Iordanis Kavathatzopoulos

Training professional managers in decision-making about real life business ethics problems : The acquisition of the autonomous problem-solving skill

In the present study business managers in Kabi Pharmacia Company were trained in the use of the autonomous method in their decision-making about solving real life business ethics problems. According to the psychological theories of Piaget, Vygotsky, and Kohlberg, it is possible to promote the acquisition of the autonomous ethical skill by instruction and training. Indeed, participation in a one-day educational programme which focused on the training of the autonomous cognitive ability and not on the transfer of moral content, was sufficient to provide a shift in the mode of decision-making about business ethics problems towards the autonomous ethical function. This change was still stable one month later. A test was constructed by items representing current business ethics conflicts in order to assess ethical function.

Work environment and computer systems development

Work environment and occupational health problems of different nature are constantly increasing in computer supported work. Most efforts to improve the work environment are focused primarily on physical aspects, and to some extent on psychosocial aspects. Mental workload and cognitive problems are of a more complex nature, more difficult to measure and provide efficient solutions to, and are more seldom studied or solved. Solutions to work environment problems are usually applied to already existing work situations through improved equipment and work place design, health programmes, education, reorganizations, etc. The problems are seldom prevented by means of applying relevant methods early in the systems development process, before the artefacts have been designed and implemented. This paper, and the following papers of this special issue, will focus on the need to integrate different interdisciplinary methods at different phases in the development process of computerized support systems, with the ultimate goal to prevent work environment problems and decrease the health risks to the users.

The use of information and communication technology in the training for ethical competence in business

Information and communication technology has certain advantages that can contribute positively in business ethics education programmes. It is necessary, however, to identify first the factors critical for acquiring ethical competence and later to proceed to the construction and use of such tools, in order to ensure that these tools are indeed adapted to the process and the goals of business ethics education. Based on psychological theory and research, it is argued that one such crucial factor is the psychological construct of ethical autonomy. The strengths and weaknesses of information and communication technology tools are discussed in accordance with this, and some suggestions are given on fruitful ways to incorporate these tools in business ethics education.

Kohlberg and Piaget: Differences and Similarities.

Abstract Kohlbergs cognitive‐stage‐developmental theory is often described as a further development of Piagets moral theory. In discussing the two theories, it is shown that Kohlberg attempts to describe the features of moral thought and not the formation of the independent moral function. Nevertheless, Kohlbergs later research, as well as research done by his disciples, approaches Piaget. In trying to study the issue of moral education in ‘just communities’, they reintroduce the Piagetian concept of cooperation in equality among the members of the group, and they use a collaborator or leader. However, their main interest remains in the description of the characteristics of the stages of individual moral reasoning and valuing of norms and community, and not the study of the process of acceleration towards the autonomous moral phase.

Assessing and acquiring ethical leadership competence

Leaders need the ability to handle any moral problem that may arise 5during their professional activities; they need ethical competence. Ethical skill is, in 6psychology and in accordance to the cl ...

Can Machines Make Ethical Decisions

Independent systems and robots can be of great help to achieve goals and obtain optimal solutions to problems caused by the quantity, variation and complexity of information. However, we always face ethical issues related to the design as well as to the running of such systems. There are many problems, theoretical and practical, in integrating ethical decision making to robots. It is impossible to design or run such systems independently of human wish or will. Even if we create totally independent decision making systems, we would not want to lose control. Can we create really independent ethical decision systems? Recent research showed that emotions are necessary in the process of decision making. It seems that it is necessary for an independent decision system to have “emotions.” In other words, a kind of ultimate purpose is needed that can lead the decision process. This could make a system really independent and by that ethical.

Is the Post-Turing ICT Sustainable?

In this paper we introduce a definition of post-Turing ICT with an initial analysis of its sustainability. At the beginning of the history of computing the attention was concentrated on the single machine: a device able to read and write a memory and able to execute different actions depending on the internal state. It was only in the 1960’s that the fifth function (after input, memory, processing and output) was introduced: the network, the capability of this single computational node to be connected and exchange data with similar machines. In the last fifty years the network has grown at an incredible speed, introducing us into the post-Turing ICT era: billions of electronic devices interconnected. ICT has now a significant environmental impact along all its lifetime phases: manufacturing (based on scarce minerals), application (based on growing power consumption) and e-waste management (with open cycles difficult to close). In this paper, we introduce relevant topics to understand whether the current ICT production and consumption paradigms are sustainable, and the social consequences and implications of such a problem for stakeholders.

ICT and sustainability: skills and methods for dialogue and policy making

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to present an overview and to discuss the following issues: most often, discussions about Information and communication technology (ICT) sustainability focus o ...

Independent Agents and Ethics

The development of Information Technology, systems, robots, etc., that are capable of processing information and acting independently of their human operators, has been accelerated as well as the hopes, and the fears, of the impact of those artifacts on environment, market, society, on human life generally. Many ethical issues are raised because of these systems being today, or in the future, capable of independent decision making and acting. In the present paper it is discussed how ethical decision support pro-grams can be integrated into robots and other relatively independent decision making systems to secure that decisions are made according to the basic theories of philosophy and to the findings of psychological research.

On the Complex Relationship Between ICT Systems and the Planet

This paper addresses the challenges of designing sustainable Information and Communication Technology (ICT) systems. The complexity of ICT systems, the number of stakeholders involved (technology providers, policy makers, users, etc.), and the extension and global scale of ICT supply chain are the main challenges at the core of the complex relationship between ICT systems and the planet Earth. ICT offer an opportunity for an exchange between matter-energy and information: the better use of information offers the great opportunity for decreasing the environmental impact of human activities by decreasing the matter and energy consumption. But, on the other side, like any human activity, the design, production, use, and disposal of complex ICT systems, has as a consequence a growth in entropy. This intriguing dilemma is one of the most difficult challenges in front of designers, ICT companies, users, and policy makers. This paper concentrates on the designers, the engineers’ dilemmas: what are the ethical competences, the skills, the methods for addressing these complex ethical dilemmas? Among the many ethical approaches, the “virtue/future ethics” is proposed as a core ethical competence for the designers and engineers of the future.