Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
Conclusion
Nobody employ us if they know that we are dishonest or unethical. We will have no clients and no suppliers etc. We can think and we know the possible damages, it is not easy to build trust, so let us not take it for granted and earn the trust of those around us by being honest and practicing good ethics.
You have read about the 7 steps to make ethical decisions. Let that be a guide for you if you are not sure. Always take one step back and ask "is this right?". We also know that IT Professionals are accountable to different groups of people, that is the same for anybody. We are all accountable to each other in one way or another. Practicing good ethics will bring forth intrinsic rewards such as being able to face one self and those around them. The person will also be respected for making an ethical decision. They (ethical IT professionals) will not find themselves involved in any legal issues.
To improve employees ethics, companies can also help educate their employees who are IT professionals to be ethical by making sure every new employee in the organization goes through a briefing on not only company culture, but also on the code of ethics. This is to ensure that employees know that they have to adhere to the code of ethics while still working for the organization.
Let us aspire to be an influence to those around us and let us look forward to a society that practices good ethics. It may be more than a dream come true. Let us not be discouraged and play a part and be the light that shines in the "darkness". Together, we can definitely make the society a better place.
Case 3: Competition
a) You will quit and pass the information to them
b) You will inform your boss about it and ask him to be careful
c) You will ignore the rival company
Our Answer:
Option B. We will tell our boss to be wary and make sure that none of the employees in our company sells these confidential information to them.
Case 2 - Pirated software
a) Expose your boss to the relevant authorities
b) Install the software, your boss is your authority, you ought to submit to him
c) Speak to your boss and explain that you will not do it because it is unethical, discourage him from using pirated software as well
d) Quit – You do not want to go against your conscience
Our Answer:Option C followed by Option A. We will first discourage him, and we will expose him to the relevant authorities should he not listen to us.
Case 1 - Late overdue work!
(a) Call him and apologise for not finishing the work on time, explain to him that you were to busy, and promise that you will deliver it to him by a new deadline
(b) Call him and apologise for not finishing the work on time, lie to him that you were sick, and promise that you will deliver it to him by a new deadline
Our Answer:
Option A. The reason being is that one should not lie, and we may have more to explain if the client finds out that we are lying. It was our mistake because we failed to deliver what we promised, so we should admit the mistake and ask for forgiveness.
Sunday, July 22, 2007
Types of relationships for IT Professionals
1.Professional-employer
The employee and employer should discuss employment terms before he/she starts work.
IT Professionals need to set an example and adhere to the code of conduct that was set. They must also promote and encourage their fellow colleagues to practice good ethics while using the computer.
They must also avoid the use of pirated software in the company (at home too), and not disclose trade secrets. They must also stand up and persuade their employer to not use pirated software. They should also expose such misdeeds if the employer refuses to stop using pirated software.
2.Professional-client
Clients can be within the company or out of the company. Whoever it may be, there is a need for IT Professionals to be accountable to his clients. He will need to help the his in software or hardware issues. There is a need for him to be honest and to update his client with the latest details and progress of the work. (i.e. report what went wrong, inform the client you can't finish the work by a certain deadline, apologise and ask if they could grant you more time, or you can choose to deploy more manpower to finish the project on time)
Professionals should make it a point to ask relevant questions when working for a client. They should not promise something which they cannot deliver. They should also make it a point to ensure that the customers know what will they deliver at the end of the day. This is to avoid any future conflicts.
3.Professional-supplier
Supplier supplies the necessary equipment and items to the IT Professional. IT Professionals need to know the source of these supplies and ensure that they are not using pirated software etc. IT Professional will need to draw a line with the suppliers as well (i.e. not accepting gifts from them), and they should inform the company if they know the supplier or is related the supplier in any way.
Professionals should be prudent. They should not look into their very own self-interest but the interest of the company when they approach the suppliers.
4.Professional-professional
There are many professionals around. Some of them can be our friends even. Professionals have a sense of loyalty towards their fellow friends in the same trade. As such, they might be slow to point out the mistakes made and may be bias.
Professionals should have moral courage and voice out what is not right.
Professionals should also be accountable to each other, and one way of doing so is to adhere to the code of conduct. They should also not over inflate their abilities (resume inflation) and be humble.
There is also a need for professionals to not reveal trade secrets or company secrets to professionals of the fellow trade.
5.Professional-IT user
Similar to the Professional-Client relationship. IT Professionals need to be accountable to its targeted IT Users. For instance, Professional A needs to design a software for Ngee Ann. He will need to find out the needs and understand the requirements . They should also complete the project on time and work within the given budget. IT Professionals should also know the skills and capabilities of the IT Users. They should offer training or manual to the IT users to equip them with the necessary skills to use the new software.
6.Professional-society
IT Professionals should be accountable to the society when they produce a new software or introduce a new hardware. They should ensure that the software and hardware will not harm the public and that it benefits the society in a positive manner.
How to improve ethics in a company?
There is a need to appoint a corporate ethics officer or a group of officers to review the "ethical practices" in the company. So as to allow them to improve constantly.
The management must first agree that it is important to pracitce good ethics. They must lead by example so that the rest of the employees will follow suit.
2. Create awareness
Create awareness, some people may not think that what they do is wrong, maybe because of upbringing, maybe because of their surroundings. Whatever it may be, creating awareness of what is right will harness the importance of establishing good ethics.
3. Establish a corporate code of conduct and ethical standards
The board of directiors, senior management or relatead personnel can come together to set standards and code of conduct for the employees to follow. This can be a follow up after the company creates awareness for their employees.
4. Conduct social audits
Social audits will help the company to understand better on whether they are moving towards the right track and will help them improve.
5. Require employees to take ethics training
As mentioned, creating awareness will allow them to know right from wrong. Some of these employees can go for training to further understand the importance of practising good ethics and how they should go about to practice good ethics.
6. Compliments
Ever heard of this statement, "nobody remembers the good things that you have done, but everyone remembers the mistake you made". It is important to compliment employees who do what is right, so that it will be a source of encouragement to them.
Compliment the employees and then they will be motivated to work towards a honest and upright lifestyle.
Why is it important to practice good ethics?
It is our responsibility to practice good ethics. We are being accountable to our boss, clients, colleagues and those around us when we practice good ethics.
- Moral Values, Simply because it is right
Our upbringing, civics and moral values is something which we acquire of the years. Therefore, it is important for us to adhere to these moral values so that we will do the right things, be gracious, honest and spare a thought for others.
- To gain the goodwill of the community
Having done that will cause the community to recognise us and trust in us (in the context of a company)
- Create an organization that operates consistently
So that everyone in an organisation can adhere to common rules and how they operate, this will also help to gain the goodwill of the community.
- Produce good business
When others trust you and your company, your business will improve because you are simply reliable and you do the right things.
- Protect the organisation and its employees from legal action
To protect the organisation and employees as they will know what to do and what not to do.
- Avoid unfavorable publicity
Nobody can find fault with the company if the company is prudent, upright and honest. Because the company practices good ethics, there will not be any unfavourable publicity for the company.
Saturday, July 21, 2007
IT Professionals
In ICT & Our Society 3rd Edition, by Yeh and Oh, the author mentioned that a professional is expected to
-Have received training in a recognised field & mastered a specialised body of knowledge
-Have a considerable level of autonomy in performing his work
-Is a member of a recognised professional association
-Have an important social function and committed to social good
Well, let's just take the author's 3rd point. A professional is a member of a recognised professional association.
In Singapore, the Lawyers are recognised and is part of the Singapore Law Society. They have a code of conduct to adhere to. Doctors have a code of conduct to adhere to and they are professionals and they are in the Singapore Medical Association.
What about IT Professionals?
IT Professionals can be part of Singapore Computer Society (SCS).
There are a few types of IT Professionals
- Programmers
- Software engineers
- Network administrators
- Chief Information Officer (CIO)
Unlike doctors and lawyers, IT Professionals do not have a licence. The reason being is that there is
- No universally accepted core body of knowledge.
- It is unclear who should manage the content and administration of licensing exams.
- No admin body to do accreditation of professional education programs.
- No admin body to assess and assure competence of individual professionals
However, IT Professionals are still involved in different types of professional relationships and SCS came up with a recommended code of conduct for IT Professionals. Besides that, there is a need for IT Professionals to have ethics and we will talk more about the ethical issues which challenges our IT Professionals.
7 Steps Ethical Decision Model
As mentioned in Ethics - Introduction. These are the 7-Steps.
1. Get the facts
There is a need to get the facts and not jump the gun when we are making decisions. We need to get the facts so as to not misunderstand or miss out anything important. It is vital and essential for us to not assume but to get the facts.
2. Identify the stakeholders and their positions.
You will need to identify those who are involved in the situation. The reason being is that your decision will definitely cause an impact on those who are involved. For instance, what can your stakeholders gain or lose.
You have to decide on the level of involvement these stakeholders have when you make your decision. This will guide you in making better decisions. Try not to lose sleep as you are making your decision, but at the same time, consider some questions like
- The obligations you have towards these stakeholders
- What is the stake of the stakeholder?
- Are there any stakeholders with greater stake?
3. Consider the consequences of your decision.
There is a need for you to consider the consequence of your decision. There might be a possibility of you benefiting others and causing inconvenience to yourself when you make a decision. You may not benefit from the decision at all. This is a time for you to consider whether you would want to stick to your beliefs or do you prefer to stick to your benefits?
i.e. You made a mistake and your friend took the blame, do you speak up and admit the mistake? Or do you conveniently push the blame to your friend? What are the consequences if you speak up? and, what are the consequences if you don't?
4. Weigh various guidelines and principles
The guidelines and approaches that you should consider before making your decision. What is your belief based on? Is it based on fairness? Is it based on common good? Is it based on virtue? or is it the utilitarian approach?
Another sub-question to ask is, would you violate any laws when you make the decision?
There are guidelines and principles which we need to take note of and weigh them.
5. Develop and evaluate options.
The fifth guide is for you to develop and evaluate options. Is there an alternative? Is yes, what is it? Are they ethically correct? Among all your options, which is the most ethical decision to make?
6. Review your decision.
Finally, it is time for you to review your decision. Think about it once more.
7. Evaluate the results of your decision
You have made your decision and it's time for you to evaluate? Are you happy? Are you guilty of your decision (if it is unethical)? or Are you proud that you have made the right decision?
How can you improve from here?
With Reference:
ITLG Textbook - Ethics in Information Technology
Ethics - Introduction
Ethics is a set of believes and moral principles which one or a group of people believes in. It helps them make decisions and it educates them on what is right or wrong.
It is a belief system. Some may agree to it while some may disagree. It is subjective. For instance, one may feel that it is alright to pick up a $50 from the streets because the owner dropped it due to his carelessness while some may feel that it is not right, the $50 note should be handed to the relevant authorities.
So, what is the key to help us decide what is right or wrong?
The key here is integrity. Integrity should be the cornerstone of our ethics. Perhaps, you should know what a cornerstone is. A corner stone is an essential foundation of a building. This is why we say that integrity should be the foundation of ethics.Ethics should not only help us choose right from wrong, it should also help us choose right from right.
A seven ethical steps decision making model was developed to help one make ethical decisions. Here are the seven steps, click on the link above to navigate to the page.
Four Approaches
Virtue Approach - Ethical choice based on virtue, on what is morally correct.
Utilitarian Approach - Among all the choices given, choose the choice that has the greatest benefit.
Fairness Approach - Ethical choice based on "All are equal". No one is special. Not bias.
Common Good Approach - A choice that is made for the common good. For the sake of the majority so to speak.
Three areas in ethics
Ethics can be classified into three areas.
- Meta Ethics
Meta Ethics does not indicate whether a decision is good or bad. It is more of "WHY?” Meta Ethics seeks to understand things like what is moral goodness etc.
- Normative Ethics
Normative Ethics deals with the believe of what is right and what is wrong. It is a set of rules which educates people in doing right or wrong.
The Utilitarian Approach is an example of a normative ethic.
- Applied Ethics
We mentioned the Utilitarian Approach earlier on, and that approach falls under applied ethics as well.
In a nutshell, applied ethics deals with the practices of professions. i.e. Medical Ethics, Ethics for Lawyers etc.It is necessary for one to adhere to the code of ethics.
With Reference from: Wikipedia, ITLG Lecture Notes
