Ethical Concerns in Information Systems Strategy & Management

The case discusses the process of car parking, including entry, payment, and exit. It also highlights potential ethical concerns in the management of information systems, such as tampering with data, selling spots to ordinary customers, and compromising consumer security.

Running head: INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY & MANAGEMENT
INFORMATION SYSTEMS STRATEGY & MANAGEMENT
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

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The case has extensively discussed about the process associated with car parking including
the steps of entry of seasonal and regular customers, followed with the payment procedure
categorized differently for both customer groups. The next phase involves the exit stage of
the cars from the booked spaces. The city council appoints a specific security institution for
the purpose of handling the day-to-day operational process of the seasonal and regular
customers. The management system unit is responsible for handling the spaces of car parks
that are not included in the daily operational plan of the Gold City Council Car parks. The
Gold City Council is focussed on the process of recording the faults on the complete
operational process. The operational process of car parking involves the system of generating
reports for understanding the alignment of actual and agreeable number of visits.
The management of information system may portray potential ethical concerns, which are as
follows:
 Ethical issue related for security visits: One of the major and only human element
associated with car parking operational system is tampering the data of actual
presence. The report in relation to the assessment of actual verses expected customer
inflow. The agreement of the City Council with the appointed Security Council states
the guidelines specifying the data of visits in the car park and with specific
requirement (Pearlson & Saunders 2015). The regular visits from office to the car-
parking unit can ensure the efficiency of the whole operating process (Marcus 2016).
The entry and exit of the security for specific car parking is monitored through a card,
the data of which can be falsified for the undue advantage of the security agencies.
The practice of harming the day-to-day operational system and affecting the
agreement with the City Council by tampering the attendance of the security guard
and influencing the system for the sole purpose of making profit will be considered
unethical. These practices will only benefit the associated security agencies by
harming the trust and reason of dependency of the city council. It will also be

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considered as a breach of agreement between the City Council and security agency
(ies).
 Ethical issue in categorization of seasonal ticket holders and ordinary customers: The
seasonal card holders have a different set of provision as compared to the ordinary
customers. The Good City Council Car Park System may be involved in selling the
spots of seasonal card holders to the ordinary customers and/or a space from an
ordinary customer may be sold to a seasonal card holder to increase the 10 percent
occupancy policy (Peppard & Ward 2016). The spaces that are booked in advanced
for the seasonal card holders, probably for 6-12 months may be in the weekdays may
be sold to the ordinary customers in higher price. The unethical practice of selling the
tickets at a higher price to the ordinary customers may result in the higher demand
occupancy of the seasonal ticket holders. The practice of increasing demand and price
of parking space by disrupting the trust and buying decision of consumers will be
considered unethical (Giordano 2015). The practice involving the aspect of benefiting
from unethical means will be for the sole benefit of the City Council.
 Ethical concern on consumer security: Another potential ethical issue that can arise
with the management of information system is the compromise with safety and
security of the consumers in cost of maintenance cost. Avoidance towards investing
funds in maintaining the faults in the equipment. The avoidance towards maintenance
may be accepted in the favour of the council (Laudon & Laudon 2016). However,
malfunction of the cameras can be used for the undue advantage of the security
agencies. The details of the time and date of fault may not be responded immediately
by the security agencies. Even if the fault is responded by the maintenance team, the
system of recording the date and time of the maintenance activities of the faulty
equipment is crucial (McKeen & Smith 2014). Avoiding the task of recording data
before and after the maintenance process may lead to the improper security aspect for

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the customers. In this case, the maintenance company may also be at fault by
tampering the records regarding equipment servicing and equipment. Avoidance
towards the management of data regarding faulty items may disrupt the basic safety
framework of the car parking system.

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References:
Giordano, AD 2015, Performing Information Governance: a step-by-step guide to making
information governance work, IBM Press, New York.
Laudon, KC & Laudon, JP 2016, Management information systems: managing the digital
firm, including 2016 MyMISLab, 15th edn, Pearson Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Marcus, AA 2016, Future of technology management and the business environment: the
lessons on innovation, disruption, and strategy execution, Pearson FT Press, Hoboken, NJ.
McKeen, JD & Smith, HA 2014, IT strategy: issues and practices, 3rd edn, Pearson Higher
Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ.
Pearlson, KE & Saunders, CS 2015, Managing and using information systems: a strategic
approach, 6th edn, John Wiley & Sons, Milton.
Peppard, J & Ward, J 2016, The strategic management of information systems, building a
digital strategy, 4th edn, Wiley, Hoboken, NJ.