Using Borrowed Material

¶ … Borrowed" Material Interestingly, the word borrow denotes that a particular item will be return after being used for a specific purpose. Silliman (2010) carefully illustrates the mental paradigm of many artists today. Using the work of others is deemed common practice, especially in light of the sea of information floating on the Internet. However, copyright infringement is likened to plagiarism, which is a serious offense with unethical underpinnings. Claiming the work of others, without expressed permission granted, breeds a lack of integrity.

Ironically, society has a disdain for people who cheat; yet, they embrace the concept of borrowing the material of others. For a closer analysis, the AMA eight-step evaluation process was used to glean a deeper insight. Discovery Key Facts Sam is a freelance editor and photographer who needed employment. Disorganized producer, main sponsor of a major TV show, hires Sam to complete a project with a very tight deadline. 3.

Sam is tasked to find pictures of the ocean, the redwoods and Lake Tahoe," that corresponded to the audio in which he did not personally author. 4. Permission of copyright material was needed, but the time required would exceed the deadline. 5. Sam experienced internal conflict; as an artist, he knew that acquiring permission was the ethical move. Nevertheless, the producer did not feel the need to seek approval, and he told Sam not to pursue it. However, Sam sought approval anyway. 6.

Without author's approval to proceed, Sam violated copyright laws by infringing upon the owner's rights the picture of the redwoods. Luckily, the approval for material arrived after completion of the commercial. However, if request was denied, the commercial process was irreversible, plus the question of subordination would have been a pressing issue. Determine Main Cause - Analysis As with the case for plagiarism, the one root case to the aforementioned facts is poor planning, thus creating time constraints.

Having limited time places people into precarious positions that may yield unfavorable results. Oftentimes, one will feel that the most expeditious way to handle a situation is to quickly borrow ideas, thoughts, or works of others. Why reinvent the wheel unnecessarily? Seemingly, this permeates the minds of many, which is certainly characteristic of Sam and the producer. Identify Components - Deeper Analysis Because of poor planning, Sam and the producer spawned pressing areas of concern. Hence, the various components of poor planning resulted in the following: 1.

Subpar performance will ensue, producing poor quality product or service. 2. Windows of opportunities may be missed, creating the need to react quickly. 3. Economics may be the driving force, causing the need to make more revenue. 4. Engagement in unethical behavior, fostering resentment and fear in relationship. Generate Solutions Possible solutions to mitigate and to prevent future poor planning are as follows: Proactively schedule all project tasks using a project management tool. Implement communication mediums to enhance interactions. Using sites offering various pictures under a free license.

Evaluate Solutions In evaluating the various solutions, the followings are ranked from best to worst: 1. Proactively schedule all project tasks using a project management tool. The produce should create an overall project work plan before the project begins. Hence, this helps to estimate the total project effort: duration, scope, issues, risks, communication, and expectations. Additionally, the produce also needs to ensure that he has a road map of the work for a set timeframe to ensure that the project resources are assigned correctly once the project actually begins. 2.

Using sites offering various pictures under a free license. Several sites exist to assist with Sam's problem, such as Creative Commons, which has royalty-free pictures. It is a great tool to use when time is a premium. Additionally, Copyright laws stipulate, "The U.S. Constitution and the Federal Copyright Act give "copyright" protection to "authors" for their "original works," such as photographs.

Among the protections that copyright owners have are the exclusive rights to: Make copies of the work; Prepare other works based on the original; Distribute copies of the work to the public by sales, rental, lease, or lending; Publicly perform and display the work. These rights are protected by laws, which provide for damages and criminal penalties for violations. Both the customer and the lab are subject to the law" (U.S. Copyright Office, n.d.). 3. Implement communication mediums to enhance interactions.

Effective communication in the workplace is necessary for an effective work environment. Productivity decreases and everyone becomes stressed if people do not communicate effectively. When issues are addressed proactively, the organization can function more efficiently, and the work environment is much more pleasant for everyone. Determine Solution Base on the case evidence, the best solution is implementing a project management tool, such as a Gantt Chart (Taylor, 2010). In doing so, the issue of copyright infringement would be handled appropriately and frankly, it could be avoided.

The producer would have incorporated all the necessary tasks and anticipated concerns if he had time parameters incorporated into the planning tool. Additionally, communication would be enhanced because everyone would have a clear understand as to.