Read the following New York Times article, "How Surveillance Changes Behavior: A Restaurant Workers Case Study" by Steve Lohr.
Link:
http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/08/26/how-surveillance-changes-behavior-a-restaurant-workers-case-study/?_r=0
Then, respond to the following prompt in an organized paragraph. Make sure you have a clear topic sentence; support it with specific examples and deep commentary.
Prompt: In your opinion, can surveillance really help change unethical behavior? Consider the short-term and long-term effects.
Please put your name and your period at the end of the post.
You will receive...
...a 10/10 for a post that demonstrates effort, originality, and depth of thought.
...a 8/10 for a post that demonstrates mediocre effort, some originality, and some deeper explanation.
...a 6/10 for writing something that relates to the prompt, but appears to have been completed last minute.
Surveillance can change unethical behavior. When people know they’re being watched, they tend to act more appropriately. Like in the article, for example, the servers used to steal tips before the cameras and the NCR was put in. After it was installed, the servers started to not only behave better, they also started bring more revenue to the restaurant. These cameras can also watch the people in the restaurants and stores as well. If the customer knows there are cameras in the building, they’ll tend to act more appropriately and might not steal if they were in a store. If a store does not have some mode of surveillance, some people might be more prone to steal something.
ReplyDeleteAllison Eacret Period 1
I think it is better to have surveillance to watch the employees because it improves their behavior and attitude towards what they are doing. They also improve on doing what they are supposed to be doing to improve the boss. If there were no cameras or anything they would probably have bad service and have customers come complaining to the boss all the time. If i was being watched i would want to give a good impression all the time because i know i am being watched and don't want to get fired or something.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Bosier Period 1
I believe the surveillance can go either way on this topic. Surveillance can stop unethical behavior, just as supported in the article, however to a certain degree. I think it's only stopping the people from committing the action for a while then the person would find a loophole. The employee's mindset would still be to try and make profit from himself; just because he is being watched doesn't mean he is totally cleansed of unethical behavior. My theory is that after a while, when suspicions die down, the employee would perform a different action of unethical behavior. No one is going to watch 24/7 on the surveillance feed watching every employee.
ReplyDeleteAudrey Marzan
Period 1
I think surveillance can change unethical behavior. The employees in the article stopped stealing money from the restaurant and increased the profit by almost 2700%. However, people can always be paranoid even if there isn’t any surveillance around. For a short time, people can stop doing what is unethical and just do their jobs. However, after an amount of time has passed, the employees or even the people can revolt against the surveillance cameras if it is used almost everywhere. We need our privacy and we cannot put surveillance everywhere and we should only use it in public places where everyone can see you anyway. We should also put surveillance cameras in dark alleys so no one can be raped or even killed. This way, we can find the person who has done that crime. Surveillance should only be used to prevent crimes not to monitor people’s everyday lives. Just saying you have surveillance cameras and not actually having them can reduce crime in an area. Criminals would have to think twice before they do a crime. However, they can just hide their identity and that would be just a way to counter these cameras. So, the surveillance would be just there for no reason. I think, having surveillance cameras can make people have a peace of mind and not think that they’re going to be robbed.
ReplyDeleteMatthew Dela Cruz
Period 1
Yes and no. Surveillance is a necessity to have, with todays world that is. It is hard to trust people these days and don’t have any idea what or who they are capable of, you can’t trust anybody. That is why we have surveillance in places that is necessary, such as in stores, banks, and private properties. We have them to monitor people and to make sure that nothing bad occurs. People are not generally implied to steal, because they do know that they are watched, and will get caught and will get in major trouble if they do so. It is also useful for crime protection. When a crime is commit, the detective and evidence specialists will look and scan over the crime scene for evidence, then all together the recreate what happened. With security cameras it is easier to identify the prosecutor when he/she is caught on tape, which will protect the innocent and good people in the world. Surveillance is a good thing, but you should not overdo it. Citizens would feel uneasy and controlled if they had a camera watching their every move, even if they aren't doing anything wrong.
ReplyDeleteAlex Barbaran period 1
DeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteHow surveillance changes unethical behavior
DeleteWith the aid of surveillance mechanisms, the theft rate in restaurants dramatically changed. Surveillance does change unethical behavior, but it does more than just that. Encouraging employees to stay on the straight and narrow brings increased revenue for the business, but also for the employee themselves. Instead of focusing their energy on being the next Olive Garden scam artist, employees can focus on doing their job the right way, earning themselves larger tips and experience in the process. When people know they’re being watched, their behavior is sure to improve, and that can be due to the fact they know they’d be caught, or the overwhelming amount of shame that comes with the knowledge of wrong-doing in the first place. Either way, the crime rate goes down and the work ethic goes up.
Terra Walls
Period 1
October 8th
I can see surveillance as being useful in the economy as long as it is not overused. By being overused, I mean that they don't use it as a "telescreen" so to say that monitors our every move and what people may see can be put against us in the future. If the surveillance is just used in the workspace, I can see it as being a useful and helpful thing to have around. It would keep business places safer from customers that have unethical behavior at work.If the surveillance is used the way the people say it will be used there, shouldn't be a problem. Once the government starts to put these in public areas like peoples' home, then that is where the line is drawn.
ReplyDeleteBrandon Mirador
Period 1
Surveillance can change unethical behavior because when a person knows that they are being watched, they are more aware of their behavior. People tend to act out, but with surveillance people try to act their best. Businesses and industries found that after installing surveillance devices in restaurants, it had been very successful. The savings per week jumped up about seven percent from their previous savings. Theft is a serious problem within businesses, and citizens are less likely to go through with the act if they know they are being watched.
ReplyDeleteJennifer Sigmon, Period 1
I believe that having surveillance does change behavior. The reason why i think it does is because when you have behavior monitoring you, you act like a normal person. By normal person i mean not acting like how you act with your friends, but a person that follows the rules, and doesn't want any trouble. If more stores and companies add more surveillance in their facilities, there would be a less amount of robberies because there is something to capture the person who is doing the crime. After a while of having the surveillance people will stop acting like criminals, and start working like they are suppose to.
ReplyDeleteJesse Rodriguez Period 1
The effect of being watched or being kept under surveillance can change how someone acts, furthermore i believe that it can get rid of unethical behavior and get anyone on task and do what they are supposed to be doing. For example, The way the chromebooks are monitored during class gives the students a sense of being watched and that forces them to stay on task instead to messaging each other or going on social networking sites. Although it is true that the sense of being watched is a motivator to get things done, if someone was to be watched for a long period of time it would start to feel like you would have to completely change your personality in order to conform to what the cameras want you to say and do and that can drive people to accuse the thing or person that is watching them to be an invasion of privacy. Concluding my statements, I do believe that the sense of being watched can motivate someone, but if someone was to be kept under watch they may feel it as an invasion of privacy.
ReplyDeleteSam Darilay
Period 1
Surveillance is improving workers behavior because workers know that they can't do the wrong things. Theft is happening every where, with surveillance is the only thing that can prevent theft and could be evidence for proof. Surveillance catches the action the workers does and how they steal to let know of the manager to fire the workers. The most theft is mostly in the US at restaurants because how one customer is at the clerk and everybody else is eating and not paying attention, so it make it easier for the worker to steal without the customer seeing. "The researchers measured the impact of software that monitors employee-level theft and sales transactions, before and after the technology was installed, at 392 restaurants in 39 states." This proves that surveillance is a good tool to catch thefts that are sliding under our nose without moving a muscle. Workers are behaving because they are being watched and they can't hide their ideas of stealing. Managers are now paying worker less and the other money depends on tips. "Knowing they were being monitored, the servers not only pulled back on any unethical practices, but also channeled their efforts into, say, prompting customers to have that dessert or a second beer, raising revenue for the restaurant and tips for themselves." If the workers want more money they have to get the tips from the costumers for themselves.
ReplyDeleteKevin Lee
Per.1
When it comes to surveillance changing behavior, I’m not so sure about it helping the workers. The reason is that even though it can keep workers in check, it won’t really help them in the long run. Knowing that they’re getting watched, workers will just act like their behavior has improved, but all they’re doing is masking their old behavior. This might diminish some of the employees’ morales. As soon as the surveillance is pulled out, the employees will revert back to their old behavior and steal. The only good thing to come out of the idea of surveillance is that profits will rise. If that’s how profits will rise, then morale will fall as well.
ReplyDeleteMichael Velasquez
Period 1
I think that adding a security surveillance system could possibly decrease the unethical activity but, i think that in other cases it could make it worse or just not affect the unethical activity at all. For the workers who know what at stake for stealing or showing unethical activity, it could most likely cut down significantly their bad behavior in the workplace. For others, i don’t know. It would first had to make sense what the workers motives are. Are they there just to work or make a quick buck out of stealing and pick pocketing money off their fellow co-workers and/or their workplace.I see both sides, but the point i'm trying to make is that everything is possibly a variable for this unethical activity.
ReplyDeleteperiod 1
DeleteSurveillance does help change unethical behavior because when the monitoring device is placed on a restaurant, the workers suddenly change their behavior when being watch. An example of surveillance is a TV series called, Mystery Diners; The mystery diners set up surveillance cameras to monitor the restaurant’s workers, without telling them. In the monitor, they would see that the workers would steal, eat during work, or do something unnecessary to the restaurant. Surveillance cameras improves the workers behaviors, and gives the restaurant better profit and better reviews; Like in the New York times blog, savings from theft alerts themselves were modest, $108 a week per restaurant. However, after installing the monitoring software, the revenue per restaurant increased by an average of $2,982 a week.
ReplyDeleteJeralyn Julian Period 1
In my opinion, surveillance cannot really improve unethical behavior yet it can as well. I think this mainly because for workers who are stealing revenue from their place of work, they get away with it in most cases. Yet when surveillance is introduced into the work area, some workers tend to give up the act of stealing the money because they know in most cases that they cannot get away with it. However; other workers that partake in stealing the revenue from said place of work, may get even more secretive when taking income from the business as well as taking larger amounts than usual.
ReplyDeleteAutum Curry P.1
I believe that surveillance can be for the good and the bad because it can stop people from doing something unethical like stealing from the company at one place but they could also go and do it somewhere else where there is not surveillance around. Mostly though i believe that surveillance can hurt us more than help us because the more surveillance there is the less freedom to do what we want because we feel like we can’t do what we want because we are being watched. I feel that if it takes a surveillance camera to make someone act ethically at work then they should not be working there.
ReplyDeleteAndrew Shaw
Period 1
I believe that surveillance can really help change unethical behavior. The reason that people behave unethically is because they have the feeling that they won’t get caught. If you implement surveillance then people will have to think twice before doing anything wrong at the risk of being caught and getting in huge trouble. Once there is an electronic surveillance system working, then everything is being monitored and sneaky workers can’t get away with stealing. Also, the feeling of being watched is helping to change unethical behavior by helping some people stop doing unethical things for good. The pressure to make enough money to support yourself and possibly a family is high, so some workers will do anything to be getting enough money. According to the New York Times, “most of the restaurant industry pays it servers low wages and they depend on tips.” It makes sense why some people might feel compelled to steal, but it is still very morally wrong. After a while of being under surveillance, one can realize that they are doing better without having to steal. They can realize that stealing is morally wrong, and will feel bad if they even think about doing it again. In the long run, having surveillance will help your business, and it will help workers from making unethical choices.
ReplyDeleteJaelene Sahlberg
Period 1
I do think surveillance can change humans unethical behavior. Before the use of these cameras restaurants where losing profits left and right because of employees or other people were not doing there job correctly and some might have been using the "How to burn down the house" method. That method is telling costumers not not pay but rather for them to "Take care of them" by giving them a big fat tip. Now with the cameras people have changed their behavior and are making the profits rise an incredible amount. Its due to how people at when there being watched. When being watch a person tends to do good things because we mostly just do good things when others are looking. We like being known as doing good things and if others are watching then boom you excel even more
ReplyDeleteAlberto Sanchez
pr 1
In the world that we live in now where times are tough and the economy is weak, you will see your own employees stealing from the restaurant.The only reason why employees in those restaurants stole is because they were in need of more money because either they weren’t getting paid enough or because they just wanted to gain more profit from their usual nine to five job. Before surveillance cameras were installed into the revenue of the restaurant wasn't that good but after they installed it, it went up by 7% ($2982). That is a lot of money even though it is a small percentage. Yes, I do think that putting up more surveillance cameras can change the way we act and the things we say. That type of technology makes you feel as if you are getting watched and recorded every second and that you’re not entitled to have the same right of free speech as you were when you weren’t being watched. It is more limited and not rightfully so. Being observed by other people that you don’t even know give you that scared feeling that you have to choose your words carefully or something bad is going to happen.
ReplyDeleteJoshua Lucero
Period 2
I think that surveillance could possibly change human's unethical behaviors by keeping a watch on us 24/7, but if all of us are going to live under surveillance, i think important people like the government should be too. Restaurants in the past use to be losing money because no one was keeping an eye on them. Now a days, the money are being monitored 24/7 and family owned restaurants can still stay in business. Also, if employees are knowing that they are being watched, they can be on their best behavior so they can impress the boss and maybe get a raise. Surveillance in our society can be beneficial in most cases because it can be a witness in a crime. In the end, living under surveillance may be a good thing because we would know that someone is there watching us to protect us.
ReplyDeleteKhanh Nguyen
Period 2
I think that adding surveillance to places would change unethical behavior because I don't think it can get worse with surveillance. Surveillance causes workers to not steal or do things they aren't suppose to do but the general population isn't affected as much. Even if there is surveillance, people will still get in fights or arguments and cause a scene because people will think they are doing the right thing. Surveillance is already on phones and computers and people still say things freely on their phones or computers. I think adding surveillance can change how workers or students act in school or at work but not the general population.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Wong
Period 2
Surveillance can really change ethical behavior long-term and short-term, because of how surveillance causes people to act more ethical. Surveillance can change ethical behavior because knowing that you’re being monitored causes a change in behavior. That change into being more ethical benefits the person being monitored because being ethical has caused employees in restaurants to get a bigger tip, resulting in more money, which affects the person long-term. A person knowing that being ethical will benefit him or her, will make that person to stay ethical without having to be monitored.
ReplyDeleteEmerson Chan, Period 2
Surveillance can help change unethical behavior because if employees were stealing or were not doing their job correctly, he or she would get away with it; and the company wouldn't be getting the profits they were supposed to get. But if employees know that there were cameras watching them, they would act more appropriately.
ReplyDeleteIn the article, for example, states that before the cameras and NCR was installed, the restaurant was losing customers and revenue. After the cameras and NCR were installed, revenue actually increased from $108 per week to $2982 per week. I think that places should have sort of surveillance to improved their company or restaurant.
O'Neall Calica P. 2
In this day and age, society has become extremely dependent on technology. It is almost impossible to go a day without using it in some way. As a result of this technological dependence, human behavior has suffered a change. People are no longer as genuine as they were before, because they can now hide themselves behind a screen. Their words and actions are not entirely honest, or from the heart- there always has to be some kind of gain. This changed mindset has led to an increase in immoral behavior.
ReplyDeleteRestaurants have noticed a trend in which waiters and waitresses will steal profits from the company. In an effort to stop this, many stores have installed surveillance systems that put their employees under constant watch; the idea worked. Companies saw a higher amount of income because their workers were no longer stealing. It seems to be a clever solution to a problem, but what these restaurants are encouraging is more devious workers. Sooner or later, the employees will find a way to make more money without triggering any kind of suspicion. The situation is similar to that of a cheating student. If they get caught the first time, they’ll only get better at it the next time.
It is a smarter idea for the employers to more carefully interview who they’re hiring to ensure that anyone that could cause them any trouble would not have the chance to.
Cara Nguyen
Period 2
I think surveillance can really change unethical behavior because if someone who behaves badly is constantly being monitored then the bad person will develop a habit and stop being a bad person. For example, the author Steve Lohr uses the situation of employees in food business constantly stealing items and causing these restaurants to lose money. If these employees are constantly being watched then they will not steal. According to New York Times it is stated that “most of the restaurant industry pays it servers low wages and they depend on tips.” This leads to the employees stealing. However I think that if the employees are working a lot and constantly being watched then they will behave the same way outside of work because they have behaved a certain for a long time already. Also the employees should know that it is wrong to steal and hopefully the surveillance alerts them of that if they didn’t know already. Another example that surveillance can change unethical behavior is that people who tend to commit crimes will stop because they know that they are being watched and can get caught, therefore less and less crimes will be committed. Over time crimes will not occur at all due to the surveillance. Surveillance provides people with the feeling of relief and calmness because they know that nothing bad can happen to them or if it does the person who does something bad can be caught. I believe that surveillance will draw out that goodness in people and because it does that it can help lead to an advancements in a community, town, city, etc. As a result from the advancements, people will benefit more and be satisfied because of the moral behavior that the surveillance brings out.
ReplyDeleteTatsuya Ishikawa
Period 2
In my opinion, I believe that surveillance makes a huge impact on changing people’s unethical behaviors and/or habits that they may have. When people are aware that they are under surveillance, their behavior usually changes because they don’t want to be caught doing something very unethical; for example, stealing or slacking off during work. If caught they may be dismissed from their work, and must find another job with their bad record from their previous job. If the surveillance is for a short term, I think that people will change only for that stretch of time, and then afterwards they will be like “Thank god it’s over,” and slack off even more than before. On the other hand, if the surveillance is for a reasonably long enough amount of time, I think that the people will have changed/ have gotten used to their new and ethical habit by then and will continue it throughout the rest of their life.
ReplyDeleteWhenever you see a surveillance camera; how do you feel? To me, it makes me change my behavior because I know somone could be watching me. I always try not to be suspicious so i keep my cool and do something funny. In restaurants today, employee’s are stealing over 200 billions dollars in the nation from stealing from restaurants. Furthermore, the surveillance camera decreases the percentages of theft and fraud. I’ve experienced this theft feeling before, because my aunt’s shop has had her money stolen from a past-employee. The employee’s name was Alex and she was cute, but she was around the age 19. We noticed that money has been stolen( around $20) and we looked at our hidden surveillance camera that looked like a drilled hole and eventually found Alex stealing $20 from the cash register. I’ve noticed a change because we bonded one day playing games and she just wanted to play one game of FIFA with me at the shop, out of the blue. I was puzzled for a moment, then later that day,I realized that, that was the day she took the money. It shows how surveillance cameras can be useful and once you know about it, you have a change of heart.
ReplyDeleteChristian Bui
Period 1
In my opinion, I believe that surveillance can help change unethical behaviors of people. Before surveillance and monitoring was available, there was a high number of servers stealing from restaurants. Server theft was estimated to approximately $200 billion per year which results in a 1 percent loss of revenue. 1 percent revenue loss is a lot because a restaurant’s profit is usually between 2-5 percent. However, with the surveillance monitors available, restaurant’s profit were able to go up to 7 percent. This was due to the fact that because they know that they are being watched, servers got rid of their unethical behaviors like stealing and decides to make an effort in their jobs to earn more tips. Being monitored changes a person and how they act because it makes them self-conscious. No one wants other people to see their bad sides, so when they are constantly being watched, people have to conceal their unethical behaviors for so long that they get used to not having them anymore. This idea that people will change their unethical behavior if they are being monitored might seem like a good idea for a while. Once it carries out for a long time, the way people act will start to become unnatural. People would have to act in a way that lives up to the expectations of the person who is monitoring them. This takes away the originality and creativity that humans have; and soon the world will start to look like the book 1984.
ReplyDeleteTrang Le
Period 2
Surveillance i think is a good thing to have around you don't know what other people are doing in a restaurant for example when you pay the bill and give your card to your waiter or waitress how do you know that they aren't adding more money so lets say you are paying $25 for a meal and then you check later on that you spent $100 plus a $20 dollar tip that is why there are cameras around so people won’t steal or rip you off and take your money. Having them around changes the person ethical behavior making them choose better choices rather than stealing,cheating,etc.
ReplyDeleteAlec Edusada
Period 2
Surveillance can change unethical behavior because when employees know they are being watched, they act appropriately. Most restaurants tend to pay their servers low wages, and without the surveillance, employees will end up doing unethical behaviors. With the surveillance, employees ask their customers more often for a second round, or another desert, improving restaurant revenue and improving tips for themselves increasing an average of $2,982 a week, or about 7 percent. Surveillance will definitely improve the behaviors of their employees short term. In the long term, it will improve their paychecks and the restaurant’s business.
ReplyDeleteJacky Tran
Period 2
I think surveillance is helpful, but it only speeds up the process of finding the culprit. People who still want to do crime would find a way to do it without being surveilled. In the short term people would feel safe and continue on with their lives as they normally do. In the long run some people might get increasingly anxious about the cameras and be too nervous to do anything that they would normally do, like going to a coffeeshop. Some businesses that have put cameras might be safer, but it will take a bit more time to catch the thief. People who put the cameras in there record the footage to a hard drive that they have, not the restaurant’s computer. If the restaurant’s owner wants to see the video, he has to go through a process to get the footage instead of running the restaurant.
ReplyDeleteRuben Glapa
Period 2
I think that surveillance can change a persons behavior because it makes them realize that they are being watched and if they do something wrong then they will get in trouble and know to do the right thing which will eventually get them to succeed, the surveillance also makes the employer more productive throughout their jobs. Surveillance also cuts down employee theft so you don't have to spend a long time trying to figure out which employee stole something.
ReplyDeleteSaul Cruz period 2 10/08/13
Yes, in my opinion surveillance really help change unethical behavior. The reasons why many people change their unethical behavior because they feel like they are being judge of their behaviors, or the feeling of unwanted attention. The feeling of being judge by others is a really bad. You can get really conscious and not express your true self. Instead, you had to act the way they want you to act. The feeling of the unwanted attention is not what you really want to get from other people, because you just want to do your thing without others consulting. Also some people motives might change just because of surveillance because they know they gonna get caught.
ReplyDeletePj Edrosolo Period 2
DeleteRestaurants and businesses lose a lot of money each week just by their employees stealing money. It’s hard enough just to make money depending on the business or restaurant. They don’t need the extra stress of worrying about stealing employees. This brings me to the topic of whether or not surveillance, such as cameras and computer tracking systems, will help reduce and change the behavior of employees who steal. I think they can change the behavior to an extent. For example some people could see the wrongs of their behavior and elect to do good, and to change. However, other people may find another way to steal or trick the system so I think in this case its varied. When the employee is being monitored with a surveillance camera, they are going to do good. They’re going to act how society sees correct. This relates to the book, 1984 because all the citizens are being monitored by telescreens, all the time. They are going to act how the Party wants them to act. They may have different views in their head, but they will act a different way to favor the actions that the Party sees right. This relates to the issue of employees stealing because they are going to act a certain way to the surveillance cameras, but may not necessarily be “changed at heart”. They may still do bad things away from their job, because they aren't being seen. These cameras are just an obstacle in their way to get around or to avoid.
ReplyDeleteSarah Taylor
Period 2
In my opinion i think that surveillance are very useful to the economy.Having to know that people know that they are being watch by cameras they’ll try to act more positive or nice. Surveillance watching the citizens gives them the sense of security because they know that if something is too happen the citizen can act quickly and catch the culprit. However, citizens can’t always depends on technology to defend them from criminals because surveillance cameras are only useful for a short amount of time criminals will always try to find that single point or some say a loophole where they can steal, murder and etc. whenever they want and not get caught.
ReplyDeleteJhassper Quiray
Period2
Surveillance changes the way we act. When we know someone is watching us, we behave. In my opinion, surveillance can change unethical behavior, but only to an extent. Even when there are surveillance cameras, they can't be everywhere. People will find places where there are no cameras and they will do whatever they want without anyone knowing. Surveillance, of course, takes away your privacy and you won't get to act like yourself. You would have to act good in a civil matter. People would have to think twice about doing something because they don't want to get into any sort of trouble. The crime rate will go down and so will bullying as well as many other bad things. Many people steal because they have no other way of getting money for food and other basic necessities. All the stealing and "take care of mes" add up ",estimated at up to $200 billion a year across the economy". Long term effect of these cameras would be that people would find ways to cheat it and steal to bad things, but overall crime would steal go down like I said. Short term effects would be that people would be good for a while until they find a way to cheat the cameras like in the the book 1984. Winston and Juile find places where there is no telesceens which could be like what happens with these cameras. Overall I would I like cameras to be put up to monitor us, but not in anyone's homes for privacy reasons.
ReplyDelete-SharanJeet Singh
P-2
In my opinion, yes, surveillance do help reducing unethical behavior. When people are being monitored, they know to not do whatever they shouldn’t do, thus decreasing the occurrence of unethical behavior. In the case of store theft, the employee would not risk getting caught and lose job for misbehaving. However, since the monitoring software only goes through transactions for suspicious patterns, theft that does not involve a transaction is very unlikely to be discovered. For example, a waiter could offer a consumer free foods and ask large tips in return. In other fields such as school, such misbehavior can occur even more often because there are no monitoring programs. A student can simply take home a box of tissue, a pack of paper, or some writing utensils without even the risk of discovery.
ReplyDeleteHao Rong
Period 1
I believe that surveillance can change unethical behavior. People act with unethical behavior because there are no cameras to watch them, no people to see what they do. If a surveillance system is working in a company, then employees must watch what they do because they know that if they are caught doing something wrong, they can get axed. When there is a camera watching, then you automatically become more moral and more right. In the blog article by New York Times, surveillance helps with savings in a restaurant by “$108 per week” to “2,982 per week” (Lohr). That is a huge jump in savings; this range increased dramatically because employees and waiters were starting to take more caution with their moral decisions of stealing from the restaurant. With surveillance systems, companies can save more and acquire more revenue since the systems will keep track of money and any theft alerts. If there were no cameras tracking what the waiters were doing, then they could get away with their unethical behavior. People will become more proper about what they do and that could lead to them being better people overall. If you start acting with more principles, others will see that you are changing and that could cause them to have more integrity and say, “Should I really do this?” People find what is good and bad through others’ opinions and the way people act influences everyone around them.
ReplyDeleteMicaiah Anderson
Period 1
Surveillance can change unethical behavior in many ways. Being monitored changes the way we think and how we act . The feeling of being watched at work by a camera can give fear of not doing anything inappropriate like the example of employee theft and fraud in the restaurant industry. This would be a success if done and implemented right. The use of surveillance should be used for jobs and businesses only and not invade privacy. It can be used in homes if approved by the residents of that home.
ReplyDeleteSean Cristobal
DeletePeriod 2
8 October 2013
I really do think that surveillance can change people’s behavior. When people are being watched they try to be in their best behavior, which changes they way they do things and react to stuff. In the article it tells us that when restaurants put surveillance cameras up they were less robbed from the workers , because they can get into really big trouble. For example “However, after installing the monitoring software, the revenue per restaurant increased by an average of $2,982 a week, or about 7 percent” (Lohr). I do think that putting up these camera were a good idea, because it stops people from doing what they're not supposed to be doing. Another example of surveillance is for the chromebooks. Now that students know that the teacher can see what websites they’re on, students can’t really go into social networking sites. So i do believe that surveillance can change someone’s behavior.
ReplyDeleteVanessa Abarca p.1
Surveillance can change our unethical behavior. Being aware that you are being surveillanced makes us stop doing the bad things like stealing. But, you are only doing ethical things when you are surveillance. If people were surveillanced, they can still do unethical things. However, if being surveillanced all the time, this can retrain people to do more ethical things. They can get use to good behavior and change their behavior and feel more guilt when doing the sinful.
ReplyDeleteHowever, the article did not state whether the employees knew they were actually being surveillanced, they were not shown proof of cameras or the alarms, perhaps just told.
Surveillance can change our behavior, but maybe all we need is to be convinced. It’s what we think that makes us change our behavior, not the fact we are being watched. We could be surveillanced right now, but most citizens don’t do bad things because we know the consequences and we wouldn't risk it. We have a feeling that we are being watched which makes us think about what we do. Usually, unethical behavior are caused by either careless people, or people who don’t think twice.
Alina Hui
Period 2
i agree with the act of putting cameras in workplaces because not only will the workers will act better if someone is taking money from the company you can find out who it is.
ReplyDeletejavier chagolla period 1
I believe that surveillance can change unethical behavior at a certain point because it lets others know that they are being watched and recorded, However it can be abused as it can violate the privacy of citizens. Surveillance changes how people express and themselves, forcing them to act a certain way. For example, cameras are built in the streets, stores, businesses, and almost everywhere.The government even built in surveillance cameras in computers, or any type of electronic device that most of everyone own which is a privacy concern especially since people use these devices at home. In the incident of the restaurant theft from the article “How Surveillance Changes Behavior: A Restaurant Workers Case of Study,” Lohr states that “after installing the monitoring software, the revenue per restaurant increased by an average of $2,982 a week, or about 7 percent.” With surveillance, companies are aware of any thefts or issues in their business. The book 1984 relates because the Party members own a telescreen which acts as a surveillance in the government and forces each one to not be able to express their true self. I do think surveillance can be put into good use for our society especially businesses and as for homes, I suggest that the people must have consent from the government before they are on camera.
ReplyDeleteCamille Uril Period 1
I think surveillance changes people’s behaviors the way they act on their daily life, such as working and shopping. People tend to stop acting inappropriately because we are aware that we are being watched and they are afraid to take any risk of getting caught. For example stealing, humans are most likely tempted to steal because they can put the item they desire in their pocket and walk out the store without getting caught. Therefore most stores installed surveillance cameras, to reduce thieving and to scare people that they are being watched. Surveillance creates a higher security and it also provides owners power to watch over the customers.
ReplyDeleteDanica Faye Zarate
Period 1
I agreed that there should be surveillance at work place because it will make the worker to not fool around at work. This will help the boss to pick the one who work really hard and pick which one to fire that is not doing it right or doing nothing. It can help the boss to tell who is not treating people nice and how they are treating them.
ReplyDeleteAlbert Liev
Period 1
I feel that surveillance devices that force good behavior can and can’t prevent unethical behaviors, but it depends on the employees. Many people say surveillance is great because no would dare steal when they know someone is watching, but it might lead them to drastic measures. In restaurant's case, most of the employees are paid minimally causing them to consider stealing or other ways of getting the extra money. Restaurant jobs are hard enough; The employees, if they think they can get away, will exploit that chance. If they add surveillance devices people would stop bad behavior, just not in the eyes of whoever is watching. If people are desperate enough, they will find a way to get away with whatever they are doing. There most likely will have blind spots and people will find and exploit them. For people to do their job well they need to respect the work place. If they add surveillance devices, then it creates distrust. Like I stated before this problem mostly depends on the employees. If they don’t mind, they have nothing to hide. Adding surveillance devices might even hinder business if employees are treated like this. This postulate is applicable only if the employees have the knowledge of the surveillance devices. If they have no knowledge of the devices then it’s reasonable to have them. Some might say this is intrusive to people’s privacy. Restaurants can do almost whatever they want to their establishment only if it falls within the regulations. This includes surveillance devices. No one is forced to eat or work at that restaurant. If they don't agree with the restaurant, they could just leave. People should know that inside the restaurant is similar to a public area and should behave accordingly (Both customers and employees). In conclusion surveillance devices can stop bad behaviors, but it wont stop people from trying to find the shortcut around it.
ReplyDeleteI like to add that stealing is a crime no matter what scale. Even if it's a free drink to get a larger tip, they should still be justly be prosecuted.
Alex Chen
DeletePeriod 2
It should be important to note that even the mere implication of surveillance is enough to manipulate some people. Even without actually watching over someone, simply telling them that they will be watched and they will be judged is enough to put anyone on edge, and aware of their own actions. This in mind, I definitely do believe that actual surveillance can have many effects on ethical behavior. What I think is really important to think of is exactly what these effects are, and how they are brought about. For example, the manager who outright tells their employees that they are being watched but doesn't actually survey the footage will most likely have a notable short term effect as everyone is afraid of having their actions seen. However, eventually someone will slip up, and whether it's an honest mistake or an outright act of defiance, they're going to notice when the manager who was supposedly watching over them doesn't call them out on their misdeeds. This particular example more or less ends in a train wreck of problems a good amount of the time, with the employee abusing this hole in the manager's plan, but it should at least be suffice to say that these changes to ethical behavior under surveillance may end up taking a completely different path than one would first come up with. So while surveillance can definitely play its role in changing overall ethics, it would require a bit more than just that to really break down truly unethical behavior.
ReplyDeleteDavid Konaka
Period 2
The effect of being watched by cameras and people can change unethical behavior. Many people learn from their mistakes when they get caught or get some sort of punishment. Surveillance helps with that because the owner can see what the customers are doing and what the employees are doing in their store. If an employee takes something from a store and a camera or some other thing used for surveillance catches him, he or she might be fired and obtain a bad reputation on his or her resumé. For the customer however, if he or she shoplifts in a store, the store owner could file a police report and ban him or her from the store. The article also suggests that many employees have a low wage and that would be a factor to an employee stealing. If there are any people who think of stealing know that they are being watched, then they would be less likely to steal or do unethical behavior.
ReplyDeleteJason Dumag
Period 2
Surveillance cameras cannot help change unethical behavior. Even though people may realize they are being watched, cameras can only see so much, and loopholes will be found pretty quickly. Workers at restaurants for example, don't want to think about the fact everything they do is being watched, and may begin to feel animosity towards their bosses for the lack of trust and respect. On the short term, restaurants might see an increase in revenue, but over time, they will find themselves in a worse place than before. Once workers have found the loopholes in the surveillance system, they will begin to exploit it while the owner is completely oblivious. In a way, the owner has gained blindness from surveillance. Surveillance doesn't help change unethical behavior, in fact it induces it.
ReplyDeleteSurveillance cameras can drastically alter anyone's decision to present themselves the way that they would without the cameras. Surveillance cameras are capable of decreasing the lost of money within the company, but there are also cons to this kind of resolution. One of the cons would be that the people caged in and unable to express themselves because they are being restricted mentally by the thought of being watched. For example, this article states that when the workers became aware of the cameras, they started to in a more ideal way. In my opinion, surveillance cameras have both pros & cons and affect the workers in an ethical and unethical way.
ReplyDeleteKathleen Lam Period 1
Surveillances camera do change unethical actions. An example of this is when children got chromebooks they played games and then after the teachers had something to be able to watch what they were on the children for the most part stopped playing games and going on social networks.Another example is when the researcher and associate professors placed surveillance cameras in restaurants the theft alerts before the surveillance was one hundred and eight dollars, but after the surveillance alerts it wasup seven percent.In short term surveillance cameras help the buisness. If you are caught stealing the manager might just say to stop and then he will probably keep his eye on you, but if you happened to get fired and start another job and that manager sees that you are stealing he would file criminal charges against you.In the long run surveillance cameras make you a more honest person by making sure you dont steal. Also under watch you might become more productive and being a more productive person might impress your boss.
ReplyDeleteJoey Gil
Surveillance can, indeed, help change unethical behavior in a way. However, it is not just surveillance that changes unethical behavior. If someone knows they are being watched, obviously they are going to think twice before they do something stupid. In reality, getting caught is what makes people change their behavior the most. Once you’ve been caught and punished once, you start to rethink some of your decisions. People that can get passed surveillance will keep doing the same crimes over and over again. Everyone has temptations and intentions. It takes getting caught to really know what you’re getting into. I personally don’t think it’s the surveillance itself that changes unethical behavior. It’s consequences that change unethical behavior. I’m sure if people could rob banks without getting caught, they’d do it. But they know the consequences that take place for people that get caught. Therefore, they think twice.
ReplyDelete-Brandon Roberts Period 1
I think that the use of surveillance really changes the ethical behavior of people whether in public or private places. I think this mainly because, I as a person, would be able to say that a majority of people would behave differently and more ethical if they were monitored. I mean, I may not know why but there's that sense of lack of security and privacy when your movements are watched but it could also make you feel insecure or mortified in what you're doing whether it's legal, illegal or controversial. An example of this is when restaurants have problems with employee theft financially would suddenly have a boom in sales when surveillance software and gadgets were installed into the facility. So, using the example, maybe the effects of surveillance in a short-term period would cause the employees to be more precarious of their actions that have anything to do with stealing/borrowing the money of the business which would be a short-term advantage to the business since it would get more of it's earnings. In a long-term, it may help train the employees get used to an earnest way of living, earning all their money through their pay/wages allowing the business to grow and be more successful which would benefit both sides in a long-term timeline.
ReplyDelete-Keene C. Lim, Period 2 - October 8, 2013
Having surveillance cameras present has its pros and cons, so unethical behavior may or may not change depending on the circumstances. Although, it makes people more cautious and rethink their actions but it also restricts people to freely express how they act. If someone really wanted to get away with something, they would have to find ways around the cameras.
ReplyDeleteElisha Tomista Period 2
Surveillance is now a big part in today’s society and because of it, many people act differently. Surveillance is the act of watching people while they are doing lively activities, via security cameras in a store to UAV drones overlooking foreign countries. However when someone knows that they are being watched, they change their actions. People try to act more civilized when they know they are being watched by an upper authority. Some people, eating at a restaurant, might eat less in public under a camera than at home. There are many things in our society that change the way humans act, and I agree that surveillance is one of them.
ReplyDeleteXavier Meiers Per 2
In my opinion, I do think that surveillance can change human unethical behavior. I would been better if they install more surveillance because you would get to keep an eye on some of you employees if they are/aren't doing the right things. If you don't get to install lots of surveillance cameras in the restaurant, most likely not all criminal would get caught in the long run. Some of the behaviors can change if you get more surveillance. The more surveillance that you have, the more safer it would be. Some restaurants that you go to doesn't have the high level of surveillance. Some of the surveillance can be hidden which not all citizen wouldn't be able to find. For example, if you go to the Dollar Tree, you wouldn't really know how many cameras are hidden behind that black ceiling. I really don't think the tips are really helping out because the manager usually gives the tips to the worker as their paychecks.
ReplyDeleteWilliam Ventura, Period 2
Surveillance cameras can change behaviors, by pressuring employees to work better , and are less encouraged to steal money from tips. For example, after installing the monitoring software, the revenue per restaurant increased by an average of $2,982 a week, or about 7 percent. Cameras can drastically change the employee's behavior , by just starting at the camera it self , thus lowering the crime rate in the area they work in. Employee theft and fraud is a big problem, estimated at up to $200 billion a year across the economy. Employee's paychecks may rise , when the crime rate in the restaurant lowers. Most employees gives up , when they know they can't get away from the cameras to steal cash. I agree with placing cameras at restaurant in order to catch thiefs, but when the government starts installing cameras at our street corner i would disagree with that.
ReplyDeleteJonathan Hong, Period 1
In my opinion, i think that a limited amount of surveillance can change people to behave more ethically. If there is too much surveillance, then people would lose their personalities. In the article the people who installed the cameras, realised that their workers were more ethical in that working environment. I think that this happened because when someone feels like they are being watched (especially by an unknown person), they tend to be more thoughtful of their actions. If cameras were installed everywhere, then everyone will feel like they are being watched all the time, and although this may be a good thing for he people in power (the government, mayors, etc.) because they would not have to worry as much about controlling the public, but bad for the people because they would feel uncomfortable at all times.
ReplyDeleteLuke McLeod
Deleteperiod:1