Nanotechnology: Science, Innovation, and Opportunity

Chapter 19. Ethical Considerations in the Advance of Nanotechnology

William Sims Bainbridge

Ethics is important in industry for a variety of reasons. A well-established professional ethics is a necessary basis for cooperation between companies, government agencies, and other organizations. The public needs to have confidence in the ethical conduct of a corporation’s business, or it may be suspicious of the corporation’s products and services in the marketplace. Without widespread confidence from academia and nonprofit organizations, a corporation may find itself the target of negative activism and political agitation.

Ethical principles are among the most significant means by which a company builds morale and support from its own employees, including ...