Problem
Your first job after completing your undergraduate engineering degree is with the Kitchen Shortcuts Company. Shortcuts manufactures microwave ovens and other time-saving kitchen equipment. You are hired into a low-level engineering position. Your first task is to test a series of microwave ovens to determine their defrosting capabilities. You proceed to your lab where you find a few dozen microwave ovens in their boxes waiting for you to start your testing. You notice that virtually every brand of microwave oven is here, including all of Shortcuts' competitors' brands.
You unpack all of the microwave ovens and begin your tests. The process is rather slow. So while you are waiting for test items to defrost, you begin to dig through the cabinets in your lab to see what is there. You discover that this used to be the lab where they tested microwave oven doors for radiation permeability (the amount of radiation that could escape through the glass door of microwave ovens). You also find an intriguing little piece of handheld equipment that apparently was used to measure radiation levels. Because you are an engineer, you cannot resist trying it out.
You switch on the meter and point it around the room and out the window. You notice that when you point the meter at some of the microwave ovens, it gives a surprisingly high reading. You turn off all the other microwave ovens and discover that the reading is not a fluke. The ovens in front of you are emitting much higher-than -average levels of radiation. You discover that one of the ovens is from Shortcuts and the other is from Home Helpers, Shortcuts' arch rival. These microwave ovens are currently the two best-selling ovens on the market, primarily because they are the least expensive. It seems that these bargain ovens may not be as safe as they seem.
You decide to look around a little more. You find the test report that discusses the radiation emissions from all of Shortcuts' models of microwaves. You learn that only the top of the line and the mid-level microwaves were thoroughly tested. The bargain oven's results apparently were extrapolated from the test results from the other ovens.
Discuss at least two possibly conflicting obligations you have as an engineer in this case. Can you think of any ways in which you might be able to meet both of these conflicting obligations? Explain how each obligation is met. (Be sure to consider whether there are any other conflicting obligations that these solutions leave unresolved.)
Answer the Following Questions (label each question for each response)
1) Analyze the facts involved in this case:
a) Which facts are not relevant?
b) Which facts are relevant? Of these, which are known and which are unknown?
c) Of the relevant facts, which are the most important (known or unknown)?
d) Of any unknown relevant facts, which will be the most difficult to obtain?
2) Analyze the concepts in this case:
a) Which key concepts are involved in this case that could prove to be relevant ethical issues?
b) Are there any concepts that might lead to disagreements over their definition?
c) If so, how might you go about reaching a consensus on their meaning?
3) Discuss at least two possibly conflicting obligations you would have as an engineer in this case. Can you think of any ways in which you might be able to meet both of them?