Last Week

OK, gang - this is the last week! We are now going to assess an IT Usage Policy from an institution of higher learning. Using a check list that an IT manager might use, and using the knowledge we've gained from the different ethical policies reviewed, answer one of the following questions. Please see the instructions below...

Read the IT Usage Policy for the University of Cincinnati (See the Discussion Board on WebCT). Use the Manager’s Checklist to evaluate the University’s proposed IT Usage Policy (After University Policy on WebCT). Using the checklist, answer one of the four following questions:

1. Are all of the key issues covered by this policy? If not, which ones need to be addressed.

2. Is the statement of enforcement clear and strong? If not, how would you reword this section of the policy?

3. How would you ensure that this policy is communicated and understood by the broad group of IT users at the University – students, professors, research people, administrative support staff, contractors, and part-time workers?

4. Examine the IT usage policy in effect at your institution or company. Write a brief paragraph identifying its strengths and weaknesses.

Use complete sentences and thoroughly answer the questions. After posting your response, comment on at least one of your classmates’ postings (3-5 sentences).

IT Professionals and Corporate Ethics

IT professionals have many different professional relationships: Employers, Clients, Suppliers, Other professionals, IT users, and Society at large.

For example, an IT user is a person for whom a hardware or software product is designed. It is the IT professional’s duty to deliver products and services that best meet the users’ needs. Regulatory laws may not be sufficient enough to safeguard against all negative side effects of a particular product. IT professionals have a responsibility to take action to eliminate potential public risk. This is where professional organizational ethical standards come into the picture. IT professionals who are members of these different societies hold to a higher standard above established laws.

Corporations themselves should also be aware of ethical issues and be prepared for potential situations. Corporate ethics can be defined to include ethical conduct, legal compliance and corporate social responsibility. In order to handle ethical situations, corporations should have an ethics policy that includes standards, awareness, and internal reporting.

Even if laws are applicable, organizations, professionals and corporations themselves should establish and abide by ethical modes of conduct. Consistent, applicable ethical standards.

Reference: Reynolds, G. (2003). Ethics in information technology. Thomson Course Technology: Boston.

Ethics are rules that establish the boundaries of generally accepted behavior and are often expressed in statements about how people should behave, and these form the moral code by which society lives. Ethics stem from morality which refers to social conventions: widely accepted right and wrong behavior. What is accepted as moral behavior varies by age, culture, ethnicity, religion and gender. It is often a matter of opinion and a person’s opinion is influenced by family, life experiences, education, religion, personal values and peer influences.

For individuals, virtues are habits that incline a person to do what is acceptable and vices are habits of unacceptable behavior. These virtues and vices define a person’s value system, and that a value system is the complex scheme of moral values by which a person lives. A cornerstone of ethical behavior is integrity; a person that acts with integrity acts in accordance with a personal code of principles. To be consistent and act with integrity, a person must apply the same moral standards in all situations.

IT professionals (programmers, systems analysts, software engineers, database administrators, chief information officers, and many others) are also bound by ethical and moral choices related to their jobs. Just like other professionals, IT professionals are often guided by professional codes of ethics provided by IT professional organizations. Most codes of ethics created by these professional organizations have two parts: the first outlines what the organization aspires to, the second typically lists rules and principles the members are expected to adhere to. Professional codes of ethics are not definitive.

Our lesson will review different codes of ethics provided by four prominent IT professional organizations (ACM, AITP, IEEE, PMI). Also, we'll discuss ethical topics related to these codes. Finally, we'll review possible IT policies as they relate to end-users. Enjoy!

Welcome!

Welcome to the DCTE 760 - Computer Ethics Blog!

A three week course dealing with the ethical issues related to computer technology.