Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

I. SHORT QUIZ

Instruction: Select the best answer. Write the letter of your

answer only.
Assessments
D 1. A professional is someone who: Task
a. requires advanced training and experience
b. must exercise discretion and judgment in the course of his or her work
c. does work that cannot be standardized
d. all of the above

B 2. Which of the following statements regarding a profession’s code of ethics is most accurate?
a. A code of ethics makes sure that all members of a profession act ethically at all times.
b. A code of ethics communicates the principles and expected behavior of a profession’s
members.
c. A code of ethics always includes standards of conduct.
d. A code of ethics must be followed by all IT users

A 3. Which of the following statements is most accurate?

a. Ethical behavior at times may be illegal.
b. Legal behavior is always ethical behavior.
c. Legal standards are a benchmark for ethical behavior
d. Ethical behavior is independent to legal standards

D 4. Society expects professionals to act in a way that:

a. causes no harm to society
b. provides significant benefits
c. establishes and maintains professional standards that protect the public d. all of the above

B 5. ___is a process that one undertakes voluntarily to prove competency in a set of skills.
a. Licensing
b. Certification
c. Registration
d. all of the above

B. Identify the concept being described.

Professional Code of Ethics 6. A(n) states the principles and core values
that are essential to the work of a particular occupational group.

Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) 7. __is the world’s largest computing society
bringing together computing educators, researchers, and professionals to inspire dialogue,
share resources, and address the field's challenges.
Compliance 8. means to be in accordance with established
policies, guidelines, specifications, or legislation.

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

9-10. According to the Preamble of the Philippine Computer Society, members of the
organization will use their special knowledge and skill for the (9) benefit of the public and will
serve employers and clients with (10) integrity, subject to an overriding responsibility to the
public interest, and I will strive to enhance the competence and prestige of the
professional.
C. Make a research on the following
Go to two or more of the Web sites identified in Table 2-3, and read the code of ethics found
there. (10 pts.)

a. What commonalities do you find among the IT professional codes of ethics that you read?

1. ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) - The Code is designed to

inspire and guide the ethical conduct of all computing professionals,
including current and aspiring practitioners, instructors, students,
influencers, and anyone who uses computing technology in an
impactful way. Additionally, the Code serves as a basis for
remediation when violations occur. The Code includes principles
formulated as statements of responsibility, based on the
understanding that the public good is always the primary
consideration. Each principle is supplemented by guidelines, which
provide explanations to assist computing professionals in
understanding and applying the principle.
2. IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers – To uphold
the highest standards of integrity, responsible behavior, and ethical
conduct in professional activities. To treat all persons fairly and with
respect, to not engage in harassment or discrimination, and to avoid
injuring others. To strive to ensure this code is upheld by colleagues
and co-workers.

b. What differences are there?

IEEE is the acronym for (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers), which defines
the standards for electronics and communication and what should be the constraints
for designing the electronics and communication systems. For example, IEEE defines
that how a packet is switched and routed inside and outside of a network in domain of
networking, so a modem/bridge/router/switch is designed according to these
constraints while ACM (Association for Computing Machinery) is meant for computer
science majors for advancing in computing fields such as data analysis and structure,
data mining, algorithm analysis and design, web engineering, software development so
ACM is entirely made for Computer Science Majors, Electrical Engineering and
Computer Science(EECS) majors for providing them the resources they need such as
books, journals, conferences to improve themselves.

c. Do you think there are any important issues not addressed by these codes of ethics? Cite an
example.
- In my own opinion, the Codes of Ethics ACM (Association for Computing
Machinery) and IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)
consider that, if there is an important issue that is not addressed, it would be
personal ethical issues relating to individual standards of conduct and moral

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

conduct. An example of it is that one of the general principles of ACM is

Uphold, promote, and respect the principles of the Code.

II. Case Study

1. Your old roommate from college was recently let go from his firm during a wave of
employee terminations to reduce costs. You two have kept in touch over the six years since
school, and he has asked you to help him get a position in the IT organization where you work.
You offered to review his résumé, make sure that it gets to the “right person,” and even put in a
good word for him. However, as you read the résumé, it is obvious that your friend has greatly
exaggerated his accomplishments at his former place of work and even added some IT-related
certifications you are sure he never earned. (10 pts.)

- As his old roommate and friend, I will give him a clue and advice. I’ll tell him to
write only what’s true about him. I’ll tell him that being honest is a must. I’ll
explain to him that applying to such position is not that easy. I’ll let him
remember that in making a résumé, it is important that all datas are true and
correct. Before he will pass the résumé, I will volunteer myself to see what he
had put and stated in it. If possible, I will let him attached the certificates and
achievements that is related to the job he is applying to have proof that he has
attended such trainings, activities, and seminars.

2. You are a new human resources manager assigned to your firm’s IT organization. One of
your responsibilities is to screen résumés for job openings in the organization. You are in the
process of reviewing more than 100 résumés you received for a position as a Cisco network
specialist. Your goal is to trim the group down to the top five candidates to invite to an in-house
interview. About half the résumés are from IT workers with less than three years of experience
who claim to have one or more Cisco certifications. There are also a few candidates with over
five years of impressive experience but no Cisco certifications listed on their résumés. You were
instructed to include only candidates with a Cisco certification in the list of finalists. However,
you are concerned about possible résumé inflation and the heavy emphasis on certification
versus experience. (10 pts.)

- As a new human resource manager, I will strictly validate all the applicants
with the corresponding requirements and guidelines. I will do my job correctly.
I will separate the applicants having Cisco trainings with certificates and
applicants with over 5 years of impressive experience but without Cisco
certificates. I will strictly interview all of them to know who is really deserving
for the job as Cisco Network Specialist. I’ll see if they are really skilled or not,
so that I can give chances to them. I know that it is easier to send the new
hired employee to a trainings or seminars in order to have certificates than to
train and teach to become skilled and appropriate to the job for even they have
already certificates.

III. Applying the ACM Code in Decision Making

Instruction: Which clause best addresses the following situation? List the number and the entire
clause. Write all that apply. Put your answers in a matrix.

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

Case 1: Intellectual Property

 Jean uses segments of source code from coworker and commercial product in her own work
without acknowledgement.  Ethical?
Case 2: Privacy
 Diane is building a database for an insurance company to hold sensitive data.
 Company decides on less security than Diane recommends  Should Diane
continue with the project?
Case 3: Confidentiality
 Max downloads sensitive data for his work in department of alcoholism and drug abuse
 Takes data home to work
 Is either action ethical for Max? Is the company acting ethically?
Case 4: Quality in Professional Work
 Company designs new accounting system for government
agency Once installed, system interface too difficult to use, and
system is abandoned
 Who wasted taxpayers’ money?  Ethical?
Case 5: Fairness and Discrimination
 Client wants white, male applicants displayed first in employment matching application 
What should you do?
Case 6: Liability for Unreliability

 Software company releases tax software with known bugs, but adds disclaimer
 Version 1.0; industry policy  Ethical?
Case 7: Software Risks
 Jane is being pressured to sign off on an inventory control system she feels is not sufficiently
tested, but passes requirements
 Should she approve the system?
Case 8: Conflicts of Interest
 Consultant recommends a traffic control system from a company in which he is a major
stockholder  Ethical?
Case 9: Unauthorized Access
 Joe needs more computing resources to complete his class project
 Uses knowledge gained from system administration experience to increase his quotas 
Joe is a student member of ACM  Ethical?

MATRIX:
CASE # ACM CLAUSE
CODE
1 1.3 -Be honest and
trustworthy.
INTELLECTUAL

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

PROPERTY
1.5 -Honor property
rights including
copyrights and
patents.
1.6 -Give proper
credits for
intellectual
property.
2.3 -Know and
respect existing
laws pertaining
to professional
works.
2 1.7 -Respect the
PRIVACY privacy of
others.
1.8 -Honor
confidentiality.
3.5 -Articulate and
support policies
that protect the
dignity of users
and others
affected by a
computing
system.
3.4 -Ensure that
users and those
who will be
affected by a
system have
their needs
clearly
articulated
during the
assessment and
designs of
requirements;
later, the system
must be
validated to
meet

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

requirements.
2.7 -Improve public
understanding
of computing
and its
consequences.
2.6 -Honor
contracts,
agreements,
and assigned
responsibilities.
3 1.7 -Respect the
CONFIDENTIALITY privacy of
others.
1.8 -Honor
confidentiality.
2.8 -Access
computing and
communication
resources only
when authorized
to do so.
3.5 -Articulate and
support policies
that protect the
dignity of users
and others
affected by a
computing
system.
3.3 -Acknowledge
and support
proper and
authorized uses
of an
organization's
computing and
communication
resources.
4 2.1 -Strive to
QUALITY IN achieve the
PROFESSIONAL highest quality,
WORK effectiveness

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

and dignity in
both the process
and products of
professional
work.
3.4 -Ensure that
users and those
who will be
affected by a
system have
their needs
clearly
articulated
during the
assessment and
design of
requirements;
later the system
must be
validated to
meet
requirements.
2.4 -Accept and
provide
appropriate
professional
review.
5 2.3 -Know and
FAIRNESS AND respect existing
DISCRIMINATION laws pertaining
to professional
work.
2.5 -Give
comprehensive
and thorough
evaluations of
computer
systems and
their impacts,
including
analysis of
possible risks.
4.1 -Uphold and
promote the
principles of this
Code.
1.4 -Be fair and take
action not to
discriminate.
2.3 -Know and
respect existing

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

laws pertaining
to professional
work.
1.1 -Contribute to
society and
human well-
being.
1.2 -Avoid harm to
others.
6 2.1 -Strive to
LIABILITY FOR achieve the
UNRELIABILITY highest quality,
effectiveness
and dignity in
both the process
and products of
professional
work.
2.5 -Give
comprehensive
and thorough
evaluations of
computer
systems and
their impacts,
including
analysis of
possible risks.
2.3 -Know and
respect existing
laws pertaining
to professional
work.
3.1 -Articulate social
responsibilities
of members of
an
organizational
unit and
encourage full
acceptance of
those
responsibilities.
7 1.2 -Avoid harm to
SOFTWARE RISK others.

1.1 -Contribute to
society and
human well-
being.

1
Bachelor of Science in Computer Science Department CS 203-Social Issues and Professional Practices

1.3 -Be honest and

trustworthy.
2.1 -Strive to
achieve the
highest quality,
effectiveness
and dignity in
both the process
and products of
professional
work.
8 2.5 -Give
CONFLICTS OF comprehensive
INTEREST and thorough
evaluations of
computer
systems and
their impacts,
including
analysis of
possible risks.
1.3 Be honest and
trustworthy.
9 1.5 -Honor property
UNAUTHORIZED rights including
ACCESS copyrights and
patents.
2.8 -Access
computing and
communication
resources only
when authorized
to do so.
2.3 -Know and
respect existing
laws pertaining
to professional
work.