ENGINEERING ETHICS Professional Ethics in Engineering Part 3

ENGINEERING ETHICS Professional Ethics in Engineering, Part 3: Conflict of Interest Prof. Dr. Abduladhem Abdulkareem Ali, SMIEEE, MACM Department of Computer Engineering, College of Engineering University of Basrah

How should you advise the committee? You are an engineer who works for the state government, but you hope to leave soon for a higher-paying job with KKK Corporation. You are advising a committee that is considering three bids for constructing a new government control system. One bid comes from KKK, and you think that KKK’s bid is the best. Should you advise the committee to accept KKK’s bid? Why or why not? 2

• The question is whether you can advocate a decision that benefits your next career move. If you have an offer from KKK, then you would definitely have a conflict of interest, and you should recuse yourself. Without an offer, you have a potential conflict of interest. If you convince the committee to accept KKKl’s bid, and after KKK gets the contract, if you goes to work for KKK, then the both you and the state government would look bad (Newspaper test). At a minimum, you should be honest with the committee, but ideally, you should recuse yourself 3

When does a conflict of interest exist? • Not “conflicting interest” • Person in a position requiring exercise of judgment • Special interests that might interfere with the exercise of that judgment – Financial interests – Family connections – Prior relationships 4

• Distinguish from “conflicting interests” e. g. , say you transferred from University of Basrah to University of Baghdad, whom to root for when the two universities play football against each other. • “Conflict of interest” as an idiom applying to professionals who exercise judgment. 5

• Examples: Engineer who recommends purchase of parts made by manufacturer where her brother works, or has a significant financial interest in, or where she recently worked. • Academic example: graduate student supervised by professor, but student also works in professor’s consulting firm. Judgment of professor in making decisions about student’s academic progress could be colored by employer-employee relationship. 6 © 2008 Michael C. Loui

• Why not specify parts made by brother’s company. Someone should benefit, why not one’s brother? • Why shouldn’t an engineer work for one employer and moonlight for a direct competitor? After all, a janitor could work different shifts at competing hotels across the street from each other. It’s a free country! 7

Difference: • Depend on engineer for professional judgment. Other relationship could distort the engineer’s professional judgment, potential source of bias. • Perceived deception if clients or colleagues don’t know

Difference: • Possible loss of trust: Michael Davis: dirty gauge; not necessarily biased, but unreliable. Even appearance of COI is problematic: not that judgment will be run, but that judgment will not be trustworthy. And trust is cornerstone of professional relationships. • So even the appearance of a conflict of interest also causes a loss of trust. 9

Why does a conflict of interest seem unethical? • Ethical concerns raised by conflict of interest –Potential bias –Perceived deception –Loss of trust • Appearance of a conflict of interest 10

What can you do about a conflict of interest? • Recusal: : formally excusing self if someone else can fulfill role • Disclosure: : has advantage of candor • Management: if no one else can substitute; for example, if professor A supervises graduate student B and B works for A’s company, might appoint a co-advisor for thesis. 11