ITC506 Case Study: Ethical Dilemmas in Software Development - Analysis

This case study, prepared for Charles Sturt University's ITC506 course, examines an ethical dilemma in software development. The scenario involves a company's CIO pushing for an early software launch without encryption to meet a CEO's deadline, potentially jeopardizing data security. The assignment analyzes the facts, issues, and stakeholders affected by this decision, including the client, development team, and company reputation. It explores ethical implications, focusing on the conflict between business goals and the importance of data protection. The analysis evaluates different options, such as delivering the software without encryption, delaying the launch, or including encryption before release. The study concludes by recommending the most ethical option, which prioritizes data security and long-term company success, emphasizing the importance of ethical decision-making in the software development process. This assignment provides a structured framework for understanding and resolving ethical challenges in the tech industry, using relevant references to support its arguments.

SCHOOL OF COMPUTING AND MATHS, Charles Sturt University
Early Launch`
Assignment 1: Doing Ethics Technique
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Word Count: 900

Title of you case study/scenario
ITC506 Assessment Item 1- Marking Sheet
Total Obtained Marks /100 & /15
Q1. What's going on?
The scenario here is that the CIO of the company wants the software to launch earlier than
the deadline as per the order of CEO who wants to increase the opportunity of getting new projects
by delivering the software a month earlier than the deadline. The CIO wants the software without
any encryption and suggests that the encryption can be done after the product has been delivered
via an over the air (OTA) update(Bell, 2016). The project manager said that the software is difficult to
be delivered within time. Skipping the encryption will lead to security vulnerability and the software
can be hacked which will result in sensible data loss. The project director states that the chance of
hacking is less and the team will get handsome bonus if the software gets delivered before deadline.
Q2. What are the facts?
The facts are that the software is difficult to deliver within a month earlier than deadline
according to the senior developer. The CEO wants the software to be delivered to create a possibility
for the company to get more projects in future. The CIO thinks that the encryption can be done later
after the delivery of the software to the client. The senior developer and the project manager is
aware about the fact that the suggestion of project director to skip encryption can lead the software
vulnerable to hacking attempts and leakage of sensible data. Security of any software is one of the
key factors of it to be stable and deliver the work to its users without any type of security
threats(Bell, 2014). The process of skipping the encryption and later giving the the encryption via an
Over The Air (OTA) update is also risky because the software can be hacked before the update.
Q3. What are the issues?
The issues here are that the CEO of the company wants the software to be delivered early
which will pave way for new projects in future and also increase the fame of the company resulting
in getting further projects. The CIO has asked the project director to skip the encryption of the
software to deliver it early and also told about the handsome bonus if the software is delivered by
the team earlier than the deadline. The senior developer though suggests that the encryption should
not be skipped and the product can not be delivered early (Harris Jr et al., 2013). The project manger
also claims that there is risk of the software getting hacked. The project director though suggested to
add the encryption after the delivery via OTA.
Q4. Who is affected?
The client is affected here in long run if the encryption is skipped as the software can be
hacked easily and which will leak the sensible data of the users. The reputation of the developer
company will also be affected if the OTA is late and any security risk occurs within that timeframe.
The whole project team will be affected if the software has security loopholes (Meine & Dunn,
2013). The CIO will also be affected if the team fails to meet the expectations of the CEO. The CEO
will also be affected in long term if the software is delivered late and may lose the chance of getting
new projects.
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Q5. What are the ethical issues and their implications?
The ethical issue here for the project manager is that the team should deliver the client best
possible software but the dilemma is that the senior officials want to sacrifice in quality of software
and deliver it early. The early delivery may lead to security risk which can result in data leak of the
users. This may be a reason of financial loss for the client which is not expected to happen from
ethical point of view(Miguel, 2014). The project director suggests the project manger to skip the
encryption now and provide it later via OTA update. The delivery of the software without encryption
is unethical from the developer’s point of view as it is an important feature of any software.
Q6. What could have been done about it?
The encryption can be done and then only the software package can be delivered to ensure
the project is stable and safe. The suggestion of CIO should be not considered by the team and the
proposal of project manager should be granted by the project director and CIO. This should be done
for the company’s greater good. The delay in encryption can cause leak of sensible data of millions
of users of the software(Mannay & Morgan, 2015).
Q7. What are the options?
There are three main options. The first option is the project manager accepts the suggestion
of the senior officials and deliver the product a month early without any encryption suggested by the
senior developer. This may happen that the software gets hacked before the update provided and
leakage of sensible data of users can take place.
The second option is to remove the project manger from the project which again result in
delay of delivery of the software to the client. In this case neither the company nor the client will be
satisfied. The project will be delivered with encryption and on the delivery deadline.
The third option is to accept the project manager’s proposal and include encryption before
the delivery of software. This will ensure the software is stable and safe (Shaw & Elger, 2013). This
will meet the client’s expectation and also build reputation of the company which the CEO and CIO
wants. The project manager and developer will not get bonus but the software solution they made
will help them to get more projects in future which will be financially beneficial.
Q8. Which option is the best and why?
The third option is best for all the stakeholders. The client will be happy to get a stable and
secure software with encryption. The developer company will be satisfied with the positive feedback
of client and it will be beneficial for the company in getting more project in future which the CEO
wants(Sokol, 2013). The developers will also be able to work independently and take technical
decisions about the project without any pressure from higher authority.
References
Bell, G. (2016). Extended vocal technique and Joan La Barbara: The relational ethics of voice on the
edge of intelligibility. Journal of Interdisciplinary Voice Studies, 1(2), 143-159.
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Title of you case study/scenario
Bell, J. (2014). Doing Your Research Project: A guide for first-time researchers. McGraw-Hill
Education (UK).
Harris Jr, C. E., Pritchard, M. S., Rabins, M. J., James, R., & Englehardt, E. (2013). Engineering ethics:
Concepts and cases. Cengage Learning.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v5M7ohdZ6qA
Mannay, D., & Morgan, M. (2015). Doing ethnography or applying a qualitative technique?
Reflections from the ‘waiting field’. Qualitative Research, 15(2), 166-182.
Meine, M. F., & Dunn, T. P. (2013). The search for ethical competency: Do ethics codes
matter?. Public Integrity, 15(2), 149-166.
Miguel, A. (2014). Doing Christian Ethics from the Margins: Revised and Expanded. Orbis Books.
Shaw, D., & Elger, B. (2013). Evidence-based persuasion: an ethical imperative. jama, 309(16), 1689-
1690.
Sokol, D. K. (2013). Seven ways to hone your ethics skills. BMJ: British Medical Journal (Online), 346.
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