Do Engineers have Social Responsibilities?

ABSTRACT Most American engineers believe that they have a responsibility for the safety and well-being of society, but whence does this responsibility arise? What does it entail? After describing engineering practice in America as compared with the practice of other professions, this paper examines two standard types of accounts of the social responsibilities of professionals. While neither provides a satisfactory account of the social responsibilities of American engineers, several lessons are learned by uncovering their weaknesses. Identifying the framework in which professional rights and responsibilities are justified, I argue that an end or primary good is the starting place for conceptualizing a profession, and justifying its existence and shape. Too little attention has been paid to the end(s) of engineering. The social responsibilities of American engineers as defined in the present system of engineering are ambiguous and weak. I indicate how the case for assigning American engineers stronger social responsibilities must be made by starting with the end(s) of engineering. I argue that, at present, American engineers do not have social responsibilities as engineers, though they do have social responsibilities as persons.     

ATTITUDES AND EFFECTIVENESS: EXAMINING RELATIONS AT AN ORGANIZATIONAL LEVEL

Recent evidence has suggested that attitudes-organizational effectiveness relations may exist. Relations between employee attitudes, organizational unit performance, customer satisfaction, and turnover were examined at the branch level for a large automobile finance company. Using data from 142 branches in 2 consecutive years, several significant relations between attitude factors and performance were observed. In addition, causal analyses conducted at the branch level suggested that customer satisfaction led to employee attitudes, rather than the opposite. Additional analyses to explain this result suggested that economic conditions and related factors might be the causal mechanism at the aggregated level. Other potential interpretations of these findings and caveats about generalizing organizational-level findings to the individual level are discussed.     

Patterns of Sexual Coercion in Adult Heterosexual Relationships: An Exploration of Male Victimization

The sexual coercion of adult males by females in heterosexual relationships has received little empirical attention. The purpose of this study was to identify and describe such relationships — in comparison with relationships involving the sexual coercion of females, of both males and females, and of neither — through analysis of data for 3,032 couples that completed the Preparation for Marriage instrument ( Holman, Busby, & Larson, 1989 ). Current individual and couple characteristics were investigated for male subjects and their partners. The results revealed greater deficiencies in relational resources and commitment in coercive versus noncoercive couples. In addition, gender differences were noted among results for different victim/offender configurations.     

The Assessment of College Student Need: First Step in a Prevention Response

This article introduces the assessment process, reviews selected assessment studies, and presents a unique procedure for identifying college student needs, leading to a prevention response.     

The World of Work as a Subsystem

When beginning a systems analysis of work and its relationship to employment counseling, at least three issues must be considered. First, the historical and cultural definitions of work; second, the meaning and expectations that each individual attaches to work; and third, the potential impact of employment counseling on the lives of people.     

ORGANIZATIONAL RECRUITMENT ACTIVITIES AND APPLICANTs' REACTIONS AT DIFFERENT STAGES OF THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS

Organizational recruitment activities have been hypothesized to affect applicants' reactions to the organization, independent of effects exerted by the job attributes associated with the position (e.g., location, salary, title). This research utilized a correlational design and a field setting in assessing applicants' reactions to a five-stage recruitment program. Recruitment activities were significantly related to applicants' reactions only at the initial interview stage. Conversely, job attributes emerged as significant predictors of applicants' reactions at each of the four recruitment stages where they were assessed. No support was found for three hypothesized moderating variables–the perceived comparability of job offers, applicants' work experience, and their labor market opportunities. Suggestions for strengthening organizational recruitment programs and for directing further research are discussed.     

Helping Mom Fail: A Case of a Stalemated Divorcing Process

This article describes a systems approach to the problem of a child who had become symptomatic as a result of her parents' separation. Elements of the divorcing process that can create a symptomatic child are highlighted. Family members cope with separation and divorce by devising strategies for navigating the divorcing process. These strategies can mesh to create dysfunctional sequences in which family members get “stuck.” Case material illustrates the development of a stalemated divorcing process, in which a dysfunctional sequence keeps the child uncontrollable and mother incompetent. Family therapy breaks the stalemate and allows family members to proceed with appropriate developmental tasks.     

DEVELOPMENT OF A BEHAVIORALLY BASED PERFORMANCE APPRAISAL SYSTEM

This paper describes the development of a behaviorally based performance appraisal system. Blanz and Ghiselli's Mixed Standard Scale was used as the basis for developing the performance appraisal system for assessing the performance of highway patrol personnel. However, the particular developmental procedures described here differ in some respects from those reported in the literature. Rather than developing rating items describing general traits such as "diligence,""initiative," or "enthusiasm" in behavioral terms, the items in the present scale were developed to describe proficiency levels of specific job tasks. This characteristic is expected to enhance the objectivity of the evaluation system for both appraisal and job counseling purposes. The appraisal instrument was subjected to a series of reliability and validity tests that demonstrated its high reliability and validity. Although the content of the appraisal sytem desribed here included highway patrol tasks, a similar system could be developed using the procedures described for a wide variety and level of jobs.