Ethics Case Study

INSTRUCTIONS:

FOLLOW THSES INSTRUCTIONS IN THE BOTTOM AND SEE EXAMPLES.

Post: After viewing Henry’s Daughters and the other reading, write a 250-1000 word post in the discussion forum responding to the

questions below. WRITE A
SINGLE POST IN THE CORRECT DISCUSSION FORUM FOR THIS ASSIGNMENT.

1. List the ethical issues you observed in Henry’s Daughters.
2. From your personal perspective, prioritize these ethical issues from most critical to least critical.
3. Discuss the movie from these three other perspectives:
a. Henry’s Perspective: Assume you are Henry.
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
ii. What are some things that you should consider?
iii. From whom or where should you seek guidance?
b. Laura’s Perspective: Assume you are Laura.
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
ii. What decisions would you change if you were Laura?
iii. From whom or where could you seek guidance?
c. Julie’s Perspective: Assume you are Julie.
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
ii. What decisions would you change if you were Julie?
iii. From whom or where could you seek guidance?
d. Responsibility Perspective: If you were in charge and had the authority and the funding to make any changes you wanted to make

in your organization policies:
i. What specific steps would you take to improve the organization culture?
ii. Who would you involve in this process?
iii. How and when would you communicate the organization policies to:
d.
a. Your employees?
b. Your clients?
c. The public?
Which aspects of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers are relevant to your decision making on this case?
EXAMPLES FOR OTHER STUDENTS

EXAMPLE 1

Most Critical
Sharing proprietary information with key unauthorized stakeholders in a project before public release.
Using and suggesting to use government funds to pay for an external project.
Bribing government officials.
Sharing information from one group’s work with another group in competition with them.
Copying an idea or concept being implemented by another group.
Taking credit for someone else’s work.
Insulting project group members.
Sexual harassment
Sharing customer information without consent.
Wasting company resources by assigning groups to projects that the final product will inevitably be thrown out regardless of success.
Least Critical

3. a. Henry
i. Being motivated by money to perform corrupt behaviors such as using government funds to pose a fake competition that will lead to

financial gain and bribing a government official for his cooperation.
ii. Financial and legal consequences can result in the loss of assets, licenses, and even jail time.
iii. Consult a lawyer for future business decisions to stay out of legal trouble.

b. Laura
i. Sharing proprietary information regarding the projects with family members who are key stakeholders involved with the project.
ii. Not sharing any information regarding the projects with family and not showing Julie software that the other group was developing.
iii. Consult the HR department of the business before and during production of the projects.

c. Julie
i. Using the other group’s idea for software as her own, even if she created her own version.
ii. Created entirely new software that performed a different function or used a different algorithm to create a similar product instead

of just copying the existing software.
iii. Consult an Intellectual Property lawyer or even fellow teammates to discuss a better way of approaching this problem.

d. Responsibility Perspective
i. I would make sure that there is not a family conflict with any project such as this where one family member is overseeing another. I

would also hire an external legal team to consult when such projects involve government funding. If an HR department is not already in

place, I would form one so employees have someone to contact when they’re not treated seriously.
ii. External legal team, internal HR department, managers and supervisors of projects such as this one.
iii. a. At the start and near completion of every project an employee accepts.
b. At the start and near completion of a client’s project.
c. Immediately prior to every project’s completion that will impact the community.

4.
• “Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.”
• “Act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees.”
• “Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts.”
• “Engineers shall be guided in all their relations by the highest standards of honesty and integrity.”
• “Engineers shall not disclose, without consent, confidential information concerning the business affairs or technical processes

of any present or former client or employer, or public body on which they serve.”

EXAMPLE 2

COLLAPSE
List the ethical issues you observed in Henry’s Daughters.

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-Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence. (When working on installing OUTOCAR equipment d

Marty didn’t seem qualified in his abilities.)

-Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees. (Laura shared information with Julie about

the other team’s project.)

-Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts. (Henry was expert at deceiving many people in order to further the GUIDEME project.)

-Engineers shall conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor,

reputation, and usefulness of the profession. (All engineers in the presentation in some form or another acted contrary to this ethical

cannon.)
From your personal perspective, prioritize these ethical issues from most critical to least critical.

-Engineers shall avoid deceptive acts. (Henry was expert at deceiving many people in order to further the GUIDEME project like making

deals with the senator and DOT official.)

-Engineers shall act for each employer or client as faithful agents or trustees. (Laura shared information with Julie about the other

team’s project.)

-Engineers shall conduct themselves honorably, responsibly, ethically, and lawfully so as to enhance the honor,

reputation, and usefulness of the profession. (All engineers in the presentation in some form or another acted contrary to this ethical

cannon. For example Barry took Julies work and presented it as his own in his dissertation. Laura told her father and

sister which program she was going to recommend before the official public recommendation was made.)

-Engineers shall perform services only in the areas of their competence. (When working on installing OUTOCAR equipment d

Marty didn’t seem qualified in his abilities.)

Discuss the movie from these three other perspectives:

Henry’s Perspective:
One ethical canon that Henry blatantly violated was that Engineers should avoid deceptive acts. From the very presentation he was

buying off political and municipal leaders. Henry should have considered a legality test of his actions. As is true of most corrupt

organizations the truth eventually came to light, and Henry had to face the consequences of his actions. It seemed that Henry was

pretty deep in a rut when it came to his actions, and I’m not sure if there was anyone that could have helped him out of his problems.

Maybe if he went on TV with Dr. Phil he could have confessed all his wrongdoings and turned his life around.

Laura’s Perspective:
Laura faced the problem of not revealing the corruption in the SANSHANDS design team selection process. From a very early stage she had

pretty significant evidence or understanding that the selection process was biased and unfair. Early on she should have taken the

initiative to reveal the corruption rather than ride along with it. Ultimately a publicity test was what probably swayed her decision

to reveal all that she knew. Also Laura had a very large conflict of interest with both design teams. She knew that her father was

heavily supporting one team, and her sister was an active part of the other. She should have removed herself from the decision making

position she was in and let an unbiased party handle the team selection process. As mentioned before she should have gone to proper

authorities early on to report the corrupt actions going on within the DOT.

Julie’s Perspective:
Julie was in nearly as much hot water as he father, Henry. She consistently received insider information about her competition from her

older sister, and even stole ideas from her competitors and incorporated them into her design. Then she shared those ideas with her

creeper boss, Barry, who then stole those ideas from her and included them in his PhD dissertation. Sadly the video did a poor job at

describing who would be a good person or institution to go to if one was presented with such blatant violations of engineering ethical

codes. One would presume that law enforcement agencies would be the best point of contact to resolve such situations.

Responsibility Perspective:
If I was in charge of changing the culture of the DOT and had the authority and funding to do so I would focus on changing a few key

workplace issues. In order for the following changes to be possible all employees from upper management to the janitors would need to

be involved. The first would be to include training to outline the consequences of accepting bribes. Second would be to address the

blatant sexual harassment incidents ongoing in the office environment. Next I would ensure that employees only perform work in the

field for which they are qualified. Also, one person having total deciding power creates a possibility for that person to be influenced

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or corrupted by outside influences. As such a panel would be formed including a consultant external from the project and company. This

would allow all projects to have an equal opportunity at being selected. These changes would be communicated to employees via email and

in office training sessions. Changes to the company mission statement and handbook would be a means of informing clients. To inform the

public a press release would be a way to communicate new company changes

EXAMPLE 3
1. List the ethical issues you observed in Henry’s Daughters.
• Plagiarism
• Bribery
• Sexual Harassment/Inappropriate workplace interactions
• Conflict of Interest
• Sharing of Proprietary Information
• Favoritism shone towards teams and family members
• Sexist Comments
• Confidentiality Breaches
• Inappropriate use of Intellectual Property
• Dishonest Business Methods and Communication
1. From your personal perspective, prioritize these ethical issues from most critical to least critical.
1. Conflict of Interest
2. Bribery
3. Sexual Harassment/Inappropriate workplace interaction
4. Confidentiality breaches
5. Plagiarism
6. Inappropriate use of Intellectual Property
7. Sharing of proprietary information
8. Favoritism shown toward teams and family members
9. Dishonest business methods and communication
10. Sexist comments
1. Discuss the movie from these three other perspectives:
1. Henry’s Perspective: Assume you are Henry.
1. What specific ethical issues do you face?
o Conflict of interest with both daughters involved personal and professional decisions of company project
o Dishonesty regarding business practices and confidentiality
o Influencing company decisions with bribes and promises of personal employee gain
What are some things that you should consider?
o Coming forward and mentioning the involvement of his daughters in his business
o The fact that an engineering license could be revoked due to these actions
o Jail time could be faced as a consequence of these decisions
From whom or where should you seek guidance?
o The NSPE code of Ethics
o Close friends who do follow this code
o Family members other than both daughters
Laura’s Perspective: Assume you are Laura.
What specific ethical issues do you face?
o Living with a family member who is in competing business
o Sharing of proprietary information wih the competing team
o Manipulation from father into sharing information about company decisions and team information
o Deciding between right and wrong – side with father and politicians of a corrupt business, side with sister and leak

confidential information, or do the right thing and stay out of all of it
What decisions would you change if you were Laura?
o Would not have listened to father and shared information about the teams
o Would not have shown models from competing team to sister
o Would have been honest about the corruption seen in the business
From whom or where could you seek guidance?
o The NSPE code of Ethics
o Fellow co-workers who were not involved in the complex family dynamics
o Family who was not a part of the business
o Possibly a lawyer if needed
Julie’s Perspective: Assume you are Julie.

What specific ethical issues do you face?
o The involvement of father in overall career
o Treatment from fellow coworkers and boss
o Stealing information and tactics from competing team
o Someone from within the company plagiarizing individual work with no credit given
What decisions would you change if you were Julie?
o Would have stood up against unfair and inappropriate behavior of coworkers and boss
o Would not have looked at the competing team’s proprietary information, even if a family member offered to share it
From whom or where could you seek guidance?
o The NSPE code of Ethics
o Friends who are not involved in the team, family or company to eliminate bias
Responsibility Perspective: If you were in charge and had the authority and the funding to make any changes you wanted to make

in your organization policies:
What specific steps would you take to improve the organization culture?
o Ensure there were no conflicts of interest, and if family members worked together, eliminate circumstances in which there may

be unethical decisions may be made
o Enforce a strict system to ensure there is no bribery or sharing of proprietary information
o Ensure all conflicts of interest are explicitly expressed
o Avoid having family in competing positions
Who would you involve in this process?
o An outside, unbiased source that would be free from conflicts of interest, bribery and corruption
How and when would you communicate the organization policies to:
1.
o Your employees?
Upon hiring them, and on a regular, annual basis with training
o Your clients?
Ensure they sign a contract when business is conducted that there is a zero-tolerance policy with the company for corruption
o The public?
Build a reputation to be completely transparent with policies, conspiracies and conflicts of interests within the company to ensure the

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public trusts the company, and trusts the company will always do the ‘right’ thing.
Which aspects of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers are relevant to your decision making on this case?
Several aspects, such as honesty, integrity, conflicts of interest and deceit are relevant to this specific case study. These were the

aspects that seem more prevalent, relevant and important to this specific case study.
EXAMPLE 4:
REPOST OF THE ORIGINAL ETHICS CASE STUDY:
1. List the ethical issues you observed in Henry’s Daughters.
– Bribery
– Corruption
– Sexual Harassment
– Plagiarism
– Sharing proprietary information
2. From your personal perspective, prioritize these ethical issues from most critical to least critical.
– Sexual harassment
– Sharing proprietary information
– Plagiarism
– Bribery
– Corruption
3. Discuss the movie from these three other perspectives:
a. Henry’s Perspective: Assume you are Henry.
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
– Bribing government officials for my own personal gain
– Dealing in corruption
– Used connections to advance my daughter’s careers
– Exhibited unprofessional behavior
ii. What are some things that you should consider?
– What negative repercussion will I have to face?
– How will my corrupt behavior not only affect me but my daughters?
– What criminal charges can I potentially face?
iii. From whom or where should you seek guidance?
– Other Professional Engineers
– NSPE Code of Ethics
b. Laura’s Perspective: Assume you are Laura
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
– Do not report corrupt behavior and turn the other way
– Share proprietary information with my family members
– I do not report sexual harassment towards my sister Julie
ii. What decisions would you change if you were Laura?
– Not share proprietary information regardless if its family
– Report all inappropriate behavior immediately to Human Resources
– Report corrupt behavior immediately when it comes to my attention
iii. From whom or where could you seek guidance?
– Colleagues
– Other Professional Engineers
– Human Resource
c. Julie’s Perspective: Assume you are Julie.
i. What specific ethical issues do you face?
– I accepted a job based on whom I knew vs. what I knew
– Experienced sexual harassment
– Conducted plagiarism when I used code form the competitor and passed it on as my own
ii. What decisions would you change if you were Julie?
– Report inappropriate behavior of fellow colleagues immediately
– Think twice about passing plagiarized work as my own
iii. From whom or where could you seek guidance?
– Human Resources
– Other Professional Engineers
– NSPE Code of Ethics
d. Responsibility Perspective: If you were in charge and had the authority and the funding to make any changes you wanted to make in

your organization policies:
i. What specific steps would you take to improve the organization culture?
I would have all employees take an annual ethics course/test as well as a course/test on sexual harassment in the workplace. This

would ensure that all employees know what actions are considered unethical and inappropriate as well as some of the repercussions if

caught. Another thing would be to ensure that no employees have conflict of interest when working on specific projects. This would

ensure that proprietary information is not shared with conflicting parties.
ii. Who would you involve in this process?
Everyone involved in the company from Human Resources, to management, and all employees involved in the projects.
iii. How and when would you communicate the organization policies to:
a. Your employees?
Daily meetings or even possibly weekly meetings depending on projects, on issues that were faced.
b. Your clients?
As soon as clients are signed on they will get a list of the companies policies and a contract to sign.
c. The public?
As soon as information is available it would be made available to the public via our Internet page.
4. Which aspects of the NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers are relevant to your decision making on this case?
All of the aspects of the NSPE Code of Ethics would be relevant to my decision-making. But the most important ones would have to be:

Engineers shall hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public and Engineers shall act for each employer or client as

faithful agents or trustees.

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