Professional Skills in Engineering Flashcards by Francesca Massey

What is ‘professionalism’?

Professionalism describes the qualities, skills, competence and behaviours you are expected to bring to your work.

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Give examples of professional qualities/behaviours.

Professional qualities/behaviours:

Embracing change
Working with people
Finding solutions
Achieving results
Using resources

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Give examples of professional skills/competence.

Professional skills/competence:

Communication
Leadership
Knowledge
Qualifications
Mentoring

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What is a chartership?

A chartership is a formal qualification awarded to a person in recognition of a particular level of competence in their professional field.

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State the two types of law in the UK.

Criminal law
Civil law

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Why do engineers need an awareness of the law?

Follow regulations
Compliance with governmental ordinances
Know when to seek a legal professional

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Give an overview of criminal law.

Society’s view of what is acceptable behaviour and what is not
The police are responsible for apprehending those that break the law
Society brings them before a court and punishment takes the form of prision/fine/community service

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Give an overview of civil law.

Regulates the relationship between people
Action is initiated by the aggreviated party (claimant)
No element of punishment and no involvement of police or Crown Prosecution Service
If claimant is successful, court may order defendant to pay compensation/carry out certain actions/refrain from carrying out certain actions

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Give examples of causes for action under civil law.

Breach of contract
Defamation
Discrimination

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Describe the standards of proof under criminal law.

To convict someone of a criminal offence, the prosecution must prove beyond reasonable doubt that the defendant is
guilty.

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Describe the standards of proof under civil law.

To obtain a judgement in a civil case it is only necessary to establish the facts on the balance of probabilities.

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What does ‘natural person’ refer to?

A human being with legal rights and responsibilities.

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What does ‘legal person’ refer to?

(Also known as a juridical person)

A non-human entity such as a company, which is granted certain legal rights and obligations.

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What is ‘common law’?

Common law is made by the judgement of judges.

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What is ‘statute law’?

Statute law is made by an Act of Parliament.

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What is ‘risk’?

Combination of frequency of occurance and impact of event.

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Briefly describe the role of the Health and Safety Commission.

Comission - proposes legislation

Outline the difference between dismissal and redundancy.

Redundancy is a form of termination due to changes in the business,

while dismissal is a form of termination due to employee misconduct or poor performance.

Briefly describe the role of the Health and Safety Executive.

Executive – management and enforcement of existing rules

What is the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act (RIPA) 2000?

Allows government security services and law enforcement authorities to intercept, monitor and investigate electronic data (only in certain specified situations).

With respect to patents, what is meant by priority? Discuss how and when it can be established.

It is essential to establish priority when applying for a patent:

You need to show you were the first person to invent the device.

You therefore need to apply early, even if the invention is not yet perfect.

Discuss the difference between primary and secondary copyright infringement with respect to the law.

Primary infringement occurs when anyone who, without consent, does any of the things that are the exclusive right of the owner of the copyright.
Primary infringement is purely a civil matter.
Secondary infringement occurs when an infringement is performed knowingly and in the course of business.
Secondary infringement can be a criminal offence.

On 28th January 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger broke apart shortly after launch, killing all seven crew members on board the craft.

Briefly summarise the immediate technical causes of the accident and the wider organisational and cultural reasons for the disaster.

Failure of O-ring seal in SRB
Hot rocket gas burns strut
SRB detaches and reptures main fuel tank
Shuttle destroyed
Should launch be postponed due to predicted low temperature?
Morton Thiokol engineers wanted to scrub.
Persuaded by NASA managers to accept launch

Discuss the requirements for an
individual to hold the title of Chartered Engineer

An accredited Bachelors degree with honours in engineering or technology, plus either an appropriate Masters degree or
Engineering Doctorate (EngD) accredited by a professional engineering institution, or appropriate further learning to Masters level

An accredited integrated MEng degree

Discuss the requirements for an individual to hold the title of Chartered Physicist

* Submit evidence of master’s level knowledge via submission of a Master’s Equivalence Report or * Hold an accredited Master's degree.

Describe “The Osborne Effect” and discuss how it can damage a company.

The Osborne Effect states that prematurely discussing future, unavailable products damages sales of existing products.

Describe a Hierarchial (or Bureaucratic) company structure.

* Employees grouped according to different criteria. * The decision-making process is typically formal and flows from the top down } Board of Directors } Corporate Officers } Middle Management } Staff

Describe a Flat (or Organic) company structure.

* Suited to small companies and startups * Relatively few or no levels of middle management between the executives and the frontline employees

Describe a Matrix company structure.

* Teams report to multiple leaders * Skills pooled into divisions (Engineering, manufacture, etc) * Staff allocated to one or more projects * Staff report to Project Manager and Head of Division

Give the pros and cons of a Hierarchial company structure.

Pros: * Clear chain of authority & reporting * Clear communication * Efficient decision making Cons: * Lack of collaboration * Isolation * Increased bureaucracy

Give the pros and cons of a Flat company structure.

Pros: * Allows for faster decision making process * Cost-efficient * Doesn't require extensive supervision Cons: * Can cause work relationships to struggle * Management can easily lose control * Potential to hinder growth

Give the pros and cons of a Matrix company structure.

Pros: * Improved communication * Resource sharing * Employee development Cons: * Reporting confusion * Heavy workloads * Additional expenses due to more managers

Give examples of financial risks.

* Interest rate rises * Clients delaying payment * Clients going bankrupt * Exchange rate variations

Give examples of strategic risks.

* Rapid technological change * New competitor in your market * Change of customer demand * Change in cost of raw materials

List the 5 types of risks.

* Strategic risk * Compliance risk * Operational risk * Financial risk * Reputational risk

Give examples of compliance risks.

* Keeping track of laws you must comply with * Changes to those laws * Changes to labelling rules * Variation by country/region

Give examples of operational risks.

Employee errors: * Transferring incorrect payment * Neglecting to invoice customer Computer systems failure: * Loss of service * Loss of access to customers * Loss of access to design data

Give examples of reputational risks.

Social media: * What people say about you * What you say on your accounts * Actions of errant employees Loss of: * Data * Money

What is a centralised decision-making structure?

A centralised structure keeps decision-making firmly at the top of the hierarchy (amongst the most senior management).

What are the pros and cons of a centralised decision-making structure?

Pros: * Easier to co-ordinate and control from the centre * Quicker decision making * Easier to implement common policies/practices for whole business Cons: * Local/junior managers more likely to be closer to customer needs * Lack of authority down hierarchy likely to reduce manager motivation * Customer service misses flexibility/speed of local decision making

What is a decentralised decision-making structure?

Decision-making in decentralisation is spread out to include more managers in the hierarchy, as well as individual business units or trading locations.

What are the pros and cons of a decentralised decision-making structure?

Pros: * Should improve staff motivation * Better able to respond to local circumstances * Decisions made closer to the customer = better customer service? Cons: * Harder to ensure consistent practices/policies at each location * Who provides strong leadership when needed (e.g. in a crisis) * Harder to achieve tight financial control (risks of cost-overruns)