It was unethical for Engineer A to make the statement to Engineer B in an effort to move the negotiations forward.

The obligation of professional engineers to be honest, truthful, and forthcoming in their professional dealings is a critical ethical principle to which all engineers should adhere. As a general matter, the public, employers, clients, and colleagues rely upon the honesty and integrity of the professional engineer in professional matters. For that reason, engineers always need to be mindful of their statements as well as their actions. As the expression goes, one’s words are one’s bond and it is often by one’s words how an individual will be judged. The NSPE Board of Ethical Review has had occasion to review cases relating to the statements made by engineers. For example, in BER Case No. 72-11, the Board considered a case involving engineer John Doe who had been employed as a design engineer in an aerospace company for 12 years. During that time Doe had been assigned to the performance of highly technical and complex engineering design work. Along with thousands of other engineers in the aerospace industry, Doe was laid off when contracts with his company were terminated and new work was not forthcoming. After many months of seeking a new job in his specialized field with no success, Doe was advised by an employment counselor that Doe’s only opportunity lay in finding a position involving management and administration of engineering work. Doe previously had some managerial and administrative experience of a minor nature in connection with his former employment, but felt he could perform satisfactorily at a higher level in that related field of technical activity if given the opportunity. After being turned down repeatedly for technical managerial or administrative positions because his resume showed a lack of such experience, Doe devised a new resume, which played down his technical design experience and expertise and emphasized his minor managerial and administrative function in his former employment as an important responsibility. As a result, Doe was able to obta...

Engineer A is acting as the chief negotiator in the sale of a small engineering subsidiary to Engineer B. Engineer A wants to move the negotiations forward to finalize the deal but Engineer B has been stalling. Engineer C had expressed some initial interest in buying the subsidiary, but following consideration, Engineer C decided she was definitely not interested in purchasing the subsidiary. In an effort to move the negotiations forward, referring to Engineer C’s earlier interest, Engineer A tells Engineer B, “Another company has expressed an interest in buying our subsidiary, so you had better move quickly if you are interested.”

Was it ethical for Engineer A to make the statement to Engineer B in an effort to move the negotiations forward?