James Liang And The Volkswagen Emission Scandal Essay

James Liang and the Volkswagen Emission Scandal An Ethical Examination On September 9, 2016, a veteran engineer of Volkswagen AG by the name of James Robert Liang pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to defraud the government, committing wire fraud, and violating the U.S. Clean Air Act. While working in Germany in 2006, Liang was part of a team charged with producing a new fuel-efficient diesel engine that satisfied new U.S. regulations on vehicle emissions. He and his team eventually came to the conclusion that their engine could not satisfy these new regulations while maintaining consumer expectations of engine performance. Their solution to this dilemma was to implement illegal software (known as a â€Å"defeat device†) into newly produced vehicles sold in the U.S. The purpose of this software was to detect any emissions test being performed on a vehicle and alter the results to show cleaner emissions on the onboard computer. Nearly 500,000 vehicles with this defeat device were sold in the U.S.; by 2008, consumers beg an to experience issues in their vehicles (not knowing it was due to the emission test software), and Liang worked to refine the device even further. The entirety of the scandal eventually came into the public spotlight in 2015 (Guess, 2016, p.1). The subsequent paragraphs of this essay will first discuss Kantian duty ethics and rule utilitarianism, and focus on analyzing the moral implications of Liang’s actions in reference to these moral theories. KantianShow MoreRelatedThe Case Of Engineer James Liang And The Volkswagen Emission Scandal1291 Words   |  6 Pagesoften be asked regarding the case of engineer James Liang and his role in the Volkswagen emission scandal. During the period of early 2006 to 2014, James Liang and his team of engineers developed a â€Å"defeat† device that allowed diesel powered vehicles to pass the EPA emission test, when in fact the vehicles were emitting up to 30 times the allowable limit. To many, this may seem a black and white case o f ethics due to the fact that Liang’s team and Volkswagen blatantly cheated on a governmental testingRead MoreAn Investigation Into The Volkswagen Emissions Scandal After Research Essay1636 Words   |  7 Pagesis an ongoing investigation into the Volkswagen emissions scandal after research indicated a large discrepancy in emissions during testing and road operation conditions on some of the company’s diesel engine vehicles.[1] On September 9, 2016, James Liang, an experienced Volkswagen engineer and head of the company’s Diesel Competence unit in the U.S., pleaded guilty to taking part in a fraudulent scheme to allow certain Volkswagen vehicles that violated emissions regulations to pass testing proceduresRead MoreThe Vs. Emission Testing1200 Words   |  5 Pagestopic that the Volkswagen engineer James Liang pleads guilty for his role in cheat U.S. emission test. Back to last year James Liang and his co-conspirators designed and implemented software for new â€Å"EA 189† diesel engine, to cheat the missions tests. They knew it was impossible to create a diesel engine that could meet the U.S. emission standard, so they developed a software â€Å"defeat device,† which could recognize the difference between using the dynamometer to measure the emission quality in U.SRead MoreThe Principles Of Teamwork, Leadership Practices, And How These Influenced Business Outcomes Essay1962 Words   |  8 PagesOnce known for quality automobiles, Volkswagen is now perceived as a global corporation that deliberately deceived the U.S. government and defrauded customers. In this paper our team investigated the principles of teamwork, leadership practices, and how these influenced business outcomes. Research indicated that Volkswagen’s corporate culture has not always been the best. Dictatorial executive leadership and a culture where â€Å"success at all costs† outweighed ethics created an environment hostile toRead MoreStephen P. Robbins Timothy A. Judge (2011) Organizational Behaviour 15th Edition New Jersey: Prentice Hall393164 Words   |  1573 PagesUniversity Jann Freed, Central College Crissie Frye, Eastern Michigan University Diane Galbraith, Slippery Rock University Carolyn Gardner, Radford University Janice Gates, Western Illinois University Ellen Kaye Gehrke, Alliant International University James Gelatt, University of Maryland University College Joe Gerard, University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee Matthew Giblin, Southern Illinois University Donald Gibson, Fairfield University Cindi Gilliland, The University of Arizona Mary Giovannini, Truman State