Ethics in Information Technology, Fifth Edition 9781285197159
Chapter 10
Ethics of IT Organizations
Self-Assessment
Discussion Questions
1. Edward Snowden—an employee of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, working at
the National Security Agency (NSA)—is responsible for what may turn out to be the
most significant leak of classified information in U.S. history. In June 2013, Snowden
admitted to passing classified documents to reporters at The Guardian and The
Washington Post—revealing details of NSA surveillance programs that collect and
perform data mining on hundreds of millions of U.S. phone and Internet traffic records
to identify possible links to known terrorists. Shortly after leaking the documents,
Snowden fled the country to avoid federal charges. Some people call Snowden a
whistle-blower for drawing attention to NSA programs they feel violate civil rights and
the Constitution. Others consider him a traitor and feel he should be heavily prosecuted.
Do further research on this incident and write a one-page paper explaining your point of
view on Snowden.
2. During a time in which unemployment in the United States exceeds 7 percent, some
people feel that it is unethical to hire H-1B workers to work in the United States.
Prepare a brief summary of reasons why hiring H-1B workers might be considered
unethical. Make a list of reasons why hiring H-1B workers should be considered an
effective management strategy. What set of reasons is stronger? Why?
Students’ answers may vary. Hiring H-1B workers may be considered unethical because:
Heavy reliance on the use of H-1B workers can lessen the incentive for U.S. companies
3. Wipro received the highest rating of electronics manufacturers from Greenpeace for its
efforts in green computing. Visit Wipro’s Web site, and document several examples of
the company efforts to improve its green computing results.
Students’ answers may vary. A few initiatives taken by Wipro to improve its green computing
results are as follows:
Their Intelligent Smart Device Technology was used to optimize infrastructure
management across processes, and it also lowered their carbon emissions by reducing
the need for non-essential maintenance inspections.
4. What factors must a company consider in deciding whether to employ offshore
outsourcing on a project?
Students’ answers may vary. In considering the use of offshore outsourcing, one must
carefully evaluate the outsourcing company. Successful offshore outsourcing requires five
basic prerequisites:
Expertise in a technical language
Proficiency in the company’s native spoken language
5. Visit the EPEAT Web site (www.epeat.net), and use the organization’s tool to select your
next laptop computer. How would you make trade-offs between an expensive machine
with a Gold rating and a less-expensive machine with the same features and
performance but only a Bronze rating?
Students’ answers may vary. Consumers, businesses, and governments have been demanding
greener electronics so most major manufacturers of laptops already produce notebooks that
6. You work for an electronics manufacturer that does not belong to the EICC. Present a
strong argument for your firm to join. Then present a strong argument for why it makes
sense for your firm not to be a member.
Students’ answers may vary. Some may say that they would want to join the EICC since the
Electronic Industry Citizenship Coalition promotes an industry code of conduct for global
electronics supply chains to improve working and environmental conditions. The Code covers
7. Although labor savings associated with offshore outsourcing may look attractive, what
cost increases and other problems can you expect with such projects?
Students’ answers may vary. Some of them may say that:
The cost advantage for outsourcing to places such as India used to be 6:1. But increased
demand has caused salaries to rise in India, so the cost advantage there has shrunk. The
long-term estimate is that once the cost advantage shrinks to 1.5:1, the costs to integrate
8. Why do companies that make use of a lot of contingent workers fear getting involved in a
coemployment situation? What steps should they take to avoid this situation?
Students’ answers may vary. Some of them may say that:
The actual circumstances of a working relationship, such as location of offices,
supervisory and reporting structure, and length of employment, may cause the
government to see leased employees as company’s own employees. If this is the case,
9. Your company has decided to offshore outsource a $50 million project to an experienced,
reputable firm in India. This is the first offshore outsourcing project of significant size
that your company has run. What steps should your company take to minimize the
potential for problems?
Students’ answers will vary. As stated in the chapter, “Companies cannot afford to outsource
responsibility and accountability.” Some of the recommendations include:
Set clear and firm expectations for the work to be done. Define specifications that are as
10. Briefly describe a situation that could occur at your employer or your school that would
rise to the level of a potential whistle-blower situation. What steps would you take and to
whom would you speak to call this matter to the attention of appropriate members of
management?
Students’ answers will vary. The steps include:
Assess the seriousness of the situation
Begin documentation
What Would You Do?
1. Students’ answers will vary. It is difficult to execute the job of a whistle-blower to report
2. Students’ answers will vary. Students could say nothing to their coworker and watch the
3. Students’ answers will vary. To improve the chances that the offshore outsourcing project will
succeed, one should advise the new hire to carefully evaluate whether an outsourcing firm can
provide the following:
Employees with the required expertise in the technologies involved in the project
4. Students’ answers will vary. Understanding that the H-1B worker must feel uncomfortable
5. Students’ answers will vary. The solution follows:
Wigand first took the executive position with the goal of developing a safer cigarette,
one less likely to cause disease. After Brown & Williamson scrapped those plans,
6. Students’ answers will vary. The $96,000 additional cost probably represents a 10% increase
on an order of 1,200 new laptops. When purchasing at that quantity, one can probably
7. Students’ answers will vary. Cultural and language differences can cause misunderstandings
among project members in different countries. For example, in some cultures, shaking one’s
8. Students’ answers will vary. In this type of situation, it is essential to listen to the employee’s
concerns and to follow-up as quickly as possible. They would need to arrange a meeting with
the temporary workers to listen to their complaints and answer their questions. After hearing
9. Students’ answers will vary. Some students may conclude that the one-year assignment is
required because the Project Manager position requires an individual who has certain skills
Cases
Case 1: IBM Provides Supply Chain Leadership
1. Students’ answers may vary. As an IT giant, IBM significantly impacts environmental health
by reducing its own environmental footprint. It has become a supply chain leader, with over
2. Students’ answers may vary. Cisco uses its supply chain program to score its suppliers, and
3. Students’ answers may vary. As a heavyweight in the corporate world, IBM is well positioned
to make a difference through supply chain leadership. IBM set aggressive goals for emissions
Case 2: E-Verify
1. Students’ answers may vary. Some students may argue that the proposed changes might
2. Students’ answers may vary. One would have to weigh the advantages and disadvantages of
3. Students’ answers may vary. Students should consider the costs involved. For example, it costs
Case 3: Problems with Suppliers
1. Students’ answers may vary. The following are the five areas of social responsibility and
guiding principles covered by the EICC:
Labor—“Participants are committed to uphold the human rights of workers, and to treat
them with dignity and respect as understood by the international community.”
2. Students’ answers may vary. Suppliers could be subjected to multiple, independent audits