Information Technology Ethics: A Case Study of Ken

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Information Technology Ethics
Student name: karthik reddy thalasani
Student id: 11702853
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Table of Contents
Introduction...................................................................................................................................3
ICT Ethical issues....................................................................................................................... 4
Ethical problems implications...................................................................................................5
Code of ACS............................................................................................................................... 7
Recommendation......................................................................................................................7
Conclusion..................................................................................................................................... 9
References................................................................................................................................... 10
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Introduction
Ethical issues impact the overall business operation in negative manner and it also influences
the development of ICT activities. Information and communication technology allow having
improvement in the work process and facilitating businesses to deal with diverse issues.
However, few issues regarding ICT and ethical dilemma are faced by businesses that influence
the overall outcome. In present report case of Ken has been discussed to resolve the ethical
dilemma with a help of ACS code of ethics.
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ICT Ethical issues
It is necessary for to have understanding respecting to diverse elements so that ICT related
ethical issues can be addressed properly. Classification of key elements can be as privacy,
accuracy and accessibility. If any of these measures are not maintained then ethical issues
might be faced. Ken has also faced the issues regarding the accuracy and it has impacted the
overall development of untested system.
Privacy is all about safeguarding the standards and framework respecting to ICT practice. In
case of Ken the information regarding the untested system was published in the newspaper
without any consult of major party. It means the violation of privacy factor is present in the
case that has created an ethical issue or dilemma. It has influenced the reputation of business
that privacy measures are not referred in critical manner (Finnemore, 2018). Accessibility is also
need to consider by the management so that ethical dilemma can be controlled. Accessibility
can also be looked like a part of security as it provides details regarding individuals who have
authority to access the data. As per the terms of contract the untested system completion has
been delayed that reflects that ethical issue has affected the overall effectiveness of program.
Deadline decided in the contract must be achieved to meet the ethical aspects of the ICT
(Jafarkarimi, et al. 2016). However, according to case the Ken has demanded one month
extension for completion of project. Also, the ethical issue like commitment is missing the
practice of Ken as he has left job after asking the extension of project. It means consideration of
responsibility is not adequate that has affected the ethical process.
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Ethical problems implications
Implication of ethical problems is also significant because it allows meeting the opportunities. It
is significant to make sure implications are properly referred by the business firm. Implications
are being made at different levels. Privacy is referred as most critical aspect in the ethics and it
assist to meet the objectives. If privacy is not well maintained then it can be considered as
significant ethical problem that influences the overall process of ICT development. In case of
Ken the privacy of untested system was affected and it has influenced the development of ICT.
It is necessary to make sure that privacy aspects are well maintained so that overall
development regarding ICT can be promoted (Ferguson, et al. 2016). Ken was not taking any
responsibility regarding the ethical dilemma. It has influenced the overall practice in negative
manner and affected the success of project. Ethics related issues are also being enhanced due
to improper allocation of responsibility. In case of Ken the individuals were not having any kind
of realisation regarding responsibility and the accountability of the action. If any person is not
taking responsibility regarding the work then effectiveness of overall ICT process can be
affected. As per ACS codes the trust and honesty are elements that are being referred by Ken in
present scenario (Al-Saggaf, et al. 2017). During the negotiation of the deadline extension, Ken
has tried to reflect the trust to its clients. Ken has focused on telling the truth that they cannot
go live in two days because they are facing some issues regarding technical aspect. Ken has also
provided the information that they at least require one month to complete the project and go
live.
It has been witnessed that improper allocation of responsibility impacts the success of
organization in negative manner (Cilliers, 2017). Trust in the market on the organization is also
getting affected so the allocation of responsibility must be accurate. Through having a proper
consideration of such aspects the ethical dilemma can be resolved. In case of Ken the improper
responsibility allocation has created an ethical dilemma (Díaz-Campo & Segado-Boj, 2015).
Another ethical issue is being faced within organization of Ken due to accessibility and accuracy.
If more than one person is not having an adequate access to information then the ethical issues
might be faced. Due to improper accuracy the overall working regarding ICT has also been
affected. Project deadline was missed that has also created an ethical issue because the
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deadline was mentioned in the contract (Thornley et al. 2018). However, improper reference of
ethics is also offering better opportunities and overall performance negatively. Level of security
is also getting affected in diverse manner that impacts the working regarding accessibility ( Ryan
& Garrett, 2018).
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Code of ACS
It is necessary for Ken and his team to have focus on the ACS code of ethics. There are diverse
values that are being considered under the code of ACS. Interest of the public must be referred
as key priority so that project can be delivery in accurate manner (Leikas et al. 2019). It
facilitates to meet the opportunities and make sure that ethical standards are well maintained.
As per the Ken case, it can be said that team must have interest on completing the project and
deliver the same in desired time frame. Ken interest was testing that has delayed the project
and affected the overall outcome (Burmeister, 2017). However, he was focused towards
maintaining the ethical standards and make sure that quality product is delivered to client. It
means the testing would have allowed meeting the satisfaction. Honesty is also a factor that
needs to be referred properly so that ethical dilemma can be controlled. Ken has considered
the same and focused towards sharing the actual reason behind the delay of the project.
However, issue related to lack of accountability has influenced the overall working in diverse
manner (Jones, 2016).
There are diverse elements that need to be advanced properly so that ethical issues can be
controlled. Improving quality is necessary to refer under the Australian Computer Society. It
facilitates to promote the ICT work. Quality of work has also been improved so that dealing
with issue can be taken into account. Competences are also a measure that enhances the work
process of ICT organizations (Busch & Henriksen, 2018). If competences are not well maintained
within organization then ethical dilemma can be faced by entity. Considering the privacy ethical
issue the professionalism need to be enhanced. It is all about creating a value for the company
as per ACS. If proper professionalism is being promoted within organization then project can be
completed in ethical manner.
Recommendation
In order to deal with the ethical problem, Ken must have focused on various developments. Key
problem with the project was that completion deadline was missed. It was essential for Ken to
focus on activities that can facilitate in launching the project and going live. For better
development of standards and practice to control the issue was to set up a testing process. It is
essential to cover the overall issue and make sure that diverse aspects are well maintained.
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Ken has also asked for project extension so that testing could have accomplished in order to
meet the objective. It is necessary to make sure that the testing is done in such manner that
products and services are developed as per quality standards. In respect to time extension to
maintain the ethical balance the discount can be offered to customers as it assist to meet the
opportunities.
Another recommendation can be that responsibility allocation needs to be enhanced so that
ethical practice can be well maintained. It is significant to make sure that Ken and other
members within team are well acknowledged about the responsibility. If each member is well
aware of responsibility then ethical practice would have enhanced. Liability allocation also
needs to be as per the job roles so that overall development can be promoted. Through having
an accurate allocation of responsibilities, the misuse of aspects can be controlled.
It is also recommended that ethical issues must be solved as per ACS references. If codes of ACS
are not well accessed or evaluated then issues cannot be resolved. It is significant to make sure
that ACS codes are being followed properly. Code of ethics is also necessary to make sure so
that overall development respecting to values is followed.
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Conclusion
As per above study, it can be concluded that ethical dilemma impacts the project success in
negative manner. Overall development respecting to features and values is also affected in case
of Ken. Key issue was improper allocation of responsibility. No one in the organization was
taking the responsibility of the delay in the project. After the extension of the project the Ken
has not completed the project and he has left the job. These kinds of aspects are affecting the
practice in negative manner. ACS code of ethics consideration can improve the performance
and allow making sure about the ethical issues.
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References
Al-Saggaf, Y., Burmeister, O. K., & Schwartz, M. (2017). Qualifications and ethics education: the
views of ICT professionals. Australasian Journal of Information Systems, 21.
Burmeister, O. K. (2017). Professional ethics in the information age. Journal of Information,
Communication and Ethics in Society, 15(4), 348-356.
Busch, P. A., & Henriksen, H. Z. (2018). Digital discretion: A systematic literature review of ICT
and street-level discretion. Information Polity, 23(1), 3-28.
Cilliers, L. (2017). Evaluation of information ethical issues among undergraduate students: An
exploratory study. South African Journal of Information Management, 19(1), 1-6.
Díaz-Campo, J., & Segado-Boj, F. (2015). Journalism ethics in a digital environment: How
journalistic codes of ethics have been adapted to the Internet and ICTs in countries around the
world. Telematics and informatics, 32(4), 735-744.
Ferguson, S., Thornley, C., & Gibb, F. (2016). Beyond codes of ethics: how library and
information professionals navigate ethical dilemmas in a complex and dynamic information
environment. International Journal of Information Management, 36(4), 543-556.
Finnemore, M. (2018). Ethical Dilemmas in Cyberspace. Ethics & International Affairs, 32(4),
457-462.
Jafarkarimi, H., Saadatdoost, R., Sim, A. T. H., & Hee, J. M. (2016). Behavioral intention in social
networking sites ethical dilemmas: An extended model based on theory of planned
behavior. Computers in Human Behavior, 62, 545-561.
Jones, S. (2016). Doing the right thing: computer ethics pedagogy revisited. Journal of
Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 14(1), 33-48.
Leikas, J., Koivisto, R., & Gotcheva, N. (2019). Ethical Framework for Designing Autonomous
Intelligent Systems. Journal of Open Innovation: Technology, Market, and Complexity, 5(1), 18.
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Ryan, D., & Garrett, P. M. (2018). Social work ‘logged on’: Contemporary dilemmas in an
evolving ‘techno-habitat’. European Journal of Social Work, 21(1), 32-44.
Thornley, C. V., Murnane, S., McLoughlin, S., Carcary, M., Doherty, E., & Veling, L. (2018). The
role of ethics in developing professionalism within the global ICT community. International
Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals (IJHCITP), 9(4), 56-71.
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