MN501 Term-2 2018: Ethical Issues in ICT Technologies Report

This report addresses the ethical issues arising from the illegal procurement of computer programs. It identifies key ethical values such as creating an ethical workplace and ensuring fair treatment, illustrating these with a case study of a programmer seeking outside assistance. The report then applies ethical theories, including deontology, teleological ethics, utilitarianism, and virtue ethics, to analyze the situation. It discusses how the programmer's actions relate to moral duties, the purpose behind the actions, the consequences, and the character of the individual involved. The findings highlight the potential for unethical behavior and its implications for the organization, including risks to its reputation and legal liabilities. The report concludes that the programmer's actions constitute unethical behavior, emphasizing the importance of adhering to ethical guidelines and seeking internal support.

Running head: ETHICAL ISSUES
ETHICAL ISSUES
Name of student:
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Author’s note:

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Table of Contents
Introduction..............................................................................................................................2
Discussion.................................................................................................................................2
Ethical values........................................................................................................................2
Analysis of ethical issues using ethical theories framework.................................................3
Discussion of the findings.....................................................................................................4
Conclusion................................................................................................................................5
References................................................................................................................................7

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Introduction
The aim of this report is to discuss the ethical issues raised in the situation of illegal
procurement of computer programs. The ethical values raised in the above mentioned situation is
briefly described in this report. The ethical values that is raised related to the case in briefly
described. A critical analysis of the ethical analysis theories is briefly stated in this report. The
discussion of the findings after the analysis of ethical theories is briefed. Lastly, this report concludes
with an appropriate conclusion of this report.
Security professionals of IT have the access of confidential knowledge and data about the
networks of companies and individuals, which provides them a sense of power. IT programmers
create programs for executing specific tasks. These programs can be misused by the programmers to
alter the codes and execute malicious tasks. Strict guidelines are implemented to prevent the misuse
of programs [5].
Discussion
Ethical values
The ethical values identified from this scenario are:
Creating an ethical workplace: Managers and employers create a hospitable environment of
work for the employees. This helps in managing proper discipline and integrity of a workplace. The
case in our consideration where the programmer takes assist from an outside software package
regarding the program raises and issue of violation of ethical values. The programmer did not get
any help from the higher authorities, which is also a violation of ethical values by the employers [4].
A hospitable environment for working in the organisation is not created from this act.
Fair treatment: Businesses clearly define the measures and protocols that determines the
acts, which are considered fair, and the tasks that are considered unfair to the employees. In the
above case scenario, the employer did not act fairly with the programmer approached with a query
regarding the deadline of the program. This unfair treatment forced the programmer to ask for
outside help, which could have harmed the company [2].
Analysis of ethical issues using ethical theories framework
The ethical theories framework consists of four theories, which are deontology,
teleological, Utilitarianism, and virtue.
Deontology: The term, deontological, refers to the necessary or moral duties of an individual
[8]. As the acts committed by a human can be either right or wrong, a condition of ethical issues rises

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from this theory. From the considered case scenario, the issue of procuring help by a programmer
from an outside individual raises the ethical issue of deontology. The moral duty of the programmer
was to ask for assistance from someone within the organisation after she did not gain any help from
the employer. The employer did not extend the deadline even though she requested for extension
without even looking over the concern [7].
Teleological: This theory determines the purpose behind any ethical issue. In ethics, the
purpose or goal refers to the responsibilities for attaining a specific moral end or goal. From the
considered case scenario, the programmer committed the ethical issue for a good purpose, which
was to provide the solution before the deadline ends. The act of keeping the information hidden
from the authorities was an unethical act and this can affect her if any problem rises after the
analysis of the program [6].
Utilitarianism: This theory of ethics is based on the consequences of an action. This theory
provides the moral worth of the consequences [3]. The consequence of an action can be either
happy or sad. The well-being of an individual connected to an act is considered in this theory. The
act in the considered case is connected with this theory as the consequence of the unethical act that
was committed could be positive for the organisation for the time being but in the long run there
can be an issue of fraud or some other crime, if the program is analysed for misconduct.
Virtue: The theory of virtue is based on the character of the person committing the ethical
act. There can be a scenario of committing an unethical act by habit or it may have been committed
by necessity [1]. In the above considered case, the programmer had to commit the act out of
necessity as she did not achieve any help from the manager. The act was executed with good intent
of delivering a task on time but the chosen method was wrong.
Discussion of the findings
It can be observed that the act of procuring outside help by the programmer can be
considered an unethical act by the employee. This act can lead to major problems for the
organisation if the fraud committed by the employee is caught after analysis of the program. The
deontology theory can be analysed from the considered case, as the moral duty of the employee
was to ask for help from an individual inside the organisation so that in the time of emergency, the
programmer will not be accountable for fraud or other crime. The teleological theory that is raised
from this unethical act of procuring system codes from an individual outside the organisation is the
purpose of delivering the assigned task in time. The manager did not provide help to the
programmer. The consequences of the action can be beneficial or harmful for the organisation. The
benefit that the programmer gained from this act was that the programmer maintained her image in

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the organisation but if the program was analysed then the segments that were added externally can
be detected. Overall, the act can be considered as an unethical act as the programmer can become
liable to the protocols of the company and this act committed by the programmer can damage the
reputation of the company.
Conclusion
Therefore, it can be concluded that the act committed by the programmer involving
procurement of program segments from an outside individual creates the situation of unethical
behaviour. Security professionals of IT have the access of confidential knowledge and data about
the networks of companies and individuals, which provides them a sense of power. IT programmers
create programs for executing specific tasks. The ethical values concerned in this case are creation of
ethical workplace and fair treatment. The four ethical theories are deontology, utilitarianism, virtue,
and teleological.

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References
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combining ethical theories and accessibility-based approaches." Transportation 43.3 (2016):
473-490.
[2] Melden, Al. Ethical theories. Read Books Ltd, 2013.
[3] Monteverde, Settimio. "Undergraduate healthcare ethics education, moral resilience, and
the role of ethical theories." Nursing ethics 21.4 (2014): 385-401.
[4] Stenmark, Mikael. Environmental ethics and policy-making. Routledge, 2017.
[5] Broad, Charlie Dunbar. Five types of ethical theory. Routledge, 2014.
[6] Filip, Irina, et al. "Morality and ethical theories in the context of human behavior." Ethics &
Medicine 32.2 (2016): 83.
[7] Drolet, Marie-Josée, and Anne Hudon. "Theoretical frameworks used to discuss ethical
issues in private physiotherapy practice and proposal of a new ethical tool." Medicine,
health care and philosophy 18.1 (2015): 51-62.
[8] Shapiro, Joan Poliner, and Jacqueline A. Stefkovich. Ethical leadership and decision making in
education: Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge, 2016.