Markel's "Toward a Sense Ethics Technical Communication" McBride's "An Ethical Imperative
There has been significant research into the notion of ethics in technical communication. A vast majority of that research points towards a deontological approach as serving this profession best. Due to the nature of their occupation, however, technical communicators are severely limited in the amount of ethical behavior they can manifest.
The three articles reviewed in this document are Alicia McBride's "Towards a Sense of Ethics for Technical Communication," Gary Stout and Earl Weiss's "Ethics, gen Y style," and Mike Markel's "An Ethical Imperative for Technical Communications." The primary motif that ties all three of these articles together is the fact that they all address various issues of ethical thought and behaviors within the work environment. Weiss and Stout's article reinforces the need for ethical standards within the corporate world of accounting. This article details five theories of ethical...
McBride's article discusses the need for the formulation of ethics for the field of technical communication. The author determines the specific ethical considerations that such communicators intrinsically have with their audience based on the nature of the relationship that exists between both of these parties, and utilizes text from both Aristotle and author Mary B. Coney to create a series of practices that professionals within the field of technical communication should adhere to that comprise this fledgling code of ethics. Lastly, Markel's article also is written in order to advocate a code of ethical behavior that pertains to technical communication professionals. The author examines the inherent deficiencies that exist within a popular form of ethics, Utilitarianism, before advocating a synthesis of ethical…