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ENG-2050 Chapter 4
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Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Technical Communication, 13th Edition
John M. LannonLaura J. Gurak
Chapter 4Weighing the Ethical IssuesWeighing the Ethical Issues
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning ObjectivesLearning Objectives Appreciate the role of ethics in technical
communication Identify workplace pressures that lead to
unethical communication Recognize common workplace examples of
hiding the truth Use critical thinking to help solve ethical
dilemmas Differentiate between ethical practices and
legal guidelines
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learning Objectives (continued)Learning Objectives (continued)
Avoid plagiarism—either intentional or unintentional
Determine when and how to report ethical violations on the job
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
EthicsEthics
When providing information or persuading an audience, always ensure that your writing is ethical: accurate, honest, and fair.
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Recognize Unethical Recognize Unethical Communication in the WorkplaceCommunication in the Workplace
Unethical workplace behaviors are common, but they are not always black and white. Usually they are a result of yielding to social pressure and blindly following the group:
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Understand the Potential for Understand the Potential for Communication AbuseCommunication Abuse
Unethical workplace communication usually takes on the following forms:Suppressing knowledge the public needsHiding conflicts of interestExaggerating claims about technologyFalsifying or fabricating dataUsing visual images that conceal the truthStealing or divulging proprietary informationMisusing electronic information
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Understand the Potential for Understand the Potential for Communication Abuse Communication Abuse
(continued)(continued) Withholding information people need for their
jobs Exploiting cultural differences
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rely on Critical Thinking for Rely on Critical Thinking for Ethical DecisionsEthical Decisions
Keep in mind reasonable criteria (standards that most people consider acceptable) when faced with ethical dilemmas:
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Rely on Critical Thinking for Rely on Critical Thinking for Ethical Decisions (continued)Ethical Decisions (continued)
Reasonable criteria take the form of the following obligations: obligation to yourself obligation to clients and customersobligation to your companyobligation to coworkersobligation to the communityobligation to society
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Never Depend Only on Never Depend Only on Legal GuidelinesLegal Guidelines
Legal guidelines often do not go far enough to measure unethical behavior. For example, the following misleading statements are not illegal:
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Learn to Recognize PlagiarismLearn to Recognize Plagiarism Ethical communication includes giving proper
credit to the work of others. In both workplace and academic settings, plagiarism (representing the words, ideas, or perspectives of others as your own) is a serious breach of ethics.
Plagiarism can be either blatant or unintentional.
The Internet has only made plagiarism easier than ever before.
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Decide When and How to Decide When and How to Report Ethical AbusesReport Ethical Abuses
Whistle-blowing is reporting someone else’s ethical abuses, but is tricky because it can backfire on you and you will not always be legally protected from the consequences. Think very carefully about deciding when and how to report unethical situations in the workplace.
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Review QuestionsReview Questions1. What is the definition of ethics?2. What are the two major causes of unethical
behavior in the workplace?3. What are five types of ethical abuses that
are common in the workplace?4. What is the best way to make ethical
decisions on the job?5. What are reasonable criteria and why are
they important?
Copyright © 2014, 2011, 2008 by Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
Review Questions (continued)Review Questions (continued)
6. What are the six types of obligations to keep in mind in order to make ethical decisions?
7. Why can’t you always depend on legal guidelines to act ethically?
8. What is the definition of plagiarism?9. What are the two types of plagiarism?10. What is whistle-blowing?