State governments use a variety of advisory and regulatory bodies. Example responsibilities include oversight of professional engineering licensing and the pricing and operation of regulated utilities. Engineers bring skills, knowledge, and perspectives that are useful in this context. Often the public role is a part-time one, and engineers that fulfill it will also have fulltime jobs as employees or owners of engineering firms.
(a) What are some of the ethical issues that can arise from conflicts between the public- and privatesector roles?
(b) What guidelines for process or outcomes are there in your home state?
(c) Summarize and analyze an example situation from the local newspaper, your hometown newspaper, or a news magazine.