Ethics and transnational eWork
 

Could international eWork lead to the exploitation of vulnerable groups of workers? An innovative new European project, VIP, aims to ensure that it does not, by developing a voluntary ethical code for IST-enabled cross-border work. VIP is funded under the IST programme and led by Paavonen Consulting AB, a consulting and research company specialised in new methods of work and ICT-mediated work organisations. Director, Walter Paavonen writes. Walter Paavonen, Director, Paavonen Consulting AB

With the globalisation of the economy and of markets for knowledge and labour, employers look first for minds and intellectual capital and are increasingly hiring employees wherever they live, regardless of distances and national borders. Distance-bridging information technology facilitates these geographically dispersed activities.

As the results of EMERGENCE have shown, IST-enabled cross-border work can be found across a broad range of business functions and services, ranging from high-skilled functions like planning or R&D to lower-skilled ones like taking orders or processing complaints.

These new modes of IST-enabled cross-border work carry both risks and opportunities. On the one hand there is a danger that they may be used as an instrument for unfair exploitation of labour and natural resources. Conflicts may arise when different business cultures, societal development stages, interests and legal and value systems meet. But on the other hand, Internet and other IST-facilities offer excellent opportunities to enterprises and millions of people in less developed countries to improve knowledge, their awareness of human rights and to participate in the shaping of the Information Society.

What is VIP?

Voluntary Industrial Code of Practice (VIP) will be a unilateral commitment among international companies to consider ethical aspects when establishing and carrying out IST-enabled work across national borders. The long-term objective is to raise awareness among large companies and invite them to contribute to the development of a humane global Information Society.

VIP’s objectives are:

To clarify the essence of business ethics and conduct a dialogue on corporate responsibilities among VIP partners and VIP industrial participants, and to provide a comprehensive overview and a systematic review of the relevance and impact of existing conventions (legislation, agreements, declarations) and codes of conduct applicable for international business and work across national borders. To develop a database and assessment tool, accessible via the Internet, based on survey data and fuzzy logic methodology that facilitates stimulation, control and analysis of consensus building processes. To propose an ethical code for work performed across national borders. This will be developed in dialogue with large international companies

Already signed up for VIP are several major international companies, including:

Ericsson Radio Systems AB, the most rapidly-expanding business sector within the Ericsson Group and the world’s leading supplier of mobile communications technology.

AstraZeneca AB, the Swedish part of AstraZeneca PLC, which is a one of the world’s leading healthcare and pharmaceutical companies.

Sonera OY, a major Finnish communications operator in the process of developing into a global player.

VIP is looking for new participants to join these pioneers. The project invites international enterprises to become involved the process of developing the VIP Code from other parts of Europe to ensure the best possible coverage of European business cultures. Because of their strong role in shaping the new information economy, VIP especially welcomes telecom operators, software providers, dotcom businesses, insurance companies, financial services ad international management consultants, but is also keen to involve manufacturing industries with international R&D, support and service activities, for instance in the pharmaceuticals, computer hardware or auto industries.

Interested? For more information on VIP, go to www.unomondo.org

Walter Paavonen, can be contacted on paavonen@algonet.se