William LeMessurier Case Study Assignment Guide
William LeMessurier and his role in the Citicorp Tower controversy represent an example of when engineering ethics are put to the test. As you think about this case and prepare your consensus essay (see below), think about how ethical decisions are socially-situated. That is, ethical decisions are rife with conflicting agendas and diverse interests that must be negotiated. As Dr. Loui points out, as a professional engineer, you need to avoid situations where your judgment as a professional can be questioned. However, the very nature of an employer-client relationship will place you in an ethical dilemma; one where you will need to reconcile your contractual responsibility to your client while simultaneously adhering to the moral responsibility of the public’s safety.
After watching the “The Citicorp Tower case” blog post, in your zodiac groups, you need to write a 300-400 word consensus essay where you synthesize your initial reactions to the Citicorp case . Here, we are looking for you to first explain possible dissenting opinions on this case study AND subsequently reach a group consensus and offer supporting explanation that provides rationale for this consensus.
In order to help your group decide whether or not LeMessurier adhered to the fundamental canons of engineering ethics in his handling of the Citicorp Tower repairs, please refer to the Fundamental Canons of Engineering Ethics, as codified by the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) and the National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE).
This assignment is worth 50 points and support learning objectives related to ethics education and written communication.
Your essay will be graded on the following factors: 1. Your essay provides a summary of dissenting opinions 2. Your essay provides a clear consensus 3. Both the dissenting opinions and consensus refer to the fundamental canons of engineering ethics 4. Your essay adheres to the grammatical conventions of academic writing
watch this video “The Citicorp Tower case” to start with the essay:
