Section “B” Paper — The Engineer in Society — December 2021

THE INSTITUTION OF ENGINEERS, SRI LANKA

Ba2,5 ae
ia (ANY
a
4
ay
fa)
»
Professional Review Examination

‘is
Ae
«J
oh
—
Section “B” Paper — Engineer in Society

= @)
bok
oP)
Professional Review Examination — December 2021
Time Allowed: Three (03) Hours
Date: 2021 - 12 - 19 (Sunday) Time: 9.00 — 12.00 hrs.
Instructions to Candidates
Before answering questions, please read the instructions given below;

= Answer four questions only. There are four sections and Select one (1) question from each Section
= ach question will carry 25 marks.
= Answers to each question should be written on a separate answer sheet, as each will be marked by a
separate examiner.
= Write your Index Number and relevant Question Number clearly on top of each answer sheet.
= Itis important that you write question numbers of which you have answered, in the cage provided on
the cover page.
=» Pay attention to legibility, grammar, spelling, and punctuation marks, in addition the relevance,
organization and style of presentation.
=» Answer to all questions should be in essay form, unless otherwise specified in the relevant question.
= Rough work (if any) may be embodied in the answers, but should be struck out with a single line. No
marks will be given for rough work. Do not tear any pages from answer books.

Section 1

Question 1:

[a] Every profession has its own professional ethics. IESL has also introduced a Code of Ethics for its
members. What do you understand by the term ‘ETHICS’ and why is it necessary for Engineers?

[b] Looking at the following scenarios, determine whether there is any violation of IESL ethics in
respective situation and if so, mention under which clause in the Code of Ethics it is violated.

I. Engineers from a government organization attended a presentation and

demonstration of new user friendly software by a company. The lunch and refreshments were
provided by the company. Subsequently, the Chief Engineer of the organization decided to place
the order to purchase the software.
ll. Eng. Sarath is a Chartered Civil Engineer and his classmate Mr. Gamini who is
installing solar panels on roof-tops of houses wants to get the signature of Eng. Sarath to certify
1|Page
Section “B” Paper — The Engineer in Society — December 2021

the applications as a Chartered Engineer to submit to the approving power authority. The seal
issued to Eng. Sarath has not specified his discipline but corporate Membership No is given. The
power authority rejects the applications.
Hl. The monthly management meeting chaired by the Managing Director of an
Engineering Company requested from all engineers to manage company resources carefully and
minimize adverse environment impact of their engineering works.
IV. Eng. Wimal is a hard worker and has nearly completed five years in the field. He has
applied for a transfer to the Design Office to get the design office experience but his transfer
application is not forwarded to Head of the Department by his Manager, a Chartered Engineer.
Also, he has not applied for a replacement for Eng. Wimal and is keeping Eng. Wimal at the site
without releasing him.

Question 2

Clause 6 of the IESL Code of Ethics highlights the need for Loyalty to the Employer, requiring “Engineers to
apply their skills and knowledge in the interest of their employer or client for whom they shall act, in
professional matters, as faithful agents or trustees”.

Considering the aspects of (i) Confidentiality (ii) Bribery (iii) Conviction (iv) Integrity explain, with an
. 2. .
example, of how in each case, Loyalty to the Employer can be shown, and also how it can be violated.

Section 2

Question 3:

Every day we see in the media complaints made by general public about shortcomings in systems
providing varying services to them of which majority are of technical nature. Engineering community is
responsible for the rectification and mitigation of these issues but they do not come forward to
address them. Using three different scenarios as examples, discuss the reasons for this state of affair
along with proposals to address them.

Question 4

An Engineer shall understand enormous resources available and the legal framework binding them.
Shall give due consideration to history and heritage in finding solutions. Due diligence shall be given to
depleting resources in the equation: Analyze this statement in the context of Sri Lanka

Engineers should have a clear understanding of the importance of safeguarding the natural environment
and cultural heritage of the country when discharging their duties. They must have an adequate
‘knowledge of the legal framework that binds them to protect and preserve the environment and cultural
heritage as well as the responsibility to manage depleting resources.

2|Page
Section “B” Paper — The Engineer in Society — December 2021

Analyze the above statement in the local context with three suitable example scenarios focusing on the
engineer’s responsibility.

Question 5:

(a) Analys the importance of having consistent national policies for infrastructure development
projects in the country while giving due consideration on pros and cons of the influence by
Government during the implementation of policies.
(b) “Government should intervene and stimulate the economy out of recession”. Analyse this
statement by giving due consideration to external debt profile management, forex inflow and
ourflow management, and maintenance of macroeconomic stability.

Section 3

Question 6:

“Negotiation is the mutual discussion and arrangement of the terms of an agreement. It has been
observed that there is a need of developing competency of Negotiation for every Engineer who wishes to
become a highly successful Manager.” Describe in detail how you would deal with difficult negotiation
situations with your own practical examples as a professional Engineer working in a leading business
organization.

“As a negotiator one will have to adhere to ethics. It is difficult to prescribe exactly what ethics one must
follow in negotiating. However, there are some generally accepted moral principles together with the
ethical behavioral practices to be followed by the Engineers in society.” What are these moral principles
and ethical behavioral practices? Elaborate your answer with the relevant examples.

Question 7:

Who are the stakeholders of a project? What are the broader categories of stakeholders, in terms
of their involvement in the project, interests, and relative position to the organization? What do
you understand by the terms stakeholder analysis and management?
Write an essay to reflect on the above questions based on a project background you are familiar
with.
Question 8:

a. Adopting relevant Quality Management Systems will ensure that an organization’s products or
services satisfy the customer’s quality requirement by complying with industry standards as well as
regulatory requirements. Explain the key elements of Quality Management Tools and their benefits
on the organization.
: b. Explain the key advantages of having Health, Safety and Environmental Monitoring mechanism in
your organization?
c. Industrial waste has become a major issue in Sri Lanka and identify the main issues that prevent
adopting sustainable Waste Management Mechanisms.

3|Page
Section “B” Paper — The Engineer in Society — December 2021

Section 4

Question 9:

Since 1991, number of significant policy making efforts related to the provision of affordable and
sustainable transport infrastructure and facilities had been exercised, last one being formulated in
year 2019. Yet, we still had not been able to properly execute any of these policy initiatives. Instead
we continue adding new capacities, widening existing road infrastructure disregarding the National
Transport Policy directives.

IESL intends to submit a paper to the President of Sri Lanka emphasising the paramount importance
of adhering to the National Transport Policy (2019) making particular reference to economically
viable measures such as Transport Demand Management Strategies. You are requested to develop
this document.

Question 10:

(a)“Engineering practice consists of Planning & Design, Operation & Maintenance , Project Implementation
etc and Engineers have the responsibility to deliver desired results and benefits in a timely manner by
optimizing the usage of resourses , adhering to relevant national and international standards while
complying with required regulations. In this context, safety is of paramount importance above all
standards and regulations and implies that Engineers are held accountable to deliver the services and
products to meet the legitimate benefits expected by the society or stakeholders by and large . “

Explain the above by taking an example of your current role of the job reflecting the meaning in
highlighted text .

(b) The recent public emergency of explosions connected to domestic gas cylinders have created a fear
and chaos among citizens of the country. According to official sources , Sri Lanka has developed a
standard only for gas cylinders but not for accessories such as regulators, valves, gas composition etc.
However, it is reliably learnt that Sri Lanka Standard Institute (SLSI) is now in the process of preparing the
required technical standards (presently in draft mode) for quality assurance of each and every gas
cylinder before releasing them to the market .

You are requested to make proposals to the key factors at the process level to be considered for
preparing such a standards based on your technical and industry experience.

4|Page
 Section “B” Paper — The Engineer in Society — December 2021

Question 11:

Short title of Engineering Council Act of Srilanka (ECSL Act 04 of 2017) is read as,
“AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE ENGINEERINGCOUNCIL, SRI LANKA WHICH SHALL
BE RESPONSIBLE THE MAINTENANCE OF PROFESSIONAL STANDARDS AND CONDUCT OFENGINEERING
PRACTITIONERS; REGISTRATION OF DIFFERENT CATEGORIES OF ENGINEERING PRACTITIONERS; AND TO
PROVIDE FOR MATTERSCONNECTED THEREWITH OR INCIDENTAL THERETO”

Until the above Act was passed, Engineering Practitioners in Sri lanka were not properly regulated. As per
the Act, there are six (06) no of categories and anyone who wishes to practice, he or she should reregister
with ECSL in an appropriate category depending on his or her qualifications, experience and competencies.
According to the Act, ECSL will issue regulations to define Roles, Responsibilities and Competencies for
each category for effective implementation of ECSL Act
|. What factors did prompt the Government and the authorities to establish ECSL Act from the point
of view of the public.
ll. State the six number of categories prescribed in ECSL Act.
lll. State the categories that belongs to IESL membership and briefly describe how these categories
differ from one another.
lV. What are the challenges faced in implementing the ECSL Act? Propose suitable remedies for two
challenges you have identified.
\Briefely explain Roles, Responsibilities and competencies which are required for practicing as a “Chartered
Engineer “

5|Page