The Ethics of Information Technology and Business

This is the first study of business ethics to take into consideration the plethora of issues raised by the Information Age.

The book explores a wide range of topics, including marketing, privacy, and the protection of personal information; employees and communication privacy; intellectual property issues; the ethical issues of e–business; Internet–related business ethics problems; and the ethical dimension of information technology on society.

For each of the areas explored, the author uncovers previously ignored ethical issues, underlines the need for more public discussion, and argues that computers and information technology have not necessarily developed in the most ethical manner possible.

Preface.

1. Ethics and the Information Revolution.

2. Marketing, Privacy, and the Protection of Personal Information.

3. Employees and Communication Privacy.

4. New, Intellectual, and Other Property.

5. Ethical Issues in Information Technology Business and E–Business.

6. Ethical Issues on the Internet.

7. Information Technology and Society: Business, the Digital Divide, and the Changing Nature of Work.

Index.

Richard T. De George is University Distinguished Professor of Philosophy and Business Administration, and Director of the International Center for Ethics in Business at the University of Kansas. He is the author of over 180 articles and the author or editor of nineteen books, including Business Ethics (fifth edition, 1999) and Competing With Integrity in International Business (1993). He is a past president of both the American Philosophical Association and the International Society of Business, Economics, and Ethics.

"The information revolution is not our fate but instead challenges us to anticipate its consequences and prevent its harmful impact. De George sharpens our sensitivity and opens our eyes to many crucial issues, from the protection of personal information to the digital divide. His ethical examination is both thorough and understandable an exceptional book." Georges Enderle, University of Notre Dame <!––end––>

"Though the business world has been transformed by information technology, few business ethicists have attended to the resulting ethical issues. Richard De George is the perfect person for the job. With astute insights and incisive arguments, he delivers a provocative analysis of information technology in the context of business ethics." Deborah G. Johnson, University of Virginia

"De George offers an easily accessible discussion of the ethical issues and concerns created by information technology (IT) and the Internet." Choice

This book is certainly a contribution to the field. It is well placed as part of a series on the foundations of business ethics and should prove essential reading to scholars in computer and information ethics, as well as related fields. Norman Mooradian, Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews