Technical Writing Notes Topic 7 PDF

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Technical Writing Notes Topic 7 “Ethics in Technical Communication”  You need to be able to identify ethical challenges as they arise in the workplace and you need to be able to resolve them.  Working Definition – “Ethics are moral, social, or cultural values that govern the conduct of an individual or community” (Sheehan-Johnson, 2015, p. 61).  Another way to look at ethics is to consider that they are often associated with rules of behavior based on what is moral/immoral, good/bad, right/wrong. Keep in mind that ethical challengers are never that simple.  Ethical obligations to self, profession, academic institution, employer, colleagues and the general public. The balance is often difficult.  Something can be legal but unethical. The two are not synonyms. In order to be able to make ethical choices, you have to consider where your sense of ethical arises:  Personal Ethics: values derived from family, culture & faith  Social Ethics: values derived from constitutional, legal, utilitarian & caring sources  Conservative Ethics: values that protect & preserve the ecosystem in which we live ***these systems are not mutually exclusive & they can be in conflict with one another Personal & Social Ethics  Personal ethics are usually developed through family, community, culture, & faith systems  Social ethics are usually where the most difficult ethical dilemmas arise. One must understand ‘rights’ ‘justice’ ‘utility’ & ‘care’ to be able to resolve such dilemmas o Rights: fundamental freedoms innate to humans & granted by a nation to its citizens o Justice: involves fairness among ‘equals’ (can you see a problem already?) Most obviously based on laws that govern a society. In the workplace, corporate policies are the “laws” that govern the workplace o Utility: the idea that the interests of the majority is more important than the interests of the few- the concept of the greatest good o Care: the idea that tolerance & compassion take precedence over rigid ‘absolute’ truths. Each situation should be judged on its own. Social Ethics:  Issues involving ‘rights’ will have more gravity than issues involving ‘laws’  Issues involving ‘laws’ will have more gravity than issues involving ‘utility’  Issues involving ‘utility’ will have more gravity than issues involving ‘care’

Technical Writing Notes

Topic 7 “Ethics in Technical Communication”

Conservation Ethics:  Relatively new concept  Requires an understanding of intertwined, related ecosystems & the impact one can have on such ecosystems o Global Warming o Nuclear Waste Disposal o Landfill Usage o Overpopulation  When faced with an ethical dilemma, it’s not just the human factor to consider but the human/environment factor that must also be considered. Unethical Communication:  Manipulation of numerical  Plagiarism & theft of intellectual information property (see page 44 in T&D)  Use of misleading illustrations  Deliberately imprecise or  Promotion of prejudice ambiguous language  Uncritical use of information To Avoid Unethical Communication:  Use language & visuals with  Observe the liability laws precision  Avoid Plagiarism  Prefer simple, direct expressions of  Respect your audience’s privacy ideas  Be ethical when using social media  Satisfy the audience’s need for for business information, not your own need for  Strive to improve your professional self-expression competence & promote a climate  Hold yourself responsible for how that encourage the exercise of well the audience understands the professional judgment message Intellectual Property:  Copyright Laws: protect original authorship, including text, artwork, music, audiovisual material & sound recordings  Trademark Laws: protect a company’s image, including its logo, symbol, slogan & design To protect your rights and those of others, you should:  Assume that information is covered under copyright and trademark protection laws unless proven otherwise  Obtain permission for use from the original creator of graphics or text  Cite the source of your information

Technical Writing Notes

Topic 7 “Ethics in Technical Communication” Create your own graphics and text Copyright any information you create Place a copyright notice at the bottom of your Web Does your company have a policy regarding the situation? Have you discussed the situation with your boss? Have you met with the director of human resources for guidance? Does your company have an ombudsman who provides support or training? What do your colleagues say about the situation? Do you belong to a professional organization with published policies regarding ethical behavior? 7. Do you have a moral authority with whom you can confer? 8. How has your organization dealt with similar situations in the past? 9. Does your company have a way to communicate anonymously about ethical issues, such as a drop box or secure e-mail? 10. Has your company offered training about ethical behavior in the workplace?

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Making Ethical Decisions When confronted with ethical challenges, try following these writing strategies  Define the problem: Is the dilemma legal, practical, ethical or a combination of all three?  Determine your audience: Who will be affected by the problem (clients, coworkers, management)?  Maximize values; minimize problems: Ethical dilemmas always involve options  Consider the big picture: Don’t just focus on the short-term benefits when making your ethical decisions. Fair Use:  The purpose & character of the use, especially whether the use is for profit o Profit making organizations are scrutinized more carefully  The nature & purpose of the copyrighted work o When essential to the public, fair use is applied more liberally  The amount & substantially of the portion of the work used o A 200-word passage out of a book compared to a 200-word passage out of a 500-word essay  The effect of the use on the potential market for the copyrighted work o If It harms the author’s potential profit-not fair use  Abide by professional code  Abide by relevant laws of conduct

Technical Writing Notes

Topic 7 “Ethics in Technical Communication”  Abide by your organizations policy on Social Media  Take advantage of your employer’s ethics resources  Tell the truth  Don’t mislead your audience

 Use design to highlight important ethical and legal information  Be clear  Avoid discriminatory language  Acknowledge Assistance from others...