ENG231e Engineering Ethics – Engineers contribute significantly to food production through mechanization, Singapore

Answer all questions. (Total 100 marks)

Question 1
(a) Engineers contribute significantly to food production through mechanization.
(i) Discuss THREE (3) of the risks as a result of mechanization of food production. (12 marks)
(ii) Select any ONE (1) of the risks you have described in Question 1(a)(i) and illustrate a way to reduce that risk. (5 marks)

(b) Using any TWO (2) real examples from the cases we had studied in the course, examine why following blindly an existing regulation or guideline, can lead to serious problems. (8 marks)

Question 2
The Space Shuttle program used reusable winged manned spacecraft called “space shuttle” travel to a specific orbit in space and then return to earth. Two solid rocket boosters were used to provide additional power during shuttle launch and were discarded after lift-off. The external tank carrying hydrogen fuel and oxygen to support fast combustion was also discarded when empty. Only the space shuttle continued its journey to the specific orbit and then would return back to earth.

The night before the launch of Space shuttle Challenger on 28 Jan 1986, there was a teleconference by representatives (engineers and managers) from the solid rocket boosters manufacturers and NASA managers. The launch ended with an explosion of the space shuttle Challenger.

(a) Give THREE (3) similarities between an engineering project and an experiment. (6 marks)
(b) Using the Challenger explosion as an example, support the concept that an
engineering project as represented by space shuttle program can be viewed as an experiment. (7 marks)
(c) Discuss the main failure of each of the following groups of people that led to the Challenger explosion.
(i) The two engineers who made the presentation the night before the
launch
(ii) The management of the solid rocket boosters manufacturers
(iii) NASA managers

(12 marks)

Question 3
Due to stiff competition, a company decided to release a product before it has been sufficiently tested for safety, despite the protests by an engineer. The engineer writes about it in his twitter account.

(a) Determine and explain if the engineer’s action can be considered as whistle- blowing. (7 marks)
(b) Debate whether the engineer’s action can be justified under Duty Ethical Theory. (6 marks)
(c) Debate whether the engineer’s action can be justified under Utilitarian Ethical Theory. (6 marks)
(d) Debate whether the engineer’s action can be justified under Self-Realization Ethical Theory. (6 marks)

Question 4
(a) Present THREE (3) reasons to support the claim that an environment issue is an ethical issue. (9 marks)
(b) Certificate of Entitlement (COE) approach was introduced to restrict the number of vehicles on the road which in turn will help in reducing the air pollution due to the emission from the engines of these on road vehicles. Debate the ethics of the above approach by
(i) Providing TWO (2) reasons why such an approach is ethical. (6 marks)
(ii) Providing TWO (2) reasons why such an approach is unethical. (6 marks)
(c) Discuss any TWO (2) important actions an engineer in Singapore can do to help reduce damage to the environment in Singapore. (4 marks)