Capstone Midterm (Essay Sample)

Ethical Considerations in Tech Industry Student’s Name Name of the Institution Course Name & Number Professor’s Name Due Date Ethical Considerations in Tech Industry Towers is the selected company for this discussion. It is one of the major players in the technology industry. The organization has asserted its position as a leading player in the Technology sector creating its reputation for its specialization in developing innovative software solutions, information technology services, and advancing technologies. Towers carries out its operations on a global market with many offices across America, Africa, Asia, and Europe with a determination of technological progress. This paper examines the topic of ethics, compliance, and HR Professional Competencies in the Technology Sector. The topic is relatively relevant to Towers organization as the company operates in an environment requiring ethical considerations in aspects like data privacy, cybersecurity, and AI bias. The technological industry faces many regulations and legal issues such as data regulation policies and intellectual property rights. Towers organization must comply with the stipulated laws to avoid legal implications. Also, technological advancements have proved to be rapid and professionals in the industry must be competent enough to remain relevant to drive technology progress. This paper examines the implications of ethics, compliance, and HR professional competencies and how they are intertwined within the technology industry, focusing on Towers organization while highlighting how organizations can address issues of ethics, compliance, and HR expertise to ensure organizational success within technological sector. Ethics Ethics in the realm of technology is crucial as it influences important aspects like decision-making, organizational culture, and stakeholder trust. According to Dhirani et al. (2023), technological advancements are vulnerable to ethical issues associated with data privacy and security and must be addressed before tech companies deploy them in various environments including production. Ethical decisions must be based on principles of justice, fidelity, autonomy, nonmaleficence, and beneficence as Dhirani et al. (2023) underlined. This is because Grellette, (2022) argues that many tech organizations view ethics as a tool for creating public trust ending up objectifying ethics into an object that for returns. This viewpoint is dangerous as companies may opt for other means of creating public trust. Hence, Towers is obligated to prioritize ethical thinking, particularly in data privacy, social responsibility, and AI by implementing innovative measures like robust data privacy strategies to secure information of the consumers while adhering to ethical principles during the development of AI thus preventing biases. Although Towers has established itself as an ethical organization, it can fortify its position in the industry as a responsible and ethical organization by incorporating ethical standards into its policies and operations. Compliance and legal consequences Compliance with industry legislations and laws is essential for an organization to stay afloat, especially in a highly competitive industry like technology. Compliance is the pillar of a functioning society because adherence to legal requirements, industry protocols, and ethical guidelines fosters order, fairness, and accountability (Mendis et al., 2022). Compliance ensures the industry is safe and allows organizations to compete fairly on a fair ground with consumers benefiting greatly. In an industry like the technology sector, non-compliance may have far-reaching and severe consequences. Non-compliance can lead to legal consequences like fines, litigation, penalties, negative reputation with loss of customers, revenue losses, inefficiencies, and loss of competitive advantage to the rivals who comply with the laws (Mendis et al., 2022). Although Towers has not been involved in any non-compliance issues, the organization remains vulnerable especially because it is a business and it may want to increase profitability in ways that jeopardize compliance with laws. Hence, the organization must stay up to date frequently revisit its compliance history, and update its compliance procedures to drive the company's success smoothly. HR Professional Competencies Human Resource professionals are essential in expediting organizational success as they help to attract, develop, and retain top talents and a robust workforce. Therefore, they must develop and acquire several skills to maneuver the existing challenges associated with talent management, development of the organization along employee engagement. The tech industry is faced with unique challenges such as work flexibility in which many professionals prefer working remotely or with shorter shifts and schedules (Joseph et al., 2021). HR must be able to accommodate such employee needs and maximize their potential to drive organizational success. Joseph et al. (2021) argued that HRs in the tech industry must be competent right from the entry-level so that they become resourceful partners for businesses. It implies that competent HRs in the technological realm are not just employees and leaders, but play a critical role as partners. In light of this, Towers can invest in employee development targeting HR professionals to improve their skills and competence. This may be through career development programs such as mentoring, career planning, or skill development. By doing so, the organization will develop a more competent HR team that is motivated and well-equipped to drive the organizational success. In conclusion, Ethics, compliance, and HR professional competencies are at the heart of organizational success. An organization must ensure its operations and engagements align with the set ethical and compliance guidelines and capitalize on improving HR professionals' competence to achieve a healthy operating environment and a solid workforce. Learning this module has impacted my understanding of a healthy operating environment for a business. Additionally, ethical and compliance challenges are specific to industries thus acknowledging the risks and consequences that come after is crucial. The technology industry is highly vulnerable to ethical issues, non-compliance issues, and outdated professional skills. In the future, I will ensure I develop professional competencies and emphasize the significance of ethical operations and compliance with legal regulations for organizations. References Dhirani, L. L., Mukhtiar, N., Chowdhry, B. S., & Newe, T. (2023). Ethical dilemmas and privacy issues in emerging technologies: a review. Sensors, 23(3), 1151. https://doi.org/10.3390/s23031151 Grellette M. (2022). Tech Ethics Through Trust Auditing. Science and engineering ethics, 28(3), 28. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-022-00379-0 Joseph, R. M., Thomas, A., & Abbott, P. (2021). Information technology competencies for entry-level human resource strategic partners. SA Journal of Human Resource Management, 19, 12. https://doi.org/10.4102/sajhrm.v19i0.1327 Mendis, D., Barker, K., & Mc Cullagh, K. (2022). Tracing technological boundaries: law, technology, and compliance? International Review of Law, Computers & Technology, 36(2), 92-94. https://doi.org/10.1080/13600869.2022.2060470 Annotated Bibliography Martin, K., Shilton, K., & Smith, J. E. (2022). Business and the ethical implications of technology: Introduction to the symposium. In Business and the ethical implications of technology (pp. 1-11). Cham: Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04213-9 This article explores business operations and how ethical considerations and dilemmas position the way to organizational success. It takes the form of an informative and insightful approach in providing the existing gaps to understanding the significance of ethics in business with a primary focus being the technology industry. The researchers underline how research has overlooked the contributions of organizations and managers in designing, developing, and disseminating technology in communities and within their companies. The researchers acknowledge that technology has accelerated over the past few years and firms are more vulnerable to ethical issues today than ever warranting innovative approaches to navigate the risks of ethical issues. This article is relevant to my research as it directly answers the topic by exploring technological ethical implications and how businesses are affected. It brings out the role of managers, who may take any form of leadership including human resource managers, and highlight their importance and invaluable contributions to the design, devel...