" From this perspective, Bob should not have any ethical conflicts with his job if he is to be considered committed to it. Yet at the same time, someone who has no moral problem with helping to produce weapons that cause such pain and mass destruction may not be of the moral character to be trusted with such a dangerous job. As Martin and Schinzinger (2004, p. 268) point out, "We must rely on individuals who have arrived at morally autonomous, well-reasoned positions for either engaging in or abstaining from weapons work" if we are to trust that they will not run "a wild course." Therefore it is not reasonable to expect someone like Bob to feel no conflict of values whatsoever; but it is reasonable to expect him to have worked out the proper reasoning behind his actions that allows him to continue his work without excessive guilt or distraction.

Another type of dilemma a mechanical engineer might face, which also pits his commitment to his employer against the best needs of the community, is the environmentally-related ethical dilemma. Many of the machines and devices that mechanical engineers design and develop are not considered to be "environmentally friendly." Even the manufacturing facilities that produce some of these products, for example, automotive products, have been known to pollute the environment. An environmentally-concerned engineer would have trouble working at one of these facilities because his function would be misaligned with his ideals.

Because business and industry play such vital roles in the functioning of our planet, in adhering to the Engineering Code of Ethics, engineers cannot simply push environmental issues aside. As Henriquese...

650) point out, "business and industry controls a vast percentage of our earth's natural resources, and changes in their mode of doing business can have significant impacts on air, water, waste production, and raw material use." Engineers have the opportunity to improve the processes and products that cause environmental destruction, and many of them do pursue these interests quite vigorously. For example, according to StateUniversity.com (2010, p. 1) many mechanical engineers work "with mechanisms and methods that convert natural energy sources into practical uses."
Ultimately, all professions face certain types of ethical dilemmas. Many people think mostly of doctors, lawyers and politicians when it comes to ethical decision-making, however engineers can face numerous ethical dilemmas as well. How they choose to solve those dilemmas depends on a variety of factors. While they can certainly use the Australian Code of Ethics for Engineers as a guideline, most situations do not fit into such nice, neat packages. In the end, engineers need to rely on their inner moral compass to guide them in the right direction.

Reference List

Henriquese I & Sadorsky P. 2006, 'The adoption of environmental management practices in a transition economy', Comparative Economic Studies, vol. 48, no. 1, pp. 641-661.

Lang, DL 1990, Values: The ultimate determinants of commitment and legitimacy. Greenwood Press, New York, NY, USA

Martin, MW & Schinzinger R. 2004, Ethics in engineering, 4th edn. McGraw-Hill, New York, NY, USA

StateUniversity.com, 2010, Mechanical Engineer Job Description viewed 18 July, 2010,