MIME 498 Ethics report

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School

Oregon State University, Corvallis *

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Course

498

Subject

Mechanical_engineering

Date

Jun 2, 2024

Type

docx

Pages

3

Uploaded by UltraValor2353

Sydney Bruton Team 24-18: Puzzle Box School of Mechanical, Industrial, and Manufacturing Engineering MIME Capstone Design II MIME 498 Spring 2022 Engineering Ethics Case Study 1. Summarize the case study in 1-2 paragraphs. I chose to look at case study A. The basics of the case study are that in 2015 Volkswagen was exposed for installing software known as a “defeat device” into some of their diesel vehicles that were sold in the United States. This software could be used to detect when a vehicle was undergoing emission testing and adjust the engine performance to meet all of the required standards. This adjustment however only worked during the tests, so during normal driving conditions, the level of pollutants expelled from the cars was far higher than the regulatory limits. Volkswagen did this so they could falsely advertise their products as environmentally friendly. 2. What were the ethical dilemmas of this case study from an engineering standpoint? You may list them or provide a 1-2 paragraph summary here. There are a bunch of ethical elements in this case. From an engineering standpoint, there is first the issues of fraud and deception. This is not only in the design & implementation of the technology but also in lying to the customers. The engineers knowingly created this technology to get around the emissions regulations to get higher short-term gains over the environmental and health concerns. They also violated the trust and safety of the public. By misleading consumers, Volkswagen endangered the public and undermined the credibility of the company. 3. Who was affected by this issue? Be sure to think big picture here, not just the immediate people that were affected. You may list them or provide a 1-2 paragraph summary here. The affected parties in this case study are not just the company or its immediate customers. The increased emissions from the Volkswagen vehicles significantly affected the environment. High levels of pollutants contribute to air pollution, which can cause respiratory issues and contribute to climate change. Besides all of that, this case study affected the rest of the automobile industry. All companies faced scrutiny and distrust to the point where regulator and policymakers had to reassess their enforcement mechanisms to prevent similar occurrences in the future. 4. Provide a citation list here of the sources you used to learn about this case study. EPA. (n.d.).  Learn about Volkswagen Violations . https://www.epa.gov/vw/learn-about- volkswagen-violations  Hotten, R. (2015, December 10).  Volkswagen: The Scandal explained . BBC News. https://www.bbc.com/news/business-34324772  Volkswagen to spend up to $14.7 billion to settle allegations of cheating emissions tests and deceiving customers on 2.0 liter diesel vehicles . Office of Public Affairs | Volkswagen to Spend Up to $14.7 Billion to Settle Allegations of Cheating Emissions Tests and Deceiving Customers on 2.0 Liter Diesel Vehicles | United States Department
Sydney Bruton Team 24-18: Puzzle Box of Justice. (2024, April 5). https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/volkswagen-spend-147- billion-settle-allegations-cheating-emissions-tests-and-deceiving 
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