Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Chapter 9
Business Ethics and Technology
LEARNING OUTCOMES
1. Identify and describe what the new world of Big Data is all about and the implications it
holds for business.
2. Explain how social media have changed the world of business and technology.
3. Discuss how surveillance is a new dimension to being a consumer and an employee and
what its implications are for stakeholders.
4. Articulate an understanding of technology and the technological environment.
5. Identify the characteristics of technology to include their benefits, side effects, and
challenges in business.
6. Comment on the relationship between technology and ethics.
7. Define information technology and discuss the issues relating to e-commerce in business.
8. Define biotechnology. Identify the ethical issues involved in genetic engineering and
genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
KEY TALKING POINTS – Students are likely to be aware of the latest in technology, and so
have an inherent interest in this chapter. However, like many of their fellow citizens, they will
have given little thought to the ethical issues raised by the use of technology. As the authors of
the textbook correctly point out, the use of technology has increased our standard of living
tremendously. However, it has also raised many questions that directly affect people’s lives.
The authors list four categories of undesirable side effects of technology: (1) environmental
pollution, (2) depletion of natural resources, (3) technological unemployment, and (4) creation of
unsatisfying jobs. Items 3 and 4, technological unemployment and creation of unsatisfying jobs,
are perhaps the factors that will affect students most directly. Technology is no longer replacing
just manual labor—mid-level managers are now being “downsized” due to technological
improvements.
Jeremy Rifkin, in his book The End of Work, provides a chilling account of the effects farming
technology had on farm laborers in the early twentieth century. Because owners were able to
purchase farm implements that literally did the work of dozens of humans, there was a mass
exodus of unskilled laborers from the South. Not only were these workers’ livelihoods
jeopardized, but their entire social structure was torn apart as well. Fortunately, as Rifkin points
out, factory jobs in Northern manufacturing centers provided employment for large numbers of
the dislocated farm laborers. However, as manufacturing and managerial jobs are now being lost
to technological innovations, there is no sector that will clearly take up the slack.
Another side effect in which technology plays a role is the amount of time spent working. In
fact, technology is often cited as one of the major factors that contributes to dissatisfaction with
work-life balance. At one point in time, technological improvements were predicted to provide
humans with a significant degree of leisure. However, current statistics show that Americans
work longer hours now than at any point in our history. We also work longer hours than any
other country in the world. Thus, while technology is supposed to make our lives (including
work) easier, in some cases it has had the opposite effect by virtually making us available 24-7 to
family, friends, superiors, co-workers and clients. How does technology produce this counter-
intuitive result? Although no firm answers yet exist, my impression is that technology is viewed
as a way to “do more” rather than a method for “doing the same amount of work in less time.”
Students also will be keen to examine the issues raised by the use of social media in our personal
and professional lives. As social media use continues to increase at astronomical rates,
businesses constantly must adapt to harness the benefits of this technology while recognizing the
potential legal and ethical issues inherent with its use (e.g., intellectual property protection, libel /
defamation claims, employment problems, and privacy complaints, among others).
Many students may not have the scientific background to adequately discuss and understand the
ethical implications of modern biotechnology. As a result, instructors may consider spending
one class period reviewing critical background information relevant to topics such as genetic
engineering and genetically modified foods, cloning, stem cell research, genetic profiling, etc. I
have found it helpful to invite instructors from chemistry and/or biology to guest lecture during
this review period to provide this background information in “layman’s terms” for business
students.
Students should have animated discussions over these and other ethical issues raised by the use
of technology.
Cases:
14-Something’s Rotten in Hondo
15-Nike, Inc. and Sweatshops
16-Coke & Pepsi in India
17-Chiquita – An Excruciating Dilemma
18-Dole’s DBCP Legacy
21-Big Pharma’s Marketing Tactics
30-Targeting Consumers (& Using Their Secrets)
34-Hidden Price of Fast Fashion
40-Tragedy in Bangladesh
41-Software Sojourn
Spotlight on Sustainability:
The Field of Technoethics
Is Biotech Agriculture Sustainable?
LECTURE OUTLINE
V. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
A. E-Commerce as a Pervasive Technology
1. Online Scams
B. Ongoing Issues in E-Commerce Ethics
C. Invasion of Consumer Privacy via E-Commerce
1. Government’s Involvement in Internet Privacy Protection
2. Business Initiatives with Consumer Privacy Protection
a. Ethical Leadership
b. Privacy Policies
c. Chief Privacy Officers
d. Data Security
3. Questionable Businesses and Practices
a. Illegal Downloading
b. Monitoring Technology
D. The Workplace and Computer Technology
1. Biometrics
2. Robotics
3. Artificial Intelligence
4. Cell Phones and Texting
5. Unethical Activities by Employees
6. Company Actions
VI. BIOTECHNOLOGY
A. Bioethics
B. Genetic Engineering
1. Stem Cell Research
2. Cloning
3. Cloning Animals for Food
4. Genetic Testing and Profiling
C. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
1. Labeling of GMOs
VII. SUMMARY
Students should recognize that their answers to these discussion questions should be well
reasoned and supported with evidence. Although some answers will be more correct than others,
students should be aware that simplistic answers to complex questions, problems, or issues such
as these will never be “good” answers.
1. Question: Are there any benefits or negative side effects of technology in business that
have not been mentioned in this chapter? Discuss.
Answer: One interesting issue related to technology is the fact that the number of hours
that Americans work is increasing, not decreasing. As Jeremy Rifkin notes in The End of
Work, the primary view of technology’s effects on work would be to provide increasing
amounts of leisure. One need look no further than the cartoon series The Jetsons to capture
the visions of Rifkin’s “techno-paradise.” Some students will rightfully point out that it is
not technology per se that makes us work longer hours—that is a decision we make based
on our value systems. However, technology has driven an expectation of constant
availability in business – if you aren’t available – someone else will be. In order to remain
competitive, employees feel constant pressure to be accessible. While employees may
wish to clearly segregate work and personal lives, they may find it increasingly difficult to
do so. This is exactly the point that should be made. How we decide to use technology is
the ethical issue that we confront.
On the other hand, technology has increased our ability to access relevant data in an
expedient manner and to market ourselves and our businesses. Tasks that once took weeks
to complete (as workers had to rely on traditional methods to obtain forms, information,
printed materials, etc.) now can be completed and transmitted in a matter of minutes.
Further, social media platforms now remove certain barriers of entry for business and
individual marketing.
2. Question: Is society intoxicated with technology? Does this pose special problems for
business with respect to the ethics of technology? Will such intoxication blind people to
ethical considerations in business?
Answer: I agree that our society is intoxicated with technology. Whether one concurs with
each of the six symptoms identified in High Tech / High Touch is not really the point—we
need look no further than popular attitudes about technological unemployment and global
warming to provide convincing evidence that we are intoxicated with technology. In the
case of unemployment, the prevailing attitude is that new types of jobs will come from
somewhere, regardless of our inability to identify the source. “We’ll invent something…”
With global warming, many people ignore the fact that the widespread use of technology is
the primary cause of global warming and claim that new technology (yet to be invented or
even conceptualized) will allow us to avoid this coming disaster.
3. Question: Do you think business is abusing its power with respect to invasion of privacy of
consumers? Is surveillance of consumers in the marketplace a fair and justified practice?
Which particular practice do you think is the most questionable?
Answer: Although it would be foolish to expect that business would not use all of the
technology available to it to enhance its operations, I do think that business invades the
privacy of its customers. Certainly, the concepts of “right to privacy” and “expectation of
privacy” are recognized in the court systems. Sitting in the privacy of my home and using
the Internet is not an invitation to hundreds or thousands of companies to send me emails
or to push advertisements onto my computer screen. Nor should my purchase of a
particular product subject me to a multitude of follow-up solicitations to buy other
products. Further, I should not have to be concerned with how my information will be used
or if it will be sold when it is necessary for me to provide such information to certain
businesses. Employees, on the other hand, do not have the same rights or expectations to
privacy in the workplace. As noted in a later chapter, businesses can record employee
phone calls and review employee e-mails as long as such activities occur in the ordinary
Language: Finnish
Matkakuvaus
Kirj.
Siitä asti ku Suami sai Petsamon on mun miälesnäni pyäriny ajatus, jotta
minkhänlaane maalipaikka sekin on? Ku siäl’ on kuulemma
valaskalojaki — —- Ja nii jumalattoman kaukana ku se on, jott’ oikee
Jäämeren rannalla likillä pohjoosnapaa.
Kotia tulles käyyn taas kalahallin kautta ja ostin pari kilua komeeta
ahvenia, jokka toin sille frouvalle, jonka tykönä mä ja Juppe asumma.
Kyllähän se frouva aina pakkas vähä epäälevästi kattelemhan niitä mun
kalojani, mutta täyrestä menivät, ku kovasti kehuu jotta:
— Aina miäs saa, kun ei s’oo kovin noloo — —-, mutta kovasti siinä
piti matohon sylkiä, jotta aiva on suu kuivana ja posket litus — —
plaasin trossata.
Hyi tuhannen riivattua ku siin’ oli ilkiä olla! Ei tiänny mit’ olis sanonu
ja mihkä kattellu.
Mutta tua riivatun juttu harmitti mua ja toi aina miälehen ne Petsamon
kalarikkauret. Sinne sitä pitääs päästä, ku siäl ei oo kuulemma
pikkukaloja ollenkaa. Kun koukun merhen paiskaa, nii ei muuta ku sen
ku vetää kalaa ku karvaköyttä rannalle. Vaikka kuinka paljo! Ja
valaskaloja — — saamari sentähre!
Mä sain suaraa sanojen kuumehen. Makasin toista voorokautta
sängyn-omana ja horniin. Yks ainua ajatus jyskytti päässäni: Petsamhon
valaskaloja onkiinhan!
EI SIINÄ KAUAN NOUKKA TUHISSU KU
JAAKKOO LÄHTI.
Sillä lailla sitä oikia nahkasuutari puhuu. Ja nii kans kutinsa piti, jotta
tuliterä piaksusaaphat paiskas junhan Orismalas, kun juna vihelti.
— Mhyh! Kyllä s’oon tua naisväki! Jotta kuka meistä hualta pitää, jos
niit'ei olsi! — Ja kysyy viälä, jotta koska mä takaasi tulin! Niinku ei se
olsi selvä asia, jotta vasta sitte ku rahat loppuu. Mitäs sitä ennen kotona
teköö?
— Niin koska sa tuut sitte? — huuti frouva.
— Älä vai munkiksi rupia siälä Petsamos. Ja katto kans ethes, jottes
plumpsahra merhen!
Ja nii mä lährin.
Siitä repes pitkät jutut ja loppu oli se, jotta mä sain kans
kansanerustajaan piletin ja kovasti nostin noukkaani.
No nii s’oli sitte sitä myäri selvä. Onni potkaasi meitä Petsamon
matkalaasia heti nii jotta Antti Lakineuvos teki Rovaniämellä hianon
tuttavuuren. Se tutustuu Lapin kaikiista suurimpahan herrahan, nimittään
Kemi-yhtiön mettä- ja lauttauspäällikköhön, horsmestari Aarne
Snellmannihin, joka tiätysti on arvoltansa vähintänsä Tukkineuvos. Tämä
titteli vastaa Lapis oikiastansa enkeli Kaaprielin virka-asemaa taivahas.
Sillä kattokaas Lapis ja koko pohjoos-Suames on Kemi-yhtiö kaikki
kaikes. Siäl’ onki sananpartena jotta: »Lapis on esti Kemi-yhtiö, sitte
jumala ja sitte ei oo pitkähän pitkähän aikaha yhtää mitää, ennenku vasta
aikaan päästä ku tullahan Rovaniämelle.»
— Orottakaa ny vähä —
Mutta hetken päästä se tuli ilosta loistavana takaasi kirja käres, otti
juhlallisen asennon, rykääsi ja sanoo:
Sillä miähell' oli vai nii kova halu saara kans esiintyä. Sit’ oli
kiällettyki, jottei se saa tulla sotkemhan Pelkosenniämeläästen arvokasta
esiintymistä tänä merkkihetkenä mutta:
*****
Pelkosenniämellä tuli meille Petsamhon lähtijöölle ero muusta
retkikunnasta. Heitettihin kärestä pitään hyvästit toisille jokka lähtivät
samalla laivalla takaasi Kemijärvelle. Me astelimma vähä juhlallisin
miälin Aarne Tukkineuvoksen peräs rantahan, johna meitä orotti Kemi-
yhtiön kaks nopeakulkuista moottorivenestä, neljä-viisi tukkilaasta ja
kolme pitkää jokivenestä, jokka sirottihin moottorivenesten perhän.
Kello oli 1/2 2 yällä kun lährettihin tualle pitkälle veneesmatkalle ja
aurinko loisti korkialla taivahalla. Joukko jaettihin tasan kumpahankin
veneesehen, tukkilaaset istuuvat perää pitämhän ja nii lährethin
painamahan Kemijokea ylhäppäin. Joitaki kilomeeteriä ajettua, tultihin
Keminjoen suuren haarajoen Kitisen suulle. Jos on Keminjoes pituutta,
425 km, pisin joki Suames, nii ei oo pikkuune sen haarajoki Kitinenkään.
Se on leviä ja mahtava virta, lähes 200 km. pitkä. Jonkun matkaa Kitistä
ylöspäi, laskoo siihen taas sen sivujoki, Luirojoki, jok’on vain vähä
Kitistä lyhempi. Sellaasia suuria jokia siäl’ Lapis on.
— Taitaas se olla tua mullikka koko lailla passeli isäntä tähä taloohi
——