This paper presents an annotated bibliography of four scholarly sources on business ethics and cyberethics, followed by a reflective diary examining ethical values in internet and information technology environments. The annotations cover the importance of ethics in the new economy, student plagiarism and cyber ethics in education, information ethics and subjectivity, and the relationship between technology and ethics in schools. The reflective diary synthesizes these themes, arguing that integrating computer ethics into school curricula and organizational practice is essential for reducing cybercrime, promoting ethical business conduct, and supporting regulatory frameworks such as the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002.
The following four annotations examine scholarly perspectives on business ethics, cyberethics, information ethics, and the relationship between technology and ethical education.
Jennings, M. M. (2002). Ethics in cybercafe. TechFocus.
The author discusses the importance of ethics in the new economy, arguing that ethical principles remain the primary foundation of sound business practice. Within the last few centuries, business leaders have continued to integrate ethics into their business portfolios because ethics have been the critical tools that shape the present business environment. Any business that deviates from ethical conduct is bound to fail.
Jennings was a lecturer at one of the top universities in the United States. When invited to deliver a speech about the importance of business ethics, many successful young e-commerce entrepreneurs received his message with a chilly reception. Some even challenged him on the grounds that his thinking was outdated and out of step with modern business trends. However, revelations about business practice in the following years confirmed that ethics are indeed critical in the new economy. No matter the prevailing business trends, ethical values and principles remain essential for business survival, and history continues to repeat itself.
For example, MicroStrategy was very successful in the 1990s, increasing its stock price from $6 to $333. However, when the company announced in 2000 that the Securities and Exchange Commission was investigating its financial statements for accounting misappropriation, its share price dropped from $333 to $62. Despite the importance of ethical principles in the new economy, many dotcom companies still do not integrate business ethics into their financial reporting. Companies that do continue integrating ethics into their business models, however, remain successful — Dell being a prominent example.
Baum, J. J. (2005). CyberEthics: The new frontier. TechTrends, 49(6), 54–55.
The author argues that the explosion of the internet has created an environment in which students engage in plagiarism, and that many students do not understand acceptable policy with regard to intellectual property. Many students also fail to recognize that plagiarism or hacking is a crime because it infringes on intellectual property rights. A major factor driving the rise of plagiarism among students is the ease with which information can be accessed through the internet.
The author suggests that the inclusion of computer ethics in student curricula is a necessary step toward addressing the problem of plagiarism. Schools across the United States should teach cyber ethics in the classroom to help students understand acceptable policies regarding the use of online material and the boundaries of intellectual property.
Frohmann, B. (2008). Subjectivity and information ethics. Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology, 59(2), 267–277.
"Subjectivity, moral rights, and information ethics frameworks"
"Ethical issues in education driven by technology growth"
"Synthesis of ethics, education, and business regulation"
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