Engineering ethics and business ethics: commonalities for a comprehensive code of ethics

Abstract

A comprehensive study of business ethics has lead to the development of various principles that are the foundation of good, ethical business practices. A corresponding study of engineering ethics has lead to the conclusion that good ethics in engineering is very similar to good business ethics practices. In fact, good business ethics on an engineer's part should be equatable to good engineering ethics. Engineers are business people, as well as being professionals in a specific field, just as accountants, bankers, security analysts or lawyers are. One anomaly specific to engineers, however, is the myriad of codes of conduct that the engineer may be encouraged or even mandated by professional societies and/or by governmental regulatory agencies to abide by. As the environment of business grows ever more international, the need for one code of ethics for engineers in business becomes even more advisable: having a wide variety of professional codes for one profession within even one country is unnecessarily difficult for good faith seekers of aid in search of the morally justifiable answer. This paper attempts to bring into alignment basic principles to be found about workable codes of ethics (business or engineering) and in them. The initial stages of development of a single code of business ethics that is compatible with and applicable to engineers or any other professional or business person can only bring positive clarity in discussion of matters that should be standardized everywhere, especially in the physics oriented world of right and wrong that is engineering.