A Hitman’s Approach to Ethics: Temptations and Challenges and Topic Overview - Ethical Engineering for International Development and Environmental Sustainability - page 10

7 Part IV: Ethical Engineering and International Security

This part consists of four chapters. The fi rst three chapters examine ethical issues
related to development in three different contexts: the automation and information
and communications technology (ICT) industries in Poland, a telemedicine centre
in Kosovo and technology development for Deaf people in South Africa. The fourth
chapter considers ethical issues associated with military work.
Chapter 8 on 'Engineering Ethics Problems in a Developing Country' by Józef
B. Lewoc, Poland, and colleagues draws on case studies of the experiences of suc-
cessful leading designers in the areas of hardware, software, applications and
research to discuss ethical issues related to working in the ICT and automation
industry in Poland. The situation both pre and post the political and economic
changes in 1989 is considered, with developments in the subsequent period based
almost exclusively on technology transfer. A number of ethical theories are applied
to analyse the actions of leading designers, large corporations post-1989 and the
authorities in the state-owned fi rm Elwro pre-1989. Similarities and differences in
the experiences of leading designers in the two periods are noted, and various
suggestions for surviving while behaving ethically are made.
Chapter 9 on 'Rebuilding Hope in Post-confl ict Regions: Telemedicine in
Kosovo' by Anita Kealy and Larry Stapleton, Ireland, defi nes post-confl ict regions
as territories where there has been a severe, recent violent confl ict which has funda-
mentally destabilised a society. Because of this, post-confl ict regions frequently
have a particular set of features which differentiate them from other developing or
more stable regions. Studies from both developed and developing regions show that
developing and implementing medical informatics or e-health are becoming a
crucial part of effective health care. Developing and implementing large-scale, tech-
nologically enabled infrastructures such as health services are notoriously diffi cult,
even in stable regions.
Post-confl ict regions are extreme situations with many additional complicating
features for large-scale technology projects. This chapter aims to set out the factors
leading to a successful implementation of a telemedicine ICT system in Kosovo.
Ciborra ( 2002 ) argues that ICT is more than a combination of hardware and
software. ICT creates a backdrop for human actors that work with it and can both
refl ect and impact on the organisation it has become part of. Ciborra ( 2002 ) puts
forward fi ve features of the 'host', who is receiving the technology as a 'guest'.
These features are evident in the fi ndings from the successful implementation of the
telemedicine centre. This research found that the impact on the organisation of
hosting the technology emerges as one of the main factors which infl uenced the
success of the centre. These fi ndings suggest that when investigating the outcomes
of large-scale technology projects in post-confl ict developing regions, this aspect of
the technology warrants further exploration.
Chapter 10 on 'Beyond Traditional Ethics when Developing Assistive Technology
for and with Deaf People in Developing Regions' by Bill Tucker, South Africa,