Prof. Wozencraft ENG227

1. What is ethics?
Ethics is the study of the principles of
conduct that apply to an individual or
a group.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 1

2. In thinking about ethical dilemmas,
four standards are useful:
• Rights—individuals’ basic needs and welfare.
• Justice—how the costs and benefits of an
action or a policy are distributed among a
group.
• Utility—the positive and negative effects that
an action or a policy has on others.
• Care—the relationships we have with other
individuals.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 2

3. You have three sets of ethical obligations:
• to your employer
• to the public
• to the environment
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 3

4. You have five obligations to your employer:
• competence and diligence
• generosity
• honesty and candor
• confidentiality
• loyalty
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 4

5. Four bodies of law are relevant
to technical communication:
• copyright law
• trademark law
• contract law
• liability law
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 5

6. Courts consider four factors
in disputes over “fair use”:
• the purpose and character of the use,
especially whether the use is for profit
• the nature and purpose of the copyrighted
work
• the amount and substantiality of the portion of
the work used
• the effect of the use on the potential market
for the copyrighted work
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 6

7. Adhere to these four guidelines when
you use material from another source:
• Abide by the fair-use concept.
• Seek permission.
• Cite your sources accurately.
• Consult legal counsel if you have questions.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 7

8. There are two kinds of trademarks:
• Trademark—a word, phrase, name, or symbol
that is identified with a company.
• Registered trademark—a word, phrase, name,
or symbol that the company has registered
with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 8

9. Use four techniques to protect trademarks:
• Distinguish trademarks from other material.
• Use the trademark symbol (TM or ®).
• Use the trademarked item as an adjective, not
as a noun or a verb.
• Do not use the plural form or the possessive
form of the term.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 9

10. Contract law recognizes
two kinds of warranties:
• Express warranty—a written or oral statement
that the product has a particular feature or can
perform a particular function.
• Implied warranty—a warranty that is not written
or spoken explicitly but inferred by the
purchaser.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 10

11. Follow these ten guidelines
for abiding by liability laws:
• Understand the product and its likely users.
• Describe the product’s functions and
limitations.
• Instruct users on all aspects of ownership.
• Use appropriate words and graphics.
• Warn users about the risks of using or
misusing the product.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 11

12. Follow these ten guidelines
for abiding by liability laws (cont.):
• Include warnings along with assertions of safety.
• Make directions and warnings conspicuous.
• Make sure that the instructions comply with
applicable company standards and local, state, or
federal statutes.
• Perform usability testing on the product and on
the instructions.
• Make sure users receive the information.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 12

13. Four elements of an organization’s culture
encourage ethical and legal behavior:
• ethical leadership
• supervisor reinforcement
• peer support
• reinforced and embedded ethical values
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 13

14. An effective code of conduct
has three characteristics:
• It protects the public rather than members of
the organization or profession.
• It is specific and comprehensive.
• It is enforceable.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 14

15. Companies have obligations
when communicating across cultures:
• They must not reinforce patterns of
discrimination in product information.
• They are not obligated to challenge the
prevailing prejudice directly.
• They must adhere to other countries’ federal
and regional laws when exporting goods and
services.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 15

16. Follow these ten principles
for ethical communication:
• Abide by relevant laws.
• Abide by the appropriate professional code of
conduct.
• Abide by your organization’s policy on social
media.
• Take advantage of your employer’s ethics
resources.
• Tell the truth.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 16

17. Follow these ten principles
for ethical communication (cont.):
Don’t mislead your readers.
Use design to highlight important ethical and
legal information.
• Be clear.
• Avoid discriminatory language.
• Acknowledge assistance from others.
Chapter 2. Understanding Ethical and Legal Considerations © 2012 by Bedford/St. Martin's 17

18. Avoid four common types of
misleading technical communication:
• false implications
• exaggerations
• legalistic constructions
• euphemisms
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