HSTC FULL Course notes - Summary Tec & Eng: Indus-Cybern Age PDF

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My detailed information and answers on all the topics covered in the course conducted by Dr. Mélanie Frappier...

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THREE GORGES DAM The project was initiated by the Chinese government in 1994, with the support of different international cooperation agencies, for three main reasons. 1) First of all, it would generate hydroelectricity to meet China’s rapidly increasing demand. 2) Second, the Three Gorges Dam would protect millions of people living along the river from potential floods. 3) And finally, it would transform a 600-kilometre stretch of the fast-flowing river into a smooth navigable waterway for vessels and provide business opportunities to western landlocked provinces. Why did Probe International oppose the Three Gorges Dam? a. Human rights violation: rural dwellers are being discriminated, that they are not being consulted about their eviction, that they are often crowded onto poor land with unsatisfactory living conditions and few job opportunities, that they are not being taught new job skills b. Impact on ecosystem: the dam would alter the current ecosystem and threaten the habitats of various endangered species of fish, waterfowl and other animals. They added that the project would necessitate extensive logging in the area and erode much of the coastline. c. Local culture and natural beauty: The reservoir will flood many historical sites and ruin the legendary scenery of the gorges and the local tourism industry Why did Quebec’s provincial engineering association refused to rule on the ethical decisions its members made during their involvements in the Three Gorges Dam project? a. On Resettlement: The Canadian dam builders conclude that the people who will be flooded off their and can be resettled onto upland areas b. Impact on environment: The dam builders predict that both natural fish populations and aquaculture production would increase in the reservoir.

STORIES 1. Checklists and inherently safe design •

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inherently safer design – a design that eliminates hazards, or minimizes them significantly, to reduce the potential consequences to people, the environment, property, and business. All systems have multiple hazards, and there can be conflicts among risks associated with different alternatives. Understanding these conflicts will enable a designer to make intelligent decisions to optimize the design.

Why are checklists essential? • • • •

defense strategy to prevent human errors a memory aid to enhance task performance standardization of the tasks to facilitate team coordination a means to create and maintain a safety culture in the operation room

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support quality control by management, government, and inspectors.

VIRTUE ETHICS 1. Difference between ethical decision and an ethical dilemma a. Ethical conflict: When an action is against your values. There is no doubt in your mind. e.g. Honesty is one of your values. Accepting bribe would be an ethical conflict. Ethical dilemma: also known as a moral dilemmas, are situations in which there is a choice to be made between two options, neither of which resolves the situation in an ethically acceptable fashion.

Ethical Problems are like Design Problems . There are four points of analogy between ethical problems and design problems: •

there is rarely, if ever, a uniquely correct solution or response.

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Some possible responses are unacceptable - there are wrong answers even if there is no unique right answer.

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solutions may have advantages of different sorts, neither may be clearly better than the other.

1. A proposed solution must do all the following o

Achieve the desired performance or end

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Conform to given specifications or desired criteria -.

o o

Be consistent with (usually unstated) background constraints

Virtue ethics Character-based ethics •

A right act is the action a virtuous person would do in the same circumstances. Virtue ethics is person rather than action based: it looks at the virtue or moral character of the person carrying out an action, rather than at ethical duties and rules, or the consequences of particular actions. Example of virtue ethics to solve ethical dilemma: You are the assistant chief engineer at a steel mill. Your boss is only a few years older than you and you do not see much chance for advancement. A competitor has offered you a job at a higher salary. You are considering accepting the offer. However, this incident has caused you to

consider whether you might be worth more than you had imagined. You therefore go to your present company to see if they would match the offer. They did match the offer and you agreed to stay. Should you then: (a) Keep at your present company with their higher matched salary. (b) Go back to the competitor to see if they would increase their original offer even more. An engineer using a utilitarian approach might decide that the increased personal profits are worth breaking the promise to his original company. We will examine both options using a virtue ethics approach. Option (a) This may be a difficult step as it goes against most people’s desire to maximize income. However, the reinforcing of the virtues of prudence and justice should outweigh the desire for more money based on greed. The just thing to do is to keep your word. What professional Engineering Associations mean by “Good character” and why they require it? Under Ontario law, “good character” is generally held to comprise three elements: 1. the ability to tell the difference between right and wrong; 2. the courage to do what’s right, no matter the personal consequences; and 3. the ability to assess these issues, within the context of the practice of the profession, in the best interests of the public as a whole Traits of good character: The six most common traits of good character are [2]: 1. Trustworthiness: If you are trustworthy, you are honest, loyal, and reliable - you do what you say you’ll do. You have the courage to do the right thing, and you don’t deceive, cheat or steal. 2. Respect: Showing respect means being considerate of others and tolerant of differences. It also means using good manners. You make decisions that show you value your health and the health of others. You treat people and property with care. 3. Responsibility: Being responsible means using self-control - you think before you act and consider the consequences. You are accountable for your choices and decisions you don’t blame others for your actions. Responsible people try to do their best, and they persevere even when things don’t go as planned. 4. Fairness: If you are fair, you play by the rules, take turns, and share. You are openminded, and you listen to others. You don’t take advantage of others, and you don’t assign blame to others. 5. Caring: A caring person is kind and compassionate. When you care about others, you express gratitude, you are forgiving, and you help people in need. 6. Citizenship: If you advocate for a safe and healthy community, you are demonstrating good citizenship. A good citizen obeys laws and rules and respects authority. Being a good neighbour and cooperating with others are also parts of good citizenship.

Good character is required because the public trusts that engineers have the technical and ethical competence to serve society and have a willingness to put the public interest first. As the public may lack specialized engineering knowledge, they typically form opinions about engineers based on interpretation of character. Therefore, individual engineers need to demonstrate good character to maintain public trust. Self-regulation is not possible without trust, and the simplest way to gain and maintain that trust is through the good character of individual registrants.

RIGHTS AND DUTIES Right to be forgotten: Explain why someone might justify asking for “the right to be forgotten,” and why people could legitimately oppose such a demand. What is the right to be forgotten? • •

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The right to be forgotten is the concept that individuals have the civil right to request that personal information be removed from the Internet. In May 2014, the European Court of Justice ruled that European citizens have the right to request that search engines delink results to items that are considered inaccurate, irrelevant, or excessive Someone may justify asking for the right to be forgotten to ensure right to privacy. However, people could oppose such a demand because it conflicts with the right to freedom of expression and freedom of information. creating a right to be forgotten would decrease the quality of the Internet through censorship and a rewriting of history.

Example of case: What are the facts of the case? A: A Spanish man, Mario Costeja González, complained about some pages originally published in a Spanish newspaper (and later republished on the internet) which announced a governmentordered real estate auction following attachment proceedings to recover social security debts that he owed. He argued that the newspaper and Google should remove the information about the auction, which came up prominently in searches on his name, because they infringed his right to privacy - they weren't relevant to his situation today. The ECJ ruled that the paper can leave the information on its website, but that Google must remove the links to those pages from its index.

Kant’s duty ethics:

Strength: Among the greatest attribute of Kantian ethical theory is its consistency: because this theory is rules-based and absolute, it requires us to be consistent in our morality. Weakness: Kant underestimates the importance of taking consequences into account when considering an action. He believed that we could never be certain of the results of our actions, whether they’re well-intended or not.

Be able to use Engineers Canada’s code of ethics to offer a solution to complex ethical situations.

Consequentialism Consequentialism is based on two principles: •

Whether an act is right or wrong depends only on the results of that act

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The more good consequences an act produces, the better or righter that act It gives us this guidance when faced with a moral dilemma:

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A person should choose the action that maximises good consequences And it gives this general guidance on how to live:

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People should live so as to maximise good consequences Different forms of consequentialism differ over what the good thing is that should be maximised.

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Utilitarianism states that people should maximise human welfare or well-being (which they used to call 'utility' - hence the name).

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Hedonism states that people should maximise human pleasure. Cost-benefit analysis (CBA) = the view that social policies should be arranged to maximize the ratio of benefits to costs when all of the benefits and costs are measured in economic terms. Assuming that all of the relevant benefits and costs can be measured in economic terms, CBA operationalizes utilitarianism.

Apply consequentialism to an ethical dilemma

Efficiency: How did the Gilbreths’ definition of “efficient” work differ from Taylor? How do you think it affected the wellbeing of industry workers? Taylor was concerned with reducing process time and worked with factory managers on scientific time studies. At its most basic level, time studies involve breaking down each job into component parts, timing each element, and rearranging the parts into the most efficient method of working. Taylor was focused on reducing process time, while the Gilbreths tried to make the overall process more efficient by reducing the motions involved. They saw their approach as more concerned with workers’ welfare than Taylorism, in which workers were less relevant than profit. They found that the key to improving work efficiency was in reducing unnecessary motions. Not only were some motions unnecessary, but they caused employee fatigue. Their efforts to reduce fatigue included reduced motions, tool redesign, parts placement, and bench and seating height, for which they began to develop workplace standards. The Gilbreths' work broke ground for contemporary understanding of ergonomics.[11] How did home engineering changes lives of housewives? Improved home ergonomics - After the death of her husband, Lillian Gilbreth turned her attention toward household work and increasing the efficiency of kitchen appliances. Working for General Electric, she interviewed over 4,000 women and collected data on simple household chores, such as collecting garbage or washing dishes. She then used the data to design the proper height for sinks, stoves, and other kitchen appliances. She patented numerous appliances that made work in the kitchen easier.

Quebec Bridge Explain how the new managerial organizations aimed at the mass production of goods affected the construction of bridges at the turn of the century. •

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The St. Lawrence River was the main channel of trade for Quebec during the summer. During the winter, it filled with ice, and trade was completely cut off until the river iced over, and travel was possible again across a dangerous ice bridge. The desire to bridge the St. Lawrence River was fueled by Quebec’s need to be competitive in trade. In 1887, a group of businessmen and political leaders came together and formed the Quebec Bridge Committee. Due to the high level of interest in the project, the Canadian Parliament passed an act, which incorporated the committee into the Quebec Bridge Company

Causes of failure: Technical:

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The top and bottom chords for the anchor and cantilever arms of a bridge were typically designed as straight members. This common practice made the fabrication of these members easier. The bottom chords for the anchor and cantilever arms in the Quebec Bridge were slightly curved, for aesthetic reasons. This added difficulty to the fabrication of such unusually large members. The curvature also increased the secondary stresses on the members, reducing their buckling capacity. Another concern during the erection of the bridge was the joints. The ends of all the chords were shaped to allow for the small deflections that were expected to occur when the chords came under their full dead load. Adding to the design problems, Cooper increased the original allowable stresses for the bridge

Non-technical 1) Short Finance 2) Time Constrain 3) Negligence to follow proper professional procedures: i.e.: - disregard for re-computations of revised specs. - Dean disregarding the telegram of Cooper 4) Ego of Cooper, i.e.: refusing subordination and stopping the drafts to be individually reviewed 5) Broken laws of ethics •

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deformations went unheeded for so long. The engineers on site argued among themselves as to the cause. Although the workers who failed to report to work because of the deformations lacked the technical expertise, they seemed to be the only ones who understood what was really happening to the bridge. Engineers and others in charge must be open minded to the ideas of the laborers, many of which have years of experience. Another ethical concern was Cooper’s rejection of an independent engineer to check his work. His decisions were not questioned, even when they seemed to be unusual

What ethical issues are faced by engineers in large organizations? „ Public Safety „ Bribery and Fraud „ Environmental Protection „ Fairness „ Honesty in Research and Testing

„ Conflicts of Interest Three possible solution scenarios: „ Choose the ethical value which is stronger (health and safety of public versus duty toward employer) „ Find a creative middle ground usually involving a compromise agreed upon by all parties „ When all else fails, make the best choice possible based on available information

Professionalization: List and illustrate the four criteria any occupation should meet to be deemed a profession in the legal sense of the term. 1. Profession refers to vocation, in which high degree of education or skills is required. 2. the profession has a code of conduct. 3. profession requires specialisation in a specific area, and that is why training is a must. 4. profession is regulated by a professional body statute while an occupation is not.

Give the historical reasons explaining why engineers have opted for professionalization in Canada (but not in most other countries) (WWI, depression, etc.). 1. industrialization The engineering profession is customarily seen as a product of industrialization, or more specifically of industrial capitalism. Thus ''engineers" of a sort began to appear in Canada through the mid nineteenth century, but a true profession did not take form until the final decade or two of the century—by which time the consequences of Canada's industrial revolution were manifest. Socially, in this view, early pre-professional "engineers" were basically tradesmen, or mechanics—men with little formal education who learned their practical skills on the job—but as industrialization progressed, and greater numbers of technically skilled men were needed at higher levels of management, these tradesmen were able to establish themselves as professionals. 2. Social status early Canadian civil engineering was not a profession of untutored tradesmen. With such close personal and professional connections to the colonial elite. social status—has also been established insofar as it followed from the social positions of their families and from their own educational attainments. 3. Immigration

Canadian profession was made up almost entirely of immigrants or sons of immigrants, nearly all of whom were of British origin. British influence in Canada peaked in these years. It emerged in continental Europe and Britain late in the eighteenth century, taking somewhat different forms in different countries. In France, for instance, the profession was born with close ties to the state and to the already highly-respected tradition of military engineering, whereas in Britain it began with close connections to development-minded landowners and early capitalists. Explain the meaning of the expression “closed profession. Closed profession is the process whereby a trade or occupation transforms itself into a true profession by closing off entry to the profession to all but those suitably qualified. This can be achieved by licensure, through barring entry to all except those who have passed certain entrance examinations and grades of training, or by allowing entry only to those who have gained membership of a specific professional body.

Conflict of interest Clarence Decatur "C. D." Howe, PC (15 January 1886 – 31 December 1960) was a powerful Canadian Cabinet minister, representing the Liberal Party. Howe served in the governments of Prime Ministers William Lyon Mackenzie King and Louis St. Laurent continuously from 1935 to 1957. When World War II began in 1939, Howe played a crucial role in Canada's war effort, and recruited many corporate executives (as "dollar-a-year-men") to serve as executives in wartime enterprises. A conflict of interest is a situation in which an individual has competing interests or loyalties. •

with a public official whose personal interests conflict with his/her professional position.

Manage conflict of interest 1. 2. 3. 4.

recognize/identify the type of conflict disclosure notify the upper management distancing a. stay away from the issue to reduce your influence on the decisions made 5. Self regulations a. Make rules and regulations internally in an organization that checks for any conflicts that may arise in the future. For instance, an auditor before he goes to audit a bank say TD would go through a conflict of interest process that ensures he does not own any significant dealing with the bank such as has applied for a loan etc. that may be seen to influence on his audit decision/advice.