Free Practice Questions for OACETT IEPPE Exam

Even thoughyou are no longer in public office, youstill have ethical obligations to maintain fairness, integrity, and transparency.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

1. Ethical Issues at Play:

Reviewing acompetitor’s project for freecould:

Compromise professional integrity.

Create aperception of bias or unfair treatment.

Lead toconflicts with your previous employer or professional obligations.

2. Why Fairness, Courtesy, and Good Faith Are Important:

Professionals must avoid using their influence unethically, even after leaving a position.

Example:

A retired CETshould not provide confidential insightsinto a competitor’s project without proper compensation and disclosure.

3. Why Option A Is Correct:

Fairness and professional courtesy require declining such requests or ensuring full transparency.

4. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B (Conflict of interest disclosure)– This is not adirect conflict of interest, but anethical integrity issue.

C (Warning about overruled decisions)–Not relevantin this case.

D (Promoting public knowledge)– Ethical fairness ismore important here.

1. Understanding Alternatives G3 and G4

Alternative G3– The professionalseeks employer approvalbefore engaging with the external client, ensuring that their actions remain ethical and do not conflict with their employer’s interests.

Alternative G4– The professionalfully informs their employer of the situation first, allowing them to guide the decision and ensuring afair and ethical responseto the client.

2. Ethical Considerations

Employer Consent:

Seekingprior approval from an employer protects against potential conflicts of interest.

Transparency in Business Relationships:

Informing boththe employer and the client ensures fairnessand maintains professional trust.

Legal Compliance:

Avoiding unauthorized work prevents potentialbreaches of confidentiality or contract violations.

3. Why Option B is Correct:

Alternative G4 emphasizes employer approval first, whichaligns best with ethical and legal obligations.

It alsoensures fair communication with the clientby clarifying what actions can be taken.

4. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Alternative G3 is just as equitable as G2)– Incorrect becauseG3 still involves employer consultation, which G2 lacks.

C (G3 is less equitable than G2)– Incorrect becauseG3 ensures ethical compliance by consulting the employer first.

D (None of the options)– Incorrect asAlternative G4 clearly provides the best ethical approach.

Aconflict of interestarises whena professional’s personal or business interests interfere with their public duty. Full disclosureis essentialin maintaining trust and integrity.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

1. Why Conflicts of Interest Must Be Disclosed:

Acity council member who owns a business that bids on city contractshasinsider influence.

Not disclosing this conflictisunethical and legally questionable.

2. Real-World Example:

Amunicipal engineersits ona public infrastructure boardand their private firmsubmits a bid for a major road project.

They must disclose the conflict and recuse themselves from decisions affecting their company.

3. Why Option B Is Correct:

Transparency and disclosure are required under professional ethics and law.

4. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Public safety is paramount)– Important, butconflict of interest is the core issue.

C (Undertake work only when qualified)–Not the main concern here.

D (Fairness & courtesy)– Fairness is important, butdisclosure of conflicts is the primary requirement.

1. Why Confidentiality Is the Core Ethical Issue Here

When working inengineering, technology, or applied sciences, professionals often haveaccess to proprietary company information.

Ethical professionalsmust safeguard this informationandnot disclose it to unauthorized parties.

2. Case Study Example: Confidentiality Breach

Scenario:

ACET working at an IT companygains access to anew prototype software design.

Without permission, theyshare some of the details with a former colleaguewho works at acompeting company.

This is aclear breach of confidentiality, violating:

Company policies

Employment contracts (Non-Disclosure Agreements - NDAs)

OACETT’s Code of Ethics

3. Why Confidentiality Violations Are Serious

Legal Consequences:

Companiescan take legal action for theft of intellectual property.

Breaching confidentialitycan result in terminationor loss of certification.

Ethical Consequences:

Trust between professionals, clients, and employersis destroyed.

The reputation ofboth the individual and the profession is damaged.

4. Why Option A Is Correct:

Confidentiality is a foundational ethical principlefor professionals working with sensitive information.

Maintaining confidentialityensures trust between professionals, companies, and clients.

5. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B (Accepting only qualified assignments)– Important, butnot the core ethical issue in this scenario.

C (Serving clients and employers)– Ethical service is required, butnot the main problem here.

D (Receiving adequate compensation)– Compensationis not relevant to this case.

When faced with aconflict of interest, thefirst ethical and legal obligationisfull disclosure.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

1. What is a Conflict of Interest?

Occurs whenpersonal, financial, or professional interests interfere with professional duties.

Example: ACET serving on a city councilalsoowns a private engineering firm bidding on a municipal contract.

2. Why Disclosure is the First Step:

Transparency prevents ethical violations.

Allowsemployers, clients, or government authoritiesto decide how to proceed fairly.

Often, professionalscan still work on projects if safeguards are in place.

3. Why Option A Is Correct:

Disclosing conflicts ensures fairness and trust.

Prevents legal repercussions, such asbreaching contract laws or professional misconduct charges.

4. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B (Resigning immediately)– May not be necessary if the conflict can beproperly managed.

C (Ignoring conflicts)– ViolatesOACETT’s Code of Ethics and Ontario business laws.

D (Withdrawing without disclosing)–Lack of transparency can raise suspicionand legal consequences.

1. What is Alternative G1?

The scenario describesa professional working on a project for their employerwhile alsobeing offered outside work related to the same field.

This createsa conflict of interest and a potential confidentiality violation.

2. Ethical Problems with Alternative G1

Confidentiality Breach:

The employeehas access to confidential company information.

Using this knowledgefor a personal project or another company is unethical and potentially illegal.

Conflict of Interest:

Accepting a competing contractcreates divided loyalties.

The professionalmay prioritize personal financial gain over their employer’s interests.

Employer-Employee Relationship:

Professionals owe aduty of loyalty to their employer.

Performing workfor a competitorisboth unethical and potentially grounds for dismissal.

3. Real-World Example: Ethical Violations in Competing Work

Scenario:

An engineerdesigning a proprietary control systemforCompany Ais approached byCompany B(a competitor) to work on asimilar system on their own time.

Even if they don’t directly copy their employer’s work, they are using knowledge gained from their employer’s project.

This is unethical and could lead to legal action.

4. Why Option A is Correct:

Accepting outside work in competition with an employer is unethical.

It jeopardizes both company interests and professional integrity.

5. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

B (Ethically acceptable)– Incorrect becauseit violates confidentiality and creates a conflict of interest.

C (Not dealing with fairness, courtesy, or good faith)– This does not fully addressthe confidentiality and conflict-of-interest issues.

D (Contractually and ethically correct)– Incorrect becauseit is neither contractually nor ethically sound.