Ethical Issues in Engineering

Discussion 1 

Question 1 

Based on the case, Andy has plagiarized the young woman’s code as presented in the local “meet up”. Rather than giving credit to the young woman, Andy has presented the 27 lines of code as his own. While there is no statutory prohibition against plagiarism, it is unethical and can lead to various sanctions. Be that as it may, the update is scheduled for release within the week, making it impossible for Andy to start from scratch without delaying the release. To ensure that the young woman is recognized for her work and that the release date is maintained, I would advise Andy to acknowledge and give credit to the young woman in the code and the repo log. Also, I would forward the issue to the team leader to ensure that the young woman is informed about the issue and that she is compensated for the use of her work. 

Discussion 2 

Question 1 

Reverse engineering is sometimes considered unethical. Although not entirely illegal, an attempt to reverse engineer the competitor’s software system may be considered a copyright infringement. If the competitor holds a copyright for the software, the reverse engineering process might infringe on the competitor’s right to intellectual property. One can argue that reverse engineering is unethical because it facilitates the violation of competitors’ copyrights and the stealing of intellectual property. Nonetheless, reverse engineering has several benefits when utilized properly. Reverse engineering enables interoperability among components of different players in the industry. Therefore, citing the aforementioned benefits and the fact that many reverse engineering aspects are not illegal, I believe the CEO’s request is not illegal or unethical. 

Question 2 

Hiring software engineers from competitors can be argued to be both ethical and unethical. On the ethical side, professionals have the right to choose where they would wish to work. As an employer, one can approach competitors’ employees to fill in existing vacancies and inquire if they are interested; it is not illegal. If the competitor’s software engineers are not interested, they will make it clear. However, if they are willing to pursue a better opportunity with our organization, it is okay; an organization has the right to pursue and retain the best talents in the industry. Nonetheless, hiring from competitors, or poaching, can also be viewed as unethical. Taking software engineers from our competitors can be seen as stealing employees that competing organizations have strived to develop. Besides, such employees can come with secrets about their former employers, giving our organization an unfair advantage in the market.