Publications & Privacy

Publications & Privacy Taking the High Road? or Taking Advantage? Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Introduction • Welcome • Ethics and HRD Hatcher 2002 • Business ethics, is the study of conflict between economics and values, between competition, commerce and capitalism, and between morality, integrity and responsibility. Ethics is values and the way values are carried out in work related systems. (Hatcher, 2002 p. 59) • Take the last 3 ingredients of this definition and begin our discussion of business ethics as they pertain the issues publication and privacy. Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

The Ethics of Publication • Ethics of publication involve various intricacies in order to ensure the credibility and validity of research those responsible behind given studies. • Although the boundaries of Publication can become blurry there is a standard of which every publication is held too. • Publications can involve many aspects, but for the sake of time we are focusing on only a few. Some of those other aspects involved are : authorship, peer review, editorial decisions, originality (involves a prior publication or media relation), plagiarism, marketing (advertising), any relation to society or subject matter ( describing the subjects, if applicable, studied) Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Publications (B/n the Lines) • Any publication should be of the highest quality and be able to with- stand peer review, and the publication process should be fair, objective, and very thorough. • A publications reputation involves the integrity and trust of various other aspects of the process. These include but are not limited to: research, patients, authors, editors, readers, any financial funding agencies, and any supervision committees. • Any publication, such as a journal, should publish a set of rules to abide by to constitute authorship. Although, there is no worldly definition for authorship, those contributors should be made privy to certain matters. • http://www.ahrd.org/associations/10425/files/ethics_standards.pdf Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Publication contd. • AUTHORSHIP: Quick Guidelines • Everyone who is listed as an author should have made a substantial, direct, intellectual contribution to the work. For example (in the case of a research report) they should have contributed to the conception, design, analysis and/or interpretation of data. Honorary or guest authorship is not acceptable. Acquisition of funding and provision of technical services, patients, or materials, while they may be essential to the work, are not in themselves sufficient contributions to justify authorship. • Everyone who has made substantial intellectual contributions to the work should be an author. Everyone who has made other substantial contributions should be acknowledged. • When research is done by teams whose members are highly specialized, individual's contributions and responsibility may be limited to specific aspects of the work. • All authors should participate in writing the manuscript by reviewing drafts and approving the final version. • One author should take primary responsibility for the work as a whole even if he or she does not have an in-depth understanding of every part of the work. • This primary author should assure that all authors meet basic standards for authorship and should prepare a concise, written description of their contributions to the work, which has been approved by all authors. This record should remain with the sponsoring department. • http://www.hms.harvard.edu/integrity/authorship.html

Publication Involves (standards) • Ownership of intellectual property (publication of work). • Publication credit (publication of work). • Conflicting pressure with organizational demands (resolution of ethical issues and violations). • Release of Data. • Plagiarism and Duplicate publication data. • Stories of “Unknown University” w/ Professor Bigname vs. Joan Noname; and Ed vs. Training One.). • http://www.ahrd.org/associations/10425/files/ethics_standards.pdf Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Ethics of Publication cont 3 minutes Application As an employee who is now grossly underemployed due to the economy, Rose uses her background in television marketing and advertising to put together a promotional plan that will not only change the public image of her station but that also has the potential to bring thousands of dollars to the company. Being eager to rebuild her career and to reaffirm her status as a professional, Rose presents the information to her current manager who downplays the potential and creativity of the idea telling her he will keep it in his files for future restructuring. Six months later, in a station wide meeting, Rose hears that senior management is excited about making crucial changes that will bring more revenue to the company and increase the public’s awareness of the channel. The plans presented were VERY similar to ones Rose provided to her manager, with the exception of one addition. At the end of the announcement, Rose was devastated to realize that not only did her manager receive all the credit, but that she was not even acknowledged as a contributor to the idea. • What emotions do you think Rose is experiencing at this moment? How about her manager? • From here, how should each party proceed? • Teams 1,2,3,4 represent Rose • Teams 5,7,8,9 represent Rose’s manager • What applicable standards were violated? • As an HRD professional, you have been made aware of this issue, do you get involved? How do you help remedy this problem? Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Ethics of Privacy • The Academy of Human Resource Development provides 7 very distinct standards as guidelines as to how HRD professionals and their organizations should behave as it regards the privacy of their employees and information disclosure principles. • http://www.ahrd.org/associations/10425/files/ethics_standards.pdf Ethical dilemmas are situational and cultural. They should not be generalized (Hatcher 2002 by way of Collins 2000) Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Ethics of Privacy Cont • 1. Discussions of the Limit of Confidentiality • Get permission before recording interviews. • Ask what the information will be used for now but in the future. • Get clear on the limitations of confidentiality. What are the clients expectations and definitions of confidentiality. • Talk about confidentiality first! And keep discussing it as the project evolves. • 2. Protection of Confidentiality • Take reasonable precautions to protect the privacy of employees. Respect for confidentiality and rights that come with it. • Minimize jeopardizing the privacy of individuals, only provide information pertaining directly to the subject matter being dealt with. • Only discuss confidential information during appropriate times with the appropriate individuals. Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Ethics of Privacy cont • 3. Maintenance and Ownership of Records • Create, store, access, transfer and dispose of records in accordance to law and official HRD standards. • Make plans beyond death regarding the safe keeping and handling of personnel records. • Abide within the law and reason as pertains to sharing recorded information. • 4. Disclosure • Only disclose individual information without permission if the law mandates such sharing. • Should only be used to protect the organization or individual from harm, obtain the appropriate consultations, or obtain payment for services. • May at anytime disclose information with consent of the individual, Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Ethics of Privacy cont • 5. Consultations • Do NOT disclose information that could lead to the identification of a client. (DON’T DROP HINTS!) • 6. Confidential Information in Databases • Use codes when sharing information from a database to individuals not consented to read or interpret data. • In the event personal identifiers are needed by a professional review board, they may be provided, but must be deleted before a non-professional review board member views the data. • If personal info CANNOT be erased, make a reasonable effort to obtain consent from the identified party. • 7. Use of Confidential Information for Didactic or Other Purposes • Do not disclose the names or members of clients or partnering organizations unless permission has been granted in writing by the identified parties. • Disguise confidential info about clients, partners, etc to avoid embarrassment or identifiably later.

Ethics of Privacy cont • Think of a time when you feel that your privacy has been violated? Was it of a professional nature or personal? • How did the perpetrator justify his or her actions? • What standards were violated? 2 minutes Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Wrapping Up Think Ahead! • With regard to either of the subjects we have discussed tonight, consider when you have “taken the high road” and defended against unethical unprofessional behavior regarding publishing and privacy? • Next consider when you have “taken advantage” with regard to one or both the subjects. How did you justify your actions? To whom did you justify your actions? In hindsight, what do you think your actions said about you as a professional? As a person? • Connect your decisions, actions and justifications to our class readings and post anonymously to the discussion board next week. Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Questions & Comments Thanks for your attention Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

References • http://adh.sagepub.com.www.lib.ncsu.edu:2048/cgi/reprint/3/1/7 • http://www.ahrd.org/ and society for HR Management • http://www.ahrd.org/associations/10425/files/ethics_standards.pdf • http://www.ahrd.org/displaycommon.cfm?an=1&subarticlenbr=17 • http://www.hms.harvard.edu/integrity/authorship.html • Aragon, S.R., & Hatcher, T. (2001). Ethics and integrity in HRD: Case studies in research and practice. • Hatcher, T. (2002). Ethics and HRD: A New Approach to Leading Responsible Organizations. Gregory Jordan  Toni Patterson

Publications & Privacy