2-1
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Chapter 2
Ethics for IT Workers and IT Users
At a Glance
Instructor’s Manual Table of Contents
• Overview
• Objectives
• Teaching Tips
Lecture Notes
Overview
Chapter 2, “Ethics for IT Workers and IT Users,” explains the importance of ethics in the
business relationships of IT professionals, including those between IT workers and employers,
clients, suppliers, other professionals, IT users, and society. The chapter provides suggestions for
what can be done to encourage the professionalism of IT workers by emphasizing the
Objectives
As students read this chapter, they should consider the following:
• What relationships must an IT worker manage, and what key ethical issues can arise in
each?
2-2
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Teaching Tips
Organizations Behaving Badly
1. Review the Queensland payroll project, including some of the specific problems with the
2. Talk about the various types of relationships that must be managed in a complex IT
project of the type undertaken by the state of Queensland. (Note that some of the many
I. IT Worker Relationships That Must Be Managed
3. Point out that IT workers typically become involved in many different relationships,
including those with employers, clients, suppliers, other professionals, IT users, and
appropriately.
A. Relationships between IT Workers and Employers
1. Note that IT workers and employers have a critical, multifaceted relationship that
2. An important point to make is that although end users often get the blame when it comes
3. Introduce the terms Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA) and
BSA | The Software Alliance (BSA).
4. SIIA promotes the common interests of the software and digital content industry. It
2-3
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
5. BSA is funded both through dues based on member companies’ software revenue and
through settlements from companies that commit piracy. In 2012 alone, BSA investigated
over 15,000 reports of unlicensed software use around the globe.
6. Introduce the terms trade secret and whistle-blowing.
B. Relationships between IT Workers and Clients
1. IT workers provide services to clients; sometimes those “clients” are coworkers who are
part of the same organization as the IT worker. In other cases, the client is part of a
different organization. Note that in relationships between IT workers and clients, each
party agrees to provide something of value to the other.
5. Introduce the term fraud.
6. Make sure students understand the elements that must be demonstrated to prove fraud in
a court of law:
• The wrongdoer made a false representation of material fact.
Students may be interested in the following ComputerWeekly article, “SMEs
2-4
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
8. Note that most IT projects are joint efforts in which vendors and customers work together
9. Discuss some of the frequent causes of problems in IT projects:
• Scope creep
• Poor communication
C. Relationships between IT Workers and Suppliers
1. Explain that most IT workers understand that building a good working relationship with
2. Point out that suppliers strive to maintain positive relationships with their customers in
3. Introduce the term bribery.
4. Introduce the term internal control, and use Figure 2-2 to explain the components of
internal control.
7. Introduce the term separation of duties, and explain that a fundamental concept of good
internal controls is the careful separation of duties associated with any process that
involves the handling of financial transactions.
8. Introduce the term Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA).
9. Explain that the FCPA requires corporations whose securities are listed in the United
States to meet U.S. accounting standards by having an adequate system of internal
10. Note that in some countries, gifts are an essential part of doing business. In fact, in some
2-5
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
D. Relationships between IT Workers and Other Professionals
1. Professionals often feel a degree of loyalty to the other members of their profession.
Professionals also have an interest in their profession as a whole, because how it is
2. Introduce the term résumé inflation. Use Table 2-2 to aid the discussion.
3. Point out that another ethical issue that can arise in relationships between IT workers and
other professionals is the inappropriate sharing of corporate information.
E. Relationships between IT Workers and IT Users
1. Explain that the term IT user refers to a person who uses a hardware or software product;
F. Relationships between IT Workers and Society
1. Explain that society expects members of a profession to provide significant benefits and
to not cause harm through their actions. One approach to meeting this expectation is to
Critical Thinking Exercise: Accept the Tickets or Not?
1. As part of this discussion, have students review the definition of bribery (the act of
providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or government in order to
obtain a business advantage). They should also refer to Table 2-1 for a reminder about
2-6
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Quick Quiz 1
1. _____ occurs when one party fails to meet the terms of a contract.
2. _____ is the misstatement or incomplete statement of a material fact.
3. _____ is that act of providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or
government in order to obtain a business advantage.
4. _____ is the process established by an organization’s board of directors, managers, and
IT systems people to provide reasonable assurance for the effectiveness and efficiency of
operations, the reliability of financial reporting, and compliance with applicable laws and
regulations.
II. Encouraging the Professionalism of IT Workers
1. A professional is a person who possesses the skill, good judgment, and work habits
expected from a person who has the training and experience to do a job well.
2. The characteristics of a professional include the following:
• They are an expert in the tools and skills needed to do their job.
A. Professional Codes of Ethics
1. A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values that are essential to
the work of a particular occupational group. Note that practitioners in many professions
subscribe to a code of ethics that governs their behavior.
2-7
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
by following a professional code of ethics:
• Ethical decision making
B. Professional Organizations
1. Note that no IT professional organization has emerged as preeminent, so there is no
universal code of ethics for IT workers. However, the existence of such organizations is
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
1. Introduce the class to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), a computing
society founded in 1947 that is “dedicated to advancing the art, science, engineering, and
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS)
1. Explain that the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) covers the broad
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
1. Explain that the AITP started in Chicago in 1951, when a group of machine accountants
got together and decided that the future was bright for the IBM punched-card tabulating
2. The AITP provides IT-related seminars and conferences, information on IT issues, and
forums for networking with other IT workers. Its mission is to provide superior
2-8
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute
1. Explain that SysAdmin, Audit, Network, Security (SANS) Institute provides information
security training and certification for a wide range of individuals, such as auditors,
C. Certification
1. Certification indicates that a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge,
or abilities, in the opinion of the certifying organization. Note that unlike licensing, which
2. Students should understand that because certification is no substitute for experience and
doesn’t guarantee that a person will perform well on the job, some hiring managers are
rather cynical about the value of certifications.
3. Point out that deciding on the best IT certification—and even whether to seek a
Vendor Certifications
1. Many IT vendors—such as Cisco, IBM, Microsoft, SAP, and Oracle—offer certification
programs for those who use their products. Explain that workers who successfully
D. Licensing of IT Professionals
1. Explain that in the United States, a government license is government-issued permission
Teaching
Tip
To learn more about the SANS Institute, visit: www.sans.org.
Encourage students to read the following InformationWeek article for another
2-9
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
The Case for Licensing IT Workers
1. Explain that as a result of the increasing importance of IT in our everyday lives, the
development of reliable, effective information systems has become an area of mounting
2. In 1993, the ACM and IEEE-CS formed a Joint Steering Committee for the
Establishment of Software Engineering as a Profession. The initial recommendations of
3. Introduce the terms body of knowledge and software engineer.
5. Note that in 2013, the nonprofit organization National Council of Examiners for
Engineering and Surveying (NCEES), which develops, administers, and scores the
IT Professional Malpractice
1. Introduce the terms negligence, duty of care, reasonable person standard, reasonable
professional standard, breach of the duty of care, and professional malpractice.
2. Point out that courts have consistently rejected attempts to sue individual parties for
Critical Thinking Exercise: Raising the Level of Professionalism at an IT Consulting Firm
1. The business benefits of having more consultants join IT-professional organizations and
earn more IT-related certifications include additional networking opportunities for
individual consultants (and by extension, the firm), increased awareness of IT-related
trends through attendance at conferences, and the chance for consultants to improve their
2-10
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Quick Quiz 2
1. The _____ started in Chicago in 1951, when a group of machine accountants got together
and decided that the future was bright for the IBM punched-card tabulating machines
they were operating
2. The benefits (for the individual, the profession, and society as a whole) of a professional
code of ethics include: ethical decision making, high standards of practice and ethical
behavior, _____, and an evaluation benchmark.
3. _____ operates Internet Storm Center—a program that monitors malicious Internet
activity and provides a free early warning service to Internet users
4. _____ indicates that a professional possesses a particular set of skills, knowledge, or
abilities, in the opinion of the certifying organization.
5. A(n) _____ is a government-issued permission to engage in an activity or to operate a
business.
III. What Can Be Done to Encourage the Ethical Use of IT Resources Among
Users?
1. Use this section to focus on ways to encourage employees’ ethical use of IT, which is an
area of growing concern as more companies provide employees with smartphones,
A. Common Ethical Issues for IT Users
1. Use this section to aid a discussion of a few common ethical issues for IT users.
Software Piracy
1. Point out that sometimes IT users are the ones who commit software piracy. A common
2-11
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
2. Explain that the increasing popularity of the Android smartphone operating system has
3. Note that software piracy can have a negative impact on future software development if
Inappropriate Use of Computing Resources
1. Explain that some employees use their computers to surf popular websites sites that have
nothing to do with their jobs, participate in chat rooms, view pornographic sites, and play
computer games, which eat away at worker productivity and waste time.
Inappropriate Sharing of Information
1. Discuss the difference between private and confidential information.
B. Supporting the Ethical Practices of IT Users
1. Explain that the growing use of IT has increased the potential for new ethical issues and
2. Point out that although no policy can stop wrongdoers, it can set forth the general rights
and responsibilities of all IT users, establish boundaries of acceptable and unacceptable
Establishing Guidelines for Use of Company Hardware and Software
1. Explain that company IT managers must provide clear rules about the use of home
Teaching
Tip
Emphasize that in addition to wasting time, sexually explicit material, lewd jokes
and hate email create a hostile working environment, and can lead to lawsuits.
2-12
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Defining an Acceptable Use Policy
1. Introduce the term acceptable use policy (AUP)—a document that stipulates restrictions
2. Note that an effective acceptable use policy is clear and concise, and contains the
following five key elements:
3. Introduce the term information security (infosec) group.
4. Use Table 2-5 to aid a discussion of how a manager can establish an effective acceptable
use policy.
Structuring Information Systems to Protect Data and Information
Installing and Maintaining a Corporate Firewall
1. Introduce the term firewall.
Compliance
1. Compliance means to be in accordance with established policies, guidelines,
specifications, or legislation. In the legal system, compliance usually refers to behavior
2. Introduce the term audit committee. Note that in some cases, audit committees have
3. Discuss the primary responsibilities of the internal audit department. Note that although
the members of the internal audit team are not typically experts in detecting and
2-13
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Critical Thinking Exercise: Creating an AUP
1. The student should point out to management that an effective acceptable use policy
(AUP) is an essential information security policy designed to help protect the company’s
2. Suggest to students that they review the checklist presented in Table 2-5 to help them
determine what key points to include in the AUP. Student should also review the
Quick Quiz 3
1. (True or False) Software piracy can have a positive impact on future software
development.
2. A(n) _____ is a document that stipulates restrictions and practices that a user must agree
to in order to use organizational computing and network resources.
3. The term _____ means to be in accordance with established policies, guidelines,
specifications, or legislation.
4. (True or False) A firewall can also serve as an effective barrier to incoming email from
certain websites, companies, or users.
Discussion Questions
1. What are the possible repercussions, in terms of morale, of allowing or restricting
employee access to the Internet?
2. What strategies can a company employ to maintain trade secrecy, given the high turnover
2-14
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
3. Do you consider the perks that politicians receive from lobbyists (golf vacations and
Additional Projects
1. Write a paper researching the various ways companies are trying to reduce the use of
2. Design an acceptable use policy for a software company that creates online advertising
3. Write a paper surveying some of the top vendor certifications in a particular field, and
Additional Resources
1. “Internal Control Weaknesses Correlate with Financial Fraud,” AccountingToday,
2. Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) (www.acm.org)
3. Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP) (www.aitp.org/)
Key Terms
acceptable use policy (AUP): A document that stipulates restrictions and practices that a user
must agree to in order to use organizational computing and network resources.
audit committee: A group that provides assistance to the board in fulfilling its responsibilities
with respect to the oversight of the quality and integrity of the organization’s accounting and
2-15
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
breach of the duty of care: The failure to act as a reasonable person would act.
bribery: The act of providing money, property, or favors to someone in business or government
in order to obtain a business advantage.
duty of care: The obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk.
firewall: Hardware or software (or a combination of both) that serves as the first line of defense
between an organization’s network and the Internet; a firewall also limits access to the
company’s network based on the organization’s Internet-usage policy.
Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA): An act that makes it a crime to bribe a foreign official,
a foreign political party official, or a candidate for foreign political office.
fraud: The crime of obtaining goods, services, or property through deception or trickery.
government license: A government-issued permission to engage in an activity or to operate a
business.
information security (infosec) group: A group within an organization managing the processes,
2-16
Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
obligations, which impairs or destroys the essence of the contract.
misrepresentation: The misstatement or incomplete statement of a material fact.
negligence: Not doing something that a reasonable person would do or doing something that a
professional code of ethics: The principles and core values that are essential to the work of a
particular occupational group.
professional malpractice: Breach of the duty of care by a professional.
reasonable person standard: A legal standard that defines how an objective, careful, and
conscientious person would have acted in the same circumstances.
Software & Information Industry Association (SIIA): A trade group that represent the
world’s largest software and hardware manufacturers.
software engineer: One who applies engineering principles and practices to the design,
development, implementation, testing, and maintenance of software.