IT PROFESSIONAL:
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Profession is a calling that requires:
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Specialized knowledge
Long and intensive academic preparation
Professionals:
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Require advanced training and experience
Must exercise discretion and judgment in their work
Their work cannot be standardized
Contribute to society, participate in lifelong training, assist other professionals
Carry special rights and responsibilities
From a legal perspective, IT workers are not recognized as professionals because they are not
licensed by the state or federal government..
→ Partial list of IT specialists
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Programmers
Systems analysts
Software engineers
Database administrators
Local area network (LAN) administrators
Chief information officers (CIOs)
PROFESSIONAL RELATIONSHIPS THAT MUST BE MANAGED:
IT workers involved in relationships with:
1) Employers – critical, multifaceted relationship that requires an effort by both parties to keep
it strong.
IT workers must set an example and enforce policies regarding the ethical use of IT in:
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Software piracy is an Act of illegally making copies of software or enabling access to
software to which they are not entitled (violate laws and policies).
Software piracy in a corporate setting is sometimes directly traceable to IT staff
members (either they allow it to happen or they actively engage in it, often to reduce
IT-related spending)
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a trade group representing the world’s
largest software and hardware manufacturers; mission is to stop the unauthorized
copying of software.
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Trade secrets
o A trade secret has economic value
o Business information generally unknown to public
o Company takes actions to keep confidential
o Require cost or effort to develop
o Have some degree of uniqueness or novelty
o Example, design of software, program code, hardware design, etc.
o Companies often require employees to sign confidentiality agreements and promise
not to reveal the company’s trade secrets.
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Whistle-blowing
o Effort by an employee to attract attention to a negligent, illegal, unethical, abusive, or
dangerous act by a company that threatens the public interest.
o Whistle-blowers often have special information based on their expertise or position
within the offending organization.
2) Clients –
– IT worker provides:
o Hardware, software, or services at a certain cost and within a given time frame
– Client provides:
o Compensation
o Access to key contacts
– Client trusts IT worker to act in client’s best interests
– IT worker trusts that client will provide relevant information and use it to make wise choices.
– Relationship is usually documented in contractual terms
– Conflict of interest
o Ethical problems arise if a company recommends its own products and services to
remedy problems they have detected
o Conflict between the IT worker’s (or the IT firm’s) self-interest and the client’s
interests
– Finger pointing
o Problems arise during a project if IT workers are unable to provide full and accurate
reporting of a project’s status
– Fraud
o Crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery.
o Example: Paul Ceglia vs. Mark Zuckerberg on Facebook ownership (2010)
– Misrepresentation
o Misstatement or incomplete statement of material fact
o If misrepresentation causes a party to enter into a contract, that party may have the
right to cancel contract or seek reimbursement for damages
o Example: One user in New York vs. Apple iPhone
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Breach of contract
o One party fails to meet the terms of a contract
o When there is material breach of contract:
 The non-breaching party may rescind the contract, seek restitution of any
compensation paid to the breaching party, and be discharged from any further
performance under the contract
When IT projects go wrong because of cost overruns, schedule slippage, lack of system
functionality, and so on, aggrieved parties might charge fraud, fraudulent, misrepresentation
and/or breach of contract.
3) Suppliers –
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Develop good working relationships with suppliers:
o To encourage flow of useful information and ideas to develop innovative and costeffective ways.
o By dealing fairly with them
o By not making unreasonable demands
Bribery
o Providing money, property, or favours to obtain a business advantage
o United Nations Convention Against Corruption is a global treaty to fight bribery and
corruption
o Example: A midlevel employee of Apple took $1 million from the suppliers of
iPhones in China, Taiwan, Singapore and South Korea. He now faces 20 years in jail.
o The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) makes it a crime to bribe a foreign
official.
o A firm’s business practices, and its accounting information systems must be
frequently audited by both internal and external auditors to ensure they meet these
standards.
4) Other professionals -
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Professionals feel a degree of loyalty to other members of their profession
Professionals owe each other adherence to their profession’s code of conduct
Ethical problems among the IT profession
o Inappropriate sharing of corporate information
 Information might be sold intentionally or shared informally with those who
have no need to know
o Resume inflation, lying on resume,
 For example, claiming exaggerated competency in CV.
 This gives a short-term benefits, but it hurts the profession and the individual
in long run
 Many employers consider lying on a resume as grounds for immediate
dismissal.
 Example: Scott Thomson, ex- CEO of eBay’s PayPal was fired after 4 months
of his appointment because he had claimed that he had a BS in computer
science.
o Study showed that 30% of IT job applicants in US exaggerate their competence in IT,
while 10% make “Serious misrepresentation” about their skills and qualifications.
5) IT users – IT user: person using a hardware or software product
– IT workers’ duties
o Understand users’ needs and capabilities
o Deliver products and services that meet those needs
o Establish environment that supports ethical behavior:
 To discourages software piracy
 To minimize inappropriate use of corporate computing resources
 To avoid inappropriate sharing of information
6) Society at large
– Society expects members of a profession:
o To provide significant benefits
o To not cause harm through their actions
– Actions of an IT worker can affect society
– Professional organizations provide codes of ethics to guide IT workers’ actions .
Example: an error in the system of a powerplant puts workers and residents near the plant
at risk.
PROFESSIONAL CODE OF ETHICS:
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States the principles and core values essential to the work of an occupational group
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Most professional codes of ethics include:
– What the organization aspires to become
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Rules and principles by which members of the organization are expected to abide
Commitment to continuing education for professionals
Ethical decision making
High standards of practice and ethical behavior
Trust and respect from general public
Evaluation benchmark for self-assessment
COMMON ETHICAL ISSUES FOR IT USERS:
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Software piracy
o A common violation occurs when employees copy software from their work
computers for use at home.
Inappropriate use of computing resources
o Some employees use their computers to surf popular websites that have nothing to
do with their jobs, participate in chat rooms or play computer games.
o Erodes productivity and wastes time
o Could lead to lawsuits
Inappropriate sharing of information, including:
o Every organization stores vast amounts of private or confidential data
 Private data (employees and customers)
 Confidential information (company and operations)
→ Professional and Ethical Responsibility:
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Software engineers must behave in an honest and ethically responsible way
Ethical behaviour is more than simply upholding the law
o Confidentiality: Engineers should normally respect the confidentiality of their
employers or clients
o Competence: Engineers should not misrepresent their level of competence. Should
not knowingly accept work beyond their competence
o Intellectual Property rights: Engineers should be aware of local laws governing the
use of intellectual property such as patents, copyright
o Computer misuse: Should not misuse their technical skills (by writing virus,
malware, etc)
Code of Ethics - principles from IEEE/ACM:
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Public
o Software engineers shall act consistently with the public interest.
Client and Employer
o Software engineers shall act in a manner that is in the best interests of their client
and employer consistent with the public interest.
Product
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o Software engineers shall ensure that their products and related modifications meet
the highest professional standards possible.
Judgment
o Software engineers shall maintain integrity and independence in their professional
judgment.
Profession
o Software engineers shall advance the integrity and reputation of the profession
consistent with the public interest.
Colleagues
o Software engineers shall be fair to and supportive of their colleagues.
Self
o Software engineers shall participate in lifelong learning regarding the practice of
their profession and shall promote an ethical approach to the practice of the
profession.
Supporting the Ethical Practices of IT Users:
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Policies that protect against abuses:
o Set general rights and responsibilities of users
o Create boundaries of acceptable behavior
o Enable management to punish violators
o Implement systems and procedures that limit data access to just those employees
who need it.
Policy components include:
o Establishing guidelines for use of company software
o Defining appropriate use of IT resources
o Structuring information systems to protect data
o Installing and maintaining a corporate firewall
 A firewall is a hardware or software device that serves as a barrier
between a company and the outside world and limits access to the
company’s network based on the organization’s Internet usage policy.
o It limits access to the company’s network based on the organization’s Internetusage policy.
A manager’s checklist for establishing an effective acceptable use policy is presented as follows:
PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS:
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No universal code of ethics for IT professionals
No single, formal organization of IT professionals has emerged as preeminent
Five of the most prominent organizations include:
o Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
o Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS)
o Association of IT Professionals (AITP)
o Project Management Institute (PMI)
o SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute
CERTIFICATION:
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Indicates that a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge, or abilities in the
opinion of the certifying organization
Can also apply to products
Generally voluntary, not bound by law like license
May or may not require adherence to a code of ethics
Employers view as benchmark of knowledge, mastery of a defined set of skills
Opinions are divided on value of certification
Reasons for certifications:
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o To motivate employees to learn new skills
o To provide a mechanism for career advancement
o To keep up-to-date of current technology
o To ensure employees have a core level of competence in a particular area
Vendor certifications (given by IT vendors)
o Some certifications substantially improve IT workers’ salaries and career prospects
o Require passing a written exam, or in some cases, a hands-on lab to demonstrate
skills and knowledge
o Can take years to obtain necessary experience
o Training can be expensive
Industry certifications
o Require a higher level of experience and a broader perspective than vendor
certifications
o Must sit for and pass written exam
o May need to pay annual renewal fee, earn continuing education credits, and/or pass
renewal test
o Lag in developing tests that cover new technologies
GOVERNMENT LISCENSING:
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License is a government-issued permission to engage in an activity or operate a business
License is required by law
Often requires that recipient pass a test
Some professionals must be licensed – doctors, lawyers, CPAs, medical providers, engineers
One goal: protect public safety
Professionals take the liability for any damage.
Case for licensing IT workers:
o Encourages following highest standards of profession
o Encourages practicing a code of ethics
o Violators would be punished
o Without licensing, there are no clear, well defined requirements for heightened care
and no concept of professional malpractice.
Issues associated with government licensing of IT workers
o There are few licensing programs for IT professionals
o No universally accepted core body of knowledge
o Unclear who should manage content and administration of licensing exams
o No administrative body to accredit professional education programs
o No administrative body to assess and ensure competence of individual workers
COMPLIANCE:
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To be in accordance with established policies, guidelines, standards, specifications, and
legislation
o Failure to be in compliance can lead to criminal or civil penalties and also lawsuits
To achieve compliance:
o Implement software to track compliance actions
o Hire management consultants for advice and training
o Create Chief Compliance Officer position
o Make audits to measure the organization’s compliance with its own policies and
procedures