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Science and technology are part of our everyday life.

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Our world would be inconceivable without electricity, antibiotics or the Internet, for example.

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But science and technology are also closely linked with economics,

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as most of the products that we use every day are created by companies that sell them in a market economy.

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A market economy is a system in which free agents, such as individuals or companies,

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Companies can buy and sell their products freely.

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Supply and demand determines the price, and this implies that competition is essential

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in this system.

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Many companies want to create new products, so they invest large quantities of money and

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talent in innovation, research and development, in order to gain new customers and increase

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their benefit.

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Of course, companies must have benefits in order to survive, but we must remember that

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this cannot be the only purpose of a company.

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Companies also have a social and environmental responsibility.

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They should make their products in an environment that is safe, they must grant a good working

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conditions for their labor and they must also respect the environment unfortunately many

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companies don't do so for example when they relocate their production they offshore their

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industries in order to make their products in countries that have a very permissive legislation

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in respect with pollution and very cheap labor for example now this is clearly unethical

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And in order to prevent these things from happening, we have invented what we call deontological codes.

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A deontological code is a set of norms that establishes our duties.

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And deontological codes are especially important in many professions, such as medicine, finance, journalism, politics, etc.

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Now, unfortunately, making a list of our duties and obligations in a deontological code

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does not solve all the possible problems that may arise when we are at work.

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That's why sometimes ethics committees are necessary.

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For example, in hospitals, many times professionals face ethical dilemmas,

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situations when they have to decide between two different options,

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and both have serious advantages and disadvantages, so it's not easy to decide what to do.

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In such situations, it is essential to have the aid of an ethics committee,

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a group of experts that analyses the moral issues involved and helps us to take the correct decision.

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Companies should also be environmentally and socially responsible.

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they should know that their only purpose is not to make money of course making

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money is legitimate for a company they need money to survive but they also have

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a social and an environmental responsibility that must be taken into

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account and we individuals also have a responsibility as consumer we should

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always take into account how the products we buy have been produced have

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Have they been environmentally friendly?

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Have they taken into account the rights of their workers?

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Have they given labour a good and fair salary?

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Have the products been created according to all the legislation?

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Are they respectful with human rights?

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Whenever you buy something, please remember the importance of making a good choice and

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responsibility you have as an individual and as a consumer as well.