Professional Environments Case Study Analysis: Ethics and Governance

This case study analyzes a scenario involving data entry errors in an accounting firm, focusing on ethical and professional conduct. The report examines the responsibilities of Brenda, a manager observing these issues, and her obligations under the ACS Code of Ethics, including competency, professional development, and professionalism. It explores the applicability of the Australian Privacy Act 1988 and utilizes McDonald's framework for ethical decision-making to evaluate the situation. The analysis covers information collection, alternative solutions, ethical standards, and proposing resolutions, concluding with recommendations for employee training and adherence to ethical guidelines to prevent financial losses and ensure compliance with legal and professional standards. The case underscores the importance of ethical behavior and professional development in maintaining public trust and achieving company profitability.

CASE 4

Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
ACS Code of Ethics.........................................................................................................................2
Australian Legislation Applicable...................................................................................................3
McDonald’s framework for ethical decision...................................................................................3
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................4
References........................................................................................................................................5

Introduction
The case highlights about Brenda who has been observing about the problems in the data entry
by her junior management staff. The errors are causing a major issue to the accounting firm,
thereby, leading to the loss of profit. The company policies dictates that the salaries of the
worker will be docked for the clear mistakes which is leading to the major loss in the profit of
the company. The report will highlight on the ACS Code of Professional Conduct that will
highlight about the different factors that Brenda should follow in order to protect the company
from the loss.
ACS Code of Ethics
There are three codes of Ethics which are applicable to the given scenario
a: Competency: It is important for Brenda to deliver the best services to the company. Along
with it is her responsibility to guide her employees to work in a proper manner so that they can
work depending upon the requirements of the company.
b: Professional Development: The employees need to be informed about the errors that they are
doing while inputting the financial information of the company and then encourage the staff to
keep the knowledge up to date (Burmeister, 2017).
c: Professionalism: The ICT industry has been set by ACS to ensure that there is a need to
improve the public confidence with maintaining the professional standards. The professionalism
at work is important for keeping them engaged and work in a correct manner.

Australian Legislation Applicable
The Privacy Act 1988 of Australian law handles the information about the different accounting
firms, whether they are gaining or losing the profit. The standards, rights and obligations are for
accessing the information in an effective manner (Boland & Mogk, 2018).
McDonald’s framework for ethical decision
Collection of Information
Brenda needs to collect the information as to which employees are doing such kind of activities
by adding false information in the accounts of the firm. the case will help in highlighting about
the concerns related to the information of the accountancy.
Alternatives
It is important for the company and its employees to work on improving the profit through
entering the data when using the software.
Measuring the Solution by ethical standards
According to ACS, the possible solution is to highlight on making the proper actions by
explaining them and helping them to use the software. This will help in the better opportunity for
the employment, advancement and the remuneration (Kovac, 2018).
Proposing and testing resolution
They need to be trained properly for handling the accounting of the company so that there are
profits, else there will be a major deduction of their salary for doing the wrong work.
Final Decisions

The breach of the privacy and the confidentiality of the employees is detected in the case. Brenda
should respect the hardware of the employees and try to discuss the problems so that the
employees can be trained who are employed for the data entry work (Thomas et al., 2017).
Conclusion
According to the analysis, the employees are breaching the laws by doing the improper work and
not providing help to the company to gain profits. They should try to understand and learn to get
trained by communicating with the other employees and Brenda at work.

References
Boland, M.A. and Mogk, D.W., 2018. The American Geosciences Institute guidelines for ethical
professional conduct. Scientific integrity and ethics in the geosciences.
Burmeister, O.K., 2017. Professional ethics in the information age. Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society, 15(4), pp.348-356.
Kovac, J., 2018. American Chemical Society Codes of Ethics: Past, Present, and Future. HYLE–
International Journal for Philosophy of Chemistry, 24, pp.79-95.
Thomas, G., Duessel, P. and Meier, M., 2017. ETHICAL ISSUES OF USER BEHAVIORAL
ANALYSIS THROUGH MACHINE LEARNING. Journal of Information System
Security, 13(1).