2.2 Professional ethics in puerto rico: codes, problem solving,  (Page 4/7)

Prepare a socio-technical analysis of Morales, Mexico. Your analysis will examine the insertion of the Phaust chemical plant into the Morales context. Can you identify any potential value conflicts in the Incident at Morales STS? Look at values like safety, equity/justice, intellectual property, confidentiality, responsibility, reasonableness. Compare moral values, moral and nonmoral values, and even nonmoral with nonmoral values to spot potential conflicts.

General information on socio-technical systems

1. Socio-Technical Systems are systems, that is, complex structures in which simpler components are related and interact. Common STS components are hardware, software, physical surroundings, stakeholders (people, groups, roles), procedures, laws, and information systems.
2. STSs embody values. These values, often moral, can come into conflict with one another. This is an important source of ethical and social problems.
3. STSs change; the path of this change is their trajectory. Value mismatches between the values embedded in the STS provide internal sources of change. Broader external forces such as political and economic power structures can produce change in STSs from without. What is important in professional ethics is learning how to direct this change toward ethical ends.

Preparing a sts table

• Study the two templates in the module, "Socio Technical Systems in Professional Decision Making." See which one applies best to the Incident at Morales case.
• Redo the headings of the table substituting relevant items for those in the templates that are not relevant. For example, in preparing a STS table for a computer system, you may wish to change rate and rate structures into something like data and data structures.
• Fill in the relevant columns in your newly revised table. For example, in the Incident at Morales, the description of the physical surroundings would be based on the brief video segment where Fred is consulting with Wally and Manuel. What is the geographical area like? (It looks like a dry climate given the DVD.) What is the plant like? (It is, at the very least, small.) Attention to detail--even trivial detail--is important for these columns of the STS.
• For the second table, take the short value list and (1) look for new value mismatches, (2) identify existing value conflicts, and (3) describe any harmful long term consequences. In Incident at Morales, you may want to concentrate on justice (equity), responsibility for safety, respect, property, and free speech.
• Keep your tables simple and direct. Remember, this is a device to help you visualize value conflicts hidden in technologies and socio technical systems.