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Engineering Professional Practice Case Studies

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Saban Kumar K.C.

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 Engineering
Professional
Practice
Case Studies

© Saban Kumar K.C.|2024

Learning objectives
• To analyze the different cases
• To present the analyzed script
Case study can be related to:
• Copyrights and Patent • conflict of interest, personal integrity,
Protection and personal privacy
• Personal Data Privacy • professional negligence (duty,
breach, proximate cause and
• Industrialization and Environmental damage)
protection
• breach of duty, criminal law and tort
• Risk/Benefit considerations in
public transportation • breach of NEC code of conduct
• Engineers and the military • breach of Public Procurement Act
and Public Procurement Regulation
• Public safety,
industrialization, and • breach of intellectual property rights
protection of environment and copyrights
 Some basic guidelines in analyzing case studies
• Read the question carefully, paying attention to adjectives.
• Analyze the case from ethical, moral, social, legal and professional
angles, and assign role/responsibilities of each party involved in
the case.
• Base your analysis, wherever appropriate, on professional code of
conduct of NEC, NEA, FCAN, SCAEF, IEEE, CAN, or any other
professional organization. Specifically mention code, if you can.
• Many cases involve conflict of interest (COI); if the case you are
dealing with is related to COI, specifically mention it.
• If specific laws are applicable, perform legal analysis and
mention the law, and specific sections/clause(s).
• Make your recommendations impartially, thinking of you as an
impartial judge, considering existing social, technical, legal and
professional codal provisions.
Writing Tips
1. Write in brief about Ethical Background of given case
based on-
• Introduction of ethics
• Priority in making ethical decision

- 1st Paragraph
2. Take both parts (positive and negative) of your analysis
into account and make a decision.
-2nd Paragraph
3. Give conclusion – 3rd Paragraph
Framework for ethical decision making

1 Recognize an Ethical issue

2 Get the Facts

3 Evaluate Alternative Actions

4 Make a Decision and Test it

5 Act and Reflect on the outcome

Sample Case

• In your spare time at work, you have developed a new

spreadsheet program on the personal computer in your
office.
• You share your new program with a friend who encourages
you to market it on your own because you could probably
make an incredible profit in a very short time. This is a very
attractive option, yet you developed it using company
equipment and during time that you were at work. What shall
you do?
Solution
Recognize an Ethical Issue: The dilemma centers around whether to
profit from a spreadsheet program developed during work hours and
using company resources, raising concerns about a conflict of interest
and potential misuse of company assets.
Get the Facts: Gather information on program development, company
policies on personal projects, and any legal implications
Evaluate Alternative Actions:
a. Market Independently:
Pros: Significant profit potential.,
Cons: Violation of company policy, potential legal consequences, and ethical concerns.
b. Seek Company Permission:
Pros: Legal and ethical compliance.,
Cons: Potential refusal and profit limitations.
c. Keep for Personal Use:
Pros: Avoids ethical and legal issues.
Cons: Misses potential profit opportunities.
Make a Decision and Test It: Considering ethical principles, the
decision may lean toward seeking permission from the company
before marketing, aligning with legal and ethical standards.
Act and Reflect on the Outcome: Approach the company, seek
permission, and respect their decision. Reflect on the ethical
implications and personal values. This experience guides future
actions, maintaining a balance between personal gain, ethics, and
legal compliance.
 Sample Answer
In the workplace, moral dilemmas frequently arise when personal interests collide with
company resources, as seen in the development of a spreadsheet program using
company equipment during work hours. The appealing opportunity to market the
Introduction- Recognize
program for personal gain poses a significant ethical challenge, necessitating a careful
an Ethical Issue
decision-making process that balances profit goals with responsible resource use.

Recognizing the core issue navigating the balance between personal gain and
responsible use of company resources is critical in addressing this challenge.
Gathering information about program development and comprehending company
policies lays the groundwork for making informed decisions. Evaluating alternatives
Body- Evaluate the presents options with varying outcomes. While independent marketing has its appeal,
alternatives it runs the risk of violating company policies and causing legal problems. Seeking
permission is ethical, but it may come with profit constraints. Keeping the program for
personal use avoids ethical and legal complexities while foregoing potential financial
gain.

A balanced and principled decision in this ethical dilemma involves seeking permission
Conclusion- Make a from the company before engaging in independent marketing. This complies with legal
decision and reflect requirements and demonstrates a commitment to ethical behavior. Whatever the
outcome, the reflective process is a valuable learning experience that emphasizes the
importance of ethical decision-making.
Case Study Examples-Topic wise:
Public safety, industrialization, and protection of environment

During quality control monitoring visit for an emergency relief camp

building in a remote village, you noticed that the building is being
constructed on the bank of a river and it will be inundated during
flood. Approximately 25% of the construction was completed. The
site was selected by your friend with the consent of the local
people. The quality of construction materials and method was as
per the specification. Your job is to control the quality of building.
Discuss the case and recommend your views on whether to
recommend continuation of the construction.
Conflict of interest, personal integrity, and personal privacy
Tiptop Engineering College (TEC), a government organization, wanted to install
management information system (MIS) software at TEC to increase its efficiency and
enhance quality education. TEC asked Er. Sabhasad Bahadur (SB), a full time TEC
teacher and a part time software developer at Sosoft Consult, to prepare a detailed
technical specification and to publish a tender notice. TEC’s technical evaluation
committee, headed by Er. SB, awarded highest mark (99 out of 100) to Sosoft’s
technical proposal. Sohard Consult’s proposal scored the high mark in overall
evaluation (technical plus financial), but Er. SB recommended the TEC management
to select Sosoft for the MIS project. Before any decision was made, Sosoft increased
the warranty period and expressed readiness to negotiate price of MIS if annual
maintenance contract is also awarded to them, which was a very attractive offer for
TEC.

You are the decision maker at TEC. Analyze the situation carefully and prepare a list
of options along with potential consequences of each, and make a decision with
appropriate justification.
PPR 2064 Clause 138 Provisions on Conflict of Interest

Prohibition on making conflicts of interest:

(1)A consultant shall provide professional, objective and impartial consultancy service in the
best interest of the public entity procuring consultancy.
(2)In providing consultancy service, the consultant shall not so carry out the assignment
that it would be in conflict with his or her other current or future assignments.
(3)A consultant shall not be appointed for any consultancy service assignment that would by
its nature be in conflict with his or her prior or current obligations to any other clients or that
may place him or her in a position of not being able to carry out the assignment in the best
interest of the concerned public entity.
Example: A consultant appointed to prepare engineering design of any project shall not be
appointed as a consultant to prepare environmental assessment of the same project or a
consultant on the privatization of any enterprise owned by the government shall not be
appointed as a consultant of the buyer of such assets nor shall such consultant be allowed
to purchase such assets in the name of his or her close relative or a partner in his or her
firm.
Er. Bhoj Ram Pant (BRP) is the Campus Chief of a government college,
and also an executive member of Nepal Engineering Council (NEC).
NEC formed a three-member Inspection Committee (IC), which
included BRP, for the annual inspection of Mega College of Engineering
(MCE), a private college, which was partly owned by BRP’s wife. The IC
found several grave deficiencies at MCE, however, BRP refused to sign
in the IC’s findings, and requested other IC members to prepare a
favorable report. BRP promised that all the shortcomings found at MCE
will be addressed within two months and there is no need to submit a
negative report to NEC. BRP threatened the IC members to publish
incriminating documents about their personal life in public media if the
request is refused, and also hinted at financial incentive if the request is
accepted.

If you are one of the other two IC members, what are your options as a professional,
and would you do in this case?
 Professional negligence
(duty, breach, proximate cause and damage)
A number of cracks, structural as well as settlement appeared in a
building designed by an engineer, within two years of its
completion. Municipality had approved the design and drawing.
Later it is found that without any soil investigation, structural design
and detailing of reinforcement report had been prepared during the
construction of the building.

a)Discuss the position of the house owner.

b)The engineer’s role.
c) The role of the Municipality
d)Who is ultimately responsible for the damage?
 Breach of intellectual property rights & copyrights
A fresh water resources engineering graduate (Engineer A) is approached by a
Department of Groundwater (DoG ) senior engineer. The DoG engineer asks
Engineer A to conduct a district-wide study of groundwater-surface water inter-link
in Palpa, and provides a sample of a report to be produced. Engineer A finds that
the sample report is based on a superficial study, with all the data taken from USA,
and requests money to visit Palpa and collect field data. The DoG engineer
refuses, saying that they got the project from low bid, asks Engineer A to prepare
the report based on assumed data and assures that Engineer A will not face
problem since the contract to conduct the study was obtained by a consulting firm
registered in DoG engineer’s spouse’s name, the DoG engineer himself is
responsible to check the report quality, and Engineer A’s name will not be in the
report.
• List all the options for Engineer A.
• Separate the options into moral, ethical, and legal categories.
• Analyze each option based on ethics and risk to Engineer A.
List of options for Engineer A.

• Follow the suggestions of the DoG engineer (use data from

textbooks to prepare report)
• Visit the site at Engineer A’s own expense, and prepare good report based
on field data.
• Collect and study previous reports of the same area which provides related
data and prepare report based on secondary information.
• Refuse to be involved in the work and return the sample report to
DoG Engineer.
• Accept the assignment, secretly record further conversations with the DoG
engineer and report the case to CIAA, with proof.
• Publish an article in newspaper/magazine about the case, with the name
of the DoG engineer.
Sample Case studies: A client came to a designer and asked to design a multistoried building. The soil type of the
proposed site was found not suitable for that type of structure. The designer hesitated to design the building.
The client said that he actually was not going to build that structure. He wanted to collect money from outside
sources showing that designed as a proposal for his venture and wanted to utilize that money in other business.
Explain the roles of the client and the designer in the perspective of professional ethics.

Your answer should address the following issues.

Role of Client and Designer (a) Is the intention of the client legal? (b) Is the intention of the client moral?
(c) Is the intention of the client ethical?

Morally, ethically, and legally, what should the designer do after knowing the real intention of the client? Should the
client be penalized for telling the “real intention” to the designer?
Should the designer refuse to design? If yes, why? If no, why?
Should the designer refuse to design and just keep quite?
Should the designer just submit a design and keep quite because what the client does with the design is none of
the designer’s business?
Should the designer design with piles (or other suitable foundation design) to make the structure suitable for the
type of soil?
Since the client is not going to build the structure anyway which does not increase hazard from the
building to anyone, what is wrong in just providing a design, as a hypothetical case?
Should the designer refuse to design and inform the government officials about the client’s intention? Should the
designer refuse to design and inform the media, or write an article in the newspaper, about the intention of the
client?
As long as the design is structurally sound, is the designer responsible (morally, ethically, legally) for what the
client does with the design?
Sample Case studiesA recently built simply supported RCC roof slab of a single storied poultry farm in Chitwan,
collapsed and killed all the chickens in the farm. The farm owner blamed the labor contractor for the defective work.
The contractor denied and accused the client for providing low quality and inadequate amount of steel bars for the
roof slab. The farm owner then asked for compensation from the steel bar supplier (for inferior quality bars) and the
consultant (for improper supervision during construction). The bar supplier defended herself by saying that the farm
owner bought the cheapest bar from her which has no guarantee. The consultant reported that the cause of the roof
collapse is the use of very dirty water in mixing the concrete, which was provided by the farm owner and used by
the contractor despite objections from the consultant’s site supervisor.
Analyze the situation carefully and decide which party (client, contractor, and consultant) is more responsible or
less responsible for the roof collapse. Explain your decision with reference to the Code of Conduct of NEC and
FCAN.
Things to notice before assigning degree of responsibility:
Client: (a) Did only labor contract with the contractor, supplied materials on her own, (b) Supplied low quality steel
bars (thinks all steel bars are same), (c) Supplied inadequate quantity of steel bars (shows no faith in design
details), (d) Supplied dirty water for concrete mixing, despite objections from consultant (thinks water quality
unrelated to concrete quality)
Contractor: (a) Worked with low quality steel bars, knowingly. Thought that contractor is not responsible for material
quality since it is only labor contract. (b) Tied inadequate numbers of steel bars (increased steel bar spacing),
knowingly. Thought that contractor is not responsible for material quantity since it is only labor contract. (c) Used
very dirty water to mix concrete, knowingly, despite objections from consultant.
Consultant: (a) Did not or could not stop client from supplying low quality steel bars, (b) Did not stop contractor
from tying inadequate number of steel bars, (c) Did not or could not stop client and contractor from use of very dirty
water to mix concrete, (d) Reported the problems only after roof collapse and client’s compensation claim
 References:

Shrestha Santosh & Ram Kumar, “Text Book of Engineering Professional

Practice”, Revised 3rd edition, Heritage Publication, 2020.

H. K. Shrestha, Lecture Notes on Professional Practice, Semester: IX,

Program: BE Civil and Rural, Pokhara University, Bhaktapur: Nepal
Engineering College, 2015.

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