Ethical Failures Research Articles

AI-Assisted News Content Creation: Enhancing Journalistic Efficiency and Content Quality Through Automated Summarization and Headline Generation

Abstract. Nowadays, Artificial Intelligence (AI) is a buzzword which appears on tech headlines and guides constantly. In a nutshell, AI has been widely implemented in news content generation process, which helped journalists to develop more efficient, diverse and qualitative news production workflows. In this paper, we discuss the applications of AI in automated summarisation, headline generation and content optimisation in newsroom-wide workflow. We analyse this process by looking at how AI tools could potentially reduce human efforts and help humans to produce more concise and accurate summaries and fascinating headlines by also enhancing the engagement of the audience. However, we also argue about the increasing dependency on AI which potentially causes more ethical problems such as algorithmic bias, lack of transparency, and the loss of journalistic integrity. By examining the current AI-driven tools and strategies to avoid the bias produced by machines, we explore both the opportunities and the challenges of AI in journalism. Our findings imply that, although AI substantially improved the production efficiency and content relevance, it requires proper management to prevent the problem such as ignorance of bias and ethical failure. Eventually, humans would still play a part in the story by complementing AIs capabilities.

Cynthia Ozick Reframing Henry James: From “Publishing Scoundrel” to False Messiah

Abstract: This essay invites a dialogue between Henry James’s “The Aspern Papers” and Cynthia Ozick’s The Messiah of Stockholm through the notion of literary speculation. In both texts, the relations between the experiential and the literary are explored via Paul Ricouer’s theory of “threefold mimesis .” Jacques Derrida’s account of hauntology and secular messianism, moreover, underscores failures of justice, ethics, and hope. James’s poised tragi-comic narrative is juxtaposed with Ozick’s critique of imaginative self-indulgence. Both works culminate in the burning of manuscripts, figuring in turn the demise of personal or editorial yearnings, then the Holocaust’s merciless incineration of Jewish life and creativity.

Ethical Implications and Ramifications in the Case of Truong My Lan

This article examines the ethical and systemic failures surrounding the massive financial fraud orchestrated by Vietnamese real estate tycoon Truong My Lan. This study aims to analyze the intricate web of relationships, rights, duties, and potential responses to prevent such unethical practices in the future. Using a case study approach, the research critically evaluates the most appropriate responses and considers future preventive measures. The study draws on various scholarly sources and legal frameworks, including the Vietnamese Enterprise Law, the Labor Code, and international conventions such as the United Nations Convention Against Corruption. Findings suggest that strengthening regulatory oversight, enhancing corporate governance, and fostering a culture of transparency and accountability are crucial steps in addressing and preventing financial fraud. The research also highlights the importance of technological integration, public education, and international collaboration in building a resilient financial system. This study contributes to the broader discourse on business ethics and corporate governance by comprehensively analyzing one of Vietnam's most prominent fraud cases and proposing actionable measures to mitigate similar risks in the future.

After the Cass Report; does British clinical psychology need an ethical re-boot?

This paper challenges the BPS to realign its position on transgender presentations in the light of the Cass Review. The latter highlighted the failure of a narrow ethics of recognition approach at the Gender Identity Development Service at the Tavistock Clinic, which had created an iatrogenic scandal, with clinical psychologists at its centre.

Ethical Failures of Generative AI in News Production, Implications and Countermeasures

Generative AI is recognized by the media (people) for its high-quality dialogue, complex reasoning and other emergent capabilities in content generation, and human-machine collaboration will gradually become the norm in news production, with application advantages in news production, news distribution and other news survival links. While generative AI assists news production and promotes innovation in news reporting, it also has problems such as providing inaccurate facts, opaque algorithms, and controversial boundaries of application, etc. For this reason, the media should regulate the ethics of human-computer collaboration in terms of optimizing the editing process, disclosing information about algorithms, and setting the boundaries of application of machines.

Toward an Ethics of Ambiguity in Critical Work and Organizational Psychology: From ‘Blank’ to ‘Troubled’ Subjectivity

AbstractIn recent years, a scholarly movement has taken hold that is critical of work and organizational psychology (WOP). Referred to as critical work and organizational psychology (CWOP), this movement problematizes some of the foundational premises of WOP, including its lack of reflexivity on its own values and ethics. While bringing increased attention to reflexivity and ethics as vital to critical theorizing and praxis, CWOP has yet to concertedly engage with ethics. This conceptual paper has two aims. The first is to outline existing ethical approaches in CWOP. Reviewing the literature, we suggest there are currently three tentative critical–ethical positions: (1) a critique of mainstream WOP for its ethical failures, (2) espousal of a radical humanist ethics, and (3) an ethics of ambiguity. The latter is embedded in CWOP literature, but not yet articulated as such. Our second aim is therefore to make an ethics of ambiguity a recognized and explicitly embraced form of ethics that is rooted in a sustained engagement with the conceptualization of subjectivity as such. To clarify the risks inherent to theorizing ethics without a sufficiently robust understanding of subjectivity, we juxtapose ‘blank subjectivity’ with ‘troubled subjectivity,’ two notions informed by psychoanalysis and psychosocial studies. We argue that a theory of subjectivity as troubled is at the heart of an ethics of ambiguity. The paper concludes by discussing the contribution of an ethics of ambiguity to CWOP, while also pointing to some convergences between the different critical–ethical positions.

The Manager and Love: Evoking a Loving Inquiry in a Group Setting

Neuroscientists, psychologists, educators, and management scholars propose that the current emphasis on intellect and reason in education and business over values such as love, connectedness, and compassion are at the root of many business ethical failures and societal problems. They argue not that reason should be abandoned in education and business management but rather that it needs to be balanced with values such as love because these attributes are innately human, enabling wise decision-making. This is a difficult task in the context of the current ethos of intellect and reason that dominates education and management. To correct the imbalance, we must explore ways of preparing future managers to accept the relevance and importance of learning to develop and embody love. Through our research, we provide an experience of community love by creating a caring, receptive, personal container. We engaged in the practice of Collaborative Autoethnography, integrating the Nguni South African concept of Ubuntu, to explore, research, and demonstrate the experience of love in a community setting. To support this practice, we framed it against the background of integrative justice, focusing on authentic engagement without exploitative intent as per Santos and Laczniak’s (2015) Integrative Justice Model (IJM) and built upon some common contexts from which love is considered such as Catholic Social Thought (CST) and indigenous cultures. We analyzed why and how love might be implemented in education and management and how Collaborative Autoethnography can be applied in connecting with others to research, learn from, and build upon the experience of love and connectedness.

Just War and Judgment in Fratelli Tutti

For decades the papal tradition has renounced the term ‘war’ as something around which to build an ethical approach. One can sympathize with this: resort to war seems the consequence of ethical failure and brings in its train a host of brutalities including rape, torture, and murder that harm both victims and perpetrators. But that view of ‘war’ is an incomplete representation of the possibilities of the uses of force to secure legitimate political goods. Thus the popes have struggled to maintain a clear voice in the face of abject tragedies like the Russian invasion of Ukraine: on the one hand, Pope Francis condemns war in an almost absolute manner; on the other, he recognizes the legitimacy of Ukrainian defensive uses of force. In so doing, of course, he merely abides the so-called ‘just war theory’ he seems to have discarded. My contribution will focus on the current state of the just war in Catholic teaching. I will maintain the state remains where it has been since at least the middle of the twentieth century: skeptical about the capacity of states to judge in terms of international law, but cognizant of their right to defend themselves against ongoing aggression.

Which roads lead to access? A global landscape of six COVID-19 vaccine innovation models

BackgroundUnequal and inequitable access to Covid-19 vaccines in low- and middle-income countries (L&MICs) was a major political, ethical and public health failure in the pandemic. However, vaccine developers’ practices were not monolithic, but rather, took diverse approaches to supplying different countries, with important implications for global access.ResultsUsing data on R&D investments, regulatory approvals, manufacturing and purchase agreements, and vaccine deliveries, we identified six distinct innovation models that apply across the 14 COVID-19 vaccines with more international presence from 2020–2022. “Western Early Arrivers” Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna supplied the largest volumes quickly and prioritized high-income countries (HICs) from registration to vaccine delivery. “Western Latecomers” Janssen and Novavax supplied intermediate volumes later, also prioritizing HICs but with a greater proportion to L&MICs. “Major Chinese Developers” Sinopharm and Sinovac supplied intermediate volumes early, primarily to middle-income countries (MICs). “Russian Developer” Gamaleya completed development early but ultimately supplied small volumes, primarily to middle-income countries (MICs). “Cosmopolitan Developer” Oxford/AstraZeneca supplied large volumes early to HICs and MICs at the lowest prices. Finally, “Small MIC Developers” CanSino, Bharat Biotech, Medigen, Finlay Institute and the Center for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology (CGEB), exported relatively small volumes to a few MICs. Low-income countries (LICs) were not targeted by any developer, and received far fewer doses, later, than any other income group. Almost all developers received public funding and other forms of support, but we found little evidence that such support was leveraged to expand global access.ConclusionsEach of the six innovation models has different implications for which countries get access to which vaccines, how quickly, and at which prices. Each offers different strengths and weaknesses for achieving equitable access. Our findings also suggest that Western firms had the greatest capacity to develop and deliver vaccines quickly during the pandemic, but such capacity is rapidly becoming more globally distributed with MICs playing a significant role, especially in supplying other MICs. Given the critical role of public support in enabling pandemic vaccine development and supply, governments have both the capacity and responsibility to craft international rules that will make responses to future pandemics more equitable and effective.

Does gender matter in ethical leadership perceptions? Cross-national evidence

Last decade’s ethical leadership failures in business across the globe had severe ramifications, including bankruptcy for corporations that had previously been viewed as exemplary. Hence, ethical leadership has gained increased attention from both practitioners and researchers. In particular, the increased focus has been placed on ethical leadership perceptions in management settings. This paper presents empirical findings from a three-country experiment (N = 538) on the perceptions of ethical and unethical leadership, and how they interact with gender. Building on role congruity theory, we posit that female leaders encounter more severe criticism for unethical leadership compared to male leaders, but they also garner greater positive reactions for ethical leadership. We also hypothesize the existence of national differences in ethical leadership perceptions. Our results indicate that the rater’s perceptions are influenced by the gender of the leader they are rating and by ethical leadership. The rater’s gender, however, does not affect the evaluation of male and female leaders in the cultures examined. We have also found national differences among perceptions of ethical leadership, in line with the Corruption Perception Index. We further explore the consequences of these results for theoretical and practical applications in this paper and propose directions for future research.

Should I Stay or Should I Go? Auditor Ethical Conflict and Turnover Intention

Ethical conflicts (ECs), dilemmas auditors face when personal values or professional obligations clash with their actions, pose significant challenges to the auditing profession, potentially influencing turnover intention (TI). This study addresses a knowledge gap in the related research by focusing on two critical EC triggers: workload (WL) and perceived auditor ethical failure (PAEF: ethical sensitivity), which refers to auditors’ perceptions of ethical violations within their profession. Grounded in role theory and ethical climate theory, our study investigates the impact of WL and PAEF on ECs and explores how these conflicts mediate the relationship between PAEF/WL and TI. Additionally, we examine the moderating role of organisational ethical climate (EtC) in these relationships. Using a survey of auditors and employing partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), our results reveal that both WL and PAEF increase ECs, thus escalating TI. The findings suggest that a firm’s perceived EtC can negatively moderate the relationship between PAEF and ECs. The study underlines the importance of fostering a strong EtC to manage ECs effectively and provides valuable implications for professionals, regulators, and academics seeking to improve ethical practices within auditing firms and to reduce auditor turnover.

Preventing Machines From Lying: Why Interdisciplinary Collaboration is Essential for Understanding Artefactual or Artefactually Dependent Expert Evidence

This article demonstrates a significantly different approach to managing probative risks arising from the complex and fast changing relationship between law and computer science. Law's historical problem in adapting to scientific and technologically dependent evidence production is seen less as a socio-techno issue than an ethical failure within criminal justice. This often arises because of an acceptance of epistemological incomprehension between lawyers and scientists. Something compounded by the political economy of criminal justice and safeguard evasion within state institutions. What is required is an exceptionally broad interdisciplinary collaboration to enable criminal justice decision-makers to understand and manage the risk of further ethical failure. If academic studies of law and technology are to address practitioner concerns, it is often necessary, however, to step down the doctrinal analysis to a specific jurisdictional level.

Why Do Companies Employ Prohibited Unethical Artificial Intelligence Practices?

In this article, we investigate the previously unstudied reasons why companies use prohibited artificial intelligence (AI) applications and are punished with large fines under the European General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Investigating and understanding why companies engage in such severe AI ethical malpractices is essential to correct them as they seriously jeopardize the future development of AI. Based on a sample of 34 companies, out of which 23 were sanctioned under GDPR due to severe violations of AI ethical principles and using fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis, this study demonstrates that to be an AI ethical company and comply with the GDPR regulation, it is necessary to have an AI ethical statement, have a very strong concern for information cybersecurity, and have to be based in a country considered ethical or monitor with care the behavior of the firm in countries with lower ethical standards. As a theoretical contribution, although some authors argue that AI ethical principles are useless, the present research introduces a new theoretical perspective by demonstrating cause–effect relationships between business configurations and AI ethical failures. In addition, the results have an important managerial relevance because they show that lack of an AI ethical statement is the most relevant condition that led to ethical misbehaviors.

The Southern Model Revisited: The Intersection of Race, Ethnicity, Immigration, and Health and Safety in Poultry Processing

This research combines a sociology of agrifood conceptual framework with a commodity systems analysis methodology to investigate the nexus of race, ethnicity, immigration, and health and safety in the US poultry processing industry. The poultry industry was the first agricultural sector to industrialize. Through vertical and horizontal integration, the industry is dominated by a few powerful firms. The industry has been criticized for multiple ethical failures regarding contract growers, processing plant workers, and communities. Meat and poultry processing is one of the most dangerous manufacturing jobs in the United States. Poultry processing is especially reliant on a non-union, minority, and immigrant labor force. This “Southern Model” is the preferred model of agrifood globalization. The COVID pandemic brought renewed attention to precarious work in poultry processing and exposed the lack of resilience in the agrifood system in general, and the poultry industry in particular.

Русская «христианская социология» о позитивистской теории прогресса

The article examines the views of the representatives of the so-called Russian “Christian sociology” – V.S. Solovyov, S.N. Bulgakov, N.A. Berdyaev, and S.L. Frank – regarding the positivist theory of progress. The rele-vance of such consideration is conditioned, firstly, by the ideological processes taking place in modern Russian society related to the formulation of national ideology, and secondly, by the need to deepen and systematize the ideas about the formation of national sociological knowledge. “Christian Sociology” from the standpoint of social theology proves the methodological, factual, logical and ethical failure of positivist concepts of progres-sive social development and its elements. The inability of positivist sociology and the theory of progress to be a general theory of society and to foresee the future is emphasized. The factual, logical and ethical inconsistency of the proposed ideals and criteria of progress, as well as the contradiction in the substantiation of the subject and boundaries of progress are noted.

Credibility Trouble: When ‘I Believe You’ is an Epistemic Wrong

ABSTRACT This article defends the counterintuitive conclusion that public assignments of credibility – including statements, by hearers, of ‘that’s right’, ‘she is credible’, or ‘I believe you’ – can actually constitute a pernicious form of epistemic wrong. Sometimes referred to colloquially as ‘lip service’, the wrong occurs when, owing to ethically poisonous epistemic failures, hearers outwardly validate testifiers’ credibility despite not fully or duly believing them. To explain this wrong, I introduce a distinction between performed and internal credibility assignments (PCA and ICA) and describe an epistemic dysfunction in which they misalign. I focus on cases in which misaligned PCA of ‘credible’ falsely – although sometimes non-deliberately – signal to testifiers and bystanders that testifiers have been believed; Republican hearers’ positive reception of Christine Blasey Ford’s 2018 testimony serves as a central case. Although some misaligned PCA are not wrongful, when epistemic and ethical failures including forms of identity prejudice and pernicious ignorance lead PCA of ‘credible’ to misalign, the PCA wrong testifiers in their capacities as knowers. These epistemic wrongs are particularly pernicious because the PCA conceal that testimony has not been efficacious, inflicting and exacerbating distinct harms.

When narcissists exemplify ethics: Contingent consequences of ethical leadership.

Organizations increasingly encourage, recognize, and reward ethical leadership to preempt the economic and reputational risks associated with ethical failures. At the same time, organizational leadership positions are disproportionately occupied by individuals higher in narcissism. We highlight how the combination of these two phenomena carries important organizational implications by examining how ethical leadership behaviors differentially impact leaders based on their level of narcissism. Building upon self-concordance theory, we introduce a model of contingent consequences of ethical leadership. Our model identifies motivational (i.e., self-efficacy of the leader) and social (i.e., admiration of the leader) mechanisms that explain why ethical leadership positively predicts leadership effectiveness for some leaders, but not for others. We test our model using a field study and two experiments. Findings from these three studies point to a problematic leadership paradox: When leaders higher in narcissism behave more ethically, they incur higher motivational costs and reap fewer social benefits compared to their peers who are lower in narcissism. Results reveal risks to leadership effectiveness for narcissistic leaders who attempt to lead more ethically. We discuss implications for ethical leadership research and practice. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Ethics for Capitalists: A Systematic Approach to Business Ethics, Competition, and Market Failure, by Joseph Heath. Altona, MB: FriesenPress, 2023. 276 pp.

Ethics for Capitalists: A Systematic Approach to Business Ethics, Competition, and Market Failure, by Joseph Heath. Altona, MB: FriesenPress, 2023. 276 pp.

The Duty to Care is Not Dead Yet.

The COVID-19 pandemic exposed social shortcomings and ethical failures, but it also revealed strengths and successes. In this perspective article, we examine and discuss one strength: the duty to care. We understand this duty in a broad sense, as more than a duty to treat individual patients who could infect health care workers. We understand it as a prima facie duty to work to provide care and promote health in the face of risks, obstacles, and inconveniences. Although at least one survey suggested that health care workers would not respond to a SARS-like outbreak according to a duty to care, we give reasons to show that the response was better than expected. The reasons we discuss lead us to consider normative accounts of the duty to care based on the adoption of social roles. Then, we consider one view of the relationship between empirical claims and normative claims about the duty to care in the COVID-19 pandemic. Here, we draw insight from Mengzi, with an emendation from Dewey. Our perspective leaves many question to research, but one point seems clear: there will be future pandemics and the need for health care workers who respond.

Where is Community Involvement in Open Science? A Commentary on "(Why) Are Open Research Practices the Future for the Study of Language Learning?"

Where is Community Involvement in Open Science? A Commentary on "(Why) Are Open Research Practices the Future for the Study of Language Learning?"