Ethics for IT workers and IT users (Group 2)

Profession

A calling that requires specialized knowledge and often long and intensive academic preparation.

Business Software Alliance (BSA)

A trade group that represents the world’s largest software and hardware manufacturers.

Trade secret

Information, generally unknown to the public, that a company has taken strong measures to keep confidential. It represents something of economic value that has required effort or cost to develop and that has some degree of uniqueness or novelty.

Whistle-blowing

An effort by an employee to attract attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or dangerous act by a company that threatens the public interest.

Fraud

The crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery.

Elements to prove fraud

1. The wrongdoer made a false representation of material fact. 2. The wrongdoer intended to deceive the innocent party. 3. The innocent party justifiably relied on the misrepresentation. 4. The innocent party was injured.

Misrepresentation

The misstatement or incomplete statement of a material fact.

Breach of contract

Occurs when one party fails to meet the terms of a contract.

Material Breach of Contract

Occurs when a party fails to perform certain express or implied obligations, which impairs or destroys the essence of the contract.

Frequent Causes of IT Project Problems

Customer changes project scope; Poor communication; Competitor releases a better system; Customer fails to reveal legacy system issues.

Bribery

The act of providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or government in order to obtain a business advantage.

Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA)

Makes it a crime to bribe a foreign official, a foreign political party official, or a candidate for foreign political office.

Common Areas of Resume Exaggeration

Dates of employment; Job title; Criminal record; Inflated salary; Education; Professional licenses; Fictitious company history.

IT user

A person who uses a hardware or software product; distinct from the IT workers who develop, install, service, and support the product.

Professional code of ethics

States the principles and core values that are essential to the work of a particular occupational group.

Ethical decision making

Using a common set of core values and beliefs (from a code of ethics) as a guideline for making decisions.

Benefit of a Code of Ethics

Reminds professionals of their responsibilities and duties, which they may be tempted to compromise under pressure.

Benefit of a Code of Ethics

Builds public trust, which is based on the expectation that a professional will behave ethically.

Benefit of a Code of Ethics

Provides an evaluation benchmark that a professional can use for self-assessment.

IT Professional Organizations with Codes of Ethics

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM); Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS); Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP); SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute.

Certification

Indicates that a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge, or abilities, in the opinion of the certifying organization.

Government license

Government-issued permission to engage in an activity or to operate a business.

Reasons for Few US IT Licensing Programs

No universally accepted core body of knowledge; Unclear who should manage licensing exams; No body to accredit education programs; No body to assess worker competence.

Negligence

Not doing something that a reasonable person would do, or doing something that a reasonable person would not do.

Duty of care

The obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk.

Reasonable person standard

Evaluates how an objective, careful, and conscientious person would have acted in the same circumstances.

Breach of the duty of care

The failure to act as a reasonable person would act.

Professional malpractice

When professionals breach the duty of care and are liable for injuries their negligence causes.

Common Ethical Issues for IT Users

Software Piracy; Inappropriate Use of Computing Resources; Inappropriate Sharing of Information.

Supporting Ethical Practices of IT Users

Establishing Software Use Guidelines; Defining Appropriate Use of IT Resources; Structuring Systems to Protect Data; Installing a Corporate Firewall.

Firewall

Hardware or software that serves as a barrier between an organization’s network and the Internet.

Compliance

To be in accordance with established policies, guidelines, specifications, or legislation.