Ethics, Professionalism and Governance

Ethics,
Professionalism
and
Governance
Running Head: BUSINESS LAW ASSIGNMENT 0
2 / 1 5 / 2 0 1 9
Student’s Name

Ethics, Professionalism and Governance
1
Contents
Introduction....................................................................................................................................2
ACS Code of Ethics 2
ACS Code of Professional Conduct: 5 Clauses 3
Applicable Legislation 4
Ethical Framework- Thomas White’s framework...........................................................................5
Who will be benefited? 5
Who will hurt? 5
Analyze The Actions......................................................................................................................6
Decision.........................................................................................................................................6
Recommendations.........................................................................................................................6

Ethics, Professionalism and Governance
2
Introduction
Ethics can be understood as basic values and morals, which governs the behavior of a person
(Bbc.co.uk, 2019). Ethics reflects positive values. Every person needs to follow ethical
principles, but when it comes to the professionals, it becomes more necessary. Informational
technology professionals are people who have an influence on the lives of many people. In such
a manner, to regulate the behavior of these professionals, the Australian Computer Society is
there. This institute provides certain codes on ethics and behavior of the professionals and
ensures that all the professionals perform their duties ethically.
In the presented report, the discussion will be focused on one of the case studies whereby a
person named Maureen forgot the official USB at home. Code of ethics and professional
conduct, which are applicable to this case study are mentioned below:-
ACS Code of Ethics
In the given case study, the ethical dilemma for Maureen is to deal with the situation where she
forgot the place where she kept the USB that consisted of most important and crucial data
related to her job. In order to make the ethical decision, Maureen needs to follow some key
values, which includes public interest, quality of life, and competence. These values are
discussed hereunder in detail.
The Primacy of the Public Interest: - According to the code of ethics provided by ACS,
the member of ACS needs to consider the interest of public over and above personal,
private, and sectional interest (Merkel and Burmeister, 2015). In addition to this the code
states that whenever there is a conflict, the matter has to be resolved giving the public
interest priority. In the given case, the subjective USB had a huge amount of crucial and
private information of people. Maureen was required to be extra careful about this. As
now she lost the USB, she should not hide this from seniors as she is working in a
government department and interest of the public at large is in doubt.
The Enhancement of Quality of Life: - ACS Code of ethics says that information and
communications technology is an industry that affects the lives of many people and can
do the same in a negative manner if a due and proper care is missing (Acs.org.au,
2014). By adopting the ethical approach, such negatives impacts can be minimized.
Considering the situation of Maureen, this is to state that the action performed by her
can have a huge impact on the lives of many. She, therefore, is required to understand
the perception of those people who can be affected by her negligence and should try to
enhance their quality of life. Maureen is required to take all the necessary measures to
find the USB and to prevent the unauthorized use of the same.
Competence:- According to this code of ethics, an ACS member is required to act
diligently and competently in favor of stakeholders. In the given case, people, data of
that was saved in the USB were the stakeholders. Their information such as details of
programme attendant by them, length of their treatment and clinic records saved in the
USB. If Maureen will not take the required steps to ensure the security of this data, the