Question

A local engineering professors acts as technical advisor for the city council in a town. A few weeks before the council is scheduled to award a large construction contract, the professor is approached by one of the competing companies and offered a consulting position. Under what circumstances would it be ethical to accept the job?

A) Both the company and the council must know about and approve of arrangement.
B) The professor should arrange not begin work until after the council's vote.
C) The professor may accept the job if the advisory position to the council is on a volunteer basis.
D) The professor must not participate in any discussion concerning the project for which the company is competing.

Answer 1

In order for the local engineering professor to accept the consulting position from the competing company, it would be ethical if both the company and the council are aware and approve of the arrangement, the professor waits until after the council's vote to start working, and the professor does not participate in any discussions about the project.

Step-by-step explanation:

In this scenario, it would be ethical for the local engineering professor to accept the consulting position from the competing company under the following circumstances:

A) Both the company and the council must know about and approve of the arrangement. Transparency and informed consent are crucial to maintaining ethicality. If both parties are aware of the professor's advisory role and his acceptance of the consulting position, and if they approve of it, then it would be considered ethical.

B) The professor should arrange not to begin work until after the council's vote. To avoid any conflict of interest, the professor should wait until the council has awarded the construction contract before starting work for the competing company.

D) The professor must not participate in any discussion concerning the project for which the company is competing. To maintain ethicality, the professor should refrain from getting involved in any discussions or decision-making processes regarding the project in question.