Central Queensland University: ENEG20001 Reflective Report on Ethics

This report is a reflective writing task focusing on Australian Engineering Practice (ENEG20001) at Central Queensland University. It explores the historical impact of engineering on society, discussing both positive and negative consequences across various engineering disciplines, from civil and mechanical to genetic and computer engineering. The report also delves into engineering professionalism and ethics within the Australian context, examining the benefits and drawbacks of adhering to ethical standards in the workplace. The student reflects on personal experiences related to these topics, proposing ways to mitigate the adverse impacts of engineering practices and promote ethical conduct in professional settings. This document provides a valuable case study for students studying similar topics and can be found with other resources on Desklib.

Australian Engineering Practice
Unit code: ENEG20001
Term 1, 2018
Reflective Writing Task 1
Student Name: Amandeep Singh
Student ID: 12066802
Week of Submission: 3
Date of Submission: 23/03/2018
School of Engineering and Technology
Central Queensland University

Learning Outcomes 1: Explain the historical impact of engineering on society
What?
Engineering is a significant part which influences the shape of society. Engineers not only work
with designs, machines, and electronics but also uses science and maths to develop inventions
and innovations which enhances societies shape and improves the way of working and living.
Engineers possess a great responsibility as well as opportunity to guarantee a positive impact on
society. Engineer helps to turn the knowledge of science and its technology into something
tangible which is useful and beneficial to society (Prados, Peterson, and Lattuca, 2005).
So What?
Engineering leads to various positive impacts on society that are listed below:
 Much beautiful building, structures, and roads are created by civil engineers helping the
country to become strong and safe.
 Mechanical engineers created various machines either for transport or some other
purposes making lives of human simpler and effortless. Like automobiles, airplanes and
mobile phones.
 Genetic engineers produce methods to increase the food production by enlarging the
crops, vegetables, and fruits.
 Mechanical engineers develop various dams that eliminate the chances of floods and
ensure a better supply of water and are a clean source of energy.
 Genetic engineers also provide understanding regarding the genetic mutations, the human
genome, and DNA.
 Engineers invented various new technologies making the work faster, safer, easier and
rewarding.
 Engineers help in increasing the business approach by enhancing quality and services for
the customer making business effective and profitable.
 The engineer made domestic products has helped a lot to women’s making their work
easier and simpler.
 Engineers even developed products that helped a lot to improve the environmental
conditions by reducing the pollution.

 Computer engineers helped to improve the communication between various government
agencies and businesses.
 Computer engineers provide solutions to different government agencies and business to
keep their records safely and helped in increasing the speed, efficiency, quality, and
reliability and cost reduction (Barnhart, Sheppard, Beaudet, Stover, and Balmes, 1997).
Engineering leads to various negative impacts on society that are listed below:
 Chemical engineers create various chemical weapons which could lead to massive
destruction.
 These new inventions are making life effortless but on the other hand, degrading the
environment with pollution and making people lazy.
 Genetic engineers perform many experiments that are dangerous, horrifying and life
threating.
 While performing some genetic experiments there is the risk of arising some health and
birth-related problems.
 Mechanical engineers develop dams that affect various farmlands, affects aquatic life and
also displaces large population.
 Engineers develop windmill considering it a clean method of generating energy but it
leads to temperature increase and causes a disturbance in the atmosphere.
 Engineers developed various luxury based products like refrigerators and AC’s that
caused damage to the protective layer of ozone.
 Automobiles created made transport easier but also creates a lot of pollution in the
atmosphere.
What else?
I have experienced the impacts of engineering on society in my day to day life as it made the
system of transport for the civilians very easy. There are multiple means of transport available
for people. Each and every person is using mobile phones created by engineers making it easy to
communicate with people who are even far away. Mobile phones even help to schedules one’s
life. Engineers even created AC’s which are the biggest necessity nowadays. And computer
engineers developed some application to store all details of various students and other staff in

any university that can be searched at the time of inquiry making the process easier and simpler
(Haines, Wallace, and Cannon, 2001).
What now?
While studying this topic I understood and got a lot of knowledge regarding the impact of
engineering on society and by using my skills I will apply this knowledge to reduce the adverse
impacts of the present scenario. Chemical weapons created must not be allowed to sell it to
anybody except the government and at the time of formation of dams the people who are
displaced from their place must be granted new places to live. I will even use my skills to create
the products or use the product that doesn’t cause harm to the atmosphere or ozone layer.

Learning Outcomes 2: Explain engineering professionalism and ethics in the Australian
contexts
What?
Engineering professionalism is a manner of living and thinking not a way of learning and
accumulating. Professionalism is something which can’t be educated or taught by declaring
some code of ethics neither by remembering few rules. Code of ethics determines one's
commitment and responsibility towards Australian society and engineering professionalism.
Professionalism develops a strong working attitude and motivates men to provide his best
contribution towards community. It includes the behavior of employees towards their clients and
the contribution they made towards the enhancement of society (Harris, Davis, Pritchard, and
Rabins, 1996).
So What?
Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to various positive impacts in the Australian
contexts that are listed below:
 Focusing on the engineering professionalism and ethics the clients or people can be
served better, in a convening and polite way.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics helps to set responsibilities and ideals for a
perfect professional.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps to improve the professional profile.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps to motivate and encourages the
professional.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics problems raised or challenges faced can be
solved in more effective manner.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps to develop some ethical conduct.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps to improve the consistency and quality of
that professional.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics helps to raise consciousness and awareness
regarding various issues.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics helps to improve the peace officers quality.

 Using engineering professionalism and ethics helps to develop innovations that are very
effective and operational.
 Focusing on the engineering professionalism and ethics can prove to be a crowning
accomplishment towards one's career.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics provide clients credibility and reliability.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics provides job security at the time of
downsides of the company.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics can help one gain promotions or appraisals.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics helps one to increases his marketability.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps in developing various bonds among clients.
It helps to develop both personal and professional public relation.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics helps one in gaining extra facilities and better
incentives (Stieb, 2011).
Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to various negative impacts in the Australian
contexts that are listed below:
 Focusing on the engineering professionalism and ethics leads to lack of personal interest
among employees as well as clients.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to various dirty office politics and also
leads to groups of people.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics generates interest related conflicts among various
employees.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to lack of closeness among employees.
 Using engineering professionalism and ethics it faces the absence or lack of prompt
decisions.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics increase the possibility of fraud or thefts.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to lack of secrecy in companies.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics has very lengthy formal and legal process that is
difficult to be formed.

 Engineering professionalism and ethics leads to smaller profits as they are so much
involved in following those rules and professionalism that they put fewer efforts towards
the work.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics used to waste a lot of time of employees.
 Engineering professionalism and ethics increases or creates a lot of pressure among
employees (Brawner, Main, Mobley, Camacho, and Lord, 2016).
What else?
I have experienced the engineering professionalism and ethics in the Australian contexts in my
day to day life as my mentors in my university follows the code of ethics and professionalism
described by the university. They carry a great professionalism as they are really polite to us and
answers to all our queries and serve us better. They very well know their responsibilities and
motivate us to improve ourselves. The mentors which follow all rules and contribute a lot to the
university are applauded and provided with promotions or appraisals. Some of them are even
provided with the house and transport facilities.
What now?
While studying this topic I understood and got a lot of knowledge regarding the engineering
professionalism and ethics and by using my skills I will apply this knowledge to reduce the
adverse impacts of the present scenario. The groupism formed in the organization should not be
considered well and methods must be taken to make the employees work as a team more
collectively. Along with the rules the concentration should also be equally developed towards the
sincerity of the work. There must be some measures developed to reduce the chances of frauds
and thefts (Carr, 2005).

References
 Barnhart, S., Sheppard, L., Beaudet, N., Stover, B. and Balmes, J., 1997. Tuberculosis in
health care settings and the estimated benefits of engineering controls and respiratory
protection. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 39(9), pp.849-854.
 Brawner, C.E., Main, J., Mobley, C., Camacho, M.M. and Lord, S.M., 2016, October.
Exploring the intersection of veteran status, age, and engineering study. In Frontiers in
Education Conference (FIE), 2016 IEEE (pp. 1-5). IEEE.
 Carr, D., 2005. Professionalism and ethics in teaching (Vol. 2). Routledge.
 Haines, V.A., Wallace, J.E. and Cannon, M.E., 2001. Exploring the Gender Gap in
Engineering: A Re‐Specification and Test of the Hypothesis of Cumulative Advantages and
Disadvantages. Journal of Engineering Education, 90(4), pp.677-684.
 Harris, C.E., Davis, M., Pritchard, M.S. and Rabins, M.J., 1996. Engineering ethics: what?
why? how? and when?. Journal of Engineering Education, 85(2), pp.93-96.
 Prados, J.W., Peterson, G.D. and Lattuca, L.R., 2005. Quality assurance of engineering
education through accreditation: The impact of Engineering Criteria 2000 and its global
influence. Journal of Engineering Education, 94(1), pp.165-184.
 Stieb, J.A., 2011. Understanding engineering professionalism: A reflection on the rights of
engineers. Science and engineering ethics, 17(1), pp.149-169.