Book Review: Chapter 13: Ethical Issues of Information and Business
Book: The-handbook-of-information-and-computer-ethic
Author: Bernd Carsten Stahl
Library Reference: N/A
Amazon Reference:
http://www.amazon.com/Handbook-Information-Computer-Ethics/dp/0471799599/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1233037513&sr=1-1
Quote:
“Businesses and the economic system they work in have an important influence on ethical issues arising from information and information and communication technology.”
Learning Expectations
· Expect to learn the issues of ethics and information business
· The effects of ethics towards information per se
· The effects of ethics towards business per se
Review:
Computers have changed the way offices are organized and the tasks done. They have changed manufacturing, purchasing, marketing, finance, and management. The ethical issues are therefore not simply issues that are involved in computers and their use and in information technology more broadly, but in the way business is done in the Information Age. We can distinguish five different kinds of ethical problems connected with information technology: 1 Ethical issues in the use of technology in business 2 Ethical issues in the information technology business 3 Ethical issues dealing with the Internet 4 Ethical issues in e-business 5 Ethical issues resulting from the impact of computers and information technology on society, both nationally and internationally The five are interrelated. Lurking behind all of them is the Myth of Amoral Computers and Information Technology. This is the widespread belief that computers and information technology have nothing to do with ethics. Computers, of course, are a type of machine and are not moral beings. But they are developed, programmed, and used by human beings. Nonetheless, “The computer is down” is often taken as a valid excuse, as if no one is to blame for this and no moral blame should be assessed.
The appropriate use of digital communications such as email and text messaging is another area that must be clearly understood by the employee and it is the employer’s responsibility to set the guidelines. Many employees need to be taught that text based communications can be more often misinterpreted than spoken communications because other verbal and body language cues are not present.
What I’ve learned:
In this chapter I have learned that in digital age, it is the responsibility employers to guide their employees on the proper use of information systems. Without such guidance, the workplace can become an offensive atmosphere with significant ethical and legal consequences for the employer.
Integrative Questions:
- What are the ethical issues about Information?
- What are the ethical issues about business?
- What is CSR? Explain
- What is Business Ethics?
- What is the difference between Information ethics to Business ethics?
Citations: N/A
