Portfolio: Workplace Ethics and ACS Code of Professional Conduct

Running head: PORTFOLIO
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Name of the University
Name of the student
Author note

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Recently I came face to face with a negative experience in my workplace. My team
leader assigned me a task which was about software designing. He gave me a blueprint of the
SDLC stages that are required in creating the software. My initial response was to take the
task that was provided. After some research, I realized that the software that was told by my
TL to design was already being used by another company. Moreover, the SDLC stage sketch
that was provided to me was exactly similar to the prospective company. Considering the
situations at hand, I immediately rejected the task that was provided to me.
The main reason for the conflict arose as my team leader did not consider the
consequences of his action. If the victim company came to know about our product
designing, they could potentially target our company for infringement of copyright laws.
Moreover, the company can press charges on your company for illegal conduct and
misdemeanour that would have seriously hurt the reputation of the company. My supervisors
did not think about this situation twice and told me to follow up my work without questioning
any further.
The mentioned workplace scenario helped me to learn a lot of things. First of all, it
reinforced my belief that a profession should be conducted as ethically as possible. My team
leader was a bad example of his profession. He did not think twice before assigning me the
task that his actions could have caused the company serious problems. The company could
have lost its reputation. I could have got in trouble as well as I was the chief designer of the
company. His actions would have hurt not only me but my fellow colleagues who are
working in the same company as well.
To face this problem, I decided to directly confront the situation. I decided that the
best way to handle the situation was to inform my higher authorities about the situation. I
would have told my team leader to thin about the situation again and would have given

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recommendations d the situation desired. Copying and using something as one’s own product
is ethically incorrect and strictly against the norm of the ACS code of professional conduct.
As I was the chief software designer of the company, I would have faced problem if the
victim company decided to sue our company. Not only was the software copied but also the
development stages as well. Moreover, I could have easily designed the product from the
beginning if I was given enough time.
The positive side of this whole situation was that I was able to persuade my higher
authorities about the seriousness of the issue. I explained to them the potential consequences
of the action and after some discussion, they eventually came around. The only drawback of
this scenario was that I managed to make my leader angry.