business ethics - report and presentation
TRANSCRIPT
![Page 1: Business Ethics - Report and Presentation](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022082701/5522b3b54a7959455e8b4a26/html5/thumbnails/1.jpg)
Marko Maric 11/04/2023
The Case of Omnicient organisation-Report by Marko Maric
Dominion-Swann is a company who from beginning tending to have good
relationship with employees, with mutual respect, expecting that they improve
company performance. In the beginning of 1990’s they faced with uncertainty to
keeping pace with overseas competition, also with low productivity, high health costs,
large number of accidents, thefts and drugs use, caused that they need to turn to
SciexPlan Inc specialist company in employee relations in order to restructure DS
work environment, with higher control measures. Main characteristics of this new
program are entry-level screening, with strictly evaluation of employee’s medical
records, psychological test, and most important information about private life. Data
about private life suppose to not concern a company, especially information about
candidate’s friends and family. Other characteristic is monthly health screenings, with
tests for smoking, pregnancy and drug use, with zero smoking tolerance. Another
characteristic is introduced to increase productivity such as use of subliminal
messaging on computer, music and aromatherapy. Fourth characteristic is monitoring
employees 24 hours, even in periods where they are having free time they need to be
reachable.
I will analyse two experts on technology and human resource management who
discussed Dominion-Swann’s work support technology. firstly I will I will analyse
Joseph Moderow who says that is nothing wrong with DS goals, except that those
goals are in wrong order of priority. The main company asset, people, is placed
second, and is under control of technology. Technology today is seeing as a tool make
certain tasks as precise as possible, more than human is able to do, because
technology today is able to informating not just to automating task. Companies who
![Page 2: Business Ethics - Report and Presentation](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022082701/5522b3b54a7959455e8b4a26/html5/thumbnails/2.jpg)
Marko Maric 11/04/2023
tend to maximize profit, started to introduce all kind of software's that can monitor,
control people and processes down to the tiniest detail. By Moderow this may leads to
decrease of morale. Constant monitoring and keeping eye on employees can cause
dissatisfaction and putting too much pressure on them. Monitoring employees 24
hours a day means that they should dedicate their life to company. That may cause
lower work standards. By him entry-screening has negative impact on workforce
diversity. Technologies significantly improved in last two decades buy machines are
still incapable to build relationship with employees evaluate them, and to decide who
will be fired and who won’t. Karen Nussbaum second expert which I will analyse
states that Dominion-Swann us discriminating, mainly because employees are divided
by categories. Transparency may dissatisfy employees by diminish their privacy, and
increase stress emphasizing surveillance over employees. So, they are motivated by
fear and fact that what ever they do will be recorded, what will lead to workforce
diversification.
Myth of Amoral Computers and Information Technology says that use of computer
technology is new moral intuition of people and society has no time to develop jet,
and we still have less strict moral values over IT. For example an online fraud is not
taken seriously as a theft of someone’s wallet. This can be explained due to the lack
of face-to-face encounter when dealing with IT. In reality computers and Information
Technology by everyday became more and more important for society and moral
values and norms must be established. This myth is applied to Dominion-Swan by
building a software who will look, control, collect data, evaluate, and decide about
employee’s future, who will stay in company and who will be fired. What happen if
something with software goes wrong? It will affect every aspect of company human
![Page 3: Business Ethics - Report and Presentation](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022082701/5522b3b54a7959455e8b4a26/html5/thumbnails/3.jpg)
Marko Maric 11/04/2023
resource. It is obvious that computers should not be replaced with human in cases as
this, where is crucial to have relationship between peoples.
DeGeorge questions the morality by constant monitoring their employees, with more
freedom and privacy than in case of DS. By his opinion surveillance should be made
known to employees. Also they suppose to have norms of e-mail privacy, and data in
their personal computers. Dominion-Swan ethical limits are fulfilled, but not precisely
determined. In case of theft and corruption company can goes beyond ethical limits
and they are able to have full access of their data. Also DS have no established ethical
limits about employee’s private life information, such as medical records, personal
information etc.
Practical and moral concerns of Dominion-Swann are differing. For example in
Dominion-Swan policy is to respect employee’s privacy and reclaim discrimination,
but by pre entry screening this occurs. Constant surveillance, checking e-mails,
medical tests, information about family, friends and credit cards, tending to be more
terror of privacy rather than fighting against discrimination. Working in condition like
that seems to be uncomfortable and counterproductive. Company tend to have Big
Brother syndrome. As we said before information technology improved but not on
that level that computers can calculate fairness, and make decision by experience and
future prediction what is by my opinion the most important task to determine who will
work and who will not. There is also no standardised formula for motivation, what
company trying to introduce by posting messaging on computer workstation.
Dominion-Swan want to build natural atmosphere but by constant evaluating of
![Page 4: Business Ethics - Report and Presentation](https://reader036.vdocument.in/reader036/viewer/2022082701/5522b3b54a7959455e8b4a26/html5/thumbnails/4.jpg)
Marko Maric 11/04/2023
employees performance, atmosphere in company will rather be full of pressure and
threat.
By my opinion Dominion-Swan policies will have negative effect in long term,
primarily because constant surveillance, transparency, and giving right to computer to
decide about their future, what will cause distrust to company, and negative reputation
in public. It is obvious that computers are still not capable to evaluate, control, and
decide about company most important asset and that is people, until moral and norms
and values are established with mutual benefit, to company and to employees.
Bibliography
“The Ethics: of Information, Technology and Business.”, Richard T. DeGeorge, Blackwell publishing 2003
.”The Blackwell Guide to Business Ethics”, Norman E. Bowie, 2002
Lecture slides
Case study, “The Case of the Omniscient Organization”
Word Count: 962