Leadership: Trustworthiness and Ethical Stewardship Vonetta M. Henderson NorthCentral University Abstract The problem to be investigated is the relationship of leadership, trustworthiness and ethical stewardship in corporate organizations.
The evolution of information technology has resulted in ethical changes in society. In the 1980s, information technology (IT) was reserved for specific fields that related to computer processing or development or phone services (Brooks, 2010). There were trained professionals that worked with information technology and the information that was affected by information technology.The advancement of technological developments has resulted in individuals wanting parallel advanced technologies (Kuzu, 2009).
In order for an individual or business to remain competitive or well-versed in subjects, the individual or business must have up-to-date technology. The increased evolution and usage of IT has provided many advantages to society, but has also provided grounds for societal and ethical problems (Kuzu, 2009). Brooks (2010) mentioned that many of the newer information technologies enable persons to perform unethical, illegal, and deceitful actions more rapidly than in the past.Societal Ethical Changes Nuyen (2004) stated that nearly every individual on Earth uses one or more information technology device daily.
Information technology has an influential impact on lives and how societal rituals are realized (Kuzu, 2009). Based on the constant use of information technology globally, individuals have more access to personal and business-related information than in previous years. Societal ethical changes have occurred due to the ease and availability of accessing information including privacy, accuracy, property, and accessibility issues (Kuzu, 2009; Brooks, 2010.Laws and security measures have been created to address the ethical concerns caused by the evolvement and use of information technology. These laws are intended to protect people from being harassed or victimized. The fear of privacy invasion is a societal change that has been caused by the ease of obtaining information through information technology.
The warnings of identity theft and credit card fraud are two examples of personal concerns that have catapulted the fear of personal information being obtained without permission by individuals.Belanger and Crossler (2011) cited the Pew Internet Project survey which found 85% of adults felt that controlling access to their personal information was very important to them. Ethical Usage of Information Technology The ethical use of information technology is classified as personal and commercial usage. Personal usage relates to how people use information technology (Brooks, 2010). The methods of communication have changed due to the constant changes occurring in the information technology industry.
The evolution of IT has allowed individuals to communicate with others with ease and perform legitimate business transactions over the Internet. Tucker (2007) cites that 42. 6% of people use cell phones and 63. 4% of people communicate via email, chat, and Internet use daily.
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