Chap 6

Trust and Reliability

Honesty, Integrity, and Reliability

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and nothing

but the Truth…
 Case Study
John is a co-op student who has a summer job with Oil
Exploration, Inc., a company that does exploratory
contract work for large oil firms. The company drills,
tests, and writes advisory reports to clients based on
the test results. John is placed in charge of a field
team who test-drill at various sites specified by the
customer. John has the responsibility of
transforming rough field data into succinct reports
for the customer. Paul, an old high school friend of
John’s, is the foreperson of John’s team.
 Case Study
While reviewing the field data for the last drilling
report, John notices that a crucial step was
omitted, one that would be impossible to correct
without returning to the site as repeating the
entire test at great expense to the company. The
omitted step involved the foreperson’s adding a
test chemical to the lubricant for the drill. The
test is important because it provides the data for
deciding whether the site is worth developing for
natural gas protection. Unfortunately, Paul
forgot to add the test chemical at the last drill
site.
 Case Study
John knows that Paul is likely to lose his job if his
mistake comes to light. Paul cannot afford to
lose his job at a time when the oil business is
slow and his wife is expecting. John learns from
past company data files that the chemical
additive indicates the presence of natural gas in
approximately 1 percent of the tests.

Should John withhold the information that the test

for natural gas was not performed from his
superiors? Should the information be withheld
from the customer?
 What do the codes say?
• An engineer should be honest and realistic in stating claims…

• An engineer should seek, accept, and offer honest criticism of

technical work…

• Engineers shall be objective and truthful in professional

reports, statements or testimony…

• Engineers shall issue public statements only in an objective

and truthful manner…
 Forms of Dishonesty
• Lying
A lie is a statement believed to be false or seriously
misleading, made with the intention to deceive
• Deliberate Deception
Implying knowledge that one doesn’t possess to
impress
Misrepresenting value by excessive praise, with no
counterbalance of concerns
 Forms of Dishonesty
• Withholding Information
Failing to convey information that the audience
would reasonably expect
Intending to deceive by withholding the information
• Failure to Seek out the Truth
The honest engineer is one who is committed to
finding the truth, not simply avoiding dishonesty
 Why is Dishonesty Wrong?
• Respect for Persons
Actions are wrong if they violate the moral agency
of individuals
Engineers should ensure that employers, clients,
and the general public make decisions regarding
technology with understanding, particularly the
understanding of their consequences
 Why is Dishonesty Wrong?
• Utilitarian (practical rather than attractive)
Actions should promote human happiness and well-
being
Engineers contribute by providing designs for the
creation of things upon which society depends
Dishonesty in our work undermines the public
understanding and decision making processes
 Dishonesty on Campus
• Cheating on exams
• Copying another’s work as one’s own
• Misrepresenting data in reports and projects

If you do this in school, why not do it in the

workplace to get ahead?
 Dishonesty in Engineering Research
and Testing
• Trimming

• Cooking

• Forging

• Plagiarism
• Falsification
• Fabrication
• Plagiarism
 Dishonesty in Engineering Research
and Testing
• Trimming
Smoothing of irregularities to make the data look
very accurate and precise

Original Data *
*
Trimmed to line +
*
Y ++
*
+ *
*
+ *

X
 Dishonesty in Engineering Research
and Testing
• Cooking
Retaining only those results that fit the theory
and discarding others
*
* Discarded data
* *
Y * *
* *
* * * *
* *

X
 Dishonesty in Engineering Research
and Testing
• Forging
Inventing some or all of the research data that
are reported, and even reporting experiments
to obtain those data that were never
performed
 Dishonesty in Engineering Research
and Testing
• Plagiarism
Use of the intellectual property of others
without proper permission or credit
Written works
Internet

Multiple Authorship
 Intellectual Property
Property that results from mental labor

Protection:
Trade secrets - methods used in business to gain an
advantage over competitors. The formula of coca-cola
is an example of trade secret.
Patents - documents issued by the government
excluding others from using for 20 years
Trademarks – words, phrases, designs and sounds,
expressions associated with goods or services
Copyrights - rights to creative products. Protect the
expression of ideas, not the ideas themselves
 Expert Witnessing
Engineers are sometimes hired as expert witnesses in cases
that involve accidents, defective products, structural
defects and patent infringements.
To be a good expert witness:

• Do not take the case if inadequate time to prepare

• Testify honestly, without withholding information
• Work with lawyer to acquaint with technical details and to
prepare for cross-examination
• Maintain an objective and unbiased demeanor (behavior)
• Remain open to new information
 Confidentiality in Client-Professional
Relations
• Guard proprietary information
• For example bank details, network company
details

• Do not abuse
– Break confidentiality when not warranted
– Not break confidentiality when the higher
obligation to the public requires it
 Informing the Public
Professional Irresponsibility in handling
technical information may be described as a
failure to inform those whose decisions are
impaired by the absence of the information

This is a serious impairment of the public’s

moral agency
 Conflicts of Interest
What is it?

A conflict of interest exists for a professional if he or

she is subject to “influence, loyalties, temptations,
or other interests” that might make the
professional’s judgment less likely to benefit the
client or customer than he/she has a right to
expect

Critical to the reputation of the profession

 Conflicts of Interest
• Not just any conflict of interests, but related
to the profession
• Interests of the client or customer must be
legitimate
• 3 situations:
– Actual
– Potential
– Apparent
• Must always be disclosed
Honesty, Integrity, and Reliability

The Truth, the Whole Truth, and

nothing but the Truth…