Choose one of the scenarios listed below. Analyze and discuss the scenario with respect to the ethical questions raised. Propose how you would handle the scenario again from an ethical point of view. Your analysis and discussion should cover about 3 double spaced pages, excluding your cover page [page means 12 point type, Times New Roman font, and 1 inch margins].
Your work will be graded first on your ethical analysis - including stakeholders, potential actions, impact of actions, responsibilities of decision makers (especially in light of professional codes of ethics) and rights of stakeholders. Your work will also be reviewed for content, organization, and grammar. That is, this will be graded for both its content and its style so you should recall all those good writing thoughts from your technical writing class. This is to be considered a formal analysis paper - not an informal discussion.
1. You are part of a team working on a computer controlled laser device for treating cancer tumors. The computer controls direction, intensity, and timing of the beam that destroys the tumor. Various delays have put the project behind schedule, and the deadline is approaching. There will not be time to complete all the planned testing. The system has been functioning properly in the routine treatment scenarios that have been tested so far.
The project manager is considering whether to deliver the system on time, while continuing testing, and to make patches if bugs are found.
2. You are offered a job with a company that is developing software for a new generation of space shuttles. You do not have any training in the specific techniques that will be used in the programs you will be working on. You can tell from the job interview that the interviewer thinks your college program included this material. Should you take the job?
Should you tell the interviewer that you have no training or experience in this area?
3. You are the head of the psychiatric division of a large hospital. A researcher wants to do statistical research using the records of the patients treated in your division over the past 25 years. The researcher does not need to know the names of the patients. The records of the past 10 years are on electronic media; a program can be written to copy the information the researcher needs from each file to a new file without the patient name.
The older records are on paper; it would take a very large amount of effort to make copies and remove names. The research is important; it is part of a continuing study begun 20 years ago. In the past when all records were on paper, names were not removed. The researchers were expected to treat the records as confidential.