Question

c) A Business Analyst has worked for Snoopy Insurance Ltd. for many years.  Her contract had a term of Post-Employment Limitations: not to work for a competitor for 1 year after quitting her job.  This term was to protect the company from revealing any business secrets.   Later, she left the insurance company and immediately joined a software vendor, which develops and sells a computer system for insurance to her former company.

1. Does she violate legal or ethical issues?  Would there be any conflict of interest? Provide reason(s) for your answer.     
2. How to avoid such suspect, if any?                                                                       

(d) Briefly describe FIVEreasons why engineers need to have professional ethics?   

Answer 1

Answer C= If we look at the given case, there is no legal limitation on the employee on joining the software company as a software company is not operating in the insurance industry and both the companies that is a software company and the insurance company has a different line of business. But ethically there is a clash of interests as the software company provides the service to the other competitor of the insurance company and it may lead to the disclosure of secrets of the previous employer to the customer of the software company.

In order to overcome this kind of confusion, the employee must ensure that no vital information is provided to the client of the software company and the previous employer should also ensure that the employee does not violate the security clause of the contract

Answer d= Five reasons are stated below=

1. Engineers develop the different types of products and processes that have a direct or indirect impact on the lives of the common person
2. By having good professional ethics, the engineers can have the guideline or the framework within which they need to operate in the conflicting situations
3. In order to have a sense of responsibility and self-conduct, professional ethics can play an important role
4. professional ethics will have the accountability of the engineers for their work and thus they will perform with greater responsibility and accountability
5. The professional ethics will help the engineers to maintain and ensure the professional integrity, commitment, and dedication towards the profession