Social, Moral And Ethical Considering

Question 1

When can social issues arise ? And is this a good or bad thing ?

Answer 1

Social issues can arise when a new product has an unforeseen side effect on a group of people

This can be a good or bad thing:

• if a product was dangerous or affected a persons health, employment or wealth it could be socially unacceptable
• Design that has a positive social impact may influence issues such as health and well-being, housing, migration and poverty

Question 2

What does CSR stand for ?

Answer 2

Corporate Social responsibility

Question 3

What is Corporate Social responsibility ( CSR ) ?

Answer 3

Corporate social responsibility relates to a companies efforts to support society and sustainable development - being responsible for their own impact

It is a self-regulatory framework that encourages companies to build long term, sincere goals to find ethical and sustainable solutions - an example of one of the goals can be for e.g. Bosch are committed to become carbon neutral by 2020 - this statement will boost their sales as people will believe that they are trying to do good for the environment and therefore they will buy their product

Question 4

What are some other Social Considerations that responsible companies should be asking themselves about ?

Answer 4

• Is the health and safety of all employees a primary concern ?
• Are employees being paid a fair wage ?
• Is there an equal rights policy ?
• Are there appropriate training schemes for employees ?
• Is there a flexible hours policy for parents who need to pick up their child from school or have a sick child ?
• Are promising employees sponsored through university ?
• Does the company contribute anything to the local community ?

Question 5

What are some moral implications of design ?

Answer 5

• Stereotyping - should designers stereotype designs such as clothes etc - it could be damaging to progress and mental health for many - however other people think that there should be stereotypes as boys should wear this and girls should wear that etc
• Some products can be morally challenging to some cultural or religious groups - for e.g. the use of animal fur for garments offends some - gambling is illegal in some countries therefore roulettes wheels wouldn’t sell and could offend
• Some of the technology that we carry around and have at home, are capable of listening to and recording out conversations - should this be part of the design ? Is it an acceptable form of surveillance or is it an invasion of privacy ?

Question 6

How can designers avoid causing offence to people of different race, religion or gender ?

Answer 6

Cultural issues can arise when a designer fails to investigate whether a new product could cause offence

Common issues are with inappropriate use of colour, words, gestures, signs and symbols that have different meanings around the world - the designers have to be considerate about what they put on a deisgn