Craig Norm, an engineer, of Norm Engineering, has been contracted by the Australian Building Association (ABA) to conduct an audit of the materials installed and supplied by City Builders Pty Ltd.City Builders supplies and fit cladding to the external walls of apartment buildings throughout Australia. The cladding is both decorative and forms part of the building structure.

Craig, on completion of his audit determines the cladding to be highly flammable and potentially very dangerous. Tim Jones is the owner and director of City Builders. Upon advising, Tim is devastated and knows if he loses his building license and subsequently his business, he will not be able to afford to care for his family. They will likely lose their home.

Prior to submitting his audit report to the ABA, Tim approaches Craig with an offer to make him a director and shareholder of City Builders Pty Ltd at no cost to Craig. He also offers to pay Craig thirty percent of all company profits. City Builders has been highly profitable in recent years due to the building boom in apartments in Australia.The only condition Tim places on Craig is that he does not disclose his findings about the cladding in his report to the ABA.

Required:

Discuss Craig's' ethical position / obligations and his possible courses of action. The research should be drawn from the prescribed text, articles, and any relevant ethical frameworks.

Part (b)

Harminder recently had dinner with his sister Priya, who is a senior accountant at AAA Ltd, a large pharmaceutical company listed on the Australian Stock Exchange. Over dinner Priya expressed her concerns about many recent complaints about one of their leading products CoVax. CoVax, which is promoted as a cure for many deadly diseases, has reportedly been responsible for many premature deaths of clients. There is to be a major investigation by authorities into the company and its practices regarding the drug CoVax and other products. Harminder and his parents have always supported Priya's career decisions and consequently have invested many thousands of dollars buying shares in AAA Ltd. The family are now considering selling all their shares before this news hits the financial press, which is imminent in the next few days.

Required:

Discuss the ethical or legal implications that may follow if Harminder and his family sell their shares prior to this announcement and their possible courses of action.

Cite References

Answer rating: 100% (QA)

Part a Craigs Ethical PositionObligations As an engineer conducting an audit Craig has ethical obligations to prioritize public safety and act in the best interest of the community He has a professional responsibility to report his findings accurately and honestly to the Australian Building Association ABA as they have contracted him to assess the materials installed and supplied by City Builders Pty Ltd Craig must ensure that his actions align with the principles of integrity transparency and accountability Possible Courses of Action 1 Fulfill his ethical obligations Craig should adhere to his professional responsibilities and report his findings about the highly flammable and dangerous cladding to the ABA as it poses a significant risk to public safety By doing so he upholds his ethical duty to protect the community 2 Engage in dialogue with Tim Craig could choose to communicate with Tim and express his concerns about the dangerous cladding He can explain the potential consequences and encourage Tim to take appropriate measures to rectify the situation such as replacing the cladding with a safe alternative 3 Seek guidance from professional bodies Craig can reach out to professional engineering organizations or ethical committees to seek guidance on how to handle this situation They can provide him with advice and support regarding his ethical obligations and potential courses of action 4 Whistleblowing If Craig exhausts all other options without any resolution he may consider whistleblowing by reporting the issue to the appropriate regulatory authorities or other relevant entities Whistleblowing should be a last resort when all other avenues for resolution have been explored and it is done to protect public safety and prevent harm It is important to note that the specific ethical frameworks or codes of conduct applicable to Craigs profession ... View the full answer