Roger, there are ethical rules that never changed for the past 100,000 years. So, the big question is : what is different in the 21st century ?

Clearly, STEALING was unethical 100 years ago, 1,000 years ago, and 100,000 years ago. I can count another large set of rules that never changed ... When we invented academia, we expanded this rule and called it PLAGIARISM ...

What is different in the 21st century ? I can come up with all sorts ideas related to TECHNOLOGY that might expand our "moral rule base," possibly related to internet-based phenomena. Aside from that, I don't think we have to do too much to the existing rules ... I don't know if the 21st century will ELIMINATE some of the rules ?

Dear Tolga, thank you for your comment.

What I meant by my question is the possibility of implementing the ethics that are well known in what we are going through in this century.

For example the computer ethics: the improvement of technologies these days is breaking the privacy ethics (social media).

Business ethics: affected by money and power.

and so many examples.

There are a number of ethical issues involved especially in the field of research. As a research consultant and analyst, my way of maintaining ethics is not to manipulate the data for some "targeted" purpose. And believe it, not doing so gives immense opportunity to learn - because clients want the results they perceive them and they pressurize you. By the way, an independent consultant like me, who makes his living only by practicing independent without any institutional support - it is very difficult yet interesting that in order to make my clients understand the "actual results", I have to delve into their subject - reading, studying and learning it to explain why a particular result has come up. This way not only do I maintain my ethical practice but at the same time get an opportunity to learn a lot of things that I would have otherwise not have learnt.

I would start by embedding it into education. Embed it in the minds early, and continue to re-emphasize it in culture.

Dear Maurice, this is what we have to do. Include ethics in all fields of education. In the Faculty of Engineering at AUST, ethics is a one credit course that all students are obliged to take. It is called the Ethics of Engineering.

I even think that we have to increase the number of credits to give more value.

Dear Roger

We have implemented formally the course Business Ethics in our curriculum in compliance with our accreditation (international standards) and in compliance with our credo (mission statement) where we seek to prepare professionals who are open minded, ethical and who are ready to serve their community.

Opening our graduates' eyes on issues (using case studies) where ethics were used as well where ethics were violated, helps in preparing our students to join the workforce with ready minds to observe all kind of practices and behave ethically.

Thank you Dr. Hussin for your comment. This is what we did in the engineering faculty were we implemented the engineering ethics course.

Do you consider that this step is enough to implement ethics?

This is just the beginning, since follow up is necessary. To encourage continuous use of ethical thinking and practicing it, we encourage our students to attend professional seminars and reading case studies about the multitude of cases which address real life cases where ethical standards have been violated or cases where ethical behavior resulted in better organizational performance and better image with its customers.

"A man without ethics is a wild beast loosed upon this world"

Albert Camus

As I see it, ethical systems are being adapted to new technologies via a process of analogy.  we seek for a traditional situation which we think is a good analogy for a current new dilema, then try to adapt the traditional ethical norm to the new circumstance.  The main analogies we use are those of geographical space and physical objects.  Hence websites are treated as places.  For example, when the US state of Minnesota passed a law banning employers from demanding access to employee Facebook pages, the rationale given was that one's Facebook page was one's "digital home" and so the same privacy and access rights which apply to the home should also apply to a Facebook page.  DRM and copying issues are dealt with as if digital files were physical objects which are "moving" around a virtual "space."

"The first step in the evolution of ethics is a sense of solidarity with other human beings". Albert Schweitzer

Brandt brought out an interesting point which is subject to continuous debate, that is, the privacy of digital know how.

“In most educational institutions, there is a total lack of the concept of human development and nation-building in the education process. The emphasis instead is on moneymaking and materialism. This has resulted in the gradual erosion of values among people and the body politic.”

we can you implement values and Ethics in the 21st century with the help of :

1. It is necessary to liberate the child from the compulsive chains of prescribed curriculum and give the teacher and the learner freedom to evolve and develop curricula around their own situation in initial stages of school education utilising the national guidelines to maintain basic uniformity with pronounced flexibility.

2. The hesitation in delineating strategies for value inculcation from religions through its various sources needs to be given up. Efforts to develop a sense of self esteem and pride in being an Indian and in the individual's own capability to respect other religions and their practices must be imbibed thoroughly and thoughtfully.

3. A sense of belongingness must be developed amongst every individual learner

4.TO GANDHIJI every individual human being was prominently significant and had the capacity to contribute immensely to the Society and humanity. He was concerned that we were being reduced to a state in which we were losing what was traditionally and culturally Indian, and were not able to acquire the new from the alien system.

5. Gandiji's perceptions in education focus on moral values and ethics. They highlight the concepts of self-esteem for every individual. He firmly believed in practising what he preached. Essentially education must lead to internalisation of the obligation on the part of each human being to be noble in word, thought and deeds. In a plural society, it should also help the individual to celebrate the plurality and yet visualise inherent unity of values and a life of dedication to others. 

6. In a global scenario of erosion of values, it would be difficult to have individuals in society who would strive to halt the process of value deterioration, unless and until schools produce young persons with the right aims and objectives of human life.

Well put Noushad, what you aim is common to many communities where there is no space for development and utilization of local creativity.

These two articles may be useful:

Hausken, K. (1996), “Ethics and Efficiency in Organizations,” International Journal of Social Economics 23, 9, 15-40.

Hausken, K. (1996), “Self-Interest and Sympathy in Economic Behavior,” International Journal of Social Economics 23, 7, 4-24.

Article Ethics and efficiency in organizations

Data Self-Interest and Sympathy in Economic Behavior Internationa...

Thank you Kjell for sharing these v. good articles.