Above and beyond: ethics and responsibility in civil engineering

Abstract

This exploratory study investigates how nine London-based civil engineers have enacted 'global responsibility' and how their efforts involve ethics and professionalism. The study assesses moral philosophies related to ethics, as well as professional engineering bodies' visions, accreditation standards, and requirements for continuing professional development.Regarding ethics, the study questions where the line falls between what an engineer 'must do' and what 'would be good to do'. Although the term ethics did not spring to mind when participants were asked about making decisions related to global responsibility, participants' concern for protecting the environment and making life better for people did, nonetheless, demonstrate clear ethical concern. Participants found means and mandates for protecting the health and safety of construction workers to be clearer than those for protecting society and the natural environment. Specific paths for reporting observed ethical infringements were not always clear. As such, angalyses suggest that today's shared sense of professional duty and obligation may be too limited to achieve goals set by engineering professional bodies and the United Nations. Moreover, although professional and educational accreditation standards have traditionally embedded ethics within sustainability, interviews indicate sustainability is a construct embedded within ethics.

How COVID-19 pandemic has shaped buyer-supplier relationships in engineering companies with ethical perception considerations: A multi-methodological study

“…In today’s highly volatile and competitive marketplace, engineering firms are applying multiple strategies to reduce overhead costs, lessen financial losses, and reduce unnecessary expenses ( Aboelmagd, 2021 , Wang, 2022 ). Ethical practices within the engineering industry players have attracted the attention of professionals, researchers, and policymakers ( Chance et al, 2021 , Smith et al, 2021 ) primarily because organizations across the spectrum have realized the need to follow ethical practices and build mutually-beneficial relationships to face disruptions, similar to the ongoing pandemic. Resource-sharing is one such collaborative activity which is based on how suppliers perceive the buying firm.…”

Insights to research and practice from developing and deploying an early career engineers’ trajectory survey

“…In a confidential survey deployed through convenience sampling, the exact response rate cannot be calculated, as it is not possible to know how many people were invited or further shared the invite with colleagues (Chance, Lawlor, Direito, & Mitchell, 2021).…”