A comparative study of the effect of web-based versus in-class textbook ethics instruction on accounting students' propensity to whistle-blow

The authors examined whether accounting students’ propensity to whistle-blow differed between those instructed through a web-based teaching module and those exposed to a traditional in-class textbook-focused approach. A total of 156 students from a second-year financial accounting course participated in the study. Ninety students utilized the web-based module whereas 66 students were instructed through a traditional teaching approach based on ethical problems presented in the textbook. Subsequently, when presented with a whistle-blowing situation, it was found that students exposed to a web-based ethics instruction module were more likely to whistle-blow than those students exposed to a traditional in-class textbook ethics instruction approach.

A quandary in management practice: Academic research or consulting?

This paper compares the practice of academic action research against management consulting. Consulting is founded upon a body of underpinning knowledge drawn from a different perspective than action research. Nevertheless, consulting and action research, in practice, draw from similar methods of investigation. The difficulty in distinguishing action research from consulting adds to unique ethical problems in practice. In this paper, an ethics quandary is identified, defined and explored with implications for research practice. An example of an action research project is presented to highlight the potential ethical dilemma and conflict of interest points of
the investigation, whether as an academic or a consultant. The authors, by crystallising the boundaries of academic action research and consulting posit that, when designed and executed well, risk can be minimised to gather rich and deep insights into management practice.

Marketing ethics in context: the promotion of unhealthy foods and beverages to children

Marketing ethics has been described as an inherently relative conceptwhereby ethical problems and consequences result from interactionsbetween individuals, but are also shaped by the context in which theyoccur (Chonko and Hunt 1985; Singhapakdi et al. 1996). In makingethical decisions, marketers are influenced by a complex interplay offactors in the broader cultural, economic and organizational environments(Singhapakdi et al. 1996). Within this field, issues arise from organizations’ marketing activities and their consequences (Chonko and Hunt 1985), and the way marketing decisions are shaped by moral standards (Murphy et al. 2005).

Atuação do psicólogo no campo empresarial: experiência realizada em uma empresa brasileira

No presente estudo são destacadas, a abrangência das atividades de um psicólogo numa empresa brasileira de médio porte e as consequências da sua intervenção para o desenvolvimento da organização como um todo. Os resultados da implantação de uma estrutura de Recursos Humanos sob a perspectiva da psicologia são apresenta dos, sempre que possível, através de dados mensuráveis. As conclusões nos encoraja a convidar profissionais da nossa área a se dedicarem com mais afinco à Psicologia Aplicada ao Trabalho oferecendo suas contribuições à vida das organizações, em especial, às organizações de caráter industrial – comercial, como é o caso da empresa onde se verificou o estudo do presente caso. Pensamos que a possível causa da esterilidade aparente do trabalho do psicólogo nas organizações formais, possa ser atribuída à posição hierárquica do órgão em que se desenvolvem seus serviços. Como solução, sugerimos que o órgão de Recursos Humanos funcione como uma assessoria às unidades de nível hierárquico superior da organização. No caso estudado se ria uma assessoria à Superintendência. .Paralelamente, são discutidos alguns aspectos das atitudes e conflitos éticos do Psicólogo no âmbito organizacional.

Ética e educação clássica: virtude e felicidade no justo meio

O presente estudo debruça-se sobre a interface do problema educativo com a problemática da ética, compreendendo a pedagogia com a arte/ciência voltada para a busca do bem educar/instruir/formar. Para tanto, o texto mobilizará conceitos da concepção ética da Aristóteles; e, na atmosfera mental da Grécia clássica, recorre-se ao termo específico grego e transdisciplinar na origem: paideia. A seguir, este ensaio procura pontuar alguns aspectos da concepção iluminista a propósito do tema, valendo-se da noção kantiana de imperativo categórico, a qual teria sido precedida pelo parecer de Rousseau, segundo o qual a vontade - e não a razão - seria a marca distintiva do gênero humano no ambiente natural. A idéia de Piaget de uma ética da reciprocidade também é aqui mobilizada. Abordando diacronicamente a temática, serão analisados conceitos de autores clássicos no debate da relação entre educação e ética, com destaque para o sentido conferido por Hanna Arendt para a autoridade como critério distintivo da relação assimétrica entre o educador (as gerações adultas de maneira geral) e os estudantes (ou as novas gerações). Arendt defende, como conceito e pressuposto operatório, a dimensão necessariamente conservadora do ato educativo: compete ao educador preservar do mundo as novas gerações e preservar o mundo das novas gerações - para que estas não destruam o suporte e o acervo cultural acumulados.

Bioética e odontologia: um perfil dos problemas éticos vividos por cirurgiões-dentistas

Bioethics studies human behavior in the fields ofbiological sciences and health care. Tt strives for humanization in health services along with promoting the rights of patients. In view of the lack of dental research dealing with this topic, the present study was undertaken to identify, from the viewpoint of dental surgeons, ethical problems experienced in dental practice,understand how they occur and how professionals deal with them. It is a descriptive exploratory investigation within a qualitative approach. Empirical material was collected through semi-structured interviews performed with 15 dental surgeons who work both in private and public practice in the state of Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. The content of the interviews was systemized and organized, resulting in the identification of topics, from which were grouped the ethical problems reported by the participants. The resu1ts indicate that many of the ethical problems coincide with infringements of the norms and mIes of the Dental Code of Ethics, confirming a dental ethic acquired during professional formation and therefore, inadequate for solving the problems that emerge in professional practice. Other questions stand out such as low salaries, competition and poor working conditions. Associated to these problems are lack of commitment and professional responsibility with the patients. Concem with maintaining user autonomy, guaranteeing access to specialized services, and the need for performing only procedures for which they are technically qualified arise in the responses, leading to difficulties in consolidating the principIes proclaimed by bioethics: autonomy, justice, nonmaleficence and beneficence. We concluded that the ethical problems identified in professional practice need to be understood beyond the dental dimension, towards a human approach. It is therefore necessary to incorporate health care management technologies into health practices, including dentistry, which implies recognizing the difTerent dimensions that surround individuaIs, that is, social, economic, political and cultural

Alterações histopatológicas e imunohistoquímicas induzidas pela obstrução parcial da bexiga de coelhos

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Problemas éticos em representação do conhecimento: uma abordagem teórica

Considering that knowledge representation consists in a constant decision-making and that its products must be reliable, this paper highlights the existence of ethical problems in this context with undeniable damage to the user. Thefore, from a theorethical excerpt of the international literature regarding the ethical aspects involved in knowledge organization and representation, this study gets to the reflection of: a) the biases in knowledge representation; and b) non-neutrality of its processes, instruments and products, as subsidies to the outlining of possible ethical problems regarding the user as well as the role of information professional.

Cytogenetic instability of dental pulp stem cell lines

Human adult stem cells (hASCs) offer a potentially renewable source of cell types that are easily isolated and rapidly expanded for use in regenerative medicine and cell therapies without the complicating ethical problems that are associated with embryonic stem cells. However, the eventual therapeutic use of hASCs requires that these cells and their derivatives maintain their genomic stability. There is currently a lack of systematic studies that are aimed at characterising aberrant chromosomal changes in cultured ASCs over time. However, the presence of mosaicism and accumulation of karyotypic abnormalities within cultured cell subpopulations have been reported. To investigate cytogenetic integrity of cultured human dental stem cell (hDSC) lines, we analysed four expanded hDSC cultures using classical G banding and fluorescent in situ hybridisation (FISH) with X chromosome specific probe. Our preliminary results revealed that about 70% of the cells exhibited karyotypic abnormalities including polyploidy, aneuploidy and ring chromosomes. The heterogeneous spectrum of abnormalities indicates a high frequency of chromosomal mutations that continuously arise upon extended culture. These findings emphasise the need for the careful analysis of the cytogenetic stability of cultured hDSCs before they can be used in clinical therapies.

What is to be done with surplus embryos? Attitude formation with ambivalence in German fertility patients

Improved pregnancy rates in IVF have led to increasing numbers of surplus embryos which can potentially be used for purposes like donation to another infertile couple or further research. Individuals report high levels of ambivalence concerning the donation of surplus embryos. This study examined which strategies infertile patients use to deal with this ambivalence when asked to evaluate potential dispositions of surplus embryos created during IVF. Guideline-based interviews with fertility patients were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Following the principle of theoretical sampling, eight interviews were analysed by use of Grounded Theory. Analyses focused on processes of individual attitude formation. Strategies for handling ambivalence during attitude formation were identified: the six strategies comprise cognitive and communicative strategies, and were integrated into a model of attitude formation under ambivalence. As ambivalence is a relevant phenomenon in attitude formation within IVF treatment, assessment of ambivalence is strongly recommended in social science studies investigating ethical problems in patient care. In the context of informed consent, there is a need for individual counselling which draws attention to the conflicting values during attitude formation. Counsellors should be aware of the signs of and the strategies to deal with ambivalence.

Espacio, comunicación y convivencia : problemas éticos de la ciudad latinoamericana

El artículo enfoca los problemas de convivencia en las ciudades latinoamericanas, marcadas por procesos de urbanización sin articulación, regidos por lógicas de poder y caracterizados por la falta de equilibrio y equidad. Se exploran las posibilidades de pasar de territorios de supervivencia, con relaciones sociales de dominio y violencia, a espacios de comunicación y a lugares de sentido, a través de prácticas, políticas y estrategias de convivencia.

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

Modelo para la toma de decisiones sobre los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en programas académicos de Bibliotecología, Documentación o Ciencia de la Información

Se presenta un modelo para decidir los contenidos curriculares de la Organización del Conocimiento en carreras de Bibliotecología, Documentación y Ciencia de la Información, orientado principalmente al Mercosur. Para el diseño del modelo se tuvieron en cuenta los contenidos mínimos recomendados por los encuentros de directores y docentes de escuelas de Bibliotecología del Mercosur, la llamada corriente de ISKO y los aportes de distintos autores relacionados con ambas fuentes. El modelo consta de tres categorías primarias: fundamentos, aplicaciones y ética de la Organización del Conocimiento. Los fundamentos se consideran desde un abordaje multidimensional. Las aplicaciones se dividen en tres categorías primarias: a) construcción de sistemas de organización del conocimiento, b) descripción de contenido y c) gestión de calidad de la Organización del Conocimiento. La ética también se divide en tres categorías secundarias: compromiso ético, valores éticos y problemas éticos. El modelo debe entenderse como un molde vacío que necesita llenarse con los contenidos que decida cada carrera o cada espacio curricular y se espera que facilite la evaluación, actualización y comparación de esos contenidos. Tiene la limitación de basarse en las recomendaciones del Mercosur y la corriente de ISKO, que no son aceptadas por todos los especialistas

Antenatal screening and its possible meaning from unborn baby's perspective

In recent decades antenatal screening has become one of the most routine procedure of pregnancy-follow up and the subject of hot debate in bioethics circles. In this paper the rationale behind doing antenatal screening and the actual and potential problems that it may cause will be discussed. The paper will examine the issue from the point of wiew of parents, health care professionals and, most importantly, the child-to-be. It will show how unthoughtfully antenatal screening is performed and how pregnancy is treated almost as a disease just since the emergence of antenatal screening. Genetic screening and ethical problems caused by the procedure will also be addressed and I will suggest that screening is more to do with the interests of others rather than those of the child-to be.