ITC506: Applying the Doing Ethics Technique to an Ethical Dilemma

This essay identifies and analyzes an ethical dilemma presented in a YouTube video concerning software development methodologies. The dilemma involves a project manager's handling of a junior developer and client communications. The analysis incorporates research on ethical issues such as consent, balancing benefits and risks, autonomy, voluntariness, and competence. The Doing Ethics Technique (DET) is applied to evaluate potential courses of action, ultimately favoring a supportive approach where the project manager encourages the developer while establishing clear communication protocols. The essay concludes by emphasizing the importance of ethical considerations in business scenarios and the value of the DET in achieving effective and ethical outcomes.

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ITC506
Topics in Information Technology Ethics
Assessment 1
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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
1. Identify an ethical dilemma or ethically questionable situation from ONE of the following four
YouTube videos...............................................................................................................................3
Q1. What is going on?.................................................................................................................3
Q2. What are the facts?................................................................................................................3
2. Undertake further research about the ethical issues you identified in your chosen video to
assist you in analysing and discussing it in your essay...................................................................4
Q3. What are the issues?..............................................................................................................4
Q4. Who is affected?...................................................................................................................5
Q5. What are the ethical issues and implications?......................................................................5
3. You are required to analyse the ethical dilemma you have identified above using the Doing
Ethics Technique (DET)..................................................................................................................6
Q6. What can be done about it?...................................................................................................6
Q7. What are the options?...........................................................................................................6
Q8. Which option is best and why?.............................................................................................6
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................7
References........................................................................................................................................8

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Introduction
This assignment focuses on the usage of information and communication-based technology in
the business environment. For this, there are four videos out of which one video is to be selected
to identify ethical dilemma in it and undertake future research of it. The research here would help
in analyzing the ethical issues which are been identified. Also here DET technique is used to
further examine the ethical dilemmas.
1. Identify an ethical dilemma or ethically questionable situation from ONE of the
following four YouTube videos
Ethical Dilemmas are also called as moral dilemmas which are conditions in which choice has to
be made among the given options but neither of them is able to ethically resolve the situation in
an acceptable fashion. The ethical dilemmas undertake that chooser will be abiding by the norms
of societal so that the accepted choice can be made ethically impossible.
Q1. What is going on?
I have taken Scenario 2: Development methodology, there are three ethical dilemmas for the
developer to respond to the call of the client regarding changes in software. First, the project
manager can request the creator to headfirst such calls to him. Second, project manager yells out
at the junior developer and third, project manager boosts the action taken by the developer (Al-
Saggaf, 2016).
Q2. What are the facts?
Generally, there are three conditions or facts for some situation to consider it as an ethical
dilemma. The first situation is when the agent has to make a conclusion for the best course of act
to take place. In an ethical dilemma, the second condition is that there is need of a different
course of action to be chosen. In a third ethical dilemma, it hardly matters what course of action
has taken place, some of the ethical principles is been compromised (SocialWorker, 2012).

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2. Undertake further research about the ethical issues you identified in your chosen video
to assist you in analysing and discussing it in your essay.
Q3. What are the issues?
From the chosen video of Scenario 2, I will be here presenting more research on ethical issues
highlighted above.
1. Ethical issue related to acceptance and consent- There are many if and buts in an organisation
regarding the course of action for any situation. If there is lack of enrollment and consent
within the developer and project manager then there are high chances of clashes otherwise
some guidance or appraisals are been given (Flicker, et-al, 2004).
2. The ethical issue of balancing benefits and risks- Some situations arises in an organisation
wherein the agent has to decide whether to revert positively to the client or think of
organisation benefit. If the developer does not revert positively then it is a risk factor for
client and benefit for organisation whereas in case of vice-versa there is a risk factor for
organisation and benefit to the client. In these kinds of situations, it’s hard to determine what
to do and what not.
3. The ethical issue of informed consent and autonomy- Autonomy means the capacity of
making an un-censored or informed decision. It is the state when somebody is kept free from
external influence or control. There must be consent from an authorized organisation with
proper documentation and the solution must be kept sensitive with the cultural values of
potential members if their autonomy needs to be respected. The project manager and
developer here must get with documentation according to which reactions can be made as per
the situation to ensure consent and autonomy with the customer.
4. Ethical issue for Voluntariness- There is a need for both project manager and the developer
to consider whether the method of gaining informed consent involves explicit or implicit
coercion. Enough time must be allowed so that all information can be considered and no
disappointment occurs further.
5. Competence- The project manager and developer must share some situations in which
developer can respond to the call or when he needs to forward the call to the project manager.
This way thing would be more sorted out and tasks could be better managed for the sake of
customers (Slowther, et-al, 2006).

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Q4. Who is affected?
People who tend to be affected are-
 Developer
 Project Manager
 Customer `
 Shareholders
 Financiers
Q5. What are the ethical issues and implications?
All the issues described above comes up with the design and conduct of genetic investigation
with the people. It also includes the stages of informed consent. The classical ethical theory has
its views on the authenticity of morality and has absolute standards to judge the morality of the
course of action. Code of ethics administrates the process of decision making whereas code of
conduct governs all the actions taken place.
Implications of each issue on developer, customers and project manager are been discussed
thoroughly in Q3. Whereas Shareholders and Financier are the people who are involved directly
with the shares and capital respectively so therefore in any ethical dilemma stated above, if much
cost is incurred by the company in getting the software updated then it will be a loss to both
shareholders and financiers otherwise both will be in benefit.

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3. You are required to analyse the ethical dilemma you have identified above using the
Doing Ethics Technique (DET)
The analysis of Doing Ethics technique depends on asking of questions which tend to make the
questions asked importantly. There are questions which are found to work best like, what is
going on, what are the evidence, who is affected, what are moral implications and issues, what
best can be done in the case, what choices are there and which one is best with a reason.
Q6. What can be done about it?
Having to choose the best option among three ethical dilemmas can be helped by DET as a moral
philosophy background can be best done about it. Project manager and developers when need
some kind of guidance on how to get through the best outcome in any variety of circumstance. It
gets to be a mean of arriving at the particular ethical outcome which is suitable for the personal
belief system. The ethical dilemmas between developer and project manager exist upon their
belief in commercialization and commodification. Some options are in favour of the developer,
some are in favour of project manager while some are in favour of the client. Some course of
actions might be morally correct but faced much complexity and some might be unethical but are
bound to be done. Here it is important to ahead with ethical solutions as it will give satisfactory
result and definitely will be good in long-term (Simpson, et-al, 2003).
Q7. What are the options?
There is three option available; First, the project manager can request the creator to headfirst
such calls to him. Second, project manager yells out at the junior developer and third, project
manager boosts the action taken by the developer.
Q8. Which option is best and why?
Option 3 is best when project manager encourages the developer. The developer first
responsibility is to satisfy the needs of clients and that is what he has done whereas on the other
hand manager carries a duty of making his juniors comfortable with the environment and give
them space to grow. Here the only thing which needs to be done is a proper declaration of the
course of action required to be done in any particular situation so that no discrepancies occur.

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Conclusion
From the case study being discussed, the ethical dilemmas, problems and situations are discussed
which helped me in gaining an understanding of the business scenarios and proper code of
conduct to be followed. It will help in getting proper, effective and efficient results for any
organisation.

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References
 SocialWorker, (2012). What Is an Ethical Dilemma?. Retrieved from
http://www.socialworker.com/feature-articles/ethics-articles/What_Is_an_Ethical_Dilemma
%3F/
 Al-Saggaf, Y. (Producer). (2016). Scenario 2: Development Methodology [Video]. Available
from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0npm9cEJBWY
 Flicker, S., Haans, D., & Skinner, H., (2004). Ethical Dilemmas in Research on Internet
Communities. Qualitative Health Research, 14, 124-134. Retrieved from
http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/download?doi=10.1.1.534.3197&rep=rep1&type=pdf
 Slowther, A., Boynton, P., & Shaw, S., (2006). Research governance: ethical issues. Journal
Of The Royal Society Of Medicine, 99, 65-72. Retrieved from
http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/014107680609900218
 Simpson, C. R., Nevile, L., & Burmeister, O. K., (2003). Doing ethics: a universal technique
in an accessibility context. Swinburne University of Technology, 10, 127-132.