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Ethics
You must consider why info is included in
some documents-so of it has to do with ethics.
For example, when looking at a website that
sells bicycles, riders pictured will wear
protective gear like helmets and pads. We
must consider why the picture features these
items.
A Brief Intro to Ethics
Manuel G. Velasquez: Four Moral Standards:
1. Rights-The standard concerns of individual basic
rights (i.e. safe working conditions)
2. Justice-How the costs and benefits of an action or a
policy are distributed among a group (i.e. same
work for same pay)
3. Utility-Positive or negative effects that an action or
a policy has, will have, or might have on others.
4. Care-Relationships we have with other individuals
These standards often intersect and do not always
work in an employment setting as they often
clash/intersect.
Obligations to your employer: competence and diligence;
generosity (sharing knowledge and expertise with co-
workers); honesty and candor; confidentiality; loyalty
Obligations to the public: treat customers fairly; make sure
product is safe and effective (4500 deaths and 14 million
injuries occur each year in the US-not counting automobiles
and medications-U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(2009) because of this, it is important to know that, unless a
user is negligent or an unforseen event happens, the
company is usually responsible for product accidents.
Obligations to the environment: think about who makes your
products and how they are made.
Ethical Obligations in the
Workplace
Copyright Law-A medical researcher or reporter caught plagiarizing
would likely be fired. Someone abusing copyright law could face
criminal prosecution
What is copyright? The appropriate use of a persons intellectual
property: written documents, pictures, musical compositions, etc. It
literally means a persons right to copy the work that he or she has
created.
For example, if you worked for IBM, you could not go to the Dell
website, copy information, and then include it in your own
documents unless you receive permission from Dell to do so.
Work made for hire-Means that anything written or revised by an
employee on the job is the companys property, not the employees.
Fair use: Allows you to use small portions of copyrighted material in
your own document without getting formal permission from the
copyright owner if it is used for criticism, commentary, news
reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research. Remember that sources
still must be cited
Legal Obligations in the
workplace
The purpose and character of the use, especially if for
profit (non-profits are not scrutinized as carefully)
The nature and purpose of the copyrighted work
(info essential to the public like medical info, is often
used within fair use guidelines)
The amount and substantiality of the portion of the
work used (A 200-word portion would only be a
small portion of a book but a large portion of a 500-
word brochure)
The effect of the use on the potential market for
copyrighted work (any use of work that hurts the
authors profit is not considered fair use)
Determining Fair Use
Abide by the fair-use concept: do not rely on
excessive amounts of another sources work
Seek permission
Cite your sources accurately
Consult legal counsel if you have questions
Dealing with Copyright
Questions
A trademark is a word, phrase, name, or symbol that is
identified with a company.
A registered trademark is the same thing, only it is registered
with the U.S. Patent Office and more protected than a
trademark.
How to protect your clients or employers trademark:
Distinguish trademarks from other material (use boldface,
italics, etc.); Use the trademark symbol (use the appropriate
symbol and an asterisk at the bottom of the page); Use the
trademarked item as an adjective, not as a noun or verb; Do not
use the plural form or the possessive form of the term
Trademark Law
It typically concerns whether or not a product lived up to
a manufacturers claims. Claims are communicated as
express warranties or implied warranties
An express warranty is a written or oral statement that the
product has a particular feature or can perform a particular
function (i.e. a printer printing 17 pages a minute)
An implied warranty is not written or spoken but inferred
by the purchaser (i.e. a product that shows a child using it
on the package implies that it can be used by children)
Contract Law
Product-liability law states that a manufacturer or seeler
of a product is liable for injuries or damages caused by
the use of that product.
Abiding by liability laws: Understand the product and
its likely users; describe the products functions and
limitations; instruct users on all aspects of ownership;
use appropriate words and graphics; warn users about
the risks of using or misusing the product; include
warnings along with assertions of safety; make
directions and warnings conspicuous; make sure
instructions comply with applicable company standards
and local, state, or federal statutes; perform usability
testing on the product and instructions; make sure users
receive the information
Liability Law