Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Collage of Engineering
Professional Practice and Ethics
HUMN 501
Lecture 4
Dr. Mahbubunnabi Tamal
Dr. Mahbubunnabi Tamal 1
Code of Ethics & Professional
Conduct
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Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
A code of ethics and professional
conduct outlines the ethical principles
that govern decisions and behavior at
a company or organization. They give
general outlines of how employees
should behave, as well as specific
guidance for handling issues like
harassment, safety, and conflicts of
interest.
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The Difference Between a Code of
Ethics and a Code of Conduct:
A code of ethics is broad, giving
employees or members a general idea
of what types of behavior and
decisions are acceptable and
encouraged at a business or
organization. A code of conduct is
more focused. It defines how
employees or members should act in
specific situations.
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Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct _ Key
Components
1. Be inclusive
2. Be considerate
3. Be respectful
4. Choose your words
carefully
5. Don't harass
6. Make differences into
strengths
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Key Components
1. Be inclusive − Welcome
and support people of all
backgrounds and identities.
It is not limited to members
of any sexual orientation,
gender identity and
expression, race family
status and political belief
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Key Components
2. Be considerate − We all
depend on each other to
produce the best work we
can as a company. Your
decisions will affect clients
and colleagues, and you
should take those
consequences into account
when making decisions.
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Key Components
3. Be respectful − We won't all
agree all the time, but
disagreement is no excuse for
disrespectful behavior. We will
all experience frustration from
time to time, but we cannot
allow that frustration become
personal attacks. An
environment where people
feel uncomfortable or
threatened is not a productive
or creative one.
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Key Components
4. Choose your words
carefully −
Always conduct yourself
professionally. Be kind to
others. Do not insult or put
down others. Harassment
and exclusionary behavior
aren't acceptable.
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Key Components
5. Don't harass − In general, if
someone asks you to stop
something, then stop. When
we disagree, try to understand
why. Differences of opinion
and disagreements are mostly
unavoidable. What is
important is that we resolve
disagreements and differing
views constructively.
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Key Components
6. Make differences into strengths − We can find
strength in diversity. Different people have different
perspectives on issues, and that can be valuable for
solving problems or generating new ideas.
Instead, focus on resolving issues and learning from
mistakes.
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What is Intellectual Property?
Intellectual property (IP) is any
unique product of the mind or
human intellect. Examples of IP
include: music, movies, books,
software, paintings, words,
phrases, symbols, designs,
chemical formulas, etc.
IP is protected with laws (copyrights,
patents, etc.) which enable people to earn
recognition or financial benefit from what
they invent or create.
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Types of Intellectual Property
There are four main types of intellectual
property
• Copyrights
• Patents
• Trademarks
• Trade Secrets
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Types of Intellectual Property
Copyrights are rights to creative
products such as books,
pictures, graphics and computer
programs. Copyrights protect
the expression of the ideas, but
not the ideas themselves.
For Example photographs are copyrighted. Photographers
have the exclusive right to reproduce their photographs.
Unless you have permission from the photographer, you
can’t copy, distribute (no scanning and sending them to
others) or publicly display (no putting them online) the
photographs.
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Types of Intellectual Property
Patents are the exclusive
rights granted to an inventor
to make, use or sell an
invention. Most patents
expire 20 years from the
date of filing.
A patent gives an inventor the right to stop other
people making or using their invention. If someone
makes or uses that invention without being allowed
to, the inventor can sue that person in court to make
them stop.
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Types of Intellectual Property
Trademarks are words,
phrases, symbols, logo, etc.
that are used to identify a
business, product or service.
People can register trademarks to
legally protect the rights to their
creations, or intellectual property.
For example McDonald's
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Types of Intellectual Property
A trade secret is any practice or
process of a company that is generally
not known outside of the
company. Information considered a
trade secret gives the company an
economic advantage over its
competitors.
To be legally considered a trade
secret, a company must make a
reasonable effort in hiding the
information from the public.
Unlike a patent, a trade secret is
not publicly known. Dr. Mahbubunnabi Tamal 18
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – CASE STUDY
Case Study
National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) codes of
ethics:
• Engineers shall not disclose confidential information
concerning the business affairs or technical processes of any
present or former client or employer without his consent.
• Engineers in the employ of others shall not without the
consent of all interested parties enter promotional efforts or
negotiations for work for which the engineer has gained and
specialized knowledge.
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – CASE STUDY (CONT’D)
• Engineers shall not attempt to
attract an engineer from another
employer by false or misleading
pretenses. Examples?
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – CASE STUDY (CONT’D)
• Ahmed is a young engineering graduate
who designs automobile brakes for Ford,
He learns about heat transfer and
materials. After 5 years, Ahmed leaves
Ford to work at GMC and to apply his
knowledge of heat transfer and materials
to design brakes.
• Is Ahmad stealing Ford’s intellectual
property?
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INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY – CASE STUDY (CONT’D)
• Ahmed is a young engineering graduate
who designs automobile brakes for Ford.
He helps develop a new brake linings
formula that Ford kept as a trade secret.
After 5 years, he leaves Ford to work at
GMC. While at GMC, Ahmed tells the
company the formula for the new brake
lining.
• Is Ahmed stealing Ford’s intellectual
property?
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