Adopting Information Technology - Essay Example

? Ethics Problem ment: The problem under investigation is the ethical repercussions of adoption of information technology in the business world. Ethics In society, there are guidelines stipulating how people are supposed to behave and what they are supposed to do in regards to the society in which they live. These guidelines, some written and others just common knowledge, are known as ethics. These are the maxims that dictate the extent to which one can go in implementing their ideas without putting the rights and feelings of others in jeopardy. With the rapid development of technology, it has become hard for any profession or industry to ignore the positive effects of incorporating one technological tool or the other in their daily businesses. The business world is adopting information technology (IT). This is the use of computers for data and information management, which results in new ethical concerns. It is, therefore, the responsibility of computer developers, users and other stakeholders to define what amounts to violation of the accepted ethical laws, prevention of unethical practices, and the remedy if such violation occurs. Various individuals have different reasons for adopting information technology (IT) in their daily activities, most of whom mean well, at least for themselves and their firms. These noble intentions may have a negative effect on others, and that is where computer ethics play a part. In addition, IT has brought with it new forms of criminal activities not clearly defined by existing laws. In fact, the laws defining IT related crimes quickly become obsolete due to the fast rate at which the technology and the vices that come with it are evolving (Lee and Chan, 2007). Approaches by Decision Makers and Those Affected In the attempt to join the computer revolution, managers, employees, customers, and shareholders have adopted the use of IT for various reasons, mostly to benefit themselves before the goodwill can spread to others. Everyone at the workplace stands to gain a lot from IT except those who stand to lose their jobs as a result. Managers want to ensure that their companies minimize costs and maximize profits in order to please shareholders and creditors. In addition, the management also wants to ensure they have all the relevant information, including the one easily overlooked by employees, before making critical decisions that affect both the present and the future business landscape of the firm. In summary, the management wants higher efficiency, and if possible, at a lower cost. The employees, on the other hand, want adoption of IT because of the better opportunities it has to offer. For those who have to beat targets, it is easier to reach their customers without having to meet them physically, and more customers can be served at a relatively shorter time as no time is wasted travelling to them. IT is also an excellent way of posting reports and book keeping regardless of the distance one is from the office. However, IT also has negative effects. First, the employees and management, in their quest for more customers and higher profits, resort to using illegal and unethical means to obtain customer information. Second, retrenchment starts once the management realizes it can make sales online with little or no help from salespeople. The idea that started as an admirable thing now results in sales people and most of the accounting staff losing their jobs. A reliable IT system can sell and do accounting analysis in no time, with little input from employees (Maurice, Schweitzer and Gibson, 2007). Conflicting Objectives of Business Leaders Beating competition, marketing, and ensuring the business prospers are the principal functions of efficient management. In addition, the management should keep its employees in a favorable state of mind since they are the core drivers of the business. However, in their quest to fulfill their obligations to the business and the community, these business leaders become involved in some practices that go against the accepted ethical code of conduct. For instance, their duel with the competition goes too far, and the management involves the services of hackers to harvest information from the IT system of a rival company thereby encouraging cybercrime. Secondly, the management sees its own personnel as an unnecessary economic burden. It is understandable when a firm downsizes due to a failing economy or reduced employee efficiency, but retrenchment based on acquisition of new technology cannot be justified. A more humane thing to do would be to offer staff an opportunity to train and be compatible with the new system, create new jobs or compensate them to ease the burden of starting a new life out there (Lee and Chan, 2007). Actions to Meet Ethical Considerations Companies that make massive profits risk losing the trust of their creative staff and loyal customers especially if the latter think it is making profits at their expense. A firm may practice corporate social responsibility (CSR) to keep its reputation intact and secure the trust of the society. CSR is an investment in which a company puts society before its own profiteering motives. Through these projects, companies invest in areas of social concern like provision of irrigation technologies in arid and semi-arid areas, education and health among others. CSR ensures that both employees and the community see the firm as a source of hope thereby acting as an incentive on which the firm can further its profit making motives. CSR also ensures that the company does something unique and beneficial that the competition is not involved in i.e. offering a chance for community events and activities that can associate with the company’s services or goods. In this respect, CSR effectively becomes the company’s most effective weapon in marketing. In addition to CSR, companies respect any innovations made by their employees, though they usually end up buying off the intellectual property rights if the innovation is worth the investment. Finally, a company may employ internal auditors and periodically hire external ones to ensure accountability in transactions and portray an image of transparency to stakeholders who comprise potential customers, investors creditors and shareholders among others. Social, Ethical and Public Issues With internal stakeholders Internal stakeholders include people who have worked, or are currently working directly with or in the firm on the side of offering goods or services to the final consumers. These are involved in one way or the other in the daily running of the business in the provision of the basic needs of the company like entrepreneurship, capital and labor. Business ethics, therefore, require that interactions between or among these people be ethical for the very survival of the business. For instance, the privacy of an internal stakeholder should be respected whether or not they are still working for the company. This means that no company should divulge information about people who used to work for it without the explicit permission of the person concerned. Internal stakeholders should adhere to professional ethics during interactions with each other only to the extent that is consistent with their roles in the firm. Board members should put other internal stakeholders’ opinions into consideration when making decisions and formulating policies. For instance, when implementing a computerization project, the board should consider employees who may lose their jobs for compensation. With external stakeholders These people do not participate in the daily running of the firm but are in one way or the other affected by the activities of the firm, for instance, clients and the surrounding community. Internal stakeholders should treat external ones as teammates since they act as ambassadors and help to promote the company and bring in new clients. Companies must endeavor to retain and encourage more to enlist the services of the company by giving the highest quality of service possible (Lee and Chan, 2007). Academic Ethics Every employee applies the skills acquired in school at their workplace directly or indirectly. It is, therefore, essential that students adhere to the highest possible ethical standards. This is to ensure that they acquire virtuous habits that result in favorable characters at the workplace. One of the cardinal virtues learnt during study is honesty. Honesty enables a student to state the truth even when doing otherwise may be beneficial to them. For instance, there are many ways of cheating in examinations but an honest student should always resist the temptation and work with flawless honesty. It would be unfair for someone who has been working hard to receive equal or lower grades than someone who cheated in an exam. Therefore, a student should always be fair, even if doing so may land them poor grades. Respect for others’ ideas is another virtue derived from honesty of a learner. In this case, the learner acknowledges other peoples’ ideas obtained either from books or academic papers. This helps to avoid plagiarism, a vice that results from the use of other people’s ideas, concepts, phrases, and interpretation of a topic of study and then presenting them as if they were their own or with insufficient accreditation to the owner. Learners should learn the acceptable conventions for use when citing these knowledge sources so as to ensure correct appreciation when they quote or paraphrase someone else’s work (Lee and Chan, 2007). Consequences of Ethics Violations If a person develops an idea that is adopted and used in the society without any reference to the inventor, this person will not get the motivation to invent or innovate again. Recognition and material gain are the greatest motivators for innovation, where both are lacking due to the absence of stiff measures to enforce intellectual property rights. Theft or misappropriation of company’s funds results in loss of resources which may culminate in closure of business and loss of jobs for many, all because of a vice committed by a few elements. Economic losses may also result when employees decide to use company resources for their own selfish motives. For example, an employee may use company resources for their own personal gain, for example, taking home quality ink meant for the company printer, or hosting ones’ friends in the company premises and at the company’s expense. This not only shows irresponsibility but also results in wastage of resources. In addition, when they divert attention from their responsibilities, these employees may fall victim to hackers who may access confidential company files, exposing company secrets to the competition (Maurice, Schweitzer and Gibson, 2007). Conclusion Society should meet ethical concerns that come with the adoption of technological tools through swift action. Regular changes and perceptions by visionary leaders form the only way to ensure the presence of guidelines to be followed even by the most recent technological advancements. In businesses, leaders should make decisions in such a way that adoption of IT does not compromise the rights of those involved. Leaders, to achieve this, should always consult other stakeholders before implementation or use of IT tools. References Lee, W. W. and Chan, K. K. (2007). Computer ethics: An argument for rethinking business ethics. Presented at the 2nd World Business Ethics Forum: Rethinking the Value of Business Ethics, Hong Kong Baptist University, 1-12. Maurice, E., Schweitzer, E. M., and Gibson, D. E. (2007). Fairness, feelings, and ethical decision-making: Consequences of violating community standards of fairness. Journal of Business Ethics. 77:287–301. Read More