The Ground for Business Ethics

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Table of Contents

Introduction
The Review of the Article
IT Professional Practice and Ethics
The Overview of the Ethical Issues in IT Professional Practice
Professional Code of Ethics
Privacy as the Most Urgent Ethical Issue
Conclusion
References

Introduction

Various ethical issues have always been of great interest for historians and philosophers. The history proves that ethical dilemmas have always existed in humanity. The current world experiences a rapid globalization mostly due to the development of the informational technologies.

The professional practice within the IT sphere is becoming more and more popular nowadays. In the following paper, the critical review of Geert Demuijnck’s article will be conducted as well as the evaluation of the current ethical issues connected with the professional practice in the sphere of IT technologies.

The Review of the Article

The article under consideration entitled “Universal Values and Virtues in Management Versus Cross Cultural Moral Relativism: An Educational Strategy to Clear

The Ground for Business Ethics” was written by Geert Demuijnck in 2015. The author provides readers with information concerning the role of the moral relativism in business. The primary idea of the author refers to the fact that moral relativism is often misinterpreted in the modern business environment.

In some cases, students or business personnel face difficulty in understanding the core idea of the moral relativism that does not contradict the essential principles of the virtue ethics. The idea of relativism is extremely popular nowadays. It presupposes that the differences in cultures can justify the particular behaviors of people in business settings. Nevertheless, such understanding of professional practice may lead to the further pointlessness of following any moral principles at all.

The skepticism of the universalism of ethical virtues is a popular tendency nowadays. Demuijnck states that there is the need for the rebuttal of some anti-universalism opinions due to two primary reasons. First, there will be no use of business ethics if the universal virtues will be rejected. There is no point of finding some consensus in the world of extremely different cultural and moral values. Second, the popularity of relativism undermines the business morality. It may discourage people to behave appropriately (Demuijnck, 2015).

The author proceeds to the definition of three types of relativism. Thus, Demuijnck differentiates descriptive, moral, and meta-ethical relativism. In my opinion, the author fails to demonstrate the precise difference between the last two forms. He writes that the relativeness of the “truth” varies in different cultures.

That is the notion connected with meta-ethical relativism. When describing the normative moral relativism, Demuijnck (2015) defines it as the understanding of what is good in one case can be bad under other circumstances. More exact definitions have been suggested by Levi (2014), who states that “meta-ethical relativism is the relativistic theory of morality” while “moral relativism is the view that what morality required from individuals vary from group to group, culture to culture” (p. 10).

In the following part, the author discusses three major approaches to ethics laying particular emphasis on the virtue ethics. I do agree with the author that despite the variety of cultures and beliefs, some virtues remain the same. Such virtues as love and honesty are treated and accepted equally in most cultures. Although there are differences in their manifestations, the universalism of virtues reject the idea of relativism.

The next part of the article is “Consultancy and Training in Cross-Cultural Management”. Demuijnck applies to some of the notions described by Hofstede, Trompenaars and Hampden-Turner. The author combines their findings and chooses the most appropriate examples to prove that relativism may lead to the adverse outcomes for the whole society. However, one selected sample does not fall under the identification of relativism of some other authors.

For instance, Demuijnck (2015) writes about the case of the car accident in which one person killed a pedestrian. That person violated the laws, and the only witness was his close friend. It is the decision of the friend to choose preference: protect the friend and give false testimony or follow the universalism concept and do not lie.

In this situation, the author takes personal preferences (such as the importance of friendship) as the manifestation of relativism. According to relativism, when one says what is right and wrong, he or she does not mean personal preferences, but rather the moral code of the society of that individual (Suikkane, 2014). Thus, the chosen example does not support the general idea of the paper as far as cultural and societal moral values serve the basis for making decisions about relativism and universalism.

Demuijnck (2015) proceeds to the idea that once relativism is accepted, one has to follow its standards entirely. Such a principle can be rather a challenging task as far as many people do not comprehend the total complexity of relativism. The author provides the example of the tradition of burying children with some defects alive in one Amazon tribe. According to relativism, every tradition should be respected.

However, not all people who support the idea of relativism would agree that burying children because of their physiological disabilities is the right thing to do. Finally, the author concludes that business should be based on universalism mostly. Otherwise, the business morality can be undermined.

At the end of the article, the author also writes that the rapid technological development is one of the reasons that stimulates the creation of new ethical issues. In the following part of the paper, the ethical issues related to the IT sphere will be evaluated.

IT Professional Practice and Ethics

The modern world faced a rapid development of the information technologies over the last few decades. Information technologies have become integral parts of the everyday life. The professional practice in information technologies embraces various branches of specializations.

In general, all specialists in the sphere of IT are highly-educated people as far as their accomplishments are directly connected to their personal knowledge and skills. All IT professionals should undergo particular training to become a specialist in the sphere. Thus, the most well-known specialties in the IT professional practice include programmers, system analysts, administrators of databases, chief information officers, and software engineers.

Mehrotra (2012) defines information technology as the “branch of engineering that deals with the use of computers to store, retrieve and transmit information” (p. 418). The very definition of IT gives reasons to consider the ethical issue of the usage of information. The privacy and security are the most significant ethical dilemmas in IT professional practice. Every new accomplishment in the sphere leads to some issue. For instance, even the mere change of the e-mails updating may require the use of user’s information.

The Overview of the Ethical Issues in IT Professional Practice

Reynolds (2014) states that there are several reasons for the increase of public concerns about information technologies. For instance, employees’ working emails and the Internet access history can be monitored to evaluate the effectiveness of their performance.

Organizations use specialized software to track the online activity of their visitors. Sometimes, students download files that do not possess necessary copyright rights. These are a few examples of what causes the ethical issues in IT. Here is the list of the most widespread current issues:
Privacy and data security. The Internet provides IT professionals with almost unrestricted access to the personal information. For instance, the government may monitor the e-mail of particular people to provide the necessary security. Individuals’ online data can be used for the variety of reasons. Most of these reasons aim to define the interest of users and attract their attention towards something (Berzai, 2012);
Intellectual property. The ownership is the other ethical issue. First, it is directly connected to the numerous violations of copyright laws. Piracy, the improper usage of information are tough to control in the virtual environment (Ethical Issues in Information Technology, 2010). Second, the right to ownership reflects the professional practice in IT through the NDAs (nondisclosure agreements). In many cases, IT specialists are asked to sign the NDA. This agreement presupposes the preserving of the new information from the potential future employer and everybody else. When an employee changes the job, he or she can use newly acquired knowledge. However, the NDA prohibits such a usage. In this case, IT workers face the ethical dilemma of choice (Relkin, 2006);
E-mail spam. Some users are extremely indignant about the lack of control over spam. Some worry that they can receive pornographic messages or download viruses via spam. Spam is used by companies as one of the cheapest ways of advertising. However, the organizations should respect the users’ rights to privacy and do not disturb their personal space (Mehrotra, 2012);
Code of Ethics. There is no universal code of ethics for IT professionals. That is why there are no directions concerning the rules and regulations that should be followed;
Ethical issues within IT organizations (offshoring, outsourcing).

Professional Code of Ethics

Every professional activity should adhere to the particular code of ethics. There is no code of ethics for the professional practice of IT. Nevertheless, the code of ethics is essential for the successful performance. Code of ethics predetermines the principles and rules of organization’s activity.

According to Mika (2011), business ethics is of great significance for the company’s performance, especially in the modern world. The absence of the code of ethics may lead to misunderstanding between employers and employees as well as between other participants of the working process.

One of the most well-known code of ethics for IT professionals has been developed by the Association of Information Technology Professionals. It is a not-for-profit organization that aims at providing educational opportunities in the field of IT. The Association of Information Technology Professionals’ Code of Ethics and Standards of Conduct predetermine the basic guidelines for professionals to follow.

However, there are only general notions. For instance, the IT professional is obliged “to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all information entrusted to me” (Association of Information Technology Professionals, n.d., para.5). Still, nothing is mentioned about the right to use users’ information without their consent and limitations.

The Australian Computer Society also has the Code of Professional Conduct. It is a more detailed code in comparison to the previous one. The ACS’ code describes six primary values for every professional.

They are honesty, the primacy of the public interest, the enhancement of quality of life, competence, professional development, and professionalism (Australian Computer Society, 2014). It should be noted, that this code has the relevance to law. Thus, it is defined that the violation of principles may lead to the claim concerning the negligence of professional activity.

Privacy as the Most Urgent Ethical Issue

The ethical issue of privacy is the most problematic nowadays. People are worried that their rights to private lives are violated. Usually, the IT professional faces the issues of privacy in the professional activity. Thus, the client may require keeping in privacy his or her information. In this case, all aspects of access are discussed. However, the IT professionals can use the information of many users without their consent.

People often blame IT workers for using their information. Nevertheless, the storage and using of information may be of extreme assistance in many cases. For instance, banks have to know client’s financial history to make the right decision about the credit. The doctor examines patient’s history to find the most appropriate treatment. According to McFarland (n.d.), there are three primary areas where the access to personal information is needed:

Governments monitor the information about users to maintain security and collect necessary data. Authorities may need the access to personal files of the person who is suspected of committing the crime. The threats to public safety can also be monitored with the help of information technologies;
The second area deals with business. Numerous organizations examine the needs of their target audience to create the most effective marketing strategies. The information about income, marital status, education, lifestyles is essential for establishing the proper pricing and satisfying consumers’ demands;
People may need information for personal purposes. Thus, the owner of the house may want to know whether the potential buyer is solvent.

Reynolds (2014) supports the idea of the necessity to gather, storage, and use information. According to the author, the virtual information can be of great use for the profound decision-making.

Despite all these facts, may people oppose the idea of information storage and collection by claiming that the right to privacy is violated. Thus, this situation creates the ethical dilemma of privacy. On the one hand, the IT professionals follow the directions of their employers and gather necessary data. On the contrary, they disrupt the right to privacy.

The European Group on Ethics in Science and Information Technologies investigated this issue in 2012. According to the European Group on Ethics in Science and Information Technologies (2012), the privacy is essential for every individual. Privacy is used as the barrier from the outside world.

The personal autonomy and right to private life are of extreme significance for people’s well-being. Privacy assists in comprehending thoughts, realizing various moments of life. All these factors explain the public’s disapproval of the use of personal information. As far as it is impossible to stop the information use, EGE suggests several recommendation concerning the improvement of the situation with privacy:

Personal data should be strictly qualified. There should be categories identifying the type of private data. Thus, IP-addresses, geo-location should be classified as private data that can be used most often;
The so-called “sensitive data” should be re-evaluated. There is a need to define whether the biometric and genetic data should be available for the usage;
The principle of transparency should be prevailing. Before accessing some information, IT professional should notify users about the intervention. Besides, IT users should have the possibility to monitor the evaluation of their data;
Consent for personal data collection. EGA states that users should give their consent for the usage of data. The simplest way to do it is to ask for permission when the user visits the particular site.

Nevertheless, these norms may evoke other ethical issues. For instance, the government should not request the approval to monitor the activities of the potential criminal. Still, according to the presumption of innocence, that person should not be treated as the criminal until the illegal activity is proved.

Conclusion

Geert Demuijnck aims at investigating the adverse influence of the relativism on the current business. The author provides profound evidence that supports his point of view. Nevertheless, there are some misinterpretations in the article. Demuijnck states that many ethical issues are likely to appear in the business environment due to the development of the information technologies. The professionals of the IT sphere face a variety of ethical dilemma nowadays.

Privacy, security, and the absence of the code of ethics are the most significant ethical issues in IT professional practice. The code of ethics is essential for directing one’s activities and setting particular limitations. There are standards of conducts developed by the separate organizations.

The lack of legal regulation of the IT professional practice is one more reason for the absence of the ethical code. The issue of privacy has been analyzed separately to have an insight into the nature of the problem. The users’ information can be used for making serious decisions. Still, people do not favor it as far as the right to privacy is essential for human well-being.

References

Association of Information Technology Professionals. (n.d.). Code of Ethics & Standards of Conduct. Web.

Australian Computer Society. (2014). Code of Professional Conduct. Web.

Berzai, L. (2012). Ethical Problems in Computing. Web.

Demuijnck, G. (2015). Universal Values and Virtues in Management Versus Cross Cultural Moral Relativism: An Educational Strategy to Clear the Ground for Business Ethics. Journal of Business Ethics, 128(6), 817-835.

Ethical Issues in Information Technology. (2010). Web.

European Group on Ethics in Science and Information Technologies. (2012). Ethics of Information and Communication Technologies. Jahrbuch für Wissenschaft und Ethik, 17(1), 217-226.

Levi, N. (2014). Moral Relativism: A Short Introduction. London, United Kingdom: Oneworld Publications. McFarland, M. (n.d.). Information Privacy: Case Study and Commentary. Web.

Mehrotra, A. (2012). Ethics: ―Its Importance, Role and Code in Information Technology. International Journal of Advanced Research in Computer Science and Software Engineering, 2(7), 417-421.

Mika, A. (2011). The Importance of Code of Ethics. Hamburg, Germany: Diplomarbeiten Agentur.

Relkin, J. (2006). 10 Ethical Issues Confronting IT Managers. Web.

Reynolds, G. (2014). Ethics in Information Technology. Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

Suikkane, J. (2014). This is Ethics: An Introduction. New York City, NY: John Wiley & Sons.

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