Ethics in Organizational Decision Making Term Paper

Still, MIT countered "Our mission statement talks about principled, innovative leaders and we take the principled part seriously." (AP Wire, 2005)

Part II. The impact of technology on work-related stress

Work should be growing less stressful -- given the ubiquity telecommuting, and the increased swiftness and interconnectedness of technical innovation that connects the individual to the workplace via the Internet. (Olson, 2003) However, the easier it becomes to get 'connected' to work, quite often the more the stress of the workforce bleeds into the quality life of one's home and the higher the expectations demanded of conscientious employees.

Cite a specific example (from work, industry, media etc.) where technology played/will play a role in an organizations behavior

For example, the connective nature of work enabled by the Internet, specifically with high-speed connections such as broadband, and when complimented with wireless phones, video conferencing, and other technologies, have enabled some workers to be better connected to the office during times of personal stress. One might say the upside to this is that a mother who has just given birth can telecommunicate to her office virtually as soon as she is conscious. One could also say conversely that the downside to this is that she might very well be expected to, by her boss.

Because of the Internet and telecommuting, organizations may feel more comfortable hiring workers with unconventional lifestyles that allow them to live at a distance from their office -- such as mothers with many children or people who work multiple jobs or live at a fair distance from the company. Telecommuting is no longer just simply for high-powered executives who have to travel a great deal but still wish to exercise management over their companies.

But the technology of the Internet and personal computers that connect workers to work comes at a price, namely the death of private time. While workers may use the corporate Internet occasionally for personal use to the ire of time managers and engage in corporate time theft, the possibility of telecommuting is also responsible for keeping workers connected to the office in times of inclement weather, sickness, children's difficulties, and personal crisis. The workplace may or may not be more efficient, given the virtual presence of stressed workers, working from home -- but the twenty-four hour workday and the constant culture of work may spell the death of private space and life as a sacred sphere in the future, and create businesses that are open longer, at all times, as stressed-out gateways of the global marketplace of all time zones, incorporated.

Works Cited

AP Wire. (9 Mar 2005) "Harvard rejects those who saw Admissions." The New York Times. Retrieved 10 Mar 2005 at http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/business/AP-Business-School-Hacker.html

Olson, Elizabeth. (24 Aug 2003) Executive Life; at Home (of Course) With a Telecommuter." The New York Times. Retrieved 10 Mar 2005 at http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F60F1FF83F5D0C778EDDA10894DB404482