Humn 432

GLOBALIZATION AND TECHNOLOGY

Globalization and Technology:

Its Ethical Considerations

Mark A. Williams

HUMN 432

Professor Roepnack

May 30, 2007

Globalization and Technology: Its Ethical Considerations

With countries opening their borders and changing their international laws, globalization has become a reality. The growth of global communication and information technology has seen people and corporations in disparate locations around the world become increasingly interdependent on each other. This has led to a global marketplace. Although many large companies have employed technology to help them globalize for decades, the internet (more than any other technology) has helped smaller companies in much smaller countries to have a global presence. Globalization has led to unethical behavior by some of these same people and corporations. This behavior often has undesirable effects, such as global warming, and has been fostered by a global economy, information technology (intellectual property and outsourcing), oil in Iraq, corporate greed, etc. (Boston / Berlin, 2007; Cavanagh, 2000; De George, 2006; Jonas, 2006; Schwartz, 2007; Singer, 2006; Bohan & Zabarenko, 2007; Robinson & Kalakota, 2004). The role of ethics as it relates to globalization and technology will be investigated by addressing the following points:

➢ Intellectual Property and Outsourcing

➢ Corporate Greed

➢ Oil in Iraq

➢ Global Warming

➢ A Reflection on the New Task of Ethics

This review of the research on the ethical considerations of globalization and technology will focus on the five points above. The first four points will examine the act of utilitarianism and how the actions of these points will supposedly seem morally right and the consequences of these actions are more favorable than unfavorable to everyone. The rapid growth of globalization and ever changing technology has...