Question

Ethics in Information Technology fifth edition Chapter 4 WWYD #3

Use the five step decision making process discussed in Chapter 1 (pg 20) to analyze the following situations and recommend a course of action.

Chapter 4 WWYD #3

Your auto incsurance company has offered you a 15 percent discount (roughly $200 per year) if you agree to let them install a sophisticated vehicle event data recorder (EDR) in your car. You have read over the terms of the agreement and discover that if you are involved in an accident, you must agree to let the data from the device be collected and analyzed by a third party accident investigation firm. You must also agree to let findings from this analysis be used in a court of law. What questions would you want answered and what advice might you seek before deciding whether to accept this discount offer?

The answer is to be given answering the 5 steps to decision making.

1. Develop Problem Statement

2. Identify alternatives

3. Evaluate and choose alternatives

4. Implement decision

5. Evaluate results

The whole answered question doesnt have to be long (1 or 2 paragraphs) as long as the 5 step process is used

Answer 1

Implement the Decision Once an alternative is selected, it should be implemented in an efficient, effective, and timely manner. This is often much easier said than done, because people tend to resist change. In fact, the bigger the change, the greater the resistance to it. Communication is the key to helping people accept a change. It is imperative that someone whom the stakeholders trust and respect answer the following questions: • Why are we doing this? • What is wrong with the current way we do things? • What are the benefits of the new way for you? A transition plan must be defined to explain to people how they will move from the old way of doing things to the new way. It is essential that the transition be seen as relatively easy and pain free. Evaluate the Results After the solution to the problem has been implemented, monitor the results to see if the desired effect was achieved, and observe its impact on the organization and the various stakeholders. Were the success criteria fully met? Were there any unintended consequences? This evaluation may indicate that further refinements are needed. If so, return to the develop a problem statement step, refine the problem statement as necessary, and work through the process again.

ETHICS IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY The growth of the Internet, the ability to capture and store vast amounts of personal data, and greater reliance on information systems in all aspects of life have increased the risk that information technology will be used unethically. In the midst of the many IT breakthroughs in recent years, the importance of ethics and human values has been underemphasized—with a range of consequences. Here are some examples that raise public concern about the ethical use of information technology: • Many employees have their email and Internet access monitored while at work, as employers struggle to balance their need to manage importantcompany assets and work time with employees’ desire for privacy and selfdirection. • Millions of people have downloaded music and movies at no charge and in apparent violation of copyright laws at tremendous expense to the owners of those copyrights. • Organizations contact millions of people worldwide through unsolicited email (spam) as an extremely low-cost marketing approach. • Hackers break into databases of financial and retail institutions to steal customer information, then use it to commit identity theft—opening new accounts and charging purchases to unsuspecting victims. • Students around the world have been caught downloading material from the Web and plagiarizing content for their term papers. • Web sites plant cookies or spyware on visitors’ hard drives to track their online purchases and activities. This book is based on two fundamental tenets. First, the general public needs to develop a better understanding of the critical importance of ethics as it applies to IT; currently, too much emphasis is placed on technical issues. Unlike most conventional tools, IT has a profound effect on society. IT professionals and end users need to recognize this fact when they formulate policies that will have legal ramifications and affect the wellbeing of millions of consumers. The second tenet on which this book is based is that in the business world, important decisions are too often left to the technical experts. General business managers must assume greater responsibility for these decisions, but to do so they must be able to make broad-minded, objective decisions based on technical savvy, business know-how, and a sense of ethics. They must also try to create a working environment in which ethical dilemmas can be discussed openly, objectively, and constructively. Thus, the goals of this text are to educate people about the tremendous impact of ethical issues in the successful and secure use of information technology; to motivate people to recognize these issues when making business decisions; and to provide tools, approaches, and useful insights for making ethical decisions.