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Journal of Business Ethics (2008) 83:489501 Springer 2008 DOI 10.1007/s10551-007-9633-8
Internet Technologies in China: Insights on the Morally Important Inuence of Managers Kirsten E. Martin
ABSTRACT. Within Science and Technology Studies, much work has been accomplished to identify the moral importance of technology in order to clarify the influence of scientists, technologists, and managers. However, similar studies within business ethics have not kept pace with the nuanced and contextualized study of technology within Science and Technology Studies. In this article, I analyze current arguments within business ethics as limiting both the moral importance of technology and the influence of managers. As I argue, such assumptions serve to narrow the scope of business ethics in the examination of technology. To reinforce the practical implications of these assumptions and to further illustrated the current arguments, I leverage the recent dialog around U.S. Internet technologies in China. The goal of this article is to broaden that which is morally salient and relevant to business managers and business ethicists in the analysis of technology by highlighting key lessons from seminal STS scholars. This article should be viewed as part of a nascent yet burgeoning dialog between business ethics and Science and Technology Studies a dialog that benefits both fields of study.
KEY WORDS: actor-network theory, China, ethics, Google, Inc., innovation, internet, pragmatism, Science and Technology Studies (STS), socio-technical systems, technology
So its not just a question of technologyI almost wish it were because then the technological solutions we would all hope for may be there (The Internet in China, p. 31).
Gross, U.S. State Department
Cisco sells the same equipment to China that we sell worldwide (The Internet in China, p. 80).
Mark Chandler, Cisco.
we do not have the inuence or leverage to pressure the Chinese into changing their regulations or refraining from enforcing them (The Internet in China,p. 46).
Jack Krumholtz, Microsoft
Based on what we know today and what we see in China, we believe our decision to launch the Google.cn service in addition to our Google.com service is a reasonable one, better for Chinese users and better for Google (The Internet in China, p. 47).
Elliot Schrage, Google, Inc.
Introduction
Business has a special role within the technological lifecycle. Firms are the mechanism through which...