ANGELICA B.

SILVESTRE
BSCPE 3-1
Activity 02 – Ethics on IT Workers and IT Users

Relationships Between IT Workers and Employers

IT workers and an employer must agree on aspects of work relationships such as company
policy and procedure manual or code of conduct before the worker accept the employment offer
that usually, those aspect may develop over time. IT must set an example and enforce policies
regarding the ethical use of Information Technology to prevent them from temptation to violate
law and policies regarding to the use of IT. Also, they must not involve in the following activities
such as software piracy, trade secrets and whistle blowing. Software piracy is the illegally copy
and access that violates the copyright like installing a single-use license on multiple account and
buying a pirated copy of a software. While trade secrets is any information that may be sold to
make money because it is not generally known like formula, computer program, process, method,
pricing information, customer lists etc. and whistle blowing which reveals private or classified
information about organization.

Relationships Between IT Workers and Clients

In relation between IT Workers and Clients, IT workers must provide hardware, software,
and services at certain cost and within given time while client provides compensation, access to
key contacts and workspace, which their relationship is usually in contractual terms. Moreover,
the client role is to make decision based on information, alternatives, andrecommendations
provided by the IT worker. Clients and IT workers must trust and understand each other based on
relevant information to make wise choices and decisions. On the other hand, IT worker and client
must be trustworthy to prevent ethical problems that create conflict between two of them. Also, to
prevent arising of ethical problems such as fraud, misrepresentation and breach of contract.

Relationships Between IT Workers and Suppliers

Developing a good relationship between IT workers and Suppliers can be attain if the IT
workers dealing fairly with them and not making unreasonable demands. Also, for them to
encourage flow of useful information and ideas to develop innovative and cost-effective ways of
using the supplier in ways that the IT worker may not have considered. To practice good
relationship, they must prevent illegal acts like bribery. Bribery violates the rules within the
organization or company because it is the act of offering, giving, receiving, or soliciting, directly
or indirectly, anything of value to influence improperly the actions of another party.
 Relationships Between IT Workers and Other Professionals
Working and building good relationships with other professionals will achieve so many
goals and solve variety of work problems and issues. Professionals already practice their code of
conduct and degree of loyalty to other members of their profession. But despite of being
professionals, ethical problems may be encountered. Some of those ethical problems are resume
inflation and inappropriate sharing of corporate information.

Relationships Between IT Workers and IT Users

IT Users is any individual who is not involved with supporting or developing a computer
or service, but they are the one who use the hardware and software product that the IT workers
provided. The IT workers must fulfill their duties such as understanding users’ needs and
capabilities, deliver products and services that meet those need and establishing environment that
supports ethical behavior. Practicing ethical behavior to discourages software piracy, minimize
inappropriate use of corporate computing resources and avoid inappropriate sharing of
information.

Relationships Between IT Workers and Society

Society is an organization or club formed for a particular purpose or activity that expect
their members to provide significant benefits and to not cause harm through their actions. The
relationship between IT workers and society is important because the actions of IT worker can
affect the society. In order to IT workers know their needed action, professional organizations
provide them codes of ethics to guide their actions.

Professional Codes of Ethics

Professional code of ethics states all principles and core values that are essential and set
as a guide in behavior of people or workers in a business context. Most codes of ethics include
what the organization aspires to become and rules and principles by which members of the
organization are expected to abide. IT companies integrate Professional code of ethics to promote
high standard of ethical behavior such as ethical decision making that could benefit the
professionals and the society as a whole.

Professional Organization
Professional organization often referred to as a professional association or professional
body which support the interests of professionals working in that profession. There are numerous
organizations worldwide but some of the most prominent professional organizations were
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineering
Computer Society (IEEE-CS), Association of IT Professionals (AITP) and SysAdmin, Audit,
Network, Security (SANS) Institute. In connection with these, there’s no universal code for ethics
for IT professionals, no fix formal organization and each of IT professionals is has emerge as
preeminent.

Certification
A certificate is a document attesting a level of achievement of an Individual in a specific
profession. It can also be applied to a product which means it may or may not require an attachment
to code of ethics, however, some employers view certifications as a basis of knowledge.
Certification generally and voluntary given by the employer to an honorable professional and is
divided based on the value of certification. First, the Vendor certification which significantly
improve IT professionals’ salaries and future career but require years of attainment, as well as
expensive training for them pass the written or hands-on lab examination. Second is the Industrial
association certification that has broader perspective and requires a high-level of experience and
may involve annual renewal fees, earn educational credits and pass the renewal test.

Government Licensing
License is a government-issued certificate that permits professionals in engaging to an
activity or to operate such business. Professionals like doctor, lawyers, CPAs, medical and day
care providers and engineers must obtain their respective license by means of passing an exam.
The goal of licensing professionals is to protect the public safety because if not with this, there be
no requirements for heightened care or concept of professional malpractice.

IT Professional Malpractice
Professional malpractice is done when a professional neglects the duty of care in which
he/she are reliable for injuries it might cause. While negligence is to do such improper and
professional illegal acts, something that a reasonable professional would not do. Duty of care on
the other hand, is considered as a professionals’ obligation that focuses on protecting people
against any unreasonable harm or risk.

IT users
IT Users is often referred as end users, they are the employees or individuals who are
involved with supporting or developing a computer or service. Employees must involve ethical
practices and principles when using IT as it increases access to personal computer. It also helps IT
professionals to make use of corporate information system and data as well as the internet.
Common Ethical Issue for IT Users
IT organizations kept bunch of private data regarding employers and customers, and
confidential data of company and its operation. However, IT Users sometimes involved themselves
in an inappropriate, negligence or illegal acts either intentionally or unintentionally. One example
of these activities is the Software piracy, defined as an illegal act of making copies and access to
a particular software that results to copyrighting. These ethical use of computer resources
absolutely erodes productivity as well as time wasting which could lead to lawsuits.

Supporting the Ethical Practices or IT Users

Every IT User practitioner or its organization, implement practices and policies in order to
safeguard IT Users against abuses. They create boundaries of appropriate behavior, set forth
general right and responsibilities of the user while enabling management to execute punishment to
every violator. They are installing and maintaining a corporate firewalls and establish guidelines
of using company software, which involves how to appropriately use IT resources and structuring
information systems to be able protect data and information.

Compliance
Compliances is the state or fact of complying in accordance with the established policies,
guidelines, specifications, and legislation. It involves established requirements for internal controls
(Sarbanes-Oxley), security and privacy assurance of employees’ healthcare data (HIPAA) and
failure to meet the said conditions will lead to penalties and lawsuits. Compliance to different
government and industries is considered as a major challenge that requires implementation of
software that will track compliance action, hiring management consultant and creating chief
compliance officer position. They also need an audit committee that have quality and integrity in
terms of accounting and reporting legal requirements of compliance. They are responsible for
determining the effectiveness of internal system and controls, verify and measure the
organization’s compliance based on institutional policies and procedures and evaluate reliability
of information available for management decision making.