Welcome to International Project Week Nicky Adams Senior Lecturer in HR and Leadership

Lecture 3 Technology and CSR

Features of a Post-Industrial Society Rise in mass production and disposable goods Design and technology becomes outdated more quickly (think about the time between the last iPhone and the next one) Industries die and new ones arise, impacting on workers Increase in changes in work place and careers, partly influenced by the point above

Features of a Post-Industrial Society Knowledge becomes outdated more quickly Increase in people taking on temporary jobs Increase in migration to follow the changing job market Leading to more transient relationships Increase in foreign travel You will continue to feel the impact of these throughout your life

Business ethics and technology Technology advances more quickly than society government or business can grasp its consequences or ethics Privacy invasion through cell phones Social media: Facebook, Twitter, My Space and LinkedIn – are you really sick? Do I think you’d fit in here? Software piracy (at home, illegal downloading of films, music etc.) Online business collaboration Employers and rental car companies have installed GPS without knowledge Monitoring emails on work systems The list goes on…

2 Key Concepts Technological determinism: technology shapes social relationships and also that technological innovation follows an inevitable course So what can be developed will be developed Split the atom Genetic modification Technology to cure and kill Technology to monitor many aspects of life http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0080430767031673 https://communicationista.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/technological-determinism-vs-social-construction-of-technology/ Split the atom; human genomes; genetic modification; technology to cure and kill We can now use drones to kill people on a different continent. Is this ethically different to e.g. fighting in the trenches in WW1 or bombing other countries in WW2? We can genetically engineer babies to remove life threatening conditions; disabilities. Is this more or less acceptable than using it to decide the gender of your child or its eye or hair colour? Is it ok to engineer a child so its blood or spare kidney could be used to save an ill sibling? We can follow a digital footprint for another person. Should we? Comms technology can be used to plan terrorist activities; governments can access this information. Should we all be prepared to have our lives scrutinised for the greater good?

2 Key Concepts (continued) Ethical or cultural lag: technology exceeds ethical development As early as 1922 William Ogburn identified this…nearly one hundred years later we don’t seem to have found a solution We can now use drones to kill people on a different continent. Is this ethically different to e.g. fighting in the trenches in WW1 or bombing other countries in WW2? We can follow a digital footprint for another person. Should we? http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B0080430767031673 https://communicationista.wordpress.com/2009/12/16/technological-determinism-vs-social-construction-of-technology/ Split the atom; human genomes; genetic modification; technology to cure and kill We can now use drones to kill people on a different continent. Is this ethically different to e.g. fighting in the trenches in WW1 or bombing other countries in WW2? We can genetically engineer babies to remove life threatening conditions; disabilities. Is this more or less acceptable than using it to decide the gender of your child or its eye or hair colour? Is it ok to engineer a child so its blood or spare kidney could be used to save an ill sibling? We can follow a digital footprint for another person. Should we? Comms technology can be used to plan terrorist activities; governments can access this information. Should we all be prepared to have our lives scrutinised for the greater good?

Issues Raised BY Technology Privacy Centralisation of data Recording of phone calls Mobiles in public places Monitoring of keystrokes CCTV Data Protection Act Freedom of Information Act

Issues Raised BY Technology Methods of Marketing Telesales, e-mail, junk mail ‘Cookies’ Problems of spamming, scamming, phishing, spyware, malware, identity theft, software piracy Use of premium rate phone lines (business morals or business ethics?) Attempts to combat unwanted communication Anti-virus software

Issues Raised BY Technology Customer Experience Automated telephone systems Helplines Self-scan checkouts Vulnerable groups, e.g. children. Use of internet, mobiles Phones no longer merely for conversation How to ensure that a surfer is 18+

Issues Raised BY Technology Obsolescence Limited lifespan Superseded by newer technology Compatibility issues Issues of ownership Who has the right to modify a piece of hardware?

Issues Raised BY Technology Environmental issues Take-over by supermarkets Use of fuel to get to out-of-town stores Growth of air transport industry Affluence causes increased consumption Encouragement of waste But on-line shopping can save resources

Issues Raised BY Technology Working conditions Virtual offices Internet work — guru.com Workplace Practices GPS (Global Positioning System) and GSM tracking (Global System for Mobile Communications) Mobiles — on call 24/7 Surfing the net - wasting employers’ time – costs US companies $759 bn. a year? Monitoring use of e-mail

Benefits of technology Increased production of goods and services Reduced amount of labour to produce goods and services (farming) Labour easier and safer Higher standard of living directly from labour saving technology (washing machines, better food) Expansion of job related knowledge Increased productivity in normal hours Improved communication with clients Relieves job stress

Impact of this on Kontti? How might these issues influence the choices you make in responding to the assignment brief?

To Summarise… Technology has changed many aspects of our lives considerably Some of these changes are positive, others less so We need to consider how to use the technology in an ethical way