Summary of the case.
The case is about an engineering student who was given a task that he needed to accomplish but did not observe professional ethics. It is speculated that he falsified the data, and thus the project resulted in a significant failure. The people involved include: The project leader is known as Bruce, Tom Mason, who is the coordinator of engineering co-op students, Jack Jacobs an engineering co-op student and Dr. Thompson Co-op Coordinator at State University
What ethical issues, if any does this scenario rise?
Importance of discussing Tom’s concerns with Dr. Thompson
It was necessary for Tom to deliberate the issue with the Coordinator of the university before holding a discussion with Jack regarding the issue. It is important to understand whether Jack knew about professional ethics and was being ignorant, or the university had failed in its responsibility to educate students on ethical issues.
Whether Tom should have a conversation with Jack
Yes, Tom should have the conservation with Jack about his concerns. First, this is crucial because Jack could have been genuinely wrong in his calculations. The two should have a dialogue.
Should Jack be given another opportunity at XYZ?
Based on the findings of the conversation held between Jack and Tom the decision of whether or not to allow Jack back To XYZ should be made. If Jack is found guilty of falsifying data, then he should not be allowed. However, if it is discovered that he committed a genuine mistake in his calculations, then he should be given the benefit of a doubt and allowed back to XYZ.
Final comments about student supervision at XYZ.
While imparting ethics, student should be assigned to more experienced staff to guide and monitor their work (Subramanian, 2013). This is important since they can consult where they find difficulties and the staff can correct the mistakes before the final work is presented. In this light, it is evident that ethically experienced supervisors are capable of passing their skills and conviction to students in a more effective manner (Baggini, 2012; Shaw, 2014).
References
Baggini, J. (2012). Ethics. London: Quercus.
Shaw, W. (2014). Business ethics. Boston, MA: Wadsworth, Cengage Learning.
Subramanian, R. (2013). Professional ethics. New Delhi: Oxford University Press.
