Charles Sturt University: Ethical Theories & Mobile App Security

This essay critically examines the ethical implications of malicious actions within enterprise mobile applications, utilizing four major classical ethical theories: utilitarianism, deontology, contract theory, and virtue ethics. It argues that malicious activities, such as unauthorized data collection, violate ethical principles by failing to maximize happiness (utilitarianism), breaching moral duties (deontology), breaking user agreements (contract theory), and lacking moral virtue. The essay concludes that these actions breach professional ethics, compromise data privacy, and increase the risk of cybercrime. It recommends that enterprise mobile apps adhere to these ethical theories to safeguard user data and maintain ethical standards. Desklib offers solved assignments for students.

SCHOOL OFs COMPUTING AND MATHS, Charles Sturt University
Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Assignment 4: Applying Ethical Theory
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Word Count: 1000
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Introduction
Assessment 4 includes a short essay that is detailing the argument visualization of assessment
3. The article 3 was based on the Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial. The
article discusses the four major classical theories including utilitarianism, deontology,
contract, and virtue with the presentation of well-reasoned arguments of the assessments and
recommendations.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Utilitarianism Theory
Utilitarianism can be explained as the normative ethical theory which focuses on the center of
right and wrong which leads to the various outcomes that support in choosing the actions and
the policies over the other actions and the policies. Further on, it focuses beyond the interest
of individual through focusing on the account or others. Utilitarianism is having four
principles that include:
 This theory helps in recognizing the fundamental role of the pleasure and the pain in
human life.
 It is responsible for approving and disapproving the amount of pain and the pleasure
for example consequences.
 It provides good results with the pleasure and the evil outcomes with the pain.
 It discusses that both the pain and the pleasure leads to the Utilitarianism
As per the theory of the Utilitarianism, ethics is supported when their maximum number of
people are feeling happy and getting the benefits (Mill, 2016). The case study reveals those
utilitarianism theory malicious actions in enterprise mobile because a maximum number of
people is not happy and not even getting the benefits.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Deontology Theory
Deontology theory is also known as an ethical theory that helps in analyzing the difference
between the right and wrong. This follows the action of universal moral laws that are don’t
cheat, don’t lie and don’t steal. This theory is very simple to apply as it only requires that
people only do their duty and follow all the rules that are developed. Deontology theory is fit
well in the natural intuition which is about what is ethical and what is not. Beside this theory
judges the actions with their outcomes without requiring any kind of the weighting the cost
and the benefits of the situation.
Deontology theory is used for avoiding the uncertainty and the subjectivity as it needs to
follow the set rules. Besides these positions, many people find their negatives and
unacceptable. For example, there is a software engineer who is learning about that if the
nuclear missile is launched then it might start the war. In that case, the person can cancel the
launch through hacking the network but this process is considered as against the professional
codes of ethics in order to break any kind of the software system without having any kind of
permission. Deontology theory states not to breach the rule (Meyers, 2018).
The case study states that Deontology theory does not focuses on the people benefit and the
happiness but actions must be ethical. So, Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are
crucial is unethical according to deontology theory.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Virtue Theory
Virtue Theory can be explained as the approach which deemphasizes the consequences, rules,
and the individual acts and the places which totally put the spotlight on the person who is
acting. The issue is not primary when there is neither right intention nor when there is the
correct rule. It is primary when the consequences of the actions are having the good and the
factors are not irrelevant. In other words, the Virtue Theory is a broad term and the theory
which focuses on the role of the character and the virtue in the moral philosophy instead of
acting in order to bring the good consequences.
The Virtue Theory provides good moral advice such as act according to a virtuous person in
any situation. The character of the person totally focuses on the traits of its characteristics.
When the character traits are good or bad or maybe both there is an admirable character trait
which marks of perfection in character, are called virtues, their opposites are vices (Bai,
2017).
Virtue theory focuses on the involvement of the actions and moral actions. The case study
does not have any kind of morality of actions so it is unethical according to virtue theory of
ethics.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Contract Theory
Contract theory can be explained as the study which focuses on the different ways in which
organization and the people develop and construct the legal agreement. This theory analyses
about how the parties develop informal and formal contracts with conflicting interest. Beside
this, it also investigates about the formation of the contract when there is the availability of
the asymmetric information. The theory draws and develops various principles upon the
economic and financial behavior of the different parties that are having the different
incentives which support in performing particular actions (Christensen, et. al., 2016).
The Contract theory states that follow the contract calluses when there is any signed
agreement. In the following case study, it has been analyzed that apps have been installed
without the permission and the user agreement so this is unethical according to contract
theory as well.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
Conclusion
From the above, it has been concluded that the case study does not follow the rules of the
four theories that are utilitarianism, deontology, contract, and virtue. This will breach the
professionalism code of the ethics through focusing on the collection of private data and
information over the mobile phone of the victims which will further on harm the employee.
Breaching the rules of four classical theories means breaching the private code of ethics. This
affects the business details which may include business details, communication, and client
data.
Data privacy is also affected by the breaching of data of the enterprise because the app of the
enterprise contains the business details. When the data privacy is breached there is an
increase in the rate of the cybercrime that involves a malicious activity in enterprise mobile
apps.
So, it has been recommended to the enterprise mobile apps to follow all the rules of the
classical theories. The decision and the theories hold applied according to the particular
situation and as per the suitability.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
References
 Bai, F. (2017). Beyond dominance and competence: A moral virtue theory of status
attainment. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 21(3), 203-227.
 Christensen, H. B., Nikolaev, V. V., & Wittenberg‐Moerman, R. (2016). Accounting
information in financial contracting: The incomplete contract theory
perspective. Journal of accounting research, 54(2), 397-435.
 Meyers, C. (2018). 8 Deontology. Communication and Media Ethics, 26, 139.
 Mill, J. S. (2016). Utilitarianism. In Seven masterpieces of philosophy (pp. 337-383).
Routledge.
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Malicious actions in enterprise mobile apps are crucial
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