INTEGRITY
Integrity is the qualifications of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. It is generally a personal choice to hold oneself to consistent moral and ethical standards.
Integrity is one of the most important and oft-cited of virtue terms. When used as a virtue term “integrity” refers to a quality of a person’s character. Some people see integrity as the quality of having a sense of honesty and truthfulness in regard to the motivations for one’s actions. Some regard integrity as a virtue in that they see accountability and moral responsibility as accountability and moral responsibility as necessary tools for maintaining such consistency.
As Carter(1906) has stated, integrity requires three steps;
- Discerning what is right and what is wrong.
- Acting on what you have discerned, even at personal cost
- Saying openly that you are acting on your understanding of right from wrong.
In ethics, integrity is regarded by many people as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. Integrity is regarded by many people as the honesty and truthfulness or accuracy of one’s actions. Integrity can stand in opposition to hypocrisy, in that judging internal consistency as a virtue, and suggests that parties holding within themselves apparently conflicting values should account for the discrepancy or alter their beliefs. The word integrity evolved from the Latin adjective integer, meaning whole or complete. In this context, integrity is the inner sense of “wholeness” deriving from qualities such as honesty and consistency of character. As such, one, may judge that others “having integrity” to the extent that they act accordingly to the values, beliefs and principles they claim to hold.
In ethics when discussing behavior and morality, an individual is said to possess the virtue of integrity if the individual’s actions are based upon an internally consistent framework of principles. These principles should uniformly adhere to sound logical axioms or postulates. One can describe a person as having ethical integrity to the extent that the individual’s actions, beliefs, methods, measures and principles all derived from a single core group of values.
An individual must therefore be flexible and willing to adjust these values in order to maintain consistency when these values are challenged, such as when an expected test results fails to be congruent with all observed outcomes. Because such flexibility is a form of accountability, it is regarded as a moral responsibility as well as a virtue.
An individual’s value system provides a framework within which the individual acts in ways which are consistent and expected. Integrity can be seen as the state or condition of having such a framework, and acting congruently within the given framework.
The concept of integrity implies a wholesomeness, a comprehensive corpus of beliefs, often referred to as a worldview. The concept of wholesomeness emphasizes honesty and authencity, requiring that one act at all times in accordance with the individual’s chosen worldview.
Political integrity: Integrity is important for politicians because they are chosen, appointed, or elected to serve society. In order to be able to serve, politicians are given power in their positions to make, execute, or control policy. They have the power to influence something or someone. There is, however, a risk that this power will not be used by politicians to serve society. Aristotle said that because rulers have power they will be tempted to use if for personal gain. It is important that politicians withstand this temptation, and that requires integrity.
In the book The Servant of the People, MuelKaptein describes that integrity starts with that politicians should know what their position entails, because integrity is related to their position. Integrity also demands knowledge and compliance with both the letter and the spirit of the written and unwritten rules. Integrity is also acting consistently not only with what is generally accepted as moral, what others think, but primarily with what is ethical, what politicians should do based on reasonable arguments. Furthermore, integrity is not just about why a politician acts in a certain way, but also about who the politician is. Questions about a person’s integrity cast doubt not only on their intentions but also on the source of those intention, the person’s character. So integrity is about having the right ethical virtues that became visible in a pattern of behavior.
The concept of integrity may also feature in business contexts beyond the issue of employee/employer honesty and ethical behavior, notably in marketing or branding contexts. The “integrity” of a brand is regarded by some as a desirable outcome for companies seeking to maintain a consistent, unambiguous position in the mind of their audience. This integrity of brand includes consistent messaging and often includes using a set of graphics standards to maintain visual integrity in marketing communications. Kaptein and Wempe have developed a theory of corporate integrity including criteria for business dealing with moral dilemmas. When an organization’s reputation is damaged, there ensues a tragic loss of both customers and good employees.
PLAGIARISM
Plagiarism is considered academic dishonesty and a breach of journalistic ethics. It is subject to sanctions like penalties, suspension and even expulsion. The modern concept of plagiarism as immoral and originality as an idea emerged in Europe in the 18th century, particularly with the Romantic Movement.
Plagiarism is not itself a crime, but can constitute copyright infringement. In academia and industry, it is a serious ethical offence. Plagiarism and copyright infringement overlap to a considerableextent, but they are not equivalent concepts, and many types of plagiarism do not constitute copyright infringement, which is defined by copyright law and may be adjudicated by courts. Plagiarism is not defined or punished by law, but rather by institutions.
Legal aspects;although plagiarism in some contexts is considered theft or stealing, the concept does not exist in a legal sense, although the use of someone else’s work in order to gain academic credit may meet some legal definitions of fraud.
Plagiarism is also considered a moral offence against anyone who has provided the plagiarist with a benefit in exchange for what is specifically supposed to be original content for example; the plagiarist’s publisher, employer or teacher. In such cases, acts of plagiarism may sometimes also form part of a claim for breach of the plagiarist’s contract, or, if done knowingly, for a civil wrong.
In academia and journalism; According to Bela Gipp, academic plagiarism encompasses; the use of ideas, concepts, words or structures without appropriately acknowledging the source to benefit in a setting where originality is expected.
With academia, plagiarism by students, professors, or researchers is considered academic dishonesty or academic fraud, and offenders are subject to academic censures, up to and including expulsion. Many institutions use plagiarism detection software to uncover potential plagiarism and to deter students from plagiarizing. An extreme form of plagiarism, known as contact cheating involves students paying someone else, such as an essay mill, to do their work for them.
In Journalism; plagiarism is considered a breach of journalistic ethics, and reporters caught plagiarizing typically face disciplinary measures ranging from suspension to termination of employment. While plagiarism in scholarship and journalism has a centuries-old history, the development of the internet, where articles appear as electronic text, has made the physical act of copying the work of others easier.
For professors and researchers, plagiarism is punished by sanctions ranging from suspension to termination, along with the loss of credibility and perceived integrity.
According to T. Fishman, plagiarism occurs when someone;
- Uses words, or work products.
- Attributable to another identifiable person or source.
- In a situation in which there is a legitimate expectation of original authorship.
- In order to obtain some benefit, credit, or gain which need not be monetary.
Self-plagiarism; This is the reuse of significant, identical or nearly identical portions of one’s own work without acknowledging that one is doing so or citing then original work.
Articles of this natureare often referred to as duplicate or multiple publication. Typically, self-plagiarism is only considered a serious ethical issue in settings where someone asserts that a publication consists of new material, such as in publishing or factual documentation. In academic fields, self-plagiarism occurs when an author reuses portions of his own published and copyrighted work in subsequent publications, but without attributing the previous publication.
Types of plagiarism
- Direct plagiarism- this is the lifting of entire passages without placing those passages within quotation marks and without crediting the original author.
- Mosaic plagiarism- this is the lifting of words and ideas from the original text and incorporating them within your own work, creating a confusing mix that leaves the reader wondering which work belongs to which author.
- Unacceptable paraphrasing is the restating of another author’s words and meanings without giving proper credit.
- Insufficient acknowledgement like mosaic plagiarism is the acknowledgement of only a portion of the original author’s work. It is clear which ideas belong to which author.
Whether intentional or unintentional, plagiarism is unacceptable. It infringes on the author’s rights to decide how and when they choose to have their work published and distributed. Careful management of citations during the research and writing stages of a manuscript or presentation will prevent unintentional plagiarism. Always be mindful of the original author’s when paraphrasing and citing their work.
PIRACY
Piracy refers to the unauthorized duplication of copyrighted content that is then sold at substantially lower prices in the ‘grey’ market. The ease of access to technology has meant that over the years, privacy has become more rampant. For example, CD writers are available off the shelf at very low prices, making music piracy a simple affair.
Piracy is done in many ways like video piracy, cable piracy, and DVD/CD piracy. Video piracy takes place when a film is produced in the form of a videocassette without proper authorization from the right holder, that is, the producer. Often, film producers sell video rights to another party, generally after six weeks or more of release in theatres, which makes video cassettes for selling, or lending.
Cable piracy refers to unauthorized transmission of films, especially the new release, are shown through cable without permission from the rights holder.
Music piracy refers to the unauthorized replication of music cassettes that flood the market as soon as the launch of a new release. Music companies’ revenues hit hard by the deluge of pirated compact discs and cassettes, as these are available at substantially lower prices compared to that at stores.
Piracy with regards to information and media mainly covers two major areas; multimediaindustry and software industry.For today’s world getting the latest hit song, video or software program can be as easy as pressing a button. With no investment necessary, any song or movie or even program can be found on person files sharing networks such as Limewire, Frostwire or BitTorrent.
Some examples of piracy include: making unlicensed DVDs and selling them to the public, printing and selling copies of a book without permission, disturbing copyrighted music on the internet and breaking digital protections on software in order to use the software without paying the license fee.
COPY-RIGHT
Copyright is a legal term describing ownership of control of the rights to the use and distribution of certain works of creative expression, including books, video, movies, music and computer programs. It is a form of protection provided by laws of the United States for original works of ownership that are fixed in a tangible medium of expression.
Copyright literary means to copy; however, the term has come to include the body of exclusive rights granted by law to authors for protection of their work.
Historically, copyright law has been enacted to balance the desire of cultures to use and reuse creative works against the desire of the creators of art, literature, music and the like to monetize their work by controlling who can make and sell copies of the work.
Copyright law protects the creative works of writers, artists and inventors of symbols of all types. The copyright holder is often a company or corporation. If a work is created as a component of employment, then the copyright for the work defaults to the employer.
The owner of copyright has exclusive right to;
- Reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works based on the copyrighted work, and, in the case of certain works, publicly perform or display the work.
- License others to engage in the same acts under specific terms and conditions. Copyright law allows for enrichment and cultural output for the nation by providing protection for first-time authors and publishing companies alike.
Copyright ownership is bounded by the territory of the jurisdiction in which it has been granted, as well by certain specific exceptions.
Organization Copyright Treaty was adopted in 1996 to cover information technology and the internet, elements not directly addressed in the Berne Convention.
An important shift in copyright legislation that appeared in the Berne Convention was the move to make copyright protection automatic.
There are very few standards for determining which works are copyrightable. The copyright law states that any original work of authorship may be copyrighted. A copyrightable work is not required to be cutting edge or of a certain quality to be considered original. The requirements for originality are any work designed or developed by the author that has not been copied from a preexisting work. Such latitude in the law encourages authors to create and produce freely, knowing that their life’s work will be their own to publish or leave unpublished as they desire.
Even when a work is protected under copyright law, the copyright law allows certain exceptions where works may be used even when the copyright holder has otherwise restricted use. Some of these exceptions are a matter of practicality, such as allowing libraries to make Braille copies of books they own. In some cases, such as public venues that play music through jukeboxes, the copyright owner is compelled by the law to grant the jukebox owner a license at a predetermined fee.
Digital rights as copyright control; Digital expressions, such as e-books and music, are of course protected under copyright just as their traditional book and compact disc counterparts are. Controlling infringement and unauthorized reproduction of digital work is considerably more difficult than hard copy products that require printing and physical distribution. Copyright protects these works and can be used as the basis for lawsuits after the fact, but corporations have embraced the idea of using digital technologies to protect digital works.
The two basic approaches used in typical DRM products include;
- Individual copies of the digital product are encrypted and contain the code necessary to protect their use. The protections used to prevent unauthorized duplication of commercially distributed DVDs are examples of this and rely on safeguards built into DVD players to prevent the use of pirated copies.
- A centralized rights management server checks authorizations at time of use and locks or unlocks digital copies accordingly. This allows finer-grained control but requires internet connection before each use.
Not every expression of an idea may be copyright protected. Copyright doesn’t protect;
- Product names.
- Titles of works such as books.
- Names of business and organizations.
- Pseudonyms, including computer hacker “nyms”.
- Slogans, catchphrases, mottos, and short advertising phrases.
- Lists of ingredients, such as on product labels or as used in recipes.
Somethings on this list, such as product names, may be afforded protection under trademark law.
THE INTERNET
The internet has provided easy access to tremendous amounts of copyrighted and non-copyrighted materials with the click of a mouse. As communication medium, the internet has proven its worth by providing users with remote access to libraries and the ability to research subjects worldwide; however, with that convenience comes confusion. Information obtained on the internet is often mistakenly assumed to be in the public because it is presented in an informal and conversational manner.
Before the prevalence of the internet, it was routine to visit library and physically handle the books and journals when researching a topic. This formal atmosphere served as a gentle reminder that someone else authored and published the materials. Where we once approached the library with a stack of index cards to record our notes and references, today’s researcher often relies on downloaded articles, images captured on screens, and paragraphs of text cut and pasted from the internet. In this move from hand editing the text page to screen editing, authors may find it difficult to keep references organized and cited properly. Experienced researchers develop their own systems for recording references and citations.
Another concern about using materials available on the internet is credibility. Unless you are researching a topic through a library database or other credible source, there is no guarantee that materials have been edited. Be cautious about using materials that might violate copyright laws or be plagiarized.
Text: Editors and college professors are vigorously pursuing the arduous fight against authors who plagiarize works from the internet. Writers have begun to recognize that with the use of finding research materials online also comes the ease of tracing plagiarism.
Search engines on the internet now require fewer than seven words to locate the original source document.
It is common for journal editors to randomly choose words from a work submitted for publication and conduct a search key words or phrases to check for possible plagiarism. Just as in a traditional library, authors must assume everything on the internet is “owned”by someone; the same rules for citation and referencing should be followed. Information posted on the internet is not always accompanied by a copyright symbol, so be reminded that there is potential for plagiarism and only through the accurate referencing will prevent you from copyright infringement.
Graphics: with the prevalence of digital imaging, photographic and graphic copyright infringement in now just as common as plagiarism. The digital format lends itself to fast and inexpensive production of copies almost identical in quality to the original. There are many websites that offer yearly subscriptions to a variety of royalty-free photographs and graphics. These subscriptions allow the user to incorporate professional photographs in their work without concern for licensing from the original owner. Read the license agreement carefully to insure that the subscription offers the copyright protection you need to present or publish their photo graphics in your work.
It is important to understand how to place well-written and accurately cited information o the internet. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors remind us that most journals are published in both electronic and print versions and any electronic publishing is considered publishing. Posting information on the internet makes that information available to everyone and every type of data retrieval software. By placing plagiarized or in appropriately referenced information on the internet and making it available to others, whether they choose to copy it or not, you are guilty of distributing copyrighted materials without permission.
