Ethical Issues Arising from Outsourcing Assignments in Universities

Network Management in Organisations
Ethical issues arising from the use of ICT technologies

Table of Contents
Introduction of the case...................................................................................................................................2
Identification of ethical values.........................................................................................................................2
Analysis of the ethical issue..............................................................................................................................2
Utilitarian theory (consequence)..................................................................................................................2
Deontology theory (duty).............................................................................................................................3
Contractarianism theory (contract)..............................................................................................................3
Virtue theory (character)..............................................................................................................................3
Discussion.........................................................................................................................................................3
Conclusion........................................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................................5
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Introduction of the case
Students have to make different assignments during a semester which increase their workload; however, it
prepares them for the test which they have to face in the real world. It teaches students how to effectively
manage their time so that they are able to complete each task within the given time limit. In this case, a
student is struggling to complete his/her assignments while at the same time he/she wanted to score a
good grade. The purpose of this pressure is to prepare the student so that he/she learn about effective
time management skills and it improves their critical thinking ability. In this case, the student decided to
outsource his/her work to a third party rather than facing the pressure and improve his/her critical thinking
ability. Due to the outsourcing of the work, the student was not able to understand the topic himself which
would have assisted him in his/her study and his/her career. Furthermore, outsourcing your homework or
assignment is ethically wrong; it is same as copying and pasting the content of the assignment from
somewhere else rather than writing completing itself. It is not the work which is submitted by the student,
and it contravenes with the academic integrity. It is considered as cheating, and the student can fail or
disqualify from the University for doing the same. This report will focus on evaluating the ethical values in
this case and analyse the ethical issues of the case by using ethical theories framework. Furthermore, the
best decision will be justified by analysing the finding, and a conclusion will be drawn.
Identification of ethical values
1. The student who is outsourcing his/her assignment is dishonest, and the act of outsourcing the
assignment is considered as cheating and breach of the student code of conduct [1].
2. The student did not learn anything by outsourcing the assignment because he/she did not evaluate
the facts or make a critical analyse of the subject matter which would have assisted him in his/her
professional life.
3. If the future employer of the student finds out about the action of the student, then he/she could
lose his/her job [2].
4. Ethically it is wrong to outsource the assignment to a third party as the student can fail or disqualify
for the university for doing the same because it is similar as copying and pasting the assignment
from somewhere else rather than writing the content himself.
Analysis of the ethical issue
Utilitarian theory (consequence)
This theory judges a situation by analysing its consequences. In this case, the student will be able to submit
his/her assignment on time, but he/she could fail or disqualify for not doing the assignment himself if the
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