Instances of Ethical Abuses Suppressing knowledge employee/public needs Hiding conflicts of interest Exaggerating claims Fabricating data Stealing/divulging proprietary info Misusing electronic sources Exploiting cultural differences
Legal vs. Ethical Violations Legal violations – Fairly well defined – Established procedures to analyze violations – Standard punishment for violations Ethical violations – Hard to define – No standard procedures to analyze violations – Hard to punish offenders
What causes ethical abuse? Pressure from colleagues, supervisors, organizations Following group think Personal motives
How to resolve ethical dilemmas? What ideals do I stand for? To whom am I obligated? What will/could happen to others/me?
Sources of Good Ethical Behaviors Personal values, beliefs Families Religions Cultures Societies Laws