PROBLEMS

1.)Write a code of ethics for computer use by engineers.

2.)Is there an ethical obligation to ensure that the information you post on your Internet
website is accurate and true? Or is it up to the Web user to be discriminating and to
realize that some material might not be accurate?
3.)There is much in the news about the use of the Internet to disseminate pornographic
images, especially in the context of the availability of this material to children. What
ethical issues do “cyberporn” and efforts to limit it raise? Do employers have the right to
fi re employees who access pornography on their computers at work?
4.)Many desktop computers come with games already installed on them. In addition,
there are many websites where users can download games onto their computers. Is it
alright to play computer games at work? How about during lunch? After hours?
5.)Should computer and software designers be concerned about the possible abuse of
their products? Should designs incorporate methods for preventing the misuse of
computers?
6.)Is it acceptable for employees to use their computers at work to send and receive
personal e-mail?

MEDICAL RADIATION ACCIDENTS

7.)What do the engineering codes of ethics say about these cases of accidental radiation
overdose?

8.)Are engineering codes adequate to analyze this case, or should we look at codes
specific to computer professionals such as the codes of the Association for Computing
Machinery (ACM)?
9.)The Therac-25 evolved from earlier models of the machine. How should engineers
safeguard against safety hazards when new designs are derived from older designs?

AVANTI VS. CADENCE

 10.)Suppose you are a user of EDA products. Knowing that the Avanti products contain
pirated software, is it ethical to purchase it? Is the answer the same even if the Avanti
product is superior to Cadence products?
11.)When you move from a company to a competitor, what is your responsibility for
protecting your former employer’s trade secrets? Does the answer change if your new
employer is not in competition with your former employer?
12.)How do you separate out skills that you have acquired from previous employers from
the previous employer’s intellectual property? In other words, where is the dividing line
between knowledge and skills you have acquired on the job, and your former employer’s
trade secrets?

ISLETA PUEBLO WATER

13.)What does utilitarianism tell us about this case? What do rights and duty ethics say?
14.)Is the religious use of water a valid claim against a municipality? If this were a claim
by a large mainline religious denomination (for example, some Christian denominations
might want to use the river for baptisms), does the answer to this question change?

COLD FUSION

15.)How seriously should Bockris have taken the suggestions or charges of fraud made
against his results? How seriously should the university have taken these charges?
16.)Do some further reading on the early claims about cold fusion. Analyze the claims of
Pons and Fleischmann in terms of the description of characteristics of pathological
science.
17.)Using the code of ethics of one of the engineering professional societies, analyze the
behavior of Bockris’s research group. According to the code, did this group operate in an
ethical manner?

GHOST WRITING OF RESEARCH PAPERS

18.What do the engineering codes of ethics say about the practice of ghostwriting?
19.)Can you think of situations in engineering research where ghostwriting might present ethical
problems similar to those of medical researchers? Can you think of situations in which
ghostwriting of engineering research results would be acceptable?
ANSWERS:

1.)software engineers shall adhere to the following Eight Principles:

1.shall act consistently with the public interest.

2. CLIENT AND EMPLOYER – Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their
client and employer consistent with the public interest.

3. PRODUCT – Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet the
highest professional standards possible.

4. JUDGMENT – Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional
judgment.

5. MANAGEMENT – Software engineering managers and leaders shall subscribe to and promote an
ethical approach to the management of software development and maintenance.

6. PROFESSION – Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession
consistent with the public interest.

7. COLLEAGUES – Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.

8. SELF – Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of their
profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the profession.

2.)This principle, which concerns the quality of life of all people, affirms an obligation of computing
professionals, both individually and collectively, to use their skills for the benefit of society, its members,
and the environment surrounding them. This obligation includes promoting fundamental human rights
and protecting each individual’s right to autonomy. An essential aim of computing professionals is to
minimize negative consequences of computing, including threats to health, safety, personal security,
and privacy. When the interests of multiple groups conflict, the needs of those less advantaged should
be given increased attention and priority.

3.employers seem to be getting the message -- better to restrict any potentially actionable speech than
to risk a lawsuit.

4.)During work it is not right to play games. Only play if done working

No5.)Computer and software designers design all types of software and computers to bring about ease
of working and introduce efficiency in getting output.

6.)Brief and occasional personal use of the electronic mail system or the Internet is acceptable as long as
it is not excessive or inappropriate

7.)A code of ethics guides as to what actions or deeds will be ethically acceptable or unacceptable. Such
a code helps establish the basic minimum conduct that is expected of someone who is in a position to
have an impact on others through his or her actions.

8.)A code of ethics guides as to what actions or deeds will be ethically acceptable or unacceptable.

9.)Therac-25 was always designed to be controlled by software and had no level of hardware safety
devices. Thus, one area of concern was systems engineeringAnother area of concern was software
engineering

10.)Two Silicon Valley companies CDS and AC were entangled in a legal battle as CDS sued AC claiming
that its trade secrets were stolen by AC and used into AC’s products. CDS supplied electronic design
automation (EDA) products that are used in making layouts of complex integrated circuits.

11.)Trade secret protection policy is rooted in the simple belief that a company should be able to keep
what it has paid for.

12.)Let me explain you the first what is intellectual properties. In short we mention it as IP and it refers
creation of mind, invention, symbols, names and images used in commerce.

13.)Utilitarianism is an ethical theory that determines right from wrong by focusing on outcomes. It is a
form of consequentialism. Utilitarianism holds that the most ethical choice is the one that will produce
the greatest good for the greatest number.

14.)It can be dangerous to ask that question. One danger is that Christians might be divided against each
other.

15.)The Cold Fusion case mentions two University of Utah electrochemists by the names SP and MF who
claimed to have come up with a process called ‘cold fusion’ that produced excess heat, presumed to be
due to nuclear fusion, in a tabletop electrochemical cell. Using a standard electrochemical cell, their
apparatus caused the heat production.
16.)In 1989, two electrochemists, Martin Fleischmann and Stanley Pons, reported that their apparatus
had produced anomalous heat ("excess heat") of a magnitude they asserted would defy explanation
except in terms of nuclear processes.[1] They further reported measuring small amounts of nuclear
reaction byproducts, including neutrons and tritium.[2] The small tabletop experiment involved
electrolysis of heavy water on the surface of a palladium (Pd) electrode.[3] The reported results received
wide media attention[3] and raised hopes of a cheap and abundant source of energy.

17.)No, because it produces harmful substance

18.)Ghostwriting in research papers occurs when contribution towards the research paper is done by
one person but the credit for that goes to another person.

19.)What is wrong with this ? Nothing. But….in the world of academic studies in general and the field of
research in particular, ghostwriting is also considered to be a form of plagiarism, unethical behavior
which could even go as far as to cause health problems for the population, with corresponding legal
repercussions.