The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia

Running Head: The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
TOPIC IN IT ETHICS
Word count: 1200

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................2
Utilitarianism theory....................................................................................................................................2
Deontology theory.......................................................................................................................................2
Virtue theory...............................................................................................................................................3
Contract theory...........................................................................................................................................4
Conclusion...................................................................................................................................................4
References...................................................................................................................................................6

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
Introduction
There has been several theories developed, with the coming time, to make appropriate
comments on any particular or specific act that is associated with an individual or entity. In this
report, the discussion is based on the jobs of truck drivers in Australia and also how the
driverless trucks can be a job killers for the truck drivers. The discussion will be based out on the
four classical ethical theories which are utilitarianism theory, virtue theory, deontology theory
and contract theory which will help in judging a particular act which is committed by an
individual.
Utilitarianism theory
This theory describes the pleasure which is associated in performing a particular act.
Every act has a pleasure associated with it which motivates a person in performing that particular
act. In Utilitarianism theory, the interest of all the beings are considered equally.
In the given case study, it is significant that soon, the artificial robots will be a preferred
alternative for the works that are done by human beings in the transport industry of Australia. It
is evident that with such technological advancement and ramifications, the employment of the
common people will be dissolved and taken over by the robots operating on Artificial
intelligence (Arnold, 2014). This will certainly help in increasing the efficiency of a business
and will speed up the business process of an organization. The Utilitarianism theory evaluates
the pleasure which motivates the organization in performing a particular action. In the discussed
case, the worker union approached the authorities of the Federal Government of Australia to
formulate a strategy that can help them to avoid suffering that may arise due to such
technological advancement. This theory is used to analyze the utility of technological
advancement and to identify the pleasure of motivation that comes when a desired output is
received.
Deontology theory
Every person has to abide by certain ethics and moral values for effective sustainability
and efficient functioning of the society. This deontological theory helps in reflecting the
judgmental practice of this particular case which is based on the morality and ethics of the

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
situation. In this given circumstance, the action of the person should only be judged on the basis
of his corresponding factors (Playford, Roberts & Playford, 2015). In this particular instance, it
could be defined as a relationship between the employers and the employee and should be judged
on moral and ethical capacity.
Taking evidence from the given case study, the owners of the transport company are
switching to more reliable and advanced technologies which will certainly decrease the jobs and
eat up the employment opportunity. In terms of moral ethics, the act of the company owners is
morally justified but ethically, it is negative (Wilson & Racine, 2015). This will ultimately result
in a negative image in the mind of the employees associated with this industry. Abandoning the
workers will not only affect them but also their families are the ones to suffer in this. The
Government should lay down the strategies that ensure that the jobs of these people doesn’t
becomes obsolete in future (Xu & Ma, 2016). This Deontological theory, along with evaluating
and analyzing the ethical and moral actions associated with a particular human being, also helps
in identifying the gaps where improvement can be made to maintain a sustainable and strong
balance in the society (Lucas, Van Wee & Maat, 2016).
Virtue theory
The change in time has also brought changes in intents and virtues of each and every
person. The virtue theory unfolds the immanent power an individual mind can have. Also, the
thinking skills, habitual actions and the intention to perform a particular act is revealed by this
theory. It is analyzed while implementing this theory that each and every person execute their
actions by understanding the mind set of people like their habits, working behavior, thinking
skills (Carr, 2016).
In reference to the given case, the workers of the transport industry, who are the victims
here, would be left to suffer due to this technological advancement and lose their jobs and living.
The owners who are accused in this case, are the billionaires of the transport industry living in
Australia and foreign countries (Waymack, 2016). Using the virtue theory, the decision will be
made based by evaluating the thinking skills, habitual actions and intentions of the industry
owners and its employees (Gensler, 2017). From the owner’s point of view, virtue theory states
that the adopting new technology is also important for making changes in the business process. It

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
would certainly help the business to make its process more efficient and will cut the time to half.
As far as the employees view point is considered, the ramifications in the technology will have
negative impact on their living and also their family would end up suffering. It is important that
the government should pass on a proper judgement keeping in mind the virtue theory so that both
negative and positive aspects can be considered of both the employees and the industry owners
(Dion, 2012).
Contract theory
The contract theory talks about the rules and regulations that each and every individual in
the society should follow. These rules and regulations are laid down so that there should be
coherency in the society and every people should follow these so that there is no bad done to any
of the individual. It is like an agreement that is between the peoples respect the rights of each
other and maintain peace in the society (Barrow, 2015). Anyone found doing the opposite, i.e.
breaking the rules will have to suffer the consequences in the form of penalty or punishment.
In the case study, Uber is implementing advanced technology in its cars and
transportation, which is undercutting the current jobs that are available. Uber is seen entering
into an independent contractual agreement with its driver in which the company won’t be
entertaining any kind of sick leave, maternity leave, minimum pay and other benefits. This kind
of policy will not only decline the state of its employees but also the whole society will have its
impact. The contract theory discern this act of Uber completely inappropriate. However, from the
alternate point of view, it will help the company in cost cutting and reducing the overall
expenditures so that it could focus more on attracting potential client. Uber should consider all
the factors associated with people, employees and companies while making a decision.
Conclusion
After a thorough evaluation of the case, it can be said that a person’s judgement should
consider all the factors as a whole. It should consider all the above mentioned theories and
analysis should be done considering all the factors. As these theories will not only help in talking
a constructive judgement but also help in effective utilization of sources available. By taking into
consideration all the theories, it will help the business owners to make judgment considering all

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
the aspects concerning the business and its employees as well. The decision and actions taken by
the employees and owners are completely based out of their perceptions. All these theories will
help in creating a balance between both the employees and the transport business owners so that
a decision can be made keeping in point both parties interest.

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The jobs killer is coming: How driverless trucks could change Australia
References
Arnold, D. G. (2014). Ethical theory and business. T. L. Beauchamp, & N. E. Bowie (Eds.).
Pearson.
Barrow, R. (2015). Injustice, inequality and ethics: A philosophical introduction to moral
problems. Routledge.
Carr, D. (2016). Virtue, character and emotion in people professions: towards a virtue ethics of
interpersonal professional conduct. In Towards Professional Wisdom (pp. 113-126).
Routledge.
Dion, M. (2012). Are ethical theories relevant for ethical leadership?. Leadership &
Organization Development Journal, 33(1), 4-24.
Gensler, H. J. (2017). Ethics: A contemporary introduction. Routledge.
Lucas, K., Van Wee, B., & Maat, K. (2016). A method to evaluate equitable accessibility:
combining ethical theories and accessibility-based approaches. Transportation, 43(3), 473-
490.
Playford, R. C., Roberts, T., & Playford, E. D. (2015). Deontological and utilitarian ethics: a
brief introduction in the context of disorders of consciousness. Disability and
rehabilitation, 37(21), 2006-2011.
Waymack, M. H. (2016). Ethical Theories Part I: Dilemmas and Decision-Making. In Ethical
Issues in Aviation (pp. 37-50). Routledge.
Wilson, G., & Racine, E. (2015). Disorders of consciousness in an evolving neuroscience
context. Assessing Pain and Communication in Disorders of Consciousness, 128.
Xu, Z. X., & Ma, H. K. (2016). How can a deontological decision lead to moral behavior? The
moderating role of moral identity. Journal of Business Ethics, 137(3), 537-549.