interest, and client interest. Having

these ethical values will help us make choices for the betterment of the society.
Q2. Do all people have the same ethical concerns?

A2. No, because people have different outlook on life. Although most people have the same

goal which is to be good and just, we are still divided by our religions, races or even by the

family we grew up from. For example, different religions have different outlook on the Bible,

races such as western countries and eastern countries have different cultures which maybe

good on western countries but bad on eastern countries and vice versa. Parents also have

different ways on raising their children and how they educate them. Everyone has their own

definition of ethics and their ways of achieving them. Also, not everyone has ethical

concerns. There are those people wo disregard ethics for their own ambition and

selfishness. This happens mostly on Civil Engineering profession where people deceived

and bought their way to reach higher positions. Ethics should be a priority for everyone, and

especially for professionals like being a Civil Engineer. Those individuals who are looking for

personal challenge, responsibility, and self-improvement will find that focusing on ethics and

applying ethical behavior to their lives will promote personal growth. With the variations of

ethical behavior and absence of ethics to some individuals, we invented laws so that we can

control the behavior of the society. This is also the reason why we have Code of Ethics in

the profession of civil engineering so that every professional will perform effectively,

respectful to every client, coworkers and other civil engineers and will work for the progress

of the society.

Q3. What makes ethics so important?

A3. Ethics is important because it forms the foundation of our belief system. It governs how

we treat others. It is the basis of your decision-making process and how you react in various

situations. Because of its societal value, ethics is revered by others and held in high esteem.

Ethics satisfies human needs. Being fair, honest and work with integrity are example of the

basic human needs. In every profession, everyone desires to work in an environment or

organization where ethical practices are being conducted. Ethics creates credibility to every

person or an organization who has moral values and are respected by the society. People

are united because of good will. An organization driven by values is revered by its

employees also. Ethics are the common thread that brings the employees and the decision

makers on a common goal and platform. Decisions are driven by values. Organizations

guided by ethics and values are profitable in the long run. Ethics also improve decision

making. Being a civil engineer, we are faced with problems everyday and ethics helps us

came up with the best decision to the betterment of the client, employees and the society.

With al being said, we can say that ethics secures and protects the society. It protects the

rights of every person. The right to be treated fairly and just. For example, is finding jobs for

the fresh graduate’s civil engineers. With many competitions going around, ethics helps us

secures that hiring jobs will be treated fairly for everyone. Ethics gives practical guidance to

or lives.

Q4. What impact does ethics have on leadership?

A4. A true leader is trustworthy, has respect of others, integrity, fairness, transparency, and

honesty. Leaders inspires others for the greater good. The implementation of ethical

practices in your lifestyle is one way to develop a foundation to build strong relationships

with others. The basic principles of ethics include taking responsibility for your actions, acting

honorably, treating people with respect, and doing the right thing even when it is a difficult

choice to make. People need to believe in you, trust you, and believe in what you stand for, if

they are to be led by you. As a leader, we set an example and give direction for ethical

behavior so that others may follow. Ethical leaders can positively influence their members by

presenting them with good actions so they can adapt for the greater good. Ethics on

leadership are essential for credibility and reputation. Behaving unethically may damage

one’s reputation and can lower the self-esteem, leading to a suboptimal outcome and a

missed opportunity to express one’s full potential. Unethical behavior can also damage the
company along with its employees. A leader should be transparent with every decision he

choose. On the other hand, an ethical leader provides great benefits not just for himself but

also to the company and its employees, costumers and other clients. Costumers will feel

they’ve made a good decision to work with your company when they perceived and witness

ethical leadership and cultural values. This will encourage them to continue doing business

with you or may even invite other costumers because of the good reputation.

Q5. What should I do if I see someone behaving unethically?

A5. A business success is driven not just by the leader but also by its members. If the leader

is ethical, so its members also. But not all the times we can control every work or behavior of

our peers. Each member has its own self-interest and values. So, if someone is behaving

unethically it will eventually affect the whole company. It is therefore our duty or

responsibility intervene when someone is behaving unethically. Th best way to prevent

someone from behaving unethically is through norms and laws. It is important that every

member know what are the laws and consequences of the company so that they may be

careful. It is also important to enforce rewards to those who do god deed to motivate every

member to work hard and honest. If you see someone behaving unethically, it would be wise

to analyze the situation first before making a decision. Remain calm to avoid jumping to

conclusions. Gather evidences to support what you saw because words alone cannot do

much. If possible, discuss the situation with another leader or with someone with high

authority before dealing with unethical behavior. Find out who are involved and their reason

for doing it. Always approach with a good attitude so you will be greeted with less resistance

for the said person. Intervene with them gently without humiliating them. Its best to stop the

bad situation immediately fore it gets worse. Direct communication is a good approach when

dealing with someone with unethical behavior. After intervening with the unethical behavior,

report he situation immediately to apply sanctions and punishments.

Q6. Choose one of the codes of ethics and explain it with an example or

scenario.

A6. When engaging in a business or a professional matter there will always be a competition
specially in the civil engineering profession. In order to have a fair and healthy competition,
we have the code of ethics to guide us on the things we do and decisions we make. One of
the cannons in the code of ethics is the, “It shall be considered unprofessional and
inconsistent with honorable and dignified bearing for any registered Civil Engineer To
attempt to injure falsely or maliciously, directly or indirectly, the professional reputation,
prospects, or business of another Engineer”. This means that it is unethical for an engineer
harm other colleagues or rivals’ profession. That includes providing false information or
tampering and information in order to get an advantage to someone or other business. For
example, Engineer A works for a forensic engineering firm and is asked to serve as an
expert witness in a case involving the professional services rendered by a manufacturing
company which employs Engineer B as the director of the engineering. During the trial,
Engineer A who possessed expertise I safety engineering testified that the manufacturing
company’s safety practices were inadequate and may have contributed to the injuries
suffered by certain employees. Several months later, Engineer B makes comments on
engineers and others accusing Engineer A of acing unprofessionally and unethically alleging
that Engineer A was biased because he ignored important information in his testimony and
only focused upon circumstances which where helpful to his clients. Engineer B offers no
substantive evidence for his allegations. It is therefore unethical for Engineer B to accuse
Engineer A of acting unprofessionally without evidence and it is also unethical for Engineer A
to behave in a manner that Engineer B described.

Date submitted/time: September 29, 2021/ 8pm

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