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Chapter 4

Weighing the Ethical Issues

Technical Communication, 12th Edition

John M. Lannon

Laura Gurak

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Know the Major Causes of Unethical Behavior

Yielding to Social Pressure:

Company expects your loyalty to ignore unethical communication

Mistaking Groupthink for Teamwork: Group members feel pressured to not voice questions, criticisms, or bad news by other members of the team

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Understanding Abuse of Communication

• Suppressing knowledge the public needs
• Hiding conflicts of interest
• Exaggerating claims about technology
• Falsifying or fabricating data

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Understanding Abuse of Communication

• Using visuals that conceal the truth
• Stealing or divulging proprietary information
• Misusing electronic information
• Withholding information people need for their jobs
• Exploiting cultural differences

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Rely on Critical Thinking

Reasonable criteria for ethical judgment:

• Obligations
• To yourself, your customers and clients, your company, your coworkers, the community, and society
• Ideals
• Consequences

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Legal Guidelines
(But Never Depend Solely on Them…)

• Laws against deception
• Laws against libel
• Laws protecting employee privacy
• Copyright law
• Law against software theft

(continued on next slide)

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Legal Guidelines
(But Never Depend Solely on Them…)

• Law against electronic theft
• Laws against stealing or revealing trade secrets
• Laws against fraudulent, deceptive or misleading advertising
• Liability laws

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Plagiarism

Plagiarism is when one represents the words, ideas, or perspectives of others as their own.

• It is a serious breach of ethics.
• Whether intentional or not, plagiarism destroys reputations and can instigate legal action.

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Decide Where and How to Draw the Line

If your company asks you to do something unethical you have two choices

• Resign
• Go Public (Whistle-blow)
• Whistle-blowers often face career disaster, including lost jobs, black listing, or ostracism.

© 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., publishing as Longman Publishers.

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Any questions?

For additional help reviewing this chapter, please visit the Companion Website for your text at http://www.pearsonhighered.com/lannon.