Ethics in Science and Technology
Year:2011 | Volume:6 | Issue:1|Papers Count:13

Backgrounds: Operations research (OR) is basically concerned with the relationship between scientific modeling and the application of models in social contexts. This problematic is also central in core domains of the management sciences (MS). Researches have recently outlined a perspective on the relationship between OR models and ethics that squarely ties ethical engagement to daily practice and, more specifically, to the manner in which a practitioner uses a model or other techniques in a particular setting.Methods: In this review paper several challenges of introducing ethical aspects into OR are discussed, evidencing difficulties and ambiguities in the relationship to be established between the OR practitioner and his/her clients, decision-makers or stakeholders. Also many ethical challenges of OR have been surveyed for understanding the interplay between social science, institutional design, and expertiseConclusions: It showed that neither analysis nor modeling work nor the choice of analytical tools was entirely ethically neutral; incomparability, incommensurability and incertitude should be dealt with. The complexity of the relationship between ethical values and the identification of collective goals helped understand why the problems of efficiency and expertise had come to the forefront of ethical analysis. To solve this problem, operations research associations and institutions have been formulated ethics and social values in ehics codes, but the localization is needed for the application of them.

Background: Fusion and co-constitution of science and society and blurring their traditional frontiers in conjunction with some essential transformations including commercialization, privatization, bureaucratization, objectification of technoscience and declining autonomy of science and academia have jointly formed a new paradigm in knowing and doing technoscience and technoscientific inquiries. Therefore, this paper to deal with various implications of this paradigmatic shift in knowing and doing technoscience, with a focus on its ethical and conductive implicationsMethods: In this article, the notion of ethos of science in Mertonian paradigm and some its critics was first examined. The paper, then, aimed at contexts of evolution and configuration of new paradigm in doing technoscience and creating knowledge and its implications for ethical behaviors in science, took two leading approaches of this paradigm, namely "post-academic science" and "new production of knowledge production".Conclusion: Comparing two approaches of this new paradigm reflected that there existed in chorus two radical and moderate narratives one the ethical implications of new development in knowing and doing in technoscientific activities. While the Radical approach (Post-Academic Science) claimed emerging and establishing a new constellation of ethical and conductive standards, stemming from radical discontinuity and rupture between the traditional and the emerging new mode of knowledge production, the second approaches (New production of Knowledge) took a moderate stance on the subjects. The first approach believers asserted that this shifts certainly made threats traditional values and ethical standards of academic science, whereas clime-makers of the second approaches called attention to coexistence of new values and ethical standards. In this view, the new constellation of technoscience values and ethical standards weren't threat to traditional values and/or ethos; they were just to accentuate on public and social responsibility and further reflexive nature of technoscience and technoscientific activities.

Background: Nowadays, various solutions of information technology (IT) are mixed in human life and have changed its face. This change causes new requirements and has made different necessities in every aspect of life.Methods: This paper is infrastructural regarding aim and its research methodology was analytical research & development.Conclusion: The proposed model in this research could assess information technology solutions as cultural and ethical aspects. Based on this assessment, the result was mentioned with structured framework. One of the four specific regions as final result clarified the strategies and situation of the IT solution. This assessment can be added to IT strategic planning process as a vital step for provisioning cultural and ethical issues of IT plans.

Background: Despite their benefits, transgenic products have been challenged continuously because of their potential consequences on human and ecosystem health. So, production, application and trade of transgenic products has complex and contradictory dimensions that has resulted in developing domestic as well as international protocols during the last two decades.Methods: The objective of present research is to review ethical and legal considerations in biosafety laws worldwide, especially in national biosafety law of Iran. By applying the available data, above mentioned factors were investigated in different countries.Conclusion: In many regions, including EU, Japan and Malaysia, there are statutory and regulatory laws for the production and trade of transgenic products. There are, also, some questions on ethical issues on application of transgenics in which modification of an organism entity is the most important. To judge about ethical considerations of organism modification, we have to answer some serious questions. Although Iran is not yet an official producer and there is no any official import of transgenics, but it is predicted that the country joins to the producers and consumers in near future. National biosafety law of I.R. Iran, passed on 2009, however, has some legal deficiencies in the aspect of developing a comprehensive legal framework for transgenic products. The most important case in this view is the necessity of a legal system for these products and civil liability of operators. An important critic to this law relates to strict liability and system of payment for damages to the victims.

Background: This research was conducted with the aim of study the mediating role of organizational loyalty in relation between Islamic work ethic with deviant workplace behaviors among personnel of a company related to petroleum ministry in Isfahan city.Methods: To achieve the research aims, 311 personnel were selected using simple random sampling for responding to the research questionnaires. Research sample group answered to the Islamic Work Ethic with 15 items (with two subscales including philanthropic and accurate work with 8 items and independency and social usefulness with 7 items), organizational loyalty with 7 items and deviant workplace behaviors with 12 items. Data was analyzed using Pearson's correlation coefficient, structure equation modeling and mediator regression analysis.Results: Findings from data analysis showed that there are significant relationships between Islamic work ethic and organizational loyalty (r=0.616) and deviant workplace behaviors (r=-0.213). Also organizational loyalty has significant relation with deviant workplace behaviors (r=-0.318). The results of structure equation modeling and mediated regression analysis showed that organizational loyalty has mediated role in relation between Islamic Work Ethic and deviant workplace behaviorsConclusion: Findings of research showed that Islamic work ethic reinforces organizational loyalty and then organizational loyalty weakens deviant workplace behaviors.

Background: Cheating is an unethical common phenomenon in the educational systems and is increasingly facilitated with the development of new technologies. Cheating in educational situations is done in two types: on exams and/or on assignments. In this study, the extent and prevalence of academic cheating among male and female students at Birjand University have been investigated.Methods: The research method was descriptive - comparative and research population was all the students of Birjand University. Four-hundred male and female students were selected randomly by cluster sampling method from 4 faculties and 30 academic departments. The research tool was a questionnaire which measured attitude and amount of cheating among students.Results: The results showed that the amount of cheating in exams was less than average, but the belief on cheating as a common phenomenon was more than average. The amount of cheating in boys was significantly higher than girls, and the belief on cheating as a common phenomenon was statistically higher in girls in comparison to boys. The most common ways for cheating in the exam sessions were larcenous looking to other students' sheets and using illegal papers, and the most common ways for cheating in paperwork, were using other students' papers and taking paper from internet. From students' view, the external factors were more emphasized than internal factors as the cause for cheating.Conclusions: Many types of cheating can be prevented with proper legislation, educational and management system. Preventing cheating or reducing it will strengthen the spirit of scientific ethics in higher education systems. Considering the expansion of information technology in the educational systems, ways to detect and reduce electronic cheating must now be regarded by researchers.

Background: Today's business and social interactions require follow ethical considerations. Profit gain requirements, does not justify immoral activities and ignoring accepted conduct by society. Decision-making process through a structured review and compliance with ethical rules set developed by the professional institutions and moral values governing society is to be explained. In this study we examine The effects of codes of ethics in professional auditing judgments on both motivational and pragmatic steps.Methods: In this research, a survey approach experimental design consisted of four independent experimental situation has been used. Data gathered by using questionnaire in design with the post-test method.Results: Statistical analysis express that the impact of codes of ethics on motivation and performance of professional auditors is significant. Also the gender is effective on judgments and women have applied more moral judgments.Conclusion: Considering the positive impact of codes of ethics on professional judgments quality, a course of codes of ethics is considerable. Students must discuss issues and differences in professional and be aware with expectations and demands of society for professional ethics. In addition, audit institutions may also use results of this study to recruit and train their employees and not limited to experience and training technical discussions.

Background: This research investigates the effect of individual ethical characteristics of charter accountants on their decision to use decision guide for assessing management fraud risk. Moreover, this research has been carried out in order to find preventives of using decision guide and to rank its determinants.Methods: to attain the research objective, a sample of 76 supervisors and senior supervisors working in the Audit Organization were selected through random classified method to complete the questionnaires. This research investigates the effect of five independent variables influencing the use of decision guide by accountants. Data obtained from the questionnaires were evaluated using the t test.Results: findings of the research suggest that the five most important individual ethical characteristics influencing the use of decision guide by charter accountants are ranked as follows:1) non-membership in the association of certified accountants, 2) professional experience of more than 20 years, 3) Bachelor’s degree, 4) organizational class of senior supervisor, and 5) management academic discipline.Conclusion: the evidences from the results of this research suggest that absence of the abovementioned ethical characteristics is what hinders the application of decision guides on the side of charter accountants in organizational class of supervisors and senior supervisors. Also, there is a direct relation between the independent variables and dependent variable, of which non-membership in the association of certified accountants is the most effective one.

Background: In the very complicated word in which the development of inventions and creation of new theories, technics and strategies in the field of science are happening very fast, the most important factor for maintenance of sciences and different theories is to follow the ethics and humanity principles.The purpose of this study was to evaluate the ethic perceptions of managers, their perceptions and knowledage about ethics principles and examination of relationship between some variables including age, managmenet class (tier), the number of staff, degree of education, experience, kind of industry and activity with ethics perceptions are the purposes of this research.Methods: The subjects are chosen by the method of "Cluster Sampling ". For coducting the research statistics, the 16th version of SPSS software, "ANOVA" statistical methode, "Kruskal- wallise Test"and "Discriptive statistics" were used.Conclusion: The resuls indicate that Just one of the research hypothesis is acceptable. There was just a correlation between managers` perceptions from prefessional ethic and age.The other hypothesis such as the correlation between the managers` perceptions from professional ethics and education degree, the number of staff, managers` experinces, managers class and kind of activity or business were not significant. Managers`lack of knowledage about profession and ethics principles was known to be the reason.