Ethics of Big Data and Analytics: Assignment Solution

This assignment delves into the ethics of big data and analytics, differentiating between ethical and illegal behaviors. It examines the importance of ethical conduct in business settings, emphasizing fairness, equality, honesty, and respect for individual rights. The essay provides a practical approach to addressing unethical behavior, including reporting mechanisms and organizational strategies to promote ethical practices. The student outlines steps to take when witnessing unethical actions by colleagues or superiors, as well as measures to ensure employee ethical behavior, such as clear guidelines, punishments, rewards, and an ethical panel. Additionally, the assignment touches upon the role of whistleblowing to uphold company policy and ethical standards, referencing relevant sources to support its arguments.

Running Head: ETHICS OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS 1
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Assignment title: Ethics of Big data and Analytics
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ETHICS OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS 2
There is a huge gap existing between ethical and illegal behavior. Ethical behavior is behaving or
acting in a manner that is consistent with the societal beliefs and what individuals typically think
is right according to their upbringings and beliefs. In a business set up, ethical behavior always
tends to be useful since it emphasizing demonstrating positive character in the field of work and
acting in accordance with the set guidelines and rules for that business set up. Some of the
principles that always accompany ethical behavior are; fairness to all, equality to all people
regardless of their gender or social status in the society and field of work, honesty at all times,
maintenance of one's dignity, diversity as well as the individual rights (Schwepke, 2019). On the
other hand, illegal is acting in a manner that violates laws and regulations or working in a way
that is contrary to public policy and set guidelines and rules. Also, illegal behavior can be stated
as a manner through which an individual action against the fundamental principles set for the
legal system involving the creation of agreements that are against the law. Therefore, ethical and
illegal behavior are two distinct acts that can never match since they comprise very different
believes as well as set rules and guidelines. Even in the business set up, illegal behavior always
acts contrary to ethical behavior (Wu & Rooij, 2019).
In a scenario where I realize unethical behavior by a colleague or someone in upper
management, then the first point is to question it but not declaring myself righteous since this can
hinder my information gathering process. Then I privately report the matter to my immediate
supervisor, who is at an almost equivalent level with that colleague in the management. If the
supervisor becomes reluctant to handle the issue, then the only remaining step is to report this
incident into the command so that legal and appropriate action can be taken against that
colleague (Schwepke, 2019).

ETHICS OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS 3
At an organizational level, I would use the following measures to ensure my employees behaved
ethically. I would post clear guidelines and a set of rules that dictates the type of behavior I
expect from my employees. Secondly, I would outline all the potential punishments that one is
likely to face as a result of behaving unethically in the field of work. This would be followed by
enacting and stating rewards for those who promote ethical behavior at the place of work
(Schwepke, 2019). Lastly, I would create an ethical panel at the site of work and ensure there are
great privacy and security for all my whistleblowers. For those who violate company policy, I
would give them a one-time warning to correct their behavior, and if they fail to rectify, then I
take action of firing them. When the need is, as a company employer, I had to be a whistleblower
and reported an individual who broke company rules to ensure action is taken against them, and
all set guidelines are followed appropriately (Wu & Rooij, 2019).

ETHICS OF BIG DATA AND ANALYTICS 4
References
Schwepker Jr, C. H. (2019). Using Ethical Leadership to Improve Business-To-Business
Salesperson Performance: The Mediating Roles of Trust in Manager and Ethical
Ambiguity. Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing, 26(2), 141-158.
Wu, Y., & van, Rooij, B. (2019). Compliance Dynamism: Capturing the Polynormative and
Situational Nature of Business Responses to Law. Journal of Business Ethics, 1-13.