Reflective Journal: Ethics & Professional Practice in IT & Business

This reflective journal delves into the crucial aspects of ethics and professional practice within the information technology and business sectors. It emphasizes the importance of moral and honest conduct for IT professionals, highlighting adherence to ethical codes and policies in the workplace. The journal discusses the impact of ethical practices on organizational success, including culture, retention, and productivity. It also addresses ethical concerns related to IT services, such as data confidentiality, copyright protection, and the unauthorized use of computer resources. Furthermore, the journal explores problem-solving and decision-making strategies, emphasizing the need for careful analysis, evidence-based decisions, and consideration of alternative options. The reflection underscores the significance of ethics in fostering a healthy work environment and shaping individual behavior, ultimately contributing to the success of businesses and society. The document is available on Desklib, a platform offering a range of study tools for students.

Running Head: ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Ethics and professional practice
Name of the Student
Name of the University
Author Note

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
Ethical theory and practices discusses the moral and honest path to conduct work and
oneself. Each practitioner on entering a profession is invested with the responsibility to
conduct him or herself morally and follow the ethical code of conduct at workplace.
Business ethics can be defined as the study of business policies, practices governing
corporate issues like responsibility, trading, discrimination at work and fiduciary
responsibility to mention a few. Longevity and success are primarily dependent on ethical
practices as poor ethics hurt culture, reduce retention rate and can impact productivity of the
company which in all will have an effect on the revenue of the enterprise (Trevino and
Nelson 2016).
When an enterprise or an organization does business, the organization needs to lay
down certain ethical foundation at work which the employees must adhere to. In my opinion,
leaders at work need to act virtuously to set an example for the peers (Pearson 2017). The
companies need to be diligent about enforcing ethical code and polices at work. I believe
community involvement at the work place can improve ethical practices in the company. To
improve positivity at work, I feel that there should be undivided trust among the employees
and the management. This will certainly help the organization to reach its goal. To
circumvent a negative environment at work, I feel conflict of interest should be avoided; if
not then the situation should be handled with respect.
Life cannot be thought without the intervention of IT services. There are numerous
ethical concerns pertaining to IT services. The objective of ethics in IT is to consider the
various attributes of computer system development, implementation and use. The backbone
of It services is data. The data generated is used for numerous reasons to get work done. So
now this becomes the duty and responsibility of the IT professionals and service providers to

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
ensure complete confidentiality and protection of sensitive data (Gotterbarn 2017). The IT
organizations perform periodic investigation on the system to identify any violations of
copyrighted software as the company has the power to take legal actions if they notice a
breach in their copyright law. Lastly, the issue I think needs mentioning is unauthorized and
unprofessional use of computer resources. Unauthorized access is morally wrong and
unethical as it affects the society.
To solve a problem, the primary step is to understand the root of the problem. If the
problem seems overwhelming, the problem should be fragmented to reach a solution quickly.
When the problem turns into a complex one, an individual’s role in the problem should be
identified to analyze the root cause of the problem. An appropriate approach needs to be
selected to get the problem solved at the earliest. An alternative plan should be kept at hand if
the initial solution does not work.
Decision making involves several traits. To make a decision on a complex and
significant matter, the situation needs to be carefully analyzed. Evidences to support the
decision need to be developed. The subject matter should be structured in an organized
manner and thorough discussion should be conducted by applying concepts (Shapiro and
Stefkovich 2016). Alternative options should also be weighed before reaching a consensus.
All these factors need to work in sync to take the right decision.
Ethics are important to maintain a healthy environment in the workplace as well as in
the society. Ethical guidelines help shape the behavior of the individuals at the workplace and
aids in decision making. The success of a business is depended on the ethical culture.

ETHICS AND PROFESSIONAL PRACTICE
References
Trevino, L.K. and Nelson, K.A., 2016. Managing business ethics: Straight talk about how to
do it right. John Wiley & Sons.
Pearson, R., 2017. Business ethics as communication ethics: Public relations practice and the
idea of dialogue. In Public relations theory (pp. 111-131). Routledge.
Gotterbarn, D., 2017. The use and abuse of computer ethics. In Computer Ethics (pp. 57-62).
Routledge.
Shapiro, J.P. and Stefkovich, J.A., 2016. Ethical leadership and decision making in education:
Applying theoretical perspectives to complex dilemmas. Routledge.