Introductory case studies: introductions

Explore some of your many professional responsibilities using these case studies.

Introductory case study 1: Ethical procurement.

Image of a welcome mat  This case study will place you in the position of an engineer making procurement decisions in the manufacturing sector. You will be asked to answer some questions requiring you to balance commercial obligations with the need to promote sustainable practices. Please think carefully about your decisions, and answer as honestly as possible.

This case study should take approximately 10-20 minutes to complete.

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Introductory case study 2: Carbon capture.

This introductory case study asks you to put yourself in the position of an engineer, working for an environmental NGO, who has been asked to help develop arguments and supply evidence to support the position that carbon capture and storage (CCS) should not be pursued as a way of reducing CO2 emissions in power supply.

You are given an overview of the current debate on the implementation of this technology and different perspectives on how you should contribute to this debate. You are then asked to explore how your status as a professional engineer, and the obligations that come with it, might guide the course of action you choose.

This case study incorporates discussion of objectivity and honesty, and how they relate to the idea of acting with integrity. It also touches on duties to the public good, to environmental protection, and to fairness and the challenges of making decisions in situations when different duties may conflict.

This case study should take approximately 20-30 minutes to complete.

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You can also see which IET Rules of Conduct are relevant to these case studies