Ethics in Science and Technology
Year:2009 | Volume:4 | Issue:1-2|Papers Count:14

Background: Although Infonnation Technology (IT) plays a critical role in organizations and is essential for nowadays business survival, but organizations have several ethical challenges in embarking this technology. Nonetheless, because of its role and importance in organizations, it is necessary to identify factors affecting on IT ethics. The relationship between organizational citizenship behavior (OCB) and IT ethics remained relatively underdeveloped and a review of these studies indicates that validity and reliability issues have yet to be fully addressed. This study with an OCB approach examined what factors affect IT ethics.Methods: Data were collected from 119 personnel and managers of IT finns located in Tehran. The a priori proposed model was tested using structural equation modeling techniques.Conclusion: The proposed model was detennined to fit the data reasonably well. These results indicate that IT ethics can be explained by corporate ethical values. In this relationship, organizational commitment and OCB dimensions are as mediators. The theoretical and practical implications of the model are discussed.

Background: Accountants have critical and difficult responsibility in interpreting the firm's transactions and events and presenting them in the form of financial reports so that they can be useful to stakeholders to evaluate the performance of that firm. Thus, unethical professional works, including presenting less qualitative and fraud financial information, can lead to social distrust to accountants and dishonor of the whole of accounting profession. Due to the increasing attention worldwide on ethical issues and the importance of quality of financial reporting (QFR) in accounting, this research attempted to cover the study gap that exists in determining the effect of financial managers' ethical ideology on QFR.Methods: The Ethical Position Questionnaire (EPQ) was used to determine the ethical ideology of financial managers. Then the QFR parameter was quantified by observable variables. Finally, the effect of managers' ethical ideology on QFR in some 150 firms listed at the Tehran Stock Exchange was examined. Structural equation modeling based on partial list square (PLS) method was used for data analysis.Results: The results showed the managers' ethical ideology is effective on QFR, so that it explains 18% of the variance of this variable. Further, idealistic view of managers has positive and meaningful effect on QFR.Conclusion: Due to the positive impact of managers' idealistic view on QFR, it seems necessary that the professional bodies and responsible authorities consider programs to enhance managers' idealism and thus increase QFR.

Background: In the age of information and scientific and age of Three Thousand by named Information and Communication, find solution and applied information and communication in management organize and organization system is important Ethics project. Application new systems of ITC is lower pay, also create new job.Methods: The survey 80 person of General IT and Internet operator of Information Technology Ethic, Create a Ethic Model for Science and Technology. Also more than 80% of Internet operators and children is Solution and not any security.Conclusion: In the world village, Countries having development key that research scientific system and using new communication tools and information management system. By making virtual organize system, remove of not emergency transfer and expand of speed process work and run paper less system. Information Technology is transfer of science and papal information's by technical tools. Also Information Technology Ethics to science safe and save, transfer, explorer and process of information and data, and full applied this research and science. Extra and development of science and technology need to survey of IT Ethic.

Background: This study aims at studying corporate social responsibility and the mechanism of moral marketing's influence on purchasing behavior of consumers. Therefore, the main research question in this study is the mechanism of ethical-social value observation by corporations influencing purchase decision making process of foodstuff consumers.Methods: In terms of nature, the research method is descriptive, and in terms of data collection, it is survey. Data was collected through questionnaires and sampling was done using random clustering method. To answer the research questions, 372 foodstuff customers of Refah Chain Store were included in the survey.Results: The results indicate that there is a significant and positive relationship between marketing method and purchasing behavior of foodstuff consumers. The findings designate that the positive relationship between geographical factors and purchasing behavior of foodstuff consumers is significant. Furthermore, the results show that there is a significant and positive relationship between moral marketing and purchasing behavior of foodstuff consumers in the population.Conclusion: It can be concluded that social value observation by corporations affects purchasing behavior of foodstuff consumers; that is, conformity of corporate values to consumers' values (society's values) encourages consumers to select trademarks of the respective corporation.

Background: Today's Organizations, even by having clear goals & efficient structures, need powerful & committed man-power to reach their objectives completely. Capability and specialty are matters which are achievable through the process of selection and training, but the subjects of commitment and morality in organizations, need cultural activities paying attention to criteria which are complicated.Personnel do such actions in working environment which will have undesirable results for the related employee & even the organization, if not approved by the managers. The authorities have to identify and analyze these issues and by taking the proper actions, coordinate the personnel's actions with that of organizations. The goal of project is to identify the angles of subject and present some approaches to control the criteria.Method: In the present article, we review the subject of off the frame payments in organizations and while reviewing documentarily the literatural text, describe and review a case study performed in an organization to clarify different aspects of the discussed subject in one practical case. This research is a combination of practical studies and experiences.Results: A model was presented for assessing organization's behavior, based on experiences and the case study. The proper reactions of managers were also determined in the organization's various cultural conditions.Conclusion: moralities are very effective for improving organizational behavior & in this respect, organizations need to control individual's behavior and team's criteria. Off the Frame payments, have some advantages despite the disadvantages & based on the patterns that are presented in the research, we can assess the cultural conditions of the organization considering this condition and select a suitable approach for it.

Background: This paper is based on Theory of Information Ethics (IE) interpreted by Luciano Floridi to be definite as a developing filed of Computer Ethics (CE), and it considers a necessity for classification of important ethical problems in the field to give a methodic attitude to analyze any class of the problems. Floridi argued that the purview of computer ethics- indeed of ethics in general- should be widened to include much more than simply human beings, their actions, intentions and characters. He offered IE as another macroethics which is intended to be applicable to all ethical situations.Methods: First of all, some of the typical problems in the information age are surveyed by a problem-based approach to be recognizing the evolution and the developing process from CE field to IE field. To introduce IE in detail and to explain its typical problems, four fundamental possible approaches of ethics are considered: philosophical, normal, descriptive, and applied ethics. Therefore, IE is granted as a research filed in the ethical problems that arises from information & communication technology in the information age., These problems as the applied ethical problems are distinguished in three different approaches to IE with the typical issues and examples: philosophical, professional, and descriptive ethics approaches.Conclusion: The approaches to IE are classified in a table. Therefore, the associated disciplines, the typical issues, and the appropriate methodology are given to analyze any category of the problems that are explained by four possible approaches of ethics in short.

Background: Research involving human subjects should deal with health issues of the population or community in which the research is carried out.Ethical expedients, would be achieved only when the successful interventions or other beneficences are provided to the society as a results of such research. Thus, to supply ethical expedients, a planning and management process must be established prior to implementation of the research and monitoring and evaluation along the study to the end and even communication of the results to the authorities and also the population in which the research is carried out. Investigators' commitment and skills and safety of research environment should be verified by ethical review committees prior to study and its process must be ceased upon diverting from protocol obligations or human rights. Obtaining the voluntary informed consent of the prospective subject and assurance that they would have the right of unconditional withdraw from the study, is considered as part of the investigators' commitments. Such an intricate, which would be occurred along conducting the research supported by sponsors, is bias distortion in performing and communicating the study results. Thus the investigator is obligated with his/her commitments, free from exclusive relations, particularly socio-economic, to the sponsors and in case of conflict of interests he/she must disclose it to the ethical review committees and even when communicating the study results.Conclusion: This article represents a review of different ethical aspects of biomedical research involving human subjects and essential guidelines protecting their rights.

This paper distinguishes between two concepts of "morality" and "ethics" and draws a map for considering some aspects and contexts of ethics in media. Accordingly, the basic principles that affect media ethics as well as the extra-media factors for its construction and function are reviewed.Then, using the normative theory of "social responsibility", the idea of media ethics is defined as something beyond individual journalist behavior.The paper critically reviews two entire on "Media Ethics" and "Journalism Ethics" from The International Encyclopedia of Communication as the starting point. It then continues to review some other influential definitions papers in search for a new conceptual framework for ethical research into media.The paper shows a shift of emphasis from the individual journalists to local, national and international institutions such as media organizations, the State and international organizations. It then introduces a framework for compiling the basic laws of applied professional ethics. In this framework, four principles of "public awareness", "freedom of the press", "expression of truth", and "respect to human dignity and private life", can help to create plural and media spaces.

Background: The occurrence of unethical behaviors and its ubiquity in educational organizations, at the present age, is the most important problem in the educational organizations. The preventing of such behaviors and solution of such problems emerge that these organizations require ethics. Perception of internal and external elements is important to give value and ethics because ethic is relationship conduct pattern based on respect own rights and others against environment.Method: This paper by using analytical study considers the ethical approaches necessary as a way of preventing such behaviors in educational organizations.Conclusion: the occurrence of unethical behaviors and its ubiquity in educational organizations, in the global era, is a global threat and its solution requires global programming. educational organizations, as its holy aims require ethical discussions and are responsible against internal and external environment that making them practical in the educational environments is impression in the performance them growth of the training of humans and promotion of societies and elaborate (declare) efficiency of organizations in the present of patterns of making relationship with others and providing cultural life.

Background: Copyright plays an important role in protecting exclusive rights of the creator of an original work of authorship. However, in Digital Age (Information Age) in which the exchange of information is carried out so differently from the traditional modes, the protection of works is done with difficulty. Sometimes authors are too concerned about protecting their writings to keep on creating original works. Unfortunately, copyright infringement is alive and well on this age and it reminds us to find a solution to it. Establishing a logical balance among the three interactive factors of copyright- the protection of original work, stimulation and creativity- can create a legal way to have an access to the original works. The researchers of Information Age should deal with this provocative issue to find new methods. The paper deals with issue of copyright in the Information Age, its regulations, the methods of its management and the role of UNESCO in creating a balance between accessibility of information and its legal privileges.Methods: Research has been done with the use of various libraries and electronic data-bases. Conclusion: Protecting exclusive rights of the creators of original works of authorship in digital environment is possible; however, to achieve a better result, there is a need to more investigation in this field, the copyrights laws, should be reconsidered. And finally it is suggested that national copyright committees are established to protect exclusive rights of the creators.

Background: It has been shown that bad medical news could be associated with stressful psychological and physiological reactions both for physicians and patients. There is always a strong tendency to reduce or abolish the significant consequences of such a process through psychological reaction analyses techniques.Methods: We analyzed the main ethical considerations which exist in between and we ranked the parameter setting frames before, during and after the bad news session.Results: In this study, a relatively classical categorization system for a variety of psychological or physiological reactions as primary and secondary ones has been proposed with a mind filtration process of un-wanted or stressful ambiguous mental or behavioral reactions, both quantitatively and qualitatively.Conclusion: Mind analysis and reaction modifications both for physicians and patients at each stage of the bad news session may reduce the level or intensity of provocation hence diminishes the post-session stressful reactions of the patient. The primary mental or behavioral reactions of physicians may not be completely organized or well analyzed at early period of treatment process.It seems to be better to make a filtration process and turn into secondary more controlled reactions. This would be fruitful and may coincide with suitable, comprehensive and on-time situation analysis viewpoints.

Background: The use of new enhanced technologies in agriculture not only has increased agricultural production but also endangered environmental sustainability. Environmental degradation and pollution have been threatening life on the Earth and will cause decreased capacity for producing enough safe foods for human beings. These realities along with forming new agricultural trade and also changes in social norms and values make it necessary to disseminate environmental ethics among farmers and agriculture stakeholders to motivate them protect agricultural resources like soil, water, animals and plants.Methods: Based on descriptive methodology, this article aims to explain the most important reasons for engaging agricultural Extension in environmental ethics to protect production resources in agriculture.Conclusion: Because agriculture has ethical dimension, it is necessary that agricultural Extension, pay enough attention to incorporate environmental ethics to make sure that agricultural practices are not environmentally destructive. The need for environmental ethics in agricultural Extension can be explained by three reasons. They are "the educational essence of agricultural Extension", "behavioral voluntary-based changes in extension works" and finally, "training Extension workers". Therefore, it is recommended that agricultural Extension provide environmental ethics education for farmers in which they become able to make right decisions while they are using agricultural production resources. It makes sure that farmers have more proper relationship with natural environment.

Background: Today Life technology has been developed both in national and international level. In the Light of Fast Progress of life technology, respect to principles of bioethics became necessary. Vienna declaration and program of Action of the world Conference on human rights (1993) emphasizes in para. 11: "Everyone has the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. The world Conference on human rights notes that certain advance, notably in the biomedical and life sciences as well as in information technology, may have potentially adverse consequences for the integrity, dignity, and human rights of the individual and calls for international cooperation to ensure that human rights and dignity are fully respected in this area of Universal concern.Conclusion: General conference of UNESCO in the scope related to bioethics has adopted Universal Declaration on Human Genome and Human Rights (1997) and International Declaration on Human Genetic Data (2003) that their codification is excellent and their content is comprehensive, logic and transparent. But the third declaration which has been adopted by UNESCO under the title of "Universal Declaration on Bioethics and Human Rights" has some problems, such as structural Problem, Lack of attention to obligations of individuals, incorrect expression of purpose of declaration and principles of bioethics and also nondiscrimination principle. Fundamental principles of bioethics have not been explained well, Principle of consent has been considered as absolute and also declaration has addressed states and has not paid enough attention to obligation of individuals.