PROFFESSIONAL ETHICS
Lecture_6
Prepared by:
Dr. Hebatulla M. Nabil
Text book:
Ethics in Information Technology
for GEORGE W.REYNOLDS
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2. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Clients
Relationship is usually documented in contractual terms
IT worker provides:
Hardware, software, or services at a certain cost and
within a given time frame
Client provides:
Compensation
Access to key contacts
Work space
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2. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Clients (Cont.)
Client makes decisions about a project based on information,
alternatives, and recommendations provided by the IT worker
Client trusts IT worker to act in client’s best interests
IT worker trusts that client will provide relevant information, listen to
and understand what the IT worker says, ask questions to
understand impact of key decisions, and use the information to
make wise choices
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2. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Clients (Cont.)
What kind of unethical conducts would be arise:
Conflict of interest
Ethical problems arise if the company (of the IT worker) recommends its
own products and services to remedy problems they have detected
Misrepresentation
• Misstatement or incomplete statement of material fact
• If misrepresentation causes a party to enter into a contract, that party
may have the right to cancel contract or seek reimbursement for
damages
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2. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Clients (Cont.)
What kind of unethical conducts would be arise: (Cont.)
Fraud
Crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception
or trickery (Example: Facebook Fraud)
Breach of contract
• One party fails to meet the terms of a contract
• When there is material breach of contract → The non-breaching
party may ccancel the contract, seek restitution of any
compensation paid to the breaching party, and be discharged
from any further performance under the contract.
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2. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Clients (Cont.)
What kind of unethical conducts would be arise: (Cont.)
Problems arise during a project if IT workers are unable to provide full and
accurate reporting of a project’s status → Finger pointing and heated
discussions can ensue
IT projects are joint efforts in which vendors and customers work together
→ When there are problems, it is difficult to assign who is at fault
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3. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Suppliers
Develop good working relationships with suppliers → To encourage flow
of useful information and ideas to develop innovative and cost-
effective ways of using the supplier’s products and services in ways that
the IT worker may not have considered;
By dealing fairly with them
By not making unreasonable demands
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3. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Suppliers (Cont.)
Suppliers strive to maintain positive relationships with their customers in
order to make and increase sales. To achieve this goal, they may
sometimes engage in unethical actions → For example, offering an IT
worker a gift that is actually intended as a bribe.
Bribery
Providing money, property, or favours to obtain a business advantage.
U.S. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): crime to bribe a foreign
official, a foreign political party official, or a candidate for foreign
political office
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3. Relationships Between IT Workers
and Suppliers (Cont.)
At what point does a gift become a bribe ?
No gift should be hidden
Perceptions of donor and recipient can differ
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4. Relationships Between IT Workers
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and Other Professionals
Professionals feel a degree of loyalty to other members of their
profession
Professionals owe each other adherence to their profession’s code
of conduct
4. Relationships Between IT Workers
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and Other Professionals (Cont.)
Ethical problems among the IT profession
A. Résumé inflation on 30% of U.S. job applications:
which involves lying on a résumé. Even though an IT worker might
benefit in the short term from exaggerating his or her
qualifications, such an action can hurt the profession and the
individual in the long run. Many employers consider lying on a
résumé as grounds for immediate dismissal.
4. Relationships Between IT Workers
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and Other Professionals (Cont.)
Ethical problems among the IT profession (Cont.)
B. Inappropriate sharing of corporate information
Information
might be sold intentionally or shared informally with those
who have no need to know.
Because of their roles, IT workers may have access to corporate
databases of private and confidential information about employees,
customers, suppliers, new product plans, promotions, budgets, and so
on. It might be sold to other organizations or shared informally during
work conversations with others who have no need to know.
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5. Relationships Between IT Workers
and IT Users
IT user: person using a hardware or software product
IT workers’ duties
Understand users’ needs and capabilities
Deliver products and services that meet those needs
Establish environment that supports ethical behaviour:
• To discourages software piracy
• To minimize inappropriate use of corporate computing
resources
• To avoid inappropriate sharing of information
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6. Relationships Between IT Workers 30
and Society
Society expects members of a profession:
To provide significant benefits
To not cause harm through their actions
Actions of an IT worker can affect society
6. Relationships Between IT Workers 31
and Society (Cont.)
Clearly, the actions of an IT worker can affect society → For example, a
systems analyst may design a computer-based control system to
monitor a chemical manufacturing process. A failure or an error in the
system may put workers or residents near the plant at risk.
As a result, IT workers have a relationship with members of society who
may be affected by their actions.
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Professional organizations
provide codes of ethics to
guide IT workers’ actions
