University IT Ethics Report: Employee Monitoring and Privacy Concerns

This report delves into the ethical considerations surrounding employee monitoring in the realm of Information Technology. It begins with a structured abstract outlining the core arguments, followed by a literature review that presents contrasting viewpoints on the impact of IT on employee privacy and productivity. Some sources suggest that monitoring enhances efficiency, while others highlight the importance of privacy. The report then outlines the research methodology, which involves a qualitative analysis of secondary sources like books and journals. Finally, it concludes that ethical considerations are paramount in IT, and that a critical analysis is necessary to determine the extent of the issue. The report also provides a list of academic sources both supporting and opposing the practice of employee monitoring. The report aims to provide a comprehensive overview of the ethical landscape concerning employee monitoring and its implications within the IT sector.

Ethics for the IT Professional
(Course work topic )

COURSEWORK TOPIC
Name of Student Banner ID
Coursework Topic
Using information and communication technology as a means of monitoring employees is
a blatant violation of privacy.
Structured Abstract
Introduction:
Organisations uses information technology (IT) devices to track the performance and
activities of their employees to assure high performance. However it serves as major threat
to the privacy of individuals.
Literature review:
According to Senft, Gallegos and Davis, (2016) IT devices are means of enhancing
efficiency and productivity in business and the monitoring of employees does not intrude
in their privacy. Instead it is part of the management process to ensure the quality work
environment. On the other hand Lam, (2016) stated that IT services must be used in
business but they must not interfere with privacy of others. It is essential that IT services
integrates ethical considerations into account so that a balance can be established between
privacy and rights of employees and organisational interests.
Research methodology:
The critical analysis will be of qualitative type. It will use secondary sources such as
newspaper articles, books and journals for collecting data. For analysing secondary data
systematic review will be used so that strong evidences can be provided to support the key
issues related to topic.
Conclusion:
It can be concluded that IT services must ensure that ethical considerations are taken into
account so that they does not cause any damage to the interest and rights of individuals. A
critical analysis is required on the issue so that suitable solutions and extent of severity of
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the issue can be determined.
Case For- Academic sources
Huang, S.Y., Lee, C.H., Chiu, A.A. and Yen, D.C., 2015. How business process
reengineering affects information technology investment and employee
performance under different performance measurement. Information Systems
Frontiers. 17(5). pp.1133-1144.
Piercy, N.F. ed., 2018. The Management implications of new information
technology (Vol. 41). Routledge.
Senft, S., Gallegos, F. and Davis, A., 2016. Information technology control and audit.
Auerbach publications.
Case Against - Academic sources
Wu, S.P.J., Straub, D.W. and Liang, T.P., 2015. How information technology
governance mechanisms and strategic alignment influence organizational
performance: Insights from a matched survey of business and IT managers. Mis
Quarterly. 39(2). pp.497-518.
West, J.P. and Bowman, J.S., 2016. Electronic surveillance at work: An ethical
analysis. Administration & Society. 48(5). pp.628-651.
Lam, H., 2016. Social media dilemmas in the employment context. Employee
Relations. 38(3). pp.420-437.
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