Project Abstract
PROBLEM- Engineers work in positions of trust, and have a duty of fidelity to their client or employer. That duty extends to not disclosing confidential information of the employer or client. However the ethics codes are silent on the important topic of what exactly comprises confidential information.
NEED- There is a need to better understand the extent of the engineering duty of fidelity.
PURPOSE- The purpose of this project is to explore the perspectives of engineers regarding confidential information.
COMPLEXITY - The complexity arises because of the different types of information and the varying importance engineers assign to this information. Furthermore, it is expected that perceptions of engineers may change as their management responsibilities increase. APPROACH- The research is intended to start by surveying engineers, followed by quantitative statistical analysis.
ORIGINALITY- The work has the potential to make a novel intellectual contribution to understanding how engineers construe fidelity
