Ethics Program Research Articles

Embedded Ethics and the “Soft Impacts” of Technology

Advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics, are increasingly common, but often come with significant tradeoffs and effects which may elude initial observations. Among these, the term “soft impacts” has come to signify the qualitative implications of a technological device or intervention. How can these sorts of effects be addressed, and what role do they have in the development phases of emerging technologies? In this paper, we outline our interdisciplinary Responsible Robotics project, which harnesses and builds upon an embedded ethics framework. We describe the embedded ethics approach, summarize some of its challenges, and highlight a key benefit. In short, by addressing the so-called “soft impacts” of technology, embedded ethics may stand to benefit not only the users of emerging systems, but also the developers. Although confirming this with a great degree of confidence will call for substantive longitudinal studies, we believe the aims and current roll-out of the embedded ethics approach provide grounds for optimism concerning the intended benefits described here. Accordingly, the mere prospect of increasing social and ethical sensitivity in development settings can serve to encourage a wider adoption of embedded ethics programs worldwide.

A Study on Improving the Professional Ethics Program for Graduate Students: Focusing on an International University in Thailand

A Study on Improving the Professional Ethics Program for Graduate Students: Focusing on an International University in Thailand

The Expanding Role of United States Healthcare Chaplains in Clinical Ethics.

Healthcare chaplains in the United States increasingly report being tasked by their organizations to participate in the formal work of clinical ethics, by serving on ethics committees, performing clinical ethics consultations, or leading clinical ethics programs. This mapping study documents that professionally-trained chaplains possess a number of skills and attributes that enhance their capability for this work; however, they often lack certain knowledge specific to the discipline of clinical ethics that is needed for roles they are being asked to perform. The professional associations of both chaplaincy and clinical ethics are encouraged to address this educational gap for the benefit of both disciplines.

Correction to: Unlocking the link: protection motivation intention in ethics programs and unethical workplace behavior

Correction to: Unlocking the link: protection motivation intention in ethics programs and unethical workplace behavior

Unlocking the link: protection motivation intention in ethics programs and unethical workplace behavior

Unlocking the link: protection motivation intention in ethics programs and unethical workplace behavior

Procurement Ethics and Corruption: An Examination of Italy and Zimbabwe

Purpose: The aim of the study was to analyze the procurement ethics and corruption: an examination of Italy and Zimbabwe. Methodology: This study adopted a desk methodology. A desk study research design is commonly known as secondary data collection. This is basically collecting data from existing resources preferably because of its low cost advantage as compared to a field research. Our current study looked into already published studies and reports as the data was easily accessed through online journals and libraries. Findings: The study on procurement ethics and corruption in Italy and Zimbabwe reveals significant contrasts between the two countries. In Italy, procurement processes are more structured, with stringent regulations aimed at curbing corruption, yet challenges persist, particularly in the enforcement of these regulations. In contrast, Zimbabwe faces more profound issues with systemic corruption deeply embedded in its procurement practices, exacerbated by weaker institutional frameworks and lack of transparency. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: Principal-agent theory, institutional theory & ethical decision-making theory may be used to anchor future studies on analyze the procurement ethics and corruption: an examination of Italy and Zimbabwe. Organizations in both Italy and Zimbabwe should implement robust ethical training programs for procurement officials to promote integrity and accountability. Policymakers in Italy and Zimbabwe should collaborate to develop comprehensive anti-corruption frameworks that address the unique challenges faced in each country’s procurement landscape.

Taking Stock of Ethics and Compliance Programs as Anticorruption Mechanisms: An Integrative Review

Taking Stock of Ethics and Compliance Programs as Anticorruption Mechanisms: An Integrative Review

Belief in Karma Phala as a Moderator of Machiavellian Traits and Love of Money on Tax Evasion Perceptions

Tax compliance remains a critical issue globally, affecting economic stability and public trust. This study examines the impact of machiavellian traits and love of money on tax evasion perceptions among tax consultants in Bali, Indonesia, moderated by belief in karma phala. Using attribution theory, the research explores how internal traits and belief systems influence ethical behavior. Data from 340 tax consultants reveal that high machiavellian traits and love of money significantly increase tax evasion perceptions, while belief in karma phala mitigates these effects. The findings highlight the importance of ethical training programs and promoting cultural beliefs like karma phala in professional settings. Tax consulting firms are advised to use personality assessments during recruitment, develop strict ethical guidelines, and integrate cultural values to foster integrity. Future research should explore other cultural and psychological factors in tax compliance and assess the long-term effectiveness of ethical training programs across different contexts.

Realities, perceptions, and strategies for implementation of an ethical population management program for dogs and cats on university campuses.

Stray dogs and cats pose significant challenges for public health and animal welfare due to their potential involvement in zoonotic disease transmission, accidents, and aggressions. Large urban centers exacerbated challenges due to the presence of these animals in public areas with high human density. Ethical Population Management Programs (EPMP), rooted in the One Health approach, are crucial for addressing this issue comprehensively. This study aimed to demonstrate the approach on cats and dogs EPMP and evaluate the perceptions of academic community regarding EPMP implementation on a campus situated in urban territory. The study was conducted at the Pampulha campus of UFMG in Belo Horizonte, Brazil. In response to issues of animal abandonment and conflicts, the Permanent Commission for Animal Policies (CPPA-UFMG) was established in 2019 to manage the campus's dog, cat, and wildlife populations. The commission implemented the Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) method, along with health assessments and vaccinations for animals. Interviews were conducted with campus staff to gauge their perception of animal management strategies. Retrospective and prospective analyses of the commission's actions were carried out to assess implementation processes and challenges. The animal population survey conducted on campus between July 2018 and September 2021 revealed a total of 266 animals recorded. Among these animals, 195 were cats (73.3%) and 71 were dogs (26.7%), with the majority being adults. Subsequent surveys in 2019 and 2021 showed a slight increase in the animal population, with measures such as sterilization contributing to population control. Perception analysis among campus users indicated strategies such as TNR were widely endorsed for population control. The employees perception questionnaire was applied to 115 individuals, representing 42 units/departments and five gates. Associations were found between these beliefs and support for institutional actions. The majority favored sterilization (92.17%) and agreed that TNR is an appropriate approach to population control. Overall, the study reflects a community concerned about animal welfare and supportive of measures to address population management and cruelty prevention. The continuous efforts of the university's CPPA have led to stability in the resident animal population, indicating success in achieving population control objectives.

Educational approach for public health ethics in nursing: Focusing on COVID-19.

Background: With the increasing ethical challenges and dilemmas faced by nurses due to various disasters such as COVID-19 worldwide, there is a need for a new public health ethics education curriculum to strengthen competencies for ethical responses in the nursing field. Objectives: This study was aimed to identify the impact of a teaching method utilizing news articles and panel discussion material in the public health ethics education program on nursing students' thinking regarding ethical issues. Design: This was an exploratory study to identify the thinking styles inherent in ethical reflection by analyzing the reflection contents written by nursing students using text mining techniques. Participants: 73 among the students taking a nursing ethics course at a university in Seoul, South Korea, voluntarily participated in this study after providing informed consent. Methods: The public health ethics program was conducted with sessions held once a week for a total of 7 weeks, and reflections written by nursing students were collected as text files during session 5 to 7. In this study, data preprocessing process, keyword analysis, and LDA topic modeling were sequentially conducted utilizing the R program according to the data analysis procedure of text mining techniques. Ethical considerations: This study was conducted under ethics approval from the institution where participants were recruited. Findings and discussion: The results of this study show that the teaching method utilizing news articles enhanced rational ethical deliberation from the cognitive aspect, whereas the teaching method utilizing panel discussion material strengthened the response to emotions on a more internal level. Conclusions: The teaching method utilizing news articles and panel discussion materials in public health ethics education is expected to be mutually complementary and effective, so further studies are recommended.

Ethical discourses for and against doping in sport philosophy

ABSTRACT Sport doping is not a recent phenomenon. Athletes have used many forms of performance enhancements going back to antiquity. Within the sport philosophy literature, sport doping is entangled in a multitude of ethical discourses, some denouncing, and some supporting, doping in sport. Our aim is to use a systematic approach to classify ethical discourses put forward by scholars focused on doping. To take stock of these ethical discourses, and to advance the sport philosophy literature on doping, this paper provides an empirical account of the types of arguments used in the peer-reviewed sport philosophy literature. This empirical account is intended to provide a map of the ethical discourses in circulation, to highlight the most common arguments, and to show where other types of arguments are absent or less well developed. To map the ethical discourses, the authors use an ethical discourse typology from a university-based ethical reasoning program.

Smart Robots and Civil Liability in Jordan: A Quest for Legal Synthesis in the Age of Automation

This paper embarks on a pivotal scholarly journey to scrutinize the civil liability implications of Artificial Intelligence (AI) within the Jordanian legal framework. As AI transforms from a speculative concept into an omnipresent reality, it presents unique jurisprudential challenges, particularly civil liability. This study aims to bridge the jurisprudential vacuum in Jordan, where an absence of judicial precedents highlights the urgency for legal exploration in this emerging field. Adopting a doctrinal legal research methodology, the study rigorously examines Jordanian liability theories and their applicability to AI and undertakes a comparative analysis with more advanced legal systems in AI regulation. The paper navigates the intricacies of AI in the context of traditional Jordanian legal theories, such as objective and personal liability theories. It extends to explore the challenges of attributing liability in the age of AI. Key findings reveal significant inadequacies in Jordan’s current legal provisions to address AI-induced liabilities, the disconnection between civil liability and AI accountability, jurisdictional ambiguities, and challenges in applying traditional legal concepts to the unpredictable nature of AI. The study proposes granting AI legal personality, legislative intervention, enforcing global accountability standards, advocating for international cooperation, and exploring technological limitations with ethical programming. This research contributes profoundly to academic discourse and policy formulation, particularly in the Jordanian context, highlighting the need for a comprehensive, adaptable, and robust legal framework that addresses the unique challenges posed by AI and robotics in the legal domain.

Missed opportunities for AI governance: lessons from ELS programs in genomics, nanotechnology, and RRI

AbstractSince the beginning of the current hype around Artificial Intelligence (AI), governments, research institutions, and the industry invited ethical, legal, and social sciences (ELS) scholars to research AI’s societal challenges from various disciplinary viewpoints and perspectives. This approach builds upon the tradition of supporting research on the societal aspects of emerging sciences and technologies, which started with the Ethical, Legal, and Social Implications (ELSI) Program in the Human Genome Project (HGP) in the early 1990s. However, although a diverse ELS research community has formed since then, AI’s societal challenges came to be mostly understood under the narrow framing of ethics and disconnected from the insights and experiences of past ELS research. In this article, we make up for this gap and connect insights from past ELS researchers with current approaches to research the societal challenges of AI. We analyse and summarize the history of “ELS programs” (programs that emerged since the HGP to support ELS research in a given domain) as three distinct eras: a genomics era, a nano era, and an RRI era. Each of these eras comprises several achievements and challenges relevant to ELS programs in AI research, such as the setup of independent funding bodies, the engagement of the wider public in research practice, and the increasing importance of private actors. Based on these insights, we argue that AI research currently falls back on self-regulatory, less participatory, and industry-led approaches that trouble ELS programs’ past achievements and hinder opportunities to overcome the still-existing challenges.

Open science practices in traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine research: A path to enhanced transparency and collaboration

This educational article explores the convergence of open science practices and traditional, complementary, and integrative medicine (TCIM), shedding light on the potential benefits and challenges of open science for the development, dissemination, and implementation of evidence-based TCIM. We emphasize the transformative shift in medical science towards open and collaborative practices, highlighting the limited application of open science in TCIM research despite its growing acceptance among patients. We define open science practices and discuss those that are applicable to TCIM, including: study registration; reporting guidelines; data, code and material sharing; preprinting; publishing open access; and reproducibility/replication studies. We explore the benefits of open science in TCIM, spanning improved research quality, increased public trust, accelerated innovation, and enhanced evidence-based decision-making. We also acknowledge challenges such as data privacy concerns, limited resources, and resistance to cultural change. We propose strategies to overcome these challenges, including ethical guidelines, education programs, funding advocacy, interdisciplinary dialogue, and patient engagement. Looking to the future, we envision the maturation of open science in TCIM, the development of TCIM-specific guidelines for open science practices, advancements in data sharing platforms, the integration of open data and artificial intelligence in TCIM research, and changes in the context of policy and regulation. We foresee a future where open science in TCIM leads to a better evidence base, informed decision-making, interdisciplinary collaboration, and transformative impacts on healthcare and research methodologies, highlighting the promising synergy between open science and TCIM for holistic, evidence-based healthcare solutions.

374 Operationalization of a Translational Ethics Program

OBJECTIVES/GOALS: Within our CTSA hub, greater emphasis is on understanding innovation and human health impact of translational science writ large rather than focus on translational research projects. Our program is restructured to reflect distinguishing ethical features of translational science which are complimentary to traditional research ethics issues. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: This descriptive analysis depicts the development of our ethics program as an exemplar of how to integrate into the research enterprise of an academic health science center that engages in translational research. Our relational approach is predicated on the embodiment of ethical values by all who are involved in research committed to proactive dialog, team building, and collaboration. This translational research culture is facilitated by a multidisciplinary ethics team who are embedded throughout the translational research enterprise. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: Our program is integrated into a translational science enterprise within a CTSA hub in four areas: relational structure (from leadership team to community engagement), education (from trainees to the research community to the public), support (through ethics consultation with multiple touchpoints in the translational science pathway), and team science (from team on-boarding and communication to D&I research of team science interventions). We have developed a research agenda examining research ethics topics that increase quality, applicability and downstream social impact of research; understanding translational science through historical and science & technologies studies lenses, and ethnographic and mixed-method approaches to understanding team science and the science of team science. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE: The integration of a translational ethics program provides attention to traditional research ethics issues regarding study conduct and integrity but also transcends those concerns to focus on the translational science enterprise itself through relationships, cultivating trust, team science, DEIA, and social responsibility.

Ethics and compliance programs for a new business narrative: A Kohlberg‐based moral valuing model for diagnosing commitment at the top

AbstractA genuine commitment to ethics and compliance (E&C) programs means that top management adopt them for what they represent and not for other purposes. Only then can they truly build socially responsible behavior and a successful and sustainable business, as stated in the latest international standard for compliance management practice (ISO 37301:2021), which we found to be consistent with a new business narrative as conceptualized in Freeman's work. However, it also requires that top managers place a moral value on these practices, rather than simply using them for instrumental reasons. Building on Kohlberg's six stages of moral development as applied to managers' moral thinking, this manuscript offers a model to explain how top managers' moral valuing of these practices varies along a moral reasoning continuum, resulting in four distinct modes. It also theorizes that each mode of moral valuing yields an archetype of E&C programs. It thus offers a new approach that contributes to the business ethics and management literature by incorporating a morally grounded perspective on the adoption and implementation of E&C practices and how it might shape their features and characteristics. It also aims to improve professional practice and business contributions to Freeman's ideas through genuine ethics‐based E&C programs.

Effect of Ethical Work Climate Training Program on Nurse's Perception of Green Behavior and Organizational Identification

Effect of Ethical Work Climate Training Program on Nurse's Perception of Green Behavior and Organizational Identification

Ethical considerations in implementing generative AI for healthcare supply chain optimization: A cross-country analysis across India, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America

This review paper critically examines the ethical considerations involved in implementing generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) in healthcare supply chain optimization across three distinct regions: India, the United Kingdom, and the United States of America. The study synthesizes findings from various case studies and academic research to highlight both common and unique ethical challenges faced in these countries. Key themes such as data privacy, algorithmic transparency, and equitable access to AI-driven healthcare solutions are explored, alongside the unique socio-cultural, legal, and regulatory challenges specific to each region. The paper proposes a set of best practices for incorporating ethical considerations into the deployment of generative AI in healthcare. These include the development of inclusive ethical frameworks, regular ethical audits, comprehensive training and education programs, public engagement initiatives, and interdisciplinary collaboration. The paper also delves into future research directions and policy development, emphasizing the need to address healthcare disparities, adapt legal and regulatory frameworks, enhance generative AI explainability, and evaluate long-term outcomes.The study concludes by underscoring the importance of ethical design and deployment of generative AI systems in healthcare, advocating for a balanced approach that aligns technological advancements with ethical standards and global healthcare needs. This comprehensive review aims to contribute to the discourse on ethical generative AI implementation, offering insights and recommendations for policymakers, healthcare professionals, and generative AI developers to foster responsible and beneficial use of generative AI in healthcare globally.

“Dehumanization of man” is a key problem of the modern era

The human problem, which originally belongs to the number of fundamental problems of philosophy and culture, does not lose its significance today, but also acquires a special acuteness and, accordingly, relevance.The phenomenon of dehumanization, the concept of alienation, globalization and globalization processes are considered from the standpoint of historical determinism, when solving the tasks set, they turned to the ideas of K. Marks, E. Fromm, D. Lukach, T. Adulo, etc. When writing the article, methods of analysis, synthesis, induction, deduction, comparison were used. Globalization processes, which are a distinctive feature of all states and societies, combine an infinite number of aspects of social life that vary in scope – from local to planetary, while having different dynamics and orientation. Globalization and globalization processes are not the end or the stop of social processes. Dehumanization presupposes the degradation of morality. The research is based on conceptual provisions, ideas, results of the problem of dehumanization and the problem of alienation in the context of globalization, the publications of Russian and foreign authors on the stated topic are analyzed. The object of study is the problem of “dehumanization of man” and the topic of alienation in modern globalizing conditions.As a result of the analysis, certain vectors of the spiritual development of modern society are outlined in the conditions of a systemic crisis of value orientations and lack of spirituality, inhumanity. The article presents the outlines of new ethical programs that are designed to counteract the process of modern man’s loss of a genuine humane essence and his purpose in society.

Perceptions of ethical misconduct scale development

ABSTRACT Despite organizational ethical training programs, some employees still engage in unethical behavior. As such, organizational researchers have sought to examine why employees engage in unethical behavior and whether interventions can improve ethical misconduct. While some instruments measure moral development or ethical/unethical behaviors toward the organization, this study utilized a unique scale which evaluates perceptions of ethical misconduct (PEMS). Data from a large Midwestern university, a large Southeastern university, and Amazon’s Mechanical Turk were used in the analyses. An exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were used in the creation of the PEMS. To examine the validity of the scale, the PEMS was correlated to scales which measure Dark Triad traits and Counterproductive Work Behaviors (CWBs). Findings showed a significant positive correlation between the PEMS and both scales. The results also show that the PEMS mediates the relationship between psychopathy and CWBs.