Ethics in Information Technology, Sixth Edition
Chapter 1
An Overview of Ethics
Self-Assessment Questions
1. c. virtues
2. c. Morals
3. False
4. Bathsheba syndrome
5. d. Misuse of company time
6. c. About 40 percent
7. False
8. False
9. c. Some 6.2 million
10. b. Code of ethics
11. c. Become familiar with various philosophers and how they dealt with ethical issues.
12. a. Define the problem
13. a. Drop this option, and implement the same policy as your competitors.
14. True
Discussion Questions
,1. What does it mean for an organization to act ethically? How can one evaluate
whether this is the case?
Students’ answers may vary. Some students may focus on the need for organizations to
follow all laws and regulations governing their industry. Others may suggest that an
organization that acts ethically treats its employees fairly, acts responsibly towards the
communities where they are located, and has a comprehensive corporate social
responsibility (CSR) program that focuses on its shareholders, employees, suppliers,
and customers.
Students may say that an organization’s actions can be evaluated by looking at
whether or not it follows the law. An organization can also be evaluated by looking at
whether or not it has assigned a senior executive, along with other staff, to run and
monitor its CSR program and by determining if the organization is meeting its own CSR
program goals. Other indicators that students might mention include: an organization’s
volunteer and charitable-giving programs, its commitment to supply chain
sustainability, and data on whether or not employees report being able to report
unethical behavior without fear of retaliation.
2. Identify two important life experiences that helped you define your own set of
morals.
Students’ answers will vary based on their personal experiences.
3. In ethics, a slippery slope begins when one small unethical action is rationalized
by the perpetrator as innocuous because nobody really got hurt or because
everybody else does it. This rationalization process, called moral disengagement,
can lead people to slip into a pattern of bad behavior that becomes difficult to
stop. Embezzler Bernie Madoff admitted to starting by stealing a few hundred and
then a few thousand from investors. When he got comfortable with that, it
eventually ballooned into something really big—he ultimately stole $85 billion
from his investors. Can you provide an example of when you or someone you
know was tempted to succumb to the slippery slope?
Students’ answers will vary based on their personal experiences. Students may share
examples relating to cheating in an academic setting, unethical behavior related to a job,
or bad behavior on social media.
4. It is easy to say that an organization should hire, reward, and dismiss employees
based on their character as well as their knowledge and skill, but how could such
a policy be implemented?
, Students’ answers may vary. Student may suggest that to better assess a job candidate’s
character, an organization could use new, more creative, screening tools in its hiring
process (including a review of the social media activity of all job candidates, the use of
online personality tests, and a more extensive interview process that includes the use of
scenario-based questions focused on ethical decision making). An organization could
emphasize the importance of ethical behavior when choosing to reward or dismiss
employees by establishing a code of ethics and including specific criteria in their
employees’ performance evaluations that focus on treating others fairly and with
respect; operating effectively in a multicultural environment; accepting personal
accountability; continually developing others and themselves; and operating openly and
honestly with suppliers, customers, and other employees.
5. The Ethics Resource Center identified five characteristics of a successful ethics
program. Suggest a sixth characteristic, and defend your choice. Which
characteristic do you think is the most important and why?
Students’ answers will vary. Students might suggest one of the following as a sixth
characteristic:
Employees are treated fairly.
Company conducts regular social audits.
Employees are able to report unethical behavior without fear of retaliation.
Employees regularly participate in ethics training.
Students’ answers about the most important characteristic will vary based on
their personal experiences and beliefs.
6. It is a common practice for managers to hold people accountable to meet “stretch”
goals, quotas, and budgets. How can this be done in a way that does not encourage
unethical behavior on the part of employees? Defend your response.
The organization must have a code of ethics, and the employees must know how and to
whom they can report violations without fear of retaliation. Managers can set an
example by communicating the code of ethics and using it in their own decision making.
Employees should be aware of sanctions for breaching the code of ethics. Employees
could be rewarded with bonuses of some sort when meeting “stretch” goals while not
violating their code of ethics.
7. Hypothesis: It is easier to establish an ethical work environment in a nonprofit
organization than in a for-profit organization. Provide three facts or opinions that
support this hypothesis. Provide three facts or opinions that refute the
hypothesis.
, Students’ answers will vary based on their beliefs and experiences with different
organizations.
8. Do you believe that software manufacturers should be tolerant of the practice of
software piracy in third-world countries to allow these countries an opportunity
to move more quickly into the information age? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary. Some students might suggest that helping to increase
access to software by people in less-developed countries is the right thing to do. Others
may say that, given the trend toward globalization, it is in the best interest of all
companies to help less-developed countries speed up the development of their
economies by encouraging a more rapid implementation of technology in those
countries because doing so increases the overall market for software in the long term.
Other students may feel that companies (and people) should never be tolerant
of behavior that breaks the law. Others may point out that for-profit companies have a
right to be compensated for their intellectual property and that companies have a duty
to their investors (and to their employees) to protect their intellectual property.
9. Comment on the efforts of your employer to promote a work environment in
which employees are encouraged to act ethically.
Students’ responses will vary based on their work experiences. Students may talk about
their organization’s corporate social responsibility, values, code of ethics, ethics
training, etc.
10. Do you believe that the senior managers and executives of an organization should
be able to escape criminal liability for the acts of a few of its employees if the
organization has a strong corporate social responsibility program focused on
protecting the environment, contributing to charitable causes, hiring and
promoting women, and treating customers and suppliers fairly? Why or why not?
Students’ answers will vary, but students should consider the following questions in
making their decision:
What was the corporation doing to prevent and detect misconduct in the
workplace?
Did the managers and executives of the company effectively implement policies
designed to ensure that the organization’s employees were acting legally and
ethically?
How egregious were the acts of its employees?
How did the senior managers and executives respond once the employees’
misconduct was detected?
Chapter 1
An Overview of Ethics
Self-Assessment Questions
1. c. virtues
2. c. Morals
3. False
4. Bathsheba syndrome
5. d. Misuse of company time
6. c. About 40 percent
7. False
8. False
9. c. Some 6.2 million
10. b. Code of ethics
11. c. Become familiar with various philosophers and how they dealt with ethical issues.
12. a. Define the problem
13. a. Drop this option, and implement the same policy as your competitors.
14. True
Discussion Questions
,1. What does it mean for an organization to act ethically? How can one evaluate
whether this is the case?
Students’ answers may vary. Some students may focus on the need for organizations to
follow all laws and regulations governing their industry. Others may suggest that an
organization that acts ethically treats its employees fairly, acts responsibly towards the
communities where they are located, and has a comprehensive corporate social
responsibility (CSR) program that focuses on its shareholders, employees, suppliers,
and customers.
Students may say that an organization’s actions can be evaluated by looking at
whether or not it follows the law. An organization can also be evaluated by looking at
whether or not it has assigned a senior executive, along with other staff, to run and
monitor its CSR program and by determining if the organization is meeting its own CSR
program goals. Other indicators that students might mention include: an organization’s
volunteer and charitable-giving programs, its commitment to supply chain
sustainability, and data on whether or not employees report being able to report
unethical behavior without fear of retaliation.
2. Identify two important life experiences that helped you define your own set of
morals.
Students’ answers will vary based on their personal experiences.
3. In ethics, a slippery slope begins when one small unethical action is rationalized
by the perpetrator as innocuous because nobody really got hurt or because
everybody else does it. This rationalization process, called moral disengagement,
can lead people to slip into a pattern of bad behavior that becomes difficult to
stop. Embezzler Bernie Madoff admitted to starting by stealing a few hundred and
then a few thousand from investors. When he got comfortable with that, it
eventually ballooned into something really big—he ultimately stole $85 billion
from his investors. Can you provide an example of when you or someone you
know was tempted to succumb to the slippery slope?
Students’ answers will vary based on their personal experiences. Students may share
examples relating to cheating in an academic setting, unethical behavior related to a job,
or bad behavior on social media.
4. It is easy to say that an organization should hire, reward, and dismiss employees
based on their character as well as their knowledge and skill, but how could such
a policy be implemented?
, Students’ answers may vary. Student may suggest that to better assess a job candidate’s
character, an organization could use new, more creative, screening tools in its hiring
process (including a review of the social media activity of all job candidates, the use of
online personality tests, and a more extensive interview process that includes the use of
scenario-based questions focused on ethical decision making). An organization could
emphasize the importance of ethical behavior when choosing to reward or dismiss
employees by establishing a code of ethics and including specific criteria in their
employees’ performance evaluations that focus on treating others fairly and with
respect; operating effectively in a multicultural environment; accepting personal
accountability; continually developing others and themselves; and operating openly and
honestly with suppliers, customers, and other employees.
5. The Ethics Resource Center identified five characteristics of a successful ethics
program. Suggest a sixth characteristic, and defend your choice. Which
characteristic do you think is the most important and why?
Students’ answers will vary. Students might suggest one of the following as a sixth
characteristic:
Employees are treated fairly.
Company conducts regular social audits.
Employees are able to report unethical behavior without fear of retaliation.
Employees regularly participate in ethics training.
Students’ answers about the most important characteristic will vary based on
their personal experiences and beliefs.
6. It is a common practice for managers to hold people accountable to meet “stretch”
goals, quotas, and budgets. How can this be done in a way that does not encourage
unethical behavior on the part of employees? Defend your response.
The organization must have a code of ethics, and the employees must know how and to
whom they can report violations without fear of retaliation. Managers can set an
example by communicating the code of ethics and using it in their own decision making.
Employees should be aware of sanctions for breaching the code of ethics. Employees
could be rewarded with bonuses of some sort when meeting “stretch” goals while not
violating their code of ethics.
7. Hypothesis: It is easier to establish an ethical work environment in a nonprofit
organization than in a for-profit organization. Provide three facts or opinions that
support this hypothesis. Provide three facts or opinions that refute the
hypothesis.
, Students’ answers will vary based on their beliefs and experiences with different
organizations.
8. Do you believe that software manufacturers should be tolerant of the practice of
software piracy in third-world countries to allow these countries an opportunity
to move more quickly into the information age? Why or why not?
Students’ responses will vary. Some students might suggest that helping to increase
access to software by people in less-developed countries is the right thing to do. Others
may say that, given the trend toward globalization, it is in the best interest of all
companies to help less-developed countries speed up the development of their
economies by encouraging a more rapid implementation of technology in those
countries because doing so increases the overall market for software in the long term.
Other students may feel that companies (and people) should never be tolerant
of behavior that breaks the law. Others may point out that for-profit companies have a
right to be compensated for their intellectual property and that companies have a duty
to their investors (and to their employees) to protect their intellectual property.
9. Comment on the efforts of your employer to promote a work environment in
which employees are encouraged to act ethically.
Students’ responses will vary based on their work experiences. Students may talk about
their organization’s corporate social responsibility, values, code of ethics, ethics
training, etc.
10. Do you believe that the senior managers and executives of an organization should
be able to escape criminal liability for the acts of a few of its employees if the
organization has a strong corporate social responsibility program focused on
protecting the environment, contributing to charitable causes, hiring and
promoting women, and treating customers and suppliers fairly? Why or why not?
Students’ answers will vary, but students should consider the following questions in
making their decision:
What was the corporation doing to prevent and detect misconduct in the
workplace?
Did the managers and executives of the company effectively implement policies
designed to ensure that the organization’s employees were acting legally and
ethically?
How egregious were the acts of its employees?
How did the senior managers and executives respond once the employees’
misconduct was detected?
