Ethical issues in business

Define ethics [2]

l Ethics refers to moral principles or a set of moral values held by an individual or a group.
l Business ethics therefore are values and principles which the business is expected to
operate within in order to ensure fair play in business.

List Examples of ethical issues in business [6]

l Involvement in community welfare by avoiding pollution and conserving environment.
l Ensuring fair competition.
l Selling safe products to consumers.
l Avoiding sale of illegal commodities.
l Avoiding discrimination in employing, training and promotion of staff.
l Social responsibility i.e donating to the society .
l Complying with laws and regulations.

What are intellectual property rights. [2]

A right that is had by a person or by a company to have exclusive rights to use its own plans,
ideas, or other intangible assets without the worry of competition, at least for a specific period of
time. These rights can include copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets

Intellectual Property Law in Zimbabwe

Intellectual property law deals with the protection of creativity and innovation. Zimbabwean law
recognises a number of intellectual property rights that require formal registration in the
Zimbabwe Intellectual Property Office (ZIPO) or the African Regional Intellectual Property
Organisation (ARIPO) or under the Madrid International Trademark System (Madrid System)
before such rights can be protected and enforced against third parties in Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe recognises and protects the following intellectual property:

l Copyright and Neighbouring Rights

l Industrial Designs
l Integrated Circuit Lay-Out Designs
l Geographical Indications
l Patents
l Plant Breeders Rights
l Trade Marks
The legislation governing the different categories of intellectual property defines:

l The nature and quality of work that qualifies for classification as intellectual property
under that particular statute.
l The person (be it an individual or a corporate body or the State or a designated
international organisation) that is held to be the creator or innovator of that piece of
work.
l The person who owns the intellectual property rights in the work.
l The person who can apply for registration of the intellectual property rights.
l The requirements for registration, protection and enforceability of the intellectual
property rights.
l The legal consequences of registration and the remedies available to an owner of
intellectual property.
l The territory in which the registered intellectual property rights can be protected and
enforced.
l The manner in which existing or future intellectual property rights can be transmitted by
sale, assignment, license, inheritance or operation of law.
l The manner in which intellectual property rights can be encumbered.
Identify the Importance of intellectual property right [5]
They were essentially recognized for the acceptations of these rights are:-

l Provides incentive to the individual for new creations.

l Providing due recognition to the creators and inventors.
l Ensuring the material reward for intellectual property.
l Ensuring the availability of the original products.
l For economic growth and advancement in technology sector protection of Intellectual
property protection is important.
l They are benefited for the growth of the business in the field of technology.