'Electrical Engineering Essay\r'

'1. Introduction\r\nEngineers harbour the potency of developing applied science that go forth be used by hundreds, thousands, even millions of mint. Since so many people be exploitation this applied science, it has to be safe and it has to benefit champion population without making a noher suffer. As the places excogitate new technology, they ar the ones that overhear an ethical duty to ensure that it in allow for not endanger lives or slip any suffering. The purpose of the assay is to research the specific screws that face galvanising points. The primary centre in this essay go out be addressing the motility: how fecal matter an expose be an ethical advert if it does not directly endanger human look or society? This is circumstancely important as in contrast to other branches of planing, the moral issues contact electrical applied scientisting do not ordinarily preserve a consumer’s health or lead to injury or death. A well-be yieldd de viseing dilemma could lease a construct collapsing or roads falling apart stellar(a) to direct death or injury, such as the â€Å"L’Ambiance Plaza abound”1 in Connecticut, or the â€Å"Sampoong Department Store Collapse”2 in Seoul.\r\nHowever, as discussed in Fleddermann (2000)3, the problems face by electrical engineers are no less(prenominal) important, and that the engineers in this discipline should be aware of the particular ethical dilemmas of this field. The field of electrical plan c everyplaces a wide range of technology from power coevals and transmission lines to integrated circuits used in computers. This essay pull up stakes outline, development real-life examples, three major(ip) concerns in electrical engineering and explain how they impact the earth on an international scale. The current solutions to the ethical dilemmas will be evaluated using ethical analysis, and alternative solutions will be provided. The following scenarios are an excellent model of the ethical issues that electrical engineers have to face and opens up a unique discussion about their responsibilities in both a national and international setting. electric outlet 1 †Quality of product vs. commercial supremacy\r\nElectrical engineers are involved in the manufacturing of cursory household appliances. The circuitry that is designed is used in products that are sold by the manufacturer. Manufacturer’s jackpot prioritise the commercial success of their product over the actual quality. This can result in a conflict of interest between manufacturer and engineer since the manufacturer can be financially motivated, whereas an engineer is supposed to hold paramount the welfare of semi unexclusive in their professional duties (engineering code of morals)5. An example of this is the manufacturing of the Intel microprocessor in 19944. The microprocessor had a dent in it that tightt that a on a regular basis used operation by users would give the monstrous results. The engineers knew of this problem, and rectified it for future version. Despite this, Intel continued merchandising the product.\r\nThis error was found by users, and Intel decided it would simply replace microprocessor with a good one to people who could demonstrate that they needed it. Should Intel have provided a substitution regardless? Since Intel was aware of the problem, was it unethical to withhold this reading from the users? If this information had been given, and warnings had been included, does this solve the ethical problems for the company? concord to Intel, since the error was so minor it would not affect the majority of users. However the few people would have ‘suffered’ from this flaw could have been rectified if Intel had offered to replace their microprocessor for free. This is what Intel did do and so according to utilitarianism principles their response was ethically sound.\r\nHowever, what was flagitious was the fact that they did not bring up this issue themselves, and that they continued manufacturing and selling the product without warnings. They did not valuate the dignity of their consumers enough to let them be apprised consumers. By applying Kantian ethics, one can restore that Intel did not respect the dignity of their customers, and was merely using them as a subject matter to an end. This was to maximise their lucre margin by exhausting their faulty stock. thither are a consider of alternative solutions that Intel could have taken. Intel could have continued selling their product with a warning label so that foster customer’s would be aware of flaw. A damp solution would have been if Intel discontinued making this microprocessor and told their customers of the flaw straight away, whilst also offering a rehabilitation chip. Issue 2 †experimental temper of electrical.\r\nThe technology used by engineers to design equipment is complex, and outside the agreemen t of a majority of general consumers. In extension to this, the lasting substance of close to of these technologies is unknown. Since electrical technology is designed on such a scurvy scale, in that respect can be unknown set up due to our special understanding of quantum physics. This raises an interesting issue that has sparked debate. force out we use technology that we don’t fully understand, but use on a daily basis? Is it safe to use this technology contending that there may be a potency risk that we have yet to comprehend? The temper of electrical engineering can be sensibly experimental. Transmission lines are used every sidereal day to transfer nothing into our homes.\r\nThere are erroneous theories6 that suggests that these transmission lines which emit low-frequency electromagnetic radiation can be harmful to the general population. This ranges from causing headaches and muscles degenerate to an increased risk of cancer6. Is an engineer obliged to consider these potential risks in their design, even if there is short proof or knowledge into the lasting set up? Currently transmission lines are designed so that they are around 5-10 metres off the ground, this is both for susceptibility as well as to remove them from the pertain of the general public, avoiding electrocution. However, not many transmission lines have shielding to reduce or eliminate the effectuate of electromagnetic fields, as there is no quantitative evidence to suggest that shielding is necessary. If the observational theories were prove to be true, however unlikely, that would mean that the general public have been placed in a invest of possible harm. In the unlikely case this was true, does the itty-bitty probability of this universe true outweigh the distressfulness of the potential harm (cancer).\r\nAn engineer should be chastely responsible at all times, and so an engineer should enlist some sort of safety measure. change surface if there is p lainly a tiny potential for transmission lines to have lasting negative effects, there should be methods used to combat this threat. This is applying contractualism principles. If engineers themselves believed that they could be undetermined to these harmful effects, and knew that they could do something about it, they would integrate some shielding into their transmission line design. Issue 3 †sustainability and power generation, impact of cheap labour baron generation and sustainability is a key concern for all people in the being. Electrical engineers are a vital part of this global machine implicated with sustainability.\r\nEngineers chiefly concern themselves with providing the most efficient means of power generation and distribution, but this can cause negative effects on the global community. Can a balance be straind? Is it possible for an electrical engineer to be morally responsible at all time? Our current primary energy cite is dependent on a limited resource , coal and fossil fuels7. The utilisation of these materials results in emissions and spoil that are harmful to the environment. Since an electrical engineer is only concerned with the production of energy and not of its government activity is this even an issue they should concern themselves with? It’s not just up to one person to be ethically responsible. An engineer is only a pocket-sized part of a net guide of morally self-reliant agents.\r\nAn engineer can apply virtue ethics or kantian ethics, and create awareness of environmental issues. An engineer should have a virtuous nature and consider all areas of society that they can impact. If an engineer applies Kantianism, their actions would involve trying to tell their managers that they are using the Earth’s limited resources as a means to an end, and the environment gets negatively affected by this. If an engineer raises concern about environmental issues, therefore they are ethically sound. Even if the situ ation does not change due to the opinions of higher up people, the engineer has done all that they can be judge to. Cheap Labour:\r\nAn example of our global effect is found in a youtube video8 where cheap squirt labour is used to break down separate in a circuit board for further use. The toxic fumes emitted from deconstructing the components are extremely raging and can cause lasting health consequences. Companies source labour to developing countries because it is an extremely economical alternative. This is primarily due to developing nations not having as besotted workplace health and safety requirements, and also being able to obtain workers who would work for a untold lower wage. Essentially this action will achieve the same outcome, for a lesser represent. These companies clearly priorities take in margins over social wellbeing. Is this an electrical engineers concern? An electrical engineer is part of the company that makes the decision to employ cheap labour, and so they can be in a position to influence this decision. A number of options are available.\r\nEmploy 1st world employees to practice the same job locally\r\nThis will mean that there is a higher cost for the company. However, this will take away work from third work countries. Cheap labour will no all-night be exploited, but the people of the country will no longer have employment, which could have unplayful roll-over effects on the society and economy. A ameliorate solution would be: Employ 3rd world employees, and provide better wages and working conditions. The major benefit of this is that a company can appease provide work for the global community, while upward(a) the working conditions and economies of the developing nations, rather than exploiting them. The downside is extra cost put into educating employees and providing good equipment to apply process. Both scenarios involve extra money input from companies, resulting in sack of profits, but this is weighed against the safety of the people contracted to the company. evaluate of human life is held paramount here which satisfies engineering code of ethics.\r\nReferences\r\n1. http://www.engineering.com/Library/ArticlesPage/tabid/85/ArticleID/168/LAmbiance-Plazza.aspx 2. http://www.hazardcards.com/card.php?id=8\r\n3. http://www.ele.uri.edu/courses/ele400/f12/cases.pdf\r\n4. B. Crothers, â€Å"Pentium woes continue,” Infoworld, vol. 16, no. 48, pp. a. 1â€18, Nov. 18, 1994.\r\n5. http://www.engineersaustralia.org.au//sites/default/files/shado/About%20Us/Overview/Governance/CodeOfEthics2000.pdf 6. http://www.mcw.edu/radiationoncology/ourdepartment/radiationbiology/Power-Lines-and-Cancer-FAQs.htm#1 7. http://www.dg.history.vt.edu/ch2/impact.html\r\n8. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeDw6yHQVbI\r\n'