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//************* International Engineering - November 20th, 2019 *************//
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- Alright, let's get down to business!
    - "There's no class next week. Don't come to class next week!"
    - Friday is our last recitation, so go to that please
    - After Thanksgiving break, we'll have our last lecture, which'll mostly be review for the final
        - "The final will NOT be cumulative, so hopefully that eases your hearts a little - that being said, keep in mind that some stuff from last unit has been referenced by stuff from this unit"
- "I hear people coughing - I'm with you! Solidarity! Fall sickness rules!"
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- On Monday, we did a non-core ethical topic by talking about environmentalism; now, we'll be talking about another one of those big non-core topics, international engineering!
    - Let's say your business wants to do engineering work in another country, and when your representative gets back he informs you that your product won't go to market before your competitors unless you pay a bribe to the local official - whom all the rest of the companies have bribed already
        - Do you pay the bribe? Probably some of you would never pay it, some of you are like "well, if that's how that country does things, okay!", and some of you just don't have a strong opinion
    - So, how can we still do engineering ethically when the practices in a different country go against our own American ethics? How can we deal with that?
        - The book says that some people are trying to create international, worldwide standards, like for education and certification - but we're not there yet
        - It also considers whether engineers in other countries count as "professionals" - and it's controversial, especially in Asian countries where engineering isn't as prestigious of a job!
        - Engineering codes in other countries, too, often don't have an ethical focus
            - The main point the book makes, though, is that international standards aren't strong enough or enforced enough - at least not yet - and so we have to make ethical judgments at some point, using what we've learned throughout this course
            - For instance, it mentions that while educated engineers are expected to follow a "code of conduct," most codes are distressingly vague about what that conduct should be

- The book calls these kinds of problems, where we go from a home country to another, different country with different standards, BOUNDARY-CROSSING PROBLEMS!
    - The book says that the 2 intuitive approaches people take to this are "absolutist" and "relativist" positions
        - ABSOLUTISTS believe that moral standards are the same regardless of where we go, and so we shouldn't do engineering any differently just because we changed countries
            - There's some concern that this can turn into "imperialism," where we just say "my country's laws are the best"
        - RELATIVISTS believe that we should respect the "law of the land" we're in, and just follow the practices of the country we're working in
    - Our textbook likes to try and avoid this conundrum by coming up with creative, "middle way" solutions that sidesteps the problem
        - For instance, instead of bribing the official, maybe we'll instead promise to lower our rates, or to do a humanitarian project in the official's hometown
            - "This way, we avoid both being morally lax and refusing to compromise"

- How else can we deal with these ambiguous issues? We can try dipping into our toolbox of ideas from throughout this class
    - We can try following the golden rule: "do unto others as you would have them do unto you"
        - This isn't full-blown deontology, but maybe it helps you to think about how to act
    - We can think about universal human rights, like a right to life, a country's right to freely develop, etc.
        - These are NOT country-specific rights, like the right to remain silent, but general ones
    - Promoting "well-being" for all humans, looking at the capabilities approach and making sure our work provides for both basic human needs and a chance at a "normal life" through education, stability, etc.
        - "Look at box 8.4, pg.184 in the textbook for Nussbaum's list of what rights human beings should have promoted"
    - Virtue ethics that we want to practice might also be a guide
    - Finally, we can look at our own engineering codes; while their specific rules won't apply to the country we're working in, they might have general principles or approaches to ethics we might find helpful
        - "There often aren't clear-cut solutions to these problems, but the hope is that these ideas can help us navigate our actions"

- What kinds of problems can we run into? Quite a few!
    - The PROBLEM OF EXPLOITATION is where if labor/safety/pollution/etc. regulations aren't that strong, we should be wary of taking advantage of that (e.g. using cheap labor that's far below minimum wage in our home country)
    - BRIBERY is a classic one, where that country culturally accepts bribes and doesn't frown upon them as much
        - Do we accept those bribes? What if we risk offending people, or hurt our business? What if they're kinda veiled, like a company offering to pay for a dinner so they can discuss their product?
    - EXTORTION is a related issue - but bribes are NOT the same thing as extortion!
        - EXTORTION is when someone basically forces you to bribe them, by saying they won't let you do business unless you pay them, or if someone hacks your computer and says "pay me if you want to see your loved one's photos again"
            - "Bribes usually mean that you're paying someone to influence their judgment; extortion means there's some kind of threat involved"
        - GREASE PAYMENTS are more like small, everyday extortions, like bringing coffee to your boss everyday so you "stay on his good side" and things run more smoothly
            - A more classic example is paying an official $20 every time they inspect your building out of "thanks" or something like that, just so things keep running
            - "Does tipping count here? That's an excellent question - I know there're plenty of people who visit the U.S. who are BAFFLED that tipping is a near-required thing in this country!"
    - NEPOTISM is favoring people in your family for jobs and contracts, instead of hiring the best people - in some countries, they think this is perfectly okay, and will give the best jobs to their relatives!
    - EXCESSIVE GIFTS could be considered with bribes, but they're slightly different; if giving business gifts is a part of the culture, then suddenly what gifts the companies are giving becomes an influencing factor! It becomes an "entrance fee" to doing business, and might lock out smaller companies
    - PATERNALISM mean that you're treating someone like a child, and trying to tell them what to do and think - so, when you go to another country, you shouldn't be like "we have all the science, the 3rd world country doesn't know what they're talking about!"
        - You might be trying to do what's best, but you still need to respect the country you're working in and seriously consider their input
    - NEGOTIATING TAXES is an issue because you might be taxed at a rate that assumes you're bribing people, etc., and you need to deal with that

- Alright - go to recitation, and then I'll see you after Thanksgiving! Have a good one!