personal and organizational ethics

Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, 5E • Carroll & BuchholtzCopyright ©2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved. 8-1

Chapter 8 • Business Ethics and Technology

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Personal and Personal and Organizational EthicsOrganizational Ethics

Search the WebIf you are interested in ethics conversations regarding technology, visit http://www.ethix.org

http://www.ethix.org/



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Chapter Eight Objectives

• Identify the role of technology in business• Gain an understanding of the technological

environment and its relationship to ethics• Identify technological benefits and side

effects• Realize an appreciation of society’s

fascination with technology and the impact of this fascination

• Differentiate between the information technology and biotechnology and their ethical implications



Chapter Eight Outline• Technology and the

Technological Environment• Characteristics of Technology• Ethics and Technology• Information Technology• Biotechnology• Summary



Introduction to Chapter Eight

This chapter explores questions surrounding technology and business ethics, including:– What does technology mean?– What are the benefits and challenges of

technology?– How does ethics relate to technology?– What are the ethical issues surrounding

the major realms of technology: information technology and biotechnology?


Chapter 8 • Business Ethics and TechnologyTechnology and the Technological Environment

Technology is the totality of the means employed to provide objects necessary for achieving human sustenance and comfort– Macroenvironment of business vs.

the technological environment



Characteristics of Technology

Benefits of Technology• Increased production of goods and

services• Reduced labor force needed to

produce goods and services• Reduced the number of injuries in

the workplace• Increased standard of living



Characteristics of Technology

Side Effects and Challenges of Technology

• Environmental pollution• Natural resource depletion • Technological unemployment• Work satisfaction



Ethics and Technology

Concern over the ethical use and implications of technology– Avoid amoral applications of

technology



Ethics and TechnologySociety’s Obsession with

Technology• Favor the quick fix• Fear and worship technology• Blur the distinction between what is real and

fake• Accept violence as normal• Love technology as a toy• Live our lives distanced and distracted

Business and Society: Ethics and Stakeholder Management, 5E • Carroll & BuchholtzCopyright ©2003 by South-Western, a division of Thomson Learning. All rights reserved. 8-

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Information Technology

Two Types of Information Technology

• Electronic commerce• Computer technology


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Information Technology

Issues Concerning Electronic Commerce

• Scams• Invasion of privacy


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Information TechnologyE-Commerce Privacy Issues

• Issue of identity theft• Issue of unintentionally revealing

information• Issue of lost/stolen personal information• Issue of fake web sites• Issue of government distribution of

information


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Information TechnologyE-Commerce Privacy Issues

• Issue of broadcasting information over the internet

• Issue of victim of spying – employer or spouse

• Issue of victim of spying – stranger• Issue of cyberstalkers


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Information TechnologyE-Commerce and

Government Protection• The Financial Services Modernization

Act– Opt in

• Proposed legislation– Consumer Online Privacy and Disclosure Act– Online Consumer Protection Act– Unsolicited Commercial Electronic Mail Act


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Information TechnologyE-Commerce and Business

Initiatives• Ethical leadership• Privacy policies• Chief privacy officers


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Information TechnologyE-Commerce and

Questionable Businesses and Practices• Pornography

• Gambling• Intellectual property

– Napster– MusicNet

• Payment for web page placement• Monitoring technology


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The Workplace and Computer Technology

Employee Impression of Technology

• Expands job-related knowledge• Increases productivity• Improves communications with clients

and customers• Relieves job stress


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Chapter 8 • Business Ethics and TechnologyThe Workplace, Computer Technology and

SurveillanceTypes of Monitoring

• Monitoring of e-mail and Internet usage

• Monitoring fax usage• Monitoring workers via video camera• Monitoring cell phone usage

– Liability for cell phone use


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The Workplace, Computer Technology and Unethical

Employee Activities• Engaged in dangerous activities• Blamed error on technological glitch• Copied company software for home use• Accessed corporate files without

permission


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The Workplace, Computer Technology and Unethical

Employee Activities• Used company computer to shop• Used company computer to look for

another job• Used technology to invade a

coworker’s privacy• Used company computer to visit porn

sites

The Workplace, Computer Technology and Computer

Ethics The Ten Commandments

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Biotechnology• Bioethics is a field that has

emerged to deal with ethical issues embedded in the use of biotechnology.

• Proceduralism is the use of elaborate protocols to ensure that classical ethical dilemmas do not arise, such as informed consent.


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Biotechnology Nonprofits• American Society for

Bioethics and Humanitieswww.asbh.org

• GE Food Alert Campaign Centerwww.gefoodalert.org

• National Coalition for Patient Rightswww.nationalcpr.org

• Do No Harmwww.stemcellresearch.org

• Council for Responsible Geneticswww.gene-watch.org

• Bioethics.netwww.bioethics.net

• Human Genome Research Institutewww.nhgri.nih.gov

http://www.asbh.org/

http://www.gefoodalert.org/

http://www.gefoodalert.org/

http://www.nationalcpr.org/

http://www.nationalcpr.org/

http://www.stemcellresearch.org/

http://www.stemcellresearch.org/

http://www.gene-watch.org/

http://www.bioethics.net/

http://www.nhgri.nih.gov/


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BiotechnologyGenetic Engineering

• Stem cell research• Cloning• Genetic testing and

profiling


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Chapter 8 • Business Ethics and TechnologyBiotechnologyGenetically Modified

Foods• Safety issues• Labeling issues


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Selected Key Terms• Bioethics• Biotechnology• Chief privacy officer• Cloning• Electronic commerce• Embryonic stem cells• Genetic engineering • Genetic profiling

• Genetic testing• Genetically

modified foods• Information

technology• Surveillance• Technology• Technological

environment• Therapeutic cloning

personal and organizational ethics

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