Ethical Issues in a Company: Observing ACS Code of Professional Conduct

Running head: ETHICAL ISSUES
ETHICAL ISSUES
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1ETHICAL ISSUES
Introduction
This essay aims to discuss the topic ethical issues in a company. The company that
has been observed as doing unethical practises is that several files were sent to an
organisation without encryption of the files as the pressure of the management made them do
it. This topic is briefly discussed in this essay with following the Australian Computer
Society Code of Professional Conduct.
An unethical practise is done by an individual when there is a pressure from the
organisation or the intent of the individual of doing unethical practise. In the selected
Youtube video, the individuals were asked by the organisation to send some files without
encrypting them as it was an emergency. The method of encryption is a process of altering
the information in such a method that it makes the file unreadable for the unauthorised users
(Shapiro, Whittemore & Tsen, 2014).
Discussion
The methods of encryption are commonly utilised for sending confidential data over
the internet or the physical layer. This helps in securing the information and also keep the
integrity of the data. The ACS professional code of conduct presents protocols are regulations
that states that the organisations should maintain this law for maintaining the professionalism
and keep the dignity, honour, and effectiveness (Sanchez, 2014). This laws claims that the
individuals should identify the people who are potentially affected by the work and explicitly
consider the interests. Any potential claims should be raised with the stakeholders among the
professional activity and the unaccepted or illegal requirements of the public. This law claims
that the individuals should place the interest of public above everything else and work
towards this intent of serving the common people (Burmeister, 2017). This rule also states
that the individuals should endeavour towards the preservation of integrity, continuity, utility

2ETHICAL ISSUES
and security of the ICT. In this video, the issue that is claimed is that the files need to be
delivered the files a month early, and the IT individual claims that the unencrypted files are
not the correct method of sending the files as this method of sending files without encryption
possesses a threat of getting hacked or it gets stolen during transmission. Hence, the IT
individual is not violating any code of conduct as the individual is reluctant to send the files
without encryption. The second rule that is claimed by the ACS professional code of conduct
is that the individuals should work towards enhancing the quality of life of the individuals
who are affected by the work (Watson Jr et al., 2015). This rule also states that in the work of
any individual, the role of ICT that is played should be identified for enhancing the quality of
life of the people and specifically the disabilities and the disadvantaged. Individuals should
work towards protecting and promoting the safety and health of the people who are affected
by the work. This rule also claims that the individuals should attempt towards increasing the
feelings of personal competence, satisfaction and the control of the people who are affected
by the work. In this video, the people who are working under the management can get
affected in the case of data loss or data theft. This can lead to the damage of reputation of the
company and the employees can get affected severely. This rule of ACS code of conduct is
violated by the IT individual as he agreed to send the files without encryption.
The third rule that is presented by the ACS code of conduct is that the individuals
should present honesty in representation of the skills, services, knowledge and the products
(Contakes, 2015). This rule means that any practise of inducement or bribery should be
rejected when it is offered and it should also be not presented. The individuals should be able
to distinguish between the opinions that are personal and professional. It states that estimates
that are realistic should be provided for the projects that are in control of the individual. This
rule is violated by the organisation as they agreed to send files without encryption to a partner
gaining an opportunity of expanding the business and make profit. The professionalism is not