As we all know, it’s the end of the year, which means (drum roll please) the END OF E101!!!!!! As much as this class has probably pained each and every one of us in some singular way, nearing the end of the semester the lectures in our lab classes became more and more interesting to me. My class’ professor was Dr. Byrd, and he was quite passionate about teaching this class. But one of his speeches specifically stood out: Engineering Ethics. He mentioned how each branch of engineering and each department has drafted their own code of ethics, and how many of them are similar. And always, the number one rule of any branch is to “Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the public.” There’s other important ones such as “Avoid deceptive acts,” or “Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner.” But it was constantly battered into our minds that the singularly most important value that we should hold most dear was the “Hold paramount.”
These are amazing words to live by, and honestly ones that has practicality for every single person on this planet. Just for this post though, I would like to focus on engineers and companies built upon engineering. Regarding these, I’ve noticed in recent years most especially, these ethics seem to fly out the window without a second glance. People don’t seem to believe even the most little, tiny break of the code could effect anything, and therefore don’t notice when they get swindled by a company that has sworn under oath to do no such thing.
Of course, everyone thinks of the large, devastating events when it comes to ethics. Things like the BMW/VW scandal with their diesel efficient fuel, or the Hyatt Regency walkway collapse that killed hundreds. But I would urge you to take a second and think about businesses in the present, right now, that may be breaking this code of ethics right under your nose.
Exhibit A: Apple. Apple is taking over the world at the moment (not in the literal sense, but you know what I mean). Do the average consumer, they seem like the best company on the market. They care about their customers, they put out the latest and greatest technology for their consumers, they keep their consumer’s desires in their mind and never lie about what their products entail. Right? Unfortunately, quite wrong. First and foremost, Apple is one of the worst technological businesses when it comes to sustainability and being eco-friendly. They have refused to partner with any sort of company that focus on protecting the planet and preventing pollution when these companies have reached out to them. All the while, Apple’s factories in China, the US, and all over the rest of the world have been contributing a great amount to the total amount of gases trapped in our atmosphere, wasting away at our planet, without looking back. Remember the “Hold paramount?” I don’t think that quite encompasses that. Also, apple has been known to keep things secret from the public all the time, as well as what actual things may be different from one iPhone model to the next. Remember “Issue public statements only in an objective and truthful manner?” Are you starting to see where I’m getting at?
These violations of the engineering code of ethics still go either unnoticed or ignored by the public, simply because of the name “Apple.” And we have started to see this kind of behavior spread throughout other companies as well. People being lied to about products, companies only keeping their own interest at mind, short cutting safety procedures just to get a prototype out on time, and so on and so forth. And it will only keep growing if large, big name companies like Apple continue to disobey this code, even in the smallest amounts.
So I pose the question to you all. Do ethics really even exist anymore?