Applying A Global Ethic In Engineering Organizations

The 1980s and early 90s were times of design and manufacturing “catch up” for many companies. The American consumer began to look to other countries to satisfy their demands as the label of “Made in America” came to be seen as shorthand for increased cost and low quality. In embarking on the new product catch up era, many manufacturers chose to terminate their technical and middle management employees and adopt “outsourcing” as a way to acquire labor, new products, and sub assemblies without incurring the financial and legal risks of designing and manufacturing their own products. This era has left a mark on American industry in general and the engineering profession in particular that remains today. Ethical considerations, although not completely disregarded, have been largely cast aside so that at any critical juncture in decision making, the paramount question to be answered by the engineer becomes “Is it legal?” as opposed to “Is it ethical?” This paper attempts to define a global ethic and applies it to ethical issues commonly experienced in engineering organizations. Finally, this paper outlines how our engineering curriculum can be designed to address ethical issues and includes a case study to illustrate them. Applying a Global Ethic in Engineering Organizations