Ethical Issues Arising from the Usage of Electronic Communications in the Workplace

Corporate Culture ◽

Unethical Behavior ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Electronic Communications ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

E Mail

E-mail has become the most popular communication tool in the professional environment. Electronic communications, because of their specific nature, raise a number of ethical issues: e-mail communications are distance, asynchronous, text-based, and interactive computer-mediated communications and allow for storage, retrieval, broadcast and manipulation of messages. These specificities give rise to misunderstanding, misconduct in the absence of the interlocutors, information and mail overload, as well as privacy infringement and misuse of shared computing resources. Inexperience explains some users’ unethical behavior. Other forms of unethical behavior find their roots in corporate culture, internal competition and management styles. E-businesses, as early adopters of information and communication technologies, are being particularly exposed to such behaviors, since they rely heavily on electronic communications. They should therefore assess their internal situation and develop and enforce e-mail policies accordingly.

User Behavior in Ubiquitous Online Environments - Advances in Human and Social Aspects of Technology ◽

How to Design a Virtualized Platform?

10.4018/978-1-4666-4566-0.ch004 ◽

2014 ◽

pp. 64-83

Author(s):

Valérie Fernandez ◽

Laurie Marrauld

Keyword(s):

Qualitative Study ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Management Skills ◽

Structured Interviews ◽

Collaborative Communication ◽

Remote Management ◽

Interview Survey

In this chapter, the authors present the project “WITE 2.0.” This project is at the crossroads of various issues related to mobility (Urry, 2007) and use of Information and Communication Technologies. WITE 2.0 is a part of the designing process of a collaborative communication tool: “a virtualized and unified platform.” The authors define scenarios of teleworking practices, “equipped” by ICTs, and use these scenarios to better specify the platform. The project started at the end of 2010 and continued for a period of 18 months. The analysis is based on several complementary methodologies: a qualitative study (47 semi-structured interviews) and an experimentation of the platform. They present the main results of the interview survey through the following themes: remote management, skills, articulation of private and professional spheres, and the maturity of technologies. The authors also describe how these elements help the understanding of the evolution of workers’ practices.

Advances in Linguistics and Communication Studies - Handbook of Research on Effective Communication, Leadership, and Conflict Resolution ◽

Surveillance of Electronic Communications in the Workplace and the Protection of Employees' Privacy

10.4018/978-1-4666-9970-0.ch031 ◽

2016 ◽

pp. 591-605

Author(s):

Ioannis Inglezakis

Keyword(s):

Information Systems ◽

Data Protection ◽

Electronic Monitoring ◽

Electronic Communications ◽

General Data Protection Regulation ◽

Surveillance Technology ◽

General Data

The use of Information and Communication Technologies in the workplace is constantly increasing, but also the use of surveillance technology. Electronic monitoring of employees becomes an integral part of information systems in the workplace. The specific software which is used for monitoring electronic communications is, however, intrusive and infringes upon the employees' right to privacy. The issue of surveillance of employees' electronic communications is subject to different approaches in various jurisdictions. The most comprehensive protection to employees is afforded in the EU, and it would be enhanced once the General Data Protection Regulation is passed.

History of E-Commerce

Electronic Commerce ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-943-4.ch001 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 1-8 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Yan Tian ◽

Concetta Stewart

Keyword(s):

General Public ◽

Digital Economy ◽

Economic Activities ◽

Electronic Communications ◽

Electronic Networks ◽

Internet Economy ◽

Internet Connections

E-commerce or electronic commerce, also known as e-business, refers to the transaction of goods and services through electronic communications. Although the general public has become familiar with e-commerce only in the last decade or so, e-commerce has actually been around for over 30 years. There are two basic types of e-commerce: business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C). In B2B, companies conduct business with their suppliers, distributors, and other partners through electronic networks. In B2C, companies sell products and services to consumers. Although B2C is the better known to the general public, B2B is the form that actually dominates e-commerce in terms of revenue.1 The concept of e-commerce is related to notions of Internet economy and digital economy. All these concepts relate to the use of new information and communication technologies for economic activities, but with different focuses. Internet economy refers to the economic activities that generate revenue from the Internet or Internet-related products or services (Costa, 2001). Therefore, pre-Internet e-commerce, as will be detailed in the following section, cannot be called Internet economy. On the other hand, some activities, such as building Internet connections for commercial purposes, are a part of Internet economy, but they are not necessarily e-commerce. Digital economy is based on digital technologies such as computer, software, and digital networks. In most cases, digital economy is the same as e-commerce. However, not all activities in the digital economy are e-commerce activities. For example, purchasing computer gear from a storefront retailer is not an activity of e-commerce, although it certainly is a key component of the digital economy. Hence, e-commerce, Internet economy, and digital economy are closely related but have different concepts. E-commerce has been perhaps one of the most prevalent terms in this digital era. Although e-commerce was once looked upon simply as an expressway to wealth, it has actually transformed the way people conduct business. An historical analysis of e-commerce will provide insights into the evolution of the application of information and communication technologies in the commercial arena. Furthermore, an analysis of the evolution of e-commerce in the past as well as its present state will enable us to project future trends in e-commerce.

Minorities and the Digital Divide

Global Information Technologies ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-939-7.ch233 ◽

2008 ◽

pp. 3281-3295

Author(s):

Larry P. Kvasny

Keyword(s):

World Wide Web ◽

World Wide ◽

Educational Institutions ◽

Government Agencies ◽

Information Culture ◽

The World ◽

E Mail

Information and communication technologies (ICT) such as the World Wide Web, e-mail, and computers have become an integral part of America’s entertainment, communication, and information culture. Since the mid-1990s, ICT has become prevalent in middle- and upper-class American households. Companies and government agencies are increasingly offering products, services, and information online. Educational institutions are integrating ICT in their curriculum and are offering courses from a distance.

Ethical issues in information and communication technologies: Case of Malaysian primary schools

2012 International Conference on Innovation Management and Technology Research ◽

10.1109/icimtr.2012.6236450 ◽

2012 ◽

Cited By ~ 2

Author(s):

Maslin Masrom ◽

Nadia Jamal ◽

Nik Hasnaa Nik Mahmood ◽

Othman Zainon ◽

Muhammad Madi Abdullah ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Primary Schools ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Information And Communication

Participatory Design and Creativity in Development of Information and Communication Technologies

Designing for Networked Communications ◽

10.4018/978-1-59904-069-1.ch004 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 75-96 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Nette Schultz ◽

Lene Sørensen ◽

Dan Saugstrup

Keyword(s):

Design Process ◽

Participatory Design ◽

Early Stage ◽

Development Project ◽

Communication Tool ◽

Ict Development ◽

Mobile Ict

This chapter presents and discusses a new design framework for involving users at an early stage in a mobile ICT development project. A user-centered design process, in which participatory design principles are combined with creativity techniques, is used in order to create scenarios as a communication tool between users and system designers. The theoretical basis for the framework is described, leading to a new participatory design and creativity framework. Empirical insight into how the framework has been developed and used in practice is presented based on the experiences and results from a large ICT development project within the ?eld of mobile communication. Finally, the value of applying creativity as part of a participatory design process is discussed.

Universal Information Ethics? Ethical Pluralism and Social Justice

Information Technology and Social Justice ◽

10.4018/978-1-59140-968-7.ch004 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 69-92 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Charles Ess

Keyword(s):

Social Justice ◽

Computer Mediated Communication ◽

Information Ethics ◽

Mediated Communication ◽

Ethical Pluralism ◽

Diffusion Of Information ◽

Computer Mediated ◽

Information And Communication

The explosive, global diffusion of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and computer-mediated communication (CMC) confronts us with the need for an information ethics that can resolve ethical problems evoked by ICTs and CMC in ways that provide shared, perhaps (quasi-)universal responses. At the same time, however, in the name of a transcultural social justice that preserves diverse cultural identities, such an ethics must also reflect and sustain local values, approaches, and traditions. Important ethical claims from both within Western and between Eastern and Western cultures exemplify an ethical pluralism that is able to meet these requirements as this pluralism represents important ethical differences as issuing from diverse judgments and applications of shared ethical norms.

Collaboration Among Multicultural Virtual Teams

Encyclopedia of Distance Learning, Second Edition ◽

10.4018/978-1-60566-198-8.ch044 ◽

2011 ◽

pp. 306-313

Author(s):

Kursat Cagiltay ◽

Barbara A. Bichelmeyer ◽

Michael A. Evans ◽

Trena M. Paulus ◽

Jae Soon An

Keyword(s):

Virtual Teams ◽

Ad Hoc ◽

Geographical Location ◽

Face To Face ◽

Problem Solve ◽

Virtual Setting ◽

E Mail

Due to the increasingly widespread use of various information and communication technologies (ICT), individuals from different countries and cultures are able to learn and work collaboratively in virtual environments (Mowshowitz, 1997). Electronic communication tools, such as chat, e-mail, and the World Wide Web, now make it possible for students and employees to communicate and problem solve with colleagues irrespective of geographical location (Scott, 2000). One of the major downsides of this form of collaboration, though, is that members of a virtual team do not have the advantage of face-to-face interaction and communication. Instead they must rely solely upon an assortment of computer-supported cooperative-learning and class-work tools and strategies—some planned, some ad hoc—to coordinate resources (Bichelmeyer, Cagiltay, Evans, Paulus, & An, 2004). Unfortunately, little research has been conducted to systematically investigate the dialectic between culture and computermediated communication (CMC). There is currently an insufficient understanding of how individual learning and work, cultural features, and CMC mutually influence one another in a purposeful, virtual setting.

The Philosophy of Presence: From Epistemic Failure to Successful Observation

Presence Teleoperators & Virtual Environments ◽

10.1162/105474605775196553 ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 14 (6) ◽

pp. 656-667 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Luciano Floridi

Keyword(s):

Standard Model ◽

Ethical Issues ◽

Digital Information ◽

New Model ◽

The Standard Model ◽

Successful Observation

The paper introduces a new model of telepresence. First, it criticizes the standard model of presence as epistemic failure, showing it to be inadequate. It then replaces it with a new model of presence as successful observation. It further provides reasons to distinguish between two types of presence, backward and forward. The new model is then tested against two ethical issues whose nature has been modified by the development of digital information and communication technologies, namely pornography and privacy, and shown to be effective.