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BE THE BIGGER PERSON
Emily Bonk (erb90@pitt.edu)
LIVING THE DREAM
Upon graduating from the University of Pittsburgh, I
accepted my dream job at a company that was on the
forefront of developing a new way to cure psychological
illnesses. My job worked specifically on finding a way to
use the experimental technology to cure post-traumatic
stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a serious
illness that affects countless people in our communities.
Most commonly, soldiers and veterans of war are diagnosed
with the disease. This is because the many traumas the
encounter while in combat are not easily forgotten, and can
haunt a person for the rest of their lives. The men and
women that are most affected by the disease are some of the
most giving and selfless people in the world. They deserve
to be able to return to a normal, civilian life after fighting
in wars, nut many have to spend the rest of their lives
confronting the ghosts of their past. This subject matter hit
particularly close to home for me because my maternal
grandfather is a veteran of the Vietnam War, and he has
suffered with this illness since his time in battle. When I
received an offer from the company, I was ecstatic to be
given a chance to help someone so close to me. I hoped to
use my degree in computer engineering and minor in
psychology to improve the lives of people that have
sacrificed so much. I did not think it would be possible to
find a job in my major that incorporated my minor as well,
so when the opportunity presented itself, I was more than
happy to see where it could lead. The day I accepted an
entry-level, computer engineering job at MentTech, was
one of the happiest days of my life.
The first year was everything I had hoped for it to be and
more. I was put on a team of highly intelligent people that
worked well together, and we genuinely enjoyed coming to
work every day. We worked hard to find a way to make
our desired results possible. Approximately one month
after my first year was over, we had a break through. One
of our patients was said to be completely cured of the
illness. This had never happened before. It was an amazing
occurrence. We received a lot of attention from many
important people in both the medical and technological
worlds. One company named Psycorp was particularly
interested in our findings. Psycorp was a world renowned
company known for their groundbreaking advancements in
the mental health field. They offered us a huge contract to
make the virtual reality technology available to people all
over the world. It was an offer that my team could not
resist. We knew this was a big step. We accepted the
contract graciously. The terms of the contract said that we
had two years to have the virtual reality technology ready
University of Pittsburgh, Swanson School of Engineering1
2015-11-03
for clinical use. I knew it was going to be tough, but I
believed that we could do it.
Eighteen months later, we were in rushing to finish our
product. The development and implementation in testing
had not gone as smoothly as we initially hoped it would.
The results came back as successful less than half of time.
This was not nearly good enough, and the company that
wanted to buy our product would not do so if we have less
than an eighty-five percent success rate. We had to do
something to fix our product, or else we would lose our
contract and our credibility. Everyone on my team started
coming to work earlier and leaving later because we knew
we had a lot to lose if we failed. We kept getting mixed
results from our testing and the situation was starting to
look bleak, but I did not give up. My team and I knew we
had to work together to make the production of our product
possible.
THE BIG SURPRISE
It was the day before the Fourth of July and
approximately a month before our deadline, and almost
everyone had left to start their holiday weekend. As I was
getting ready to leave when I noticed my boss manually
changing something in the testing room. This was odd
considering documenting the actual results was so simple.
This was the only part we knew is correct. It was the easiest
thing to program, and we had not worried about it in years.
I decided to look closer, and I realized that he was
manipulating the results of the tests did today. I was
stunned and not sure what to do because we were getting
extremely close to the deadline. I knew that it was morally
incorrect to let this happen, but I also knew that telling
someone about what he was doing could cause my team to
lose this contract and for me to lose my job. There were
millions of dollars at stake.
I wish there was an easy answer, but I was very torn on
what to do. If I said something, my life could be impacted
in so many negative ways. On the other hand, if I did not
say anything, many patients could be treated using
technology that probably will not cure them. I decided it
would be best to go home, and take the holiday weekend to
think about what I should do. I took some time to decipher
what was the right thing to do. I needed to decide if I should
save myself and my job or if I should save the people that
will use this technology on a daily basis.
As I leave the office, I know I have a lot to think about
this weekend. My team leader is a highly respected
member of the computer engineering field. He has been
widely recognized by the Association of Computer
Engineers and the Association of Computer Engineers and
Emily Bonk
Technicians. My boss has been researching in this field for
over 30 years. Therefore, he should be well aware of both
the code of ethics and the consequences of his actions.
boss [1030]. This was not going to be easy, but it was the
right thing to do.
TAKING A STANCE
WEIGHING MY OPTIONS
As I drove to work on Monday morning, I started to get
very nervous about confronting my boss. I was afraid that
he could get offended or accuse me of lying, and I could
lose my job. But I had to do the right thing. As soon as I
got to work, I knew I needed to confront him about what I
saw him doing the other day.
When I finally pulled into the office parking lot and
walked into the office, I realized the magnitude of what I
was about to do. As soon as I opened the door, I saw my
boss standing with a group of colleagues discussing the
breakthrough he made while working late last week. I was
tempted to confront him right then, but I knew I needed to
wait until our coworkers were gone. A few minutes later,
everyone had gone back to their desks, so I knew this is the
right time to talk to him. I walked to his office, and knocked
on the door. My boss told me to come in and take a seat. I
took a deep breath, and began to tell him about what I saw.
Initially my boss denied doing anything wrong, but after a
few minutes, he knew I caught him. He finally admitted to
tampering with the results of the tests. He looked
completely defeated. He told that his entire career was
riding on this contract. If our product was not a success by
the due date in less than a month, he was going to lose his
job, his credibility, and his reputation [6]. He was trying to
make me feel bad for him. I was trying to explain to him
that by changing the results of our testing, his job, his
credibility, and his reputation had already been
compromised. He then told me that he needed this job
because he and his wife were trying to pay for their
daughter’s college tuition. As a recent graduate, he knew
this hit close to my heart. I wanted to help him, but I knew
I had to report this to the authorities. My boss was trying
to make me feel guilty for doing the right thing, but I knew
he is not allowed to do this. By making me feel guilty for
doing the right thing, he could get himself into even more
trouble [7]. I knew it would be ethically wrong not to say
anything about what I witnessed.
I knew I needed to find out more about what could
happen if I said something, and also if I did not say
anything. The National Society of Professional Engineers
code of ethics states: “Engineers shall not falsify their
qualifications or permit misrepresentation of their or their
associates' qualifications. They shall not misrepresent or
exaggerate their responsibility in or for the subject matter
of prior assignments. Brochures or other presentations
incident to the solicitation of employment shall not
misrepresent pertinent facts concerning employers,
employees, associates, joint ventures, or past
accomplishments” [1]. My boss was disregarding the code
in its entirety, and he could face serious consequences for
falsifying information. If I did not say anything and pretend
I never saw him changing the results, he may never get
caught. Unfortunately, if I did not say anything and he did
get caught, I could have also been found guilty for turning
a blind eye to his actions. The National Society of
Professional actions also states that: “Engineers shall not
offer, give, solicit, or receive, either directly or indirectly,
any contribution to influence the award of a contract by
public authority, or which may be reasonably construed by
the public as having the effect or intent of influencing the
awarding of a contract. They shall not offer any gift or other
valuable consideration in order to secure work. They shall
not pay a commission, percentage, or brokerage fee in order
to secure work, except to a bona fide employee or bona fide
established commercial or marketing agencies retained by
them.” [1] This clause of the code meant that I could also
get in trouble for ignoring what I saw my boss do. I could
not risk my own job and reputation to help my boss.
Ignoring this situation could have catastrophic effects on
my career.
I did not get to enjoy that weekend with my family and
friends. Instead, I spent my time trying to find answers. I
realized that I had to follow the code of ethics because the
health and safety of the general public was at risk [2].
Ignoring the issue would only make the situation worse.
This research also let me know that I had to keep working
putting all of my effort into this project because if not, he
could get away with it [2]. I had to let the authorities know
that we had to retest everything, and my boss could not be
a part of it [3]. I could not let my boss’s actions be tolerated
because he may never stop manipulating the results of the
testing in his favor. The people of Psycorp deserve to have
a reliable product, and I was going to make certain that
happened. The Institute of Electrical and Electronics
Engineers code of ethics states that I had to be truthful when
making my claims against my boss [4]. Finally, I knew I
was going to have to go to the source of the problem: my
THE FINAL OUTCOME
If I had let this incident go unnoticed, he may have never
stopped doing these things. My boss could have caused
something horrible to happen. Our products effect the
mental health of many people. If we had comprised the
credibility of our products, we could have hurt people for
the rest of their lives. I knew better than to let this happen.
The people suffering from psychological illnesses deserve
to live normal lives, and my team had to potential to make
their lives significantly better and more comfortable. I had
to look at the bigger picture, and let my boss know that his
actions were not acceptable. If I had not said anything
about this to anyone, patients using virtual reality would
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Emily Bonk
have not been cured, and unfortunately, their illnesses may
have progressed even more. Selling the faulty product
could have resulted in many lawsuits and huge losses for
both my company and Psycorp. I could not allow myself to
put so much at risk because I knew it was the wrong thing
to do.
In the end, my boss had to let the company know that we
were not able to meet the deadline. He resigned after
admitting to tampering with the results of the testing we had
been doing. He was tried in court for falsifying medical
testing. He had a very good lawyer, so he only ended up
having to pay a substantial fine. He was not able to find a
new job, so he went into an early retirement. My team lost
the contract, but the people from Psycorp told us that they
were happy we let them we could not do it. It was better
for everyone to tell the truth rather than put thousands of
patients at risk. This was the best decision for everyone
involved. A few months later, under a new department
head, we had made some significant improvements on our
virtual reality therapy. We were once again contacted by
Psycorp. They told my team that they had not found anyone
with a technology nearly as advanced as ours. Since my old
boss was gone, they agreed to give us another chance. They
monitored us much closer this time, but our results were
exactly what we had been hoping for. We were able to have
our product ready to be commercialized and mass produced
in just twelve months. This was remarkable, and we
received a huge bonus from Psycorp for finishing the
product before our new deadline. The situation ended up
working out in our favor. My colleagues and I could not be
happier with the results.
http://www.ece.iastate.edu/academics/ethics/
[5] (2015) “Case 1030-Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” Texas Tech
University (Online Article)
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.
php
[6] D. Bonk (2015, October 31). Interview
[7] S. Bawa, H. Lomash, S. Sharma (2015) “Who
Regulates Ethics in the Virtual World” Thapar University
(Online Article)
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=5&sid
=1b690fd7-18ef-40b4-8468c2ee21743d31%40sessionmgr115&hid=116&bdata=JnNp
dGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=100490688&db=
aph
ADDITIONAL SOURCES
S. Bonk (2015, October 31). Interview
H. Van Der Loos (2011). “Design and Engineering Ethics
Considerations for Neurotechnologies” Departments of
Mechanical Engineering and Orthopedic Surgery at
Cambridge University (Online Article)
http://web.b.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail/detail?vid=7&sid
=1b690fd7-18ef-40b4-8468c2ee21743d31%40sessionmgr115&hid=116&bdata=JnNp
dGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#AN=26472581&db=a
ph
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to thank my parents for letting me
interview them for this paper, and for taking me home this
weekend. I would like to thank Jackie, Kelsey, Laura, and
Lindsey for motivating me to start my paper. I would like
to thank Michael for listening to me every time I called, and
his roommate, Santino, for not getting mad. Lastly, I would
like to thank Starbucks for helping me every step of the
way. Without out it, this paper would not have been
possible.
LOOKING FORWARD
My dilemma proved that doing the right thing is always
the best option. No one should compromise their morals
for a job. A person’s reputation is one of their most
important assets, and it should be protected above all else.
In the future, engineers should follow what they know is
right in their hearts. They need to say true to themselves,
and do what is best for their futures.
REFERENCES
[1] (2015) “NSPE Code of Ethics for Engineers” National
Society of Professional Engineers (Online Article)
http://www.nspe.org/resources/ethics/code-ethics
[2] (2015) “Case 1042-Roman Holiday” Texas Tech
University (Online Article)
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.
php
[3] (2015) “Case 1008-To Flush or Not To Flush: That is
the Question” Texas Tech University (Online Article)
http://www.depts.ttu.edu/murdoughcenter/products/cases.
php
[4] (2009) “IEEE Code of Ethics” Iowa State University
(Online Article)
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