Ch 9, Instructor’s Manual, Business & Society, Carroll 10e
Chapter 9
Business Ethics and Technology
LEARNING OUTCOMES
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
1. Identify and describe what the new world of Big Data is all about and the implications it
4. Articulate an understanding of technology and the technological environment.
5. Identify the characteristics of technology to include their benefits, side effects, and
challenges in business.
6. Comment on the relationship between technology and ethics.
TEACHING SUGGESTIONS
INTRODUCTION – Chapter 9 explores the subject of technology and business ethics.
Technology is such an integral aspect of our work lives and consumer lives that special treatment
of these topics is warranted. The authors first consider what technology means and some of its
benefits and challenges. Then, they discuss the subject of ethics and technology, and finish the
chapter by exploring ethical issues connected with two major components of technology—
information technology and biotechnology.
KEY TALKING POINTS – Students are likely to be aware of the latest in technology, and so
have an inherent interest in this chapter. However, like many of their fellow citizens, they will
have given little thought to the ethical issues raised by the use of technology. As the authors of
the textbook correctly point out, the use of technology has increased our standard of living
Jeremy Rifkin, in his book The End of Work, provides a chilling account of the effects farming
technology had on farm laborers in the early twentieth century. Because owners were able to
purchase farm implements that literally did the work of dozens of humans, there was a mass
exodus of unskilled laborers from the South. Not only were these workers’ livelihoods
jeopardized, but their entire social structure was torn apart as well. Fortunately, as Rifkin points
out, factory jobs in Northern manufacturing centers provided employment for large numbers of
the dislocated farm laborers. However, as manufacturing and managerial jobs are now being lost
to technological innovations, there is no sector that will clearly take up the slack.
Students also will be keen to examine the issues raised by the use of social media in our personal
and professional lives. As social media use continues to increase at astronomical rates,
businesses constantly must adapt to harness the benefits of this technology while recognizing the
potential legal and ethical issues inherent with its use (e.g., intellectual property protection, libel /
defamation claims, employment problems, and privacy complaints, among others).
Many students may not have the scientific background to adequately discuss and understand the
ethical implications of modern biotechnology. As a result, instructors may consider spending
one class period reviewing critical background information relevant to topics such as genetic
engineering and genetically modified foods, cloning, stem cell research, genetic profiling, etc. I
have found it helpful to invite instructors from chemistry and/or biology to guest lecture during
PEDAGOGICAL DEVICES – In this chapter, instructors may utilize a combination of:
Cases:
17-Chiquita – An Excruciating Dilemma
18-Dole’s DBCP Legacy
21-Big Pharma’s Marketing Tactics
30-Targeting Consumers (& Using Their Secrets)
Ethics in Practice Cases:
Twitter Ethics in Business
Copyright Infringement?
Spotlight on Sustainability:
The Field of Technoethics
Is Biotech Agriculture Sustainable?
LECTURE OUTLINE
I. THE NEW WORLD OF BIG DATA
A. Social Media
B. Surveillance
II. TECHNOLOGY AND THE TECHNOLOGICAL ENVIRONMENT
V. INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
A. E-Commerce as a Pervasive Technology
1. Online Scams
B. Ongoing Issues in E-Commerce Ethics
C. Invasion of Consumer Privacy via E-Commerce
1. Government’s Involvement in Internet Privacy Protection
2. Business Initiatives with Consumer Privacy Protection
a. Ethical Leadership
b. Privacy Policies
c. Chief Privacy Officers
d. Data Security
2. Robotics
3. Artificial Intelligence
4. Cell Phones and Texting
VI. BIOTECHNOLOGY
A. Bioethics
B. Genetic Engineering
1. Stem Cell Research
C. Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
1. Labeling of GMOs
VII. SUMMARY
SUGGESTED ANSWERS TO DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Students should recognize that their answers to these discussion questions should be well
reasoned and supported with evidence. Although some answers will be more correct than others,
students should be aware that simplistic answers to complex questions, problems, or issues such
as these will never be “good” answers.
1. Question: Are there any benefits or negative side effects of technology in business that
have not been mentioned in this chapter? Discuss.
Answer: One interesting issue related to technology is the fact that the number of hours
that Americans work is increasing, not decreasing. As Jeremy Rifkin notes in The End of
Work, the primary view of technology’s effects on work would be to provide increasing
amounts of leisure. One need look no further than the cartoon series The Jetsons to capture
the visions of Rifkin’s “techno-paradise.” Some students will rightfully point out that it is
not technology per se that makes us work longer hours—that is a decision we make based
on our value systems. However, technology has driven an expectation of constant
2. Question: Is society intoxicated with technology? Does this pose special problems for
business with respect to the ethics of technology? Will such intoxication blind people to
ethical considerations in business?
Answer: I agree that our society is intoxicated with technology. Whether one concurs with
each of the six symptoms identified in High Tech / High Touch is not really the point—we
need look no further than popular attitudes about technological unemployment and global
3. Question: Do you think business is abusing its power with respect to invasion of privacy
of consumers? Is surveillance of consumers in the marketplace a fair and justified
practice? Which particular practice do you think is the most questionable?
Answer: Although it would be foolish to expect that business would not use all of the
technology available to it to enhance its operations, I do think that business invades the
privacy of its customers. Certainly, the concepts of “right to privacy” and “expectation of
privacy” are recognized in the court systems. Sitting in the privacy of my home and using
phone calls and review employee e-mails as long as such activities occur in the ordinary
course of business. As a result, students should have few expectations to privacy in the
workplace and conduct themselves accordingly. According to an April 2007 Wall Street
Journal article, a case involving employee surveillance at Walmart is a good reminder to
students regarding workplace privacy. In connection with work related activities, Walmart
monitored not only its employees’ phone calls and e-mails from the Walmart server, but
4. Question: Is it an exaggeration to question the ethical implications for business of cell
phone and text-messaging use? Discuss both sides of this issue.
Answer: There are ethical implications to the use of cell phones and text messaging for
business, whether managers want to acknowledge them or not. Any time that one person’s
5. Question: Do you think genetically modified organisms (GMOs) raise a legitimate safety
hazard? Should government agencies such as the FDA take more action to require safety
testing? Do you think labeling unfairly stigmatizes GMOs and make consumers question
their safety?
Answer: When weighing the needs and rights of companies versus consumers, I think it is
plain that individuals should be given clear preference over corporations. Our history is
rife with examples of harms done to people by companies selling products whose effects
were unknown or not fully understood (e.g., asbestos, lead in gasoline, tobacco, etc.).
However, there seems to be growing support from government groups that GMFs are safe
for human consumption. As the textbook notes, the World Health Organization claims that
GROUP ACTIVITIES
Group Activity 1 – Technology Matters
Have students create a Facebook group where they can discuss concerns regarding employee and
consumer privacy. Encourage students to invite other students from outside the class. Remind
students about defamation laws and that they will have little to no privacy with regards to the
information that they post on Facebook. In fact, it has been noted that many employers will
Group Activity 2 – Bioethics Debate
Students should be divided into groups to debate issues related to bioethics. Each group should
be assigned to argue for or against one of the following topics: cloning, cloning animals for
food, genetic testing and profiling, and genetically modified foods. The instructor should then
host a debate where each group in favor of a particular issue will debate the group against a
Group Activity 3 – Bioethics Movie Night
Invite groups of students to watch the movie Gattaca, starring Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman.
This movie is about a world where most babies are genetically designed to excel in various areas.
Individuals who do not elect to genetically engineer their children ensure that their offspring will
be societal outcasts. Within this context, the story revolves around a naturally-birthed individual
who dreams of becoming an astronaut. In order to achieve this dream, he assumes the identity of
a genetically engineered athlete.
INDIVIDUAL ASSIGNMENT
Have students read Stem Cell Now by Christopher Thomas Scott. While the main focus of the
book is on the science of stem cell research, Scott also explores the ethical and moral issues
involved with the use of embryonic stem cells for research purposes (a practice that remains
controversial in political, religious and medical circles).