Ethical Dilemma in Software: ACS Assignment Analysis Report

This report analyzes an ethical dilemma faced by a programmer, Christina, in a software development company. The assignment explores the conflict between the company's aggressive market setup and the ethical implications of providing false reports about software testing. The report examines relevant values and clauses from the ACS Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct, along with applicable Australian legislation related to cyber laws and false advertising. It applies Chris MacDonald's methodology to analyze the situation, discussing potential resolutions and recommendations. The conclusion emphasizes the violation of ethical rules and regulations, highlighting the potential criminal offenses of misrepresenting software testing results, and the fraudulent nature of the organization's actions. References to relevant academic literature and legal sources are included to support the analysis.

Running head: ACS ASSIGNMENT ON ETHICAL DILEMMA
ACS Assignment on Ethical Dilemma
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

1ACS ASSIGNMENT ON ETHICAL DILEMMA
Table of Contents
Introduction................................................................................................................................2
3 values from the ACS Code of Ethics and up to 5 clauses from the ACS Code of
Professional Conduct relevant in deciding how to resolve the situation...............................2
Relevant Australian legislation that applies to this scenario..................................................3
Analysis, discussion and recommendations applicable to the Chris MacDonald's
methodology...........................................................................................................................3
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................4
References..................................................................................................................................5

2ACS ASSIGNMENT ON ETHICAL DILEMMA
Introduction
Code of conduct for extremely important for every professional and it is also
important that a standardized code of conduct is also followed. This is an established fact that
moral values behind every decision making is followed before the conduct is made
(Burmeister 2017). The following case study about Christina, who is a programmer in a
software development company with aggressive market setup and software release dates and
Christina's code of conduct within the organisation would be analysed with the help of Chris
McDonald's method of ethical conduct.
3 values from the ACS Code of Ethics and up to 5 clauses from the ACS Code of
Professional Conduct relevant in deciding how to resolve the situation
The situation under which Christina is right now in requires her to provide false
reports to be presented to the clients about testing of a software which is still not done.
According to the ACS ethical code of conduct, there are several points at which this action is
not at all justified ethically.
Following would be representation of the values and clauses from the ACS codes of
professional conduct that will decide how the situation could have been resolved:
1. The ACS code of professional conduct states that there should be primacy of the
public interest, which has been followed so that thinking about the clients first the testing
would have been completed first before representing the software to the clients (Resnik and
Elliott 2016).
2. Honesty in the professional conduct is one of the primary clauses that ethical
values should contain. If the organisation was honest enough they would not ask Christina to
represent the fault report about the testing when it was not yet completed.

3ACS ASSIGNMENT ON ETHICAL DILEMMA
3. Enhancement of quality of life is also one of the major clauses of the ACS code of
professional conduct. If this was the priority behind the entire testing program and the
development of the software for the clients the first and foremost thing that the organisation
would have thought about was the representation of a flawless software program that would
enhance the quality of life for the clients in the end.
Relevant Australian legislation that applies to this scenario
Defect in software testing and representation of false report about the report can bring
about a lot of problems regarding the cyber laws. As per the presentation of the legislation,
there can be actionable offence acted against the organisation where the API automation for
the organisation can be restricted. Presenting a fraud report can be suspected as false
advertising and for that the lawsuit can read up to penalties of 25,000 AUD from the
organisation as well at a minimum (Southgate et al. 2019).
Analysis, discussion and recommendations applicable to the Chris MacDonald's
methodology
According to Chris McDonald's methodology for decision making, this entire scenario
would be justified according to the analysis discussions and recommendation made
applicable. As per the chosen scenario it was found that, the primary testing face was not
completed for software program and there could have been bug in the software that the
organisation wanted to release before the clients. According to Chris McDonald's approach in
decision making, the decision making should be realistic and not cynical and therefore it does
not depend upon being the nice person or being the person who does the most good but the
person who abides by all the rules and policies that an organisation provides the customer
with the promise of a good product (Liu, Mai and MacDonald 2018). Analysing the entire
scenario it could have been said that the probable solution to this problem could have

4ACS ASSIGNMENT ON ETHICAL DILEMMA
occurred with the organisation seeking a little bit more time from the client so that the testing
could have been completed. By deciding to represent the entire software without testing and
with false report, it is not only jeopardizing the reputation of the software solution but also
the company. Any risk arising would destroy the reputation of the company in front of the
clients altogether.
Conclusion
Therefore in conclusion it can be said that all the problems that Christina was facing
about the professional code of conduct by the organisation she was working under as a
programmer was not abiding by the ethical rules and regulations as per the cyber law in
Australia put forward. The representation of false testing reports and presenting a software
without testing it to the clients, both are criminal offences and can be regarded as a fraudulent
activity from the side of the organisation to the clients. It is also utilised Chris MacDonald’s
methodology for decision making to find out a solution to the problem.

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References
Burmeister, O.K., 2017. Professional ethics in the information age. Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society, 15(4), pp.348-356.
Liu, Y., Mai, F. and MacDonald, C., 2018. A Big-Data Approach to Understanding the
Thematic Landscape of the Field of Business Ethics, 1982–2016. Journal of Business Ethics,
pp.1-24.
Resnik, D.B. and Elliott, K.C., 2016. The ethical challenges of socially responsible
science. Accountability in research, 23(1), pp.31-46.
Southgate, E., Smith, S.P., Cividino, C., Saxby, S., Kilham, J., Eather, G., Scevak, J.,
Summerville, D., Buchanan, R. and Bergin, C., 2019. Embedding immersive virtual reality in
classrooms: Ethical, organisational and educational lessons in bridging research and
practice. International journal of child-computer interaction, 19, pp.19-29.