An MBA Course in
Ethics, Privacy and
Security
David Kroger
Mark Sena
Xavier University
Department of Information
Systems
Background

Ethics at Xavier
• A major part of strategic plan
• New Center for Business Ethics
• Movement to integrate ethics into
curriculum

Ethics in Business / Computing
• Obviously, major focus in recent
business news
• Increasingly important subject in
computing
History of Computer Ethics

Dates to post WWII era
• “social potentiality of unheard–of importance
for good and for evil.”
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1960s and 70s
• Impact of computers on society recognized but
few inroads into academics
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1973: first ACM code of ethics
1985: “Computer Ethics” first major
textbook
1980s to present – numerous courses,
research centers, conferences, journals,
etc. on topic
Computer Ethics in Academia
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Evolved from many different subject areas
• Philosophy, Computer Science,
Communications, Law, Information
Systems, Telecommunications, and
others
Wide range of approaches and content
Inconsistent content even within discipline
• Examples: ISWorld sample syllabus vs.
NC State content
CyberEthics: Miss. State
PHILOSOPHY

Define ethics and how it fits
into philosophical thought.

Describe the fields of
philosophy:
• Metaphysics,
epistemology, value
theory, aesthetics, logic.

Define "second order"
inquiries in the field of
philosophy.

Define the terms "rational"
and "critical" as they concern
philosophical thought.

Contrast the speculative and
analytic approaches to
philosophy.

Compare and contrast science
and philosophy.

Compare and contrast
"idealism” and “materialism”
MORALITY
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Define "morality".
Explain the following
challenges to Morality:
• 1. Logical positivism.
• 2. Relativism.
• 3. Existentialism.
• 4. Determinism.
Define Teleology.
Compare and contrast the
teleological viewpoints of
hedonism and utilitarianism.
Define Deontology.
Compare and contrast
teleological and deontological
ethical
Ethics in Computing: NC State
Computer Ethics Teaching
Resources

Several Textbooks… however:
• Some outdated
• Collections of articles
• Not oriented toward business students

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Many web sites, articles, etc.
Need for better course materials,
consistency of ethics content across
courses within disciplines
Course Profile: MBA
Course in Ethics, Privacy &
Security
Ethics has no place in a business
school. Ethics is for fools and babies.
Money is the only measure of
business success.
- Business School
Dean

Buckman Laboratories
• Founder’s Attitude toward ethics
• Credits Code of Ethics with KM
Implementation Success
Rationale

HIPAA as a model
• Of the future of IT
• Of an application with direct human
affect
• Of the need for interaction between
Ethics, Privacy and Security
As long as I’m not breaking the law, I
don’t care who sees my information
– I have nothing to be afraid of.
-MBA Student(s)
Area for further research
Privacy

As a personal issue

As a legal issue
• Include constitutional discussion

As an IT issue

As an ethical issue
Other Ethical Issues
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Identity Theft
Disinformation and Misinformation
VR
AI
Equity of Access
Games, Violence, Sex and Behavior
Modeling
Government and Legal
Medical and Scientific Impact
• Send e-mail for list of resources
Security
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Threats
•
•
•
•
•
Hackers
Viruses
Trojans
DOS attacks
attack techniques
•
•
•
•
•
Encryption
Virus detection
Biometrics
Intrusion Detection
Firewalls
Defenses
Pedagogy
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Instructor Presentations
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Contemporary Readings
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Individual Research and Presentations
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Professional Guest Speakers
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Resources
Conclusion
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A changing topic
Courses vary widely
A review and a new idea
Unlikely to develop a comprehensive
set of topics
Area could use further definition and
organization
Further research into pedagogical
approaches is needed.
Invitation
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Who is offering (a) course(s) in IT
Ethics
Who is offering (a) course(s) in EPS
Who is interested in offering (a)
course(s) in IT Ethics or EPS
Topics, pedagogy, results
krogerd@xu.edu
sena@xu.edu
Questions?