PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

By Moffat Kirimi
Tseikuru technical training institute

CHAPTER ONE
 INTRODUCTION
 Ethics is a branch of philosophy that addresses the concepts of right and wrong or good and evil. ...
 Applied ethics addresses practical, everyday issues.
 Professional ethics provides us means to solve certain ethical problems related to a certain profession, in this
case, health care.

Basics of ethics
Ethics is a branch of philosophy that addresses the concepts of right and wrong or good and evil. Ethics can
also be called moral philosophy. Morality means usually a more practical approach to ethics, for example
questions about the right and wrong in actions. Adjectives “moral” and “ethical” can be used fairly
synonymously.
Applied ethics addresses practical, everyday issues. It is usually normative and thus aims to find the best
possible answers to questions like: “Is this act or policy right or wrong?” Of course, life is often so complicated
that simple answers cannot be provided. Then applied ethics can serve as a tool for clarifying the issue and for
helping decision-making and account for these decisions even if there is no absolute right answer to be found.
Professional ethics provides us means to solve certain ethical problems related to a certain profession, in this
case, health care. Professional ethics is usually presented as guidelines and rules, but it can be demanding to
apply these to complex situations, that call for sensitivity to circumstances and the individuals in question.
Thus, professional ethics cannot be only about abiding by the rules, but constant awareness to the rights and
needs of the clients or patients, and critical thinking in the cross-fire of ethics, rules, conventions and
difficulties of social interaction.

Being a professional

Acquiring a professional role in health care is important from the point of view of ethics. A professional is
committed to the principles and aims of the work and is aware of her own limitations and values. The most
important questions in acquiring high ethical standards in professional work are: 1) Why is the work being
done? 2) What are the necessary components of high quality? and 3) What is the professional attitude? These
questions concerning ‘good work’ can be summarized in the 3 E’s: excellence, ethics and engagement.

Another way of looking at the professional working role is to ask what the virtues of a high-grade professional
worker are. Virtues mean acquired capabilities that enable excellence in the practice according to its objectives,
e.g. wisdom, justice, self-control and courage.

Professional attitude
What is professional attitude? How can you obtain it? Can you choose your attitude, can you change it, or can
you develop it? Does your professional attitude change during your career?

Work attitude means continuous evaluations and reactions towards one’s work environment: co-workers,
patients, work society, tasks, and more. Building professional attitude can be described as an adjustment
process that begins by understanding what it means to be a professional and how a professional should relate
and react to her work environment. Health care professionals are in a position which they can use to do good or
harm depending on their work attitude. That is why ethical awareness is an integral part of professional attitude
and why it is necessary to take time for reflection-on-action.

Applying ethics to professional work

When approaching or solving ethical problems, we need to make choices on the basis of our beliefs and
feelings about what is fundamentally good or right. However, applying ethics to information scientists and
clinical work does not mean that you have to reflect only on your own thoughts and experiences and discuss
with your colleagues. Applying ethics to work also demands that we are aware of the current study results of
our own working field and consider the ethical problems that we are dealing with.

ORIGIN OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

The known history of pure ethics or ethics (moral) theories begin with ancient Greek philosophers (Sophists, Socrates,
Socratic schools, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Stoics) and after recovered by early English positivists has been the main
topic of discussions in the Medieval times in Europe. As the scholastic doctrines are by-passed (therefore Christian
Ethics is not a scientific term anymore), we come to the illuminated times after the Medieval, and continue with Hobbes,
the Father of Modern Ethics. This type of ethics is known by two logical methods; criticism and comparison. After
Hobbes, English and German schools of ethics have been differentiated.

These led to English Intuitionists (naturalists) followed by Utilitarians against Kantian ethics. Throughout 19th Century
these ideas have been discussed very fiercely throughout Europe. Then Comte, Darwin, and finally Spencer followed by
Green came in, who set the evolution concept into physical sciences as well as the development of ethics. So at the
beginning of 20th century Ethics was more with evolutionary concepts but still divided between Utilitarians and Kantians
(Kant’s Categorical Imperative).

TYPE OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

The four main branches of ethics include descriptive ethics, normative ethics, meta-ethics and applied ethics.
They have been discussed in brief here:

 Descriptive Ethics
 Normative Ethics
 Meta Ethics
 Applied Ethics

Descriptive Ethics

Descriptive ethics deals with what people actually believe (or made to believe) to be right or wrong, and
accordingly holds up the human actions acceptable or not acceptable or punishable under a custom or law.

However, customs and laws keep changing from time to time and from society to society. The societies have
structured their moral principles as per changing time and have expected people to behave accordingly. Due to
this, descriptive ethics is also called comparative ethics because it compares the ethics or past and present;
ethics of one society and other. It also takes inputs from other disciplines such as anthropology, psychology,
sociology and history to explain the moral right or wrong.

Normative Ethics

Normative Ethics deals with “norms” or set of considerations how one should act. Thus, it’s a study of “ethical
action” and sets out the rightness or wrongness of the actions. It is also called prescriptive ethics because it
rests on the principles which determine whether an action is right or wrong.

Virtue ethics

Virtue ethics focuses on one’s character and the virtues for determining or evaluating ethical behaviour. Plato,
Aristotle and Thomas Aquinas were major advocates of Virtue ethics. Plato gave a scheme of four cardinal
virtues viz. prudence, justice, temperance and fortitude (courage). His disciple Aristotle categorized the virtues
as moral and intellectual. He identified some of the moral virtues including “wisdom”.

Deontological ethics

Deontological ethics or duty ethics focuses on the rightness and wrongness of the actions rather than the
consequences of those actions. There are different deontological theories such as categorical imperative, moral
absolutism, and divine command theory etc.

Meta Ethics

Meta Ethics or “analytical ethics” deals with the origin of the ethical concepts themselves. It does not consider
whether an action is good or bad, right or wrong. Rather, it questions – what goodness or rightness or morality
itself is? It is basically a highly abstract way of thinking about ethics. The key theories in meta-ethics include
naturalism, non-naturalism, emotivism and prescriptivism.
Applied Ethics

Applied ethics deals with the philosophical examination, from a moral standpoint, of particular issues in
private and public life which are matters of moral judgment. This branch of ethics is most important for
professionals in different walks of life including doctors, teachers, administrators, rulers and so on. There are
six key domains of applied ethics viz. Decision ethics {ethical decision making process}, Professional ethics
{for good professionalism}, Clinical Ethics {good clinical practices}, Business Ethics {good business
practices}, Organizational ethics {ethics within and among organizations} and social ethics.

CHALLENGES OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Against this socio-political background, the following eight challenges have been isolated:

1. Recognition of librarianship as a profession (and the accreditation of library and information studies)

2. Ethical professional responsibilities in a changing organizational world, and how they can be weaved
into the librarian’s professional education

3. The librarian in a changing (HE) world

4. The “assault” on professionalism;

5. The user’s centrality: fact or fiction?

6. The librarian in an era of global challenge: is resistance futile?

7. Potemkin villages: fabrication and performance in the academy, and

8. Feminisation of the HE professions and patterns of employment.

9. Lastly, I’ll examine future scenarios for librarians and the implications of present practices, which
affect all sectors.

WAYS OF ENHANCING INTEGRITY IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

1. Perform Risk-Based Validation

Validate only systems that are part of GxP-compliance. Ensure protocols address data quality and reliability. In
some cases it’s cost-effective to have the system vendor perform qualification and validation of the systems.
Account for all electronic data storage locations, including printouts and PDF reports during validation.
Ensure your quality management system defines the frequency, roles and responsibilities in system validation.
Your validation master plan must outline the approach you will use to review meaningful metadata, including
audit trails, etc.

2. Select Appropriate System and Service Providers

Ensure your providers are fluent with the relevant regulations. Systems must be fit-for-purpose. Get proof of a
software’s efficacy for the application it will be used in. Learn about your suppliers’ organizational culture and
maturity relating to data management. Ask them what systems are in place to ensure data integrity and audit
those systems if possible.

3. Audit your Audit Trails

An audit trail must be an inerasable record of all data in a system, including any changes that have been made
to a database or file. To be useful in GxP compliance an audit trail must answer: Who? What? When? And
Why?

Define the data relevant to GxP and ensure it’s included in an audit trail. Assign roles and schedules for testing
the audit trail functionality. The depth of an audit trail review should be based on the complexity of the system
and its intended use. Understand what audit trails comprise: discrete event logs, history files, database queries,
reports or other mechanisms that display events related to the system, electronic records or raw data contained
within the record.

4. Change Control

Ensure system software updates are designed to comply with changing regulations, especially when
implementing new features. Collaborate with providers to stay informed about changes and update your
systems accordingly. Select systems that are easy to update upon the addition of new hardware or other system
inputs.

5. Qualify IT & Validate Systems

Validated systems require an IT environment that has been fully qualified.

6. Plan for Business Continuity

Ensure disaster recovery planning is in place. Your plan should state how quickly functions can be restored, as
well as the probable impact of any data lost. Look for software and systems that can record and store data
redundantly to protect it during power outages or network downtime.

7. Be Accurate

Verify system inputs. For example, an environmental monitoring system requires regularly calibrated sensors.
For networked systems, test that data are coming from the right location. Select systems that provide alarm
messages in case of communication failure, device problems, or data tampering.
8. Archive Regularly

Backup and save electronic data on a pre-set schedule and to a secure location, including metadata. Verify the
retrieval of all of data during internal audits. Electronic archives should be validated, secured and maintained
in a state of control throughout the data life cycle.

CAUSES OF UNETHICAL PRACTICES AND BEHAVIOUR IN INFORMATION

MANAGEMENT
However, below are some causes of unethical behavior in a workplace are listed:

1. Misusing Company Time

One of the most regularly revealed “bad behaviors” in the workplace is the misuse of company time. This
category includes knowing that one of your colleagues is directing personal business on company time, staff
appearing late, extra breaks or falsifying timesheets. These negative behavior patterns can rapidly spread to
different workers. It can also cultivate hatred amongst colleagues, severely influencing morale and efficiency.

2. Unethical Leadership

Having a personal issue with your boss or manager is a certain thing, yet reporting to a person who is acting
dishonestly is another. This may come in a clear form, such as manipulating numbers in a report or sending
company money on improper activities; nonetheless, it can also happen more subtly, through bullying,
accepting inadequate gifts from suppliers, or requesting that you avoid a standard system just once. With
studies demonstrating that managers are responsible for 60 percent of workplace wrongdoing, the abuse of
leadership authority is a disastrous reality.

3. Lying to Employees

The quickest way to lose the trust of your employees is to lie to them, but managers do it constantly. One out
of every five workers reports that their supervisor or manager has lied to them within the previous year.

4. Harassment and Discrimination

Laws require associations to be equivalent to business opportunity employers. Organizations must select a
various workplace, authorize policies and training that help an equivalent open door program, and encourage a
situation that is respectful of a wide range of people. Unfortunately, there are still numerous people whose
practices break with EEOC rules and regulations. When harassment and discrimination of employees based on
ethnicity, race, gender, handicap or age occur, has a moral line been crossed as well as a legitimate one also?
5. Violating Company Internet Policy

Cyberloafers, Cyberslackers. These are terms used to recognize people who surf the web when they ought to
work. It’s a huge, multi-billion dollar issue for organizations. Every day at least 64 percent of employers visit
sites that have nothing to do with their work. Who might have imagined that checking your Facebook page is
becoming an ethical issue?

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF UNETHICAL PRACTICES AND BEHAVIOUR IN INFORMATION

MANAGEMENT

Productivity Levels Decrease

The main goal of any corporation is to drive through sales from customers to maintain a strong presence in the
business world. Unfortunately, when a level of unethical behaviour starts to form, it can cause productivity
levels to decrease which surround the person or corporation in question. When this happens, errors start to
form in a once productive production line. This in turn can cause other employees to feel unmotivated resulting
in a complete slowdown of the sale process that can lose you valuable time and money.

Loss of Respect

In episodes where managers or leaders start to make unethical decisions, it can lead to employees losing a lot
of respect for their bosses. When this occurs, it can be difficult for the leader to gain back the respect and trust
that’s been lost. It also causes problems for them to run a successful business when their team feels as if
they’re making poor corporate choices. Employees may also feel resentful towards their leaders. This is
because, as a part of the company, they feel their reputation is also starting to fall apart along with the
business’s reputation.

Loss of Public Credibility

When unethical behaviour occurs in a corporate setting, there’s a high chance it will be publicized. This in turn
can cause your company to lose its credibility, resulting in customers abandoning sales with you, bad-
mouthing your business, and not holding respect for you anymore. To gain credibility back a corporation needs
to create a well-planned rebranding and marketing campaign, along with hiring a public relations team to help
improve their reputation. This can lead to millions of dollars in costs, especially if you’re a well know and
worldwide organization.

Legal Issues

In severe cases of unethical misconduct, it can lead to severe legal issues that result in loss of time, large fines,
and other penalties with possible jail time. The cost of legal battles can go on for months to years and can lead
into the millions of dollars depending on the corporation’s particular situation and level of unethical behaviour.
In addition to this, executive who break the law can lead employees to also follow in pursuit in facing criminal
charges.
MEASURES OF ERADICATING UNETHICAL PRACTISES IN INFORMATION MANAGEMENT

In order to stop unethical behaviour in large corporations you need to consider a few things. These incude:

Setting realistic goals for employees to meet

Create policies and practices which promote good ethical behaviour
Select high quality people to add to your team that have a good reputation of work ethics in previous
employment.
Train people on good ethical behaviour by implementing training sessions on a yearly basis to maintain
strong ethical behaviours.
Maintaining strong ethical behaviour at a higher executive level to ensure employees maintain strong
respect and good work ethics.
Build a corporate culture that’s based on communication, openness, and transparency.
Put controls in place such as progress audits to assess employees work efficiency and behaviour if
complaints arise.

CODE OF ETHICS
A code of ethics is a guide of principles designed to help professionals conduct business honestly and
with integrity. A code of ethics document may outline the mission and values of the business or
organization, how professionals are supposed to approach problems, the ethical principles based on the
organization's core values, and the standards to which the professional is held.
A code of ethics also referred to as an "ethical code," may encompass areas such as business ethics, a
code of professional practice and an employee code of conduct.

Example of a Code of Ethics

 Act with integrity, competence, diligence, respect and in an ethical manner with the public,
clients, prospective clients, employers, employees, colleagues in the investment profession, and
other participants in the global capital markets.
 Place the integrity of the investment profession and the interests of clients above their own
personal interests.
 Use reasonable care and exercise independent professional judgment when conducting
investment analysis, making investment recommendations, taking investment actions, and
engaging in other professional activities.
 Practice and encourage others to practice in a professional and ethical manner that will reflect
credit on themselves and the profession.
 Promote the integrity and viability of the global capital markets for the ultimate benefit of
society.
 Maintain and improve their professional competence and strive to maintain and improve the
competence of other investment professionals.
Purposes of code of ethics
1. A code of ethics sets out an organization's ethical guidelines and best practices to follow for honesty,
integrity, and professionalism.
2. For members of an organization, violating the code of ethics can result in sanction including
termination.
3. In some industries, including banking and finance, specific laws govern business conduct. In others, a
code of ethics may be voluntarily adopted.

Components of code of ethics

Consider the Legal Issues

You may think that clearly expressing all employees must follow the law is something that shouldn't need to be
said. It does. While some industries or specific occupations have legal requirements, all employees in any
business must follow state and federal laws. Bank employees are screened for money laundering. Delivery
drivers are subject to periodic driver's license reviews for excessive speeding tickets or tickets for driving while
under the influence of alcohol (DUIs).

Some of these law violations don't have to occur during work hours to affect an employee's ability to perform
job duties properly. You don't need to state all the laws employees must follow in your code of ethics, but if
there are specific rule-breaking scenarios – such as DUIs for delivery drivers – that are grounds for immediate
disciplinary action, you need to let employees know. Beyond that, state that all employees are expected to
respect the law and perform their duties lawfully.

Compliance and Regulations

Compliance and regulation is another aspect of legal requirements that some industries must follow. Failure to
do so results in fines, penalties, and potential legal action against the company, its leaders, and the employee
breaking the rules. Highly regulated industries include the financial services industry, banking, real estate,
health care and senior care providers.

For example, the mortgage industry has compliance regulations for advertising, disclosure and privacy. If a
mortgage representative is not advertising interest rates according to the Truth in Lending Act, there could be
significant repercussions. Your company's code of ethics should clearly state that all industry compliance and
regulatory rules must be followed.

Value-Based Components

Value-based components in a code of ethics can range widely. The code of ethics usually includes the six
universal moral values that state you expect employees to be trustworthy, respectful, responsible, fair, caring
and good citizens. You can also include values such as celebrating diversity, using green standards in the
workplace, or dress codes. Include anything that is important to the overall mission and vision of company
success as part of the code of ethics.

Violation of the Code of Ethics

When business owners discuss any component in the code of ethics, the course of action for violating it should
also be addressed. It isn't enough to say that someone can't have a DUI. You must state what the process is and
the potential disciplinary actions that could result from the action. The disciplinary actions should be fair and
justifiable for the violation, meaning you wouldn't treat stealing the same as you would for not wearing the
company shirt to a client's house.

Types of codes of ethics

There are two main types of codes of ethics. The short code of ethics such as the IEEE Code of Ethics and the
longer code of ethics such as the NSPE Code of Ethics.

The shorter codes are meant to be a general framework that guides the professional of the society towards
certain ethical goals and responsibilities. These code have strength in the fact that they are consice and
therefore more likely to be read by the members of the society.

Many codes of ethics discuss the responsibility of the engineer to the safety of the public. The IEEE Code of
Ethics states begins with "1. to accept responsibility in making engineering decisions consistent with the
safety, health and welfare of the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might endanger the public or the
environment;". This clearly shows that the safety of the public and environment is very important to IEEE. The
SAGE Code of Ethics also has a similar statement. "I will do my best to make decisions consistent with the
safety, privacy, and well-being of my community and the public, and to disclose promptly factors that might
pose unexamined risks or dangers. " Even the longer and more detailed codes such as the NSPE Code of Ethics
places safety as the number one concern as they state "1. Hold paramount the safety, health, and welfare of the
public.

Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct Sample Template:

1. Be inclusive.

We welcome and support people of all backgrounds and identities. This includes, but is not limited to members
of any sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, race, ethnicity, culture, national origin, social and
economic class, educational level, color, immigration status, sex, age, size, family status, political belief,
religion, and mental and physical ability.

2. Be considerate.

We all depend on each other to produce the best work we can as a company. Your decisions will affect clients
and colleagues, and you should take those consequences into account when making decisions.
3. Be respectful.

We won't all agree all the time, but disagreement is no excuse for disrespectful behavior. We will all
experience frustration from time to time, but we cannot allow that frustration become personal attacks. An
environment where people feel uncomfortable or threatened is not a productive or creative one.

4. Choose your words carefully.

Always conduct yourself professionally. Be kind to others. Do not insult or put down others. Harassment and
exclusionary behavior aren't acceptable. This includes, but is not limited to:

 Threats of violence.
 Insubordination.
 Discriminatory jokes and language.
 Sharing sexually explicit or violent material via electronic devices or other means.
 Personal insults, especially those using racist or sexist terms.
 Unwelcome sexual attention.
 Advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above behavior.

5. Don't harass.

In general, if someone asks you to stop something, then stop. When we disagree, try to understand why.
Differences of opinion and disagreements are mostly unavoidable. What is important is that we resolve
disagreements and differing views constructively.

6. Make differences into strengths.

We can find strength in diversity. Different people have different perspectives on issues, and that can be
valuable for solving problems or generating new ideas. Being unable to understand why someone holds a
viewpoint doesn’t mean that they’re wrong. Don’t forget that we all make mistakes, and blaming each other
doesn’t get us anywhere.

Process of formulating code of ethics

How to Write a Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct:

1. Review your mission statement and core values.

The goal of a code of ethics is to help employees make decisions that are in line with what the company or
organization values. This should be distilled into your mission statement and core values, so it's a good place to
start.
2. Talk to stakeholders.

What do management, employees, and clients think are the most important values of the company to uphold?
Get input from everyone involved to be sure your code reflects what the company stands for. You can have
them all look at a code of conduct template to get ideas for how their own might look like.

3. Review past ethical issues.

Where has your company faltered with ethics in the past? Where has it shined? Call attention to problem areas
and reinforce the strengths you already have.

4. See where other companies have faltered.

Have other companies in your industry had recent ethical failures? Avoid the same pitfalls by covering these
issues in your code.

5. Create a draft code for input and discussion.

Give everyone a chance to help decide on the contents of the code of ethics by inviting them to discuss and
give input on a draft.

6. Create a final draft and share it.

Once you've got a final draft approved, share it throughout the organization. Also, make sure that a copy of it is
added to your employee handbook.

INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ORGANIZATION

An information professional or information specialist is someone who collects, records, organises, stores,
preserves, retrieves, and disseminates printed or digital information.

The versatile term 'information professional' is also used to describe other similar professions, such as
librarians, archivists, information managers, information systems specialists, and records managers.
Information professionals work in a variety of private, public, and academic institutions.

Examples of Professional Associations

There are many professional associations for librarians in addition to the largest, the American Library
Association (ALA) and its many subdivisions. Specialized groups can be based on subject area, geography or
both. The links below provide additional information and can provide a taste of the remarkable diversity of the
profession of librarianship. Explore and enjoy.

AALL: American Association of Law Libraries

"The American Association of Law Libraries was founded in 1906 to promote and enhance the value of law
libraries to the legal and public communities, to foster the profession of law librarianship, and to provide
leadership in the field of legal information." -- About us AALL

AASL: American Association of School Librarians

The American Association of School Librarians (AASL), a division of the American Library Association, "is
the only national professional membership organization focused on the needs of school librarians and the
school library community. We serve the needs of more than 7,000 school librarians in the United States,
Canada, and around the world." -- AASL Join.

ACRL: Association of College & Research Libraries

The Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) is a division of the American Library Association.
ACRL "is a professional association of academic librarians and other interested individuals. It is dedicated to
enhancing the ability of academic library and information professionals to serve the information needs of the
higher education community and to improve learning, teaching, and research. ACRL is the largest division of
the American Library Association (ALA). ACRL currently has a membership of more than 12,000 members,
accounting for nearly 20% of the total ALA membership." -- About ACRL

ALA: American Library Association

"The American Library Association (ALA) is the oldest and largest library association in the world, providing
association information, news, events, and advocacy resources for members, librarians, and library users.
Founded on October 6, 1876 during the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, the mission of ALA is to
provide leadership for the development, promotion, and improvement of library and information services and
the profession of librarianship in order to enhance learning and ensure access to information for all." -- About
ALA

IFLA

The International Federation of Library Associations and Institutions (IFLA) is the leading international body
representing the interests of library and information services and their users. It is the global voice of the library
and information profession.

ASIS&T

The Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T) is the preeminent professional association
that bridges the gap between information science practice and research. ASIS&T members represent the fields
of information science, computer science, linguistics, management, librarianship, engineering, data science,
information architecture, law, medicine, chemistry, education, and related technology. ASIS&T advances the
information sciences and similar applications of information technology by helping members build their skills
and developing their careers by providing focus, opportunity, and support through training, research,
publications, and ongoing education.
SLA

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global organization for innovative information
professionals and their strategic partners in business, government, academic, and other “specialized” settings.
If you manage information and/or knowledge resources for organizations and their stakeholders—such as
business executives, government agency staff, university faculty and students, association members, nonprofit
funders, and law firm partners. SLA promotes and strengthens its members through learning, networking, and
community building initiatives.

IMPORTANCE OF INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

 Promotes the idea that an information professional is the right person to offer support in the knowledge
economy
 Provides guidance on how to provide and develop a scientific culture in an institution
 Identifies information competencies that are important for information managers in scientific
communication
 Redefines the profile of professional information graduates and identifies this new skillset as a job
opportunity

ROLE OF INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATION

1. IT skills, such as word-processing and spreadsheets, digitisation skills, and conducting internet
searches, together with skills in digitisation, loan systems, databases, content management systems, and
specially designed programmes and packages.
2. Customer service. An information professional should have the ability to address the information needs
of customers.
3. Language proficiency. This is essential in order to manage the information at hand and deal with
customer needs.
4. Soft skills. These include skills such as negotiating, conflict resolution, and time management, which
are useful for all interactions at a workplace.
5. Management training. An information professional should be familiar with notions such as strategic
planning and project management.

CHALLENGES OF INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS ORGANIZATION

1. Absence of clear direction.

Lack of direction is one of the most common organizational problems and it stems from two root causes:

The leader or leaders rarely discuss or chart a deliberate direction or strategy for the future, or they fail to
communicate a coherent message about the strategy to all members of the organization.
There are many activities to execute and the organization lacks the alignment needed to gain the traction
necessary to help the organization transform, adapt, and shape the future—activities that would ensure the
organization’s long-term, sustained growth. In short, too many functions and individuals lack an understanding
of how they fit or why they matter. As a result, people become complacent, content to just show up, take care
of today’s business, and hope that someone is in the wheelhouse steering the ship.

2. Difficulty blending multiple personalities into a cohesive and unified team.

This can be an enormous challenge, regardless of whether the team is part of the executive suite, a special
project team in an R&D lab, or an operating team in a production facility. People’s personalities vary widely,
and the diversity of backgrounds, opinions, views, and experiences can cause challenges for teams. This
creates a unique set of potential issues and opportunities.

3. Failure to develop key competencies and behaviors.

In our work with organizations, we commonly encounter a lot of hardworking people who have good
intentions. However, despite their experience in the industry, their technical talent, and the subject-matter
expertise that many leaders bring to the table, creating a high-performance organization is often still out of
reach.

Leading and managing an organization is a complex task that requires a unique mix of skills. Leaders have to
utilize their natural strengths, but they also have to search relentlessly for ways to close their own performance
gaps and improve their behavior.

4. Poor communication and feedback.

There seem to be two extremes in this area: Either people do everything in their power to avoid confronting
others and holding them accountable or they relish any opportunity to chew people out, belittle them, and crush
their spirits.

Many teams try to muddle through this somehow, enduring the bully or trying to guess what others want and
need from them. People often tell us that they fear reprisal or retaliation if they open up—but the reality is that
leaders can’t execute on their strategies, lower costs, or effectively launch new processes or services when
people fail to communicate with constructive candor, so this is an issue that must be overcome.

5. Lack of awareness.

Building a solid organization takes hard work and a keen awareness of the culture and environment that exists
in a business. Most executives are very busy people; a lot of things vie for their attention. Market conditions
can change fast in a VUCA (velocity, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity) world and demand huge
portions of a leader’s time. We affectionately call this the “task magnet.”

PEOPLE’S SKILLS
People skills are patterns of behavior and behavioral interactions. Among people, it is an umbrella term for
skills under three related set of abilities: personal effectiveness, interaction skills, and intercession skills.

“People skills are, in short, the various attributes and competencies that allow one to play well with others,”
explains says David Parnell, a legal consultant, communication coach and author. “While on the surface these
may be summed up by notions such as ‘likeability,’ or having a ‘good personality,’ when you start to look at
what makes one ‘likable,’ for instance, you've opened Pandora 's Box.” But more often than not, these
attributes come in the form of effective, accurate and persuasive communication, he says.

Here are 20 “people skills” and attributes you’ll need to succeed at work:

1 The ability to relate to others.

“Having the ability to relate to others and their position or viewpoint is crucial in business,” Hockett says. “By
having a well-rounded personality and set of experiences, it’s usually possible to relate to almost anyone.”
Sometimes being able to relate to others simply means that you’re willing to agree to disagree with mutual
respect; letting them know you understand their position.

2 Strong communication skills.

This is the most fundamental people skill because it encompasses your persona and ability to get along with
other colleagues, persuade others to listen to your ideas, and much more, Taylor says. “If you have a gift for
the spoken and written word, you will always put your best foot forward. Being articulate is highly prized in
today’s workplace, when time is at a premium and technology requires constant communication.”

3 Patience with others.

“If you're patient with others and can keep a level head in stressful situations, it will definitely be noticed by
management and perceived as a very strong asset,” says Amy Hoover, president of Talent Zoo. “When your
boss is forced to deal with a situation where people have lost their cool he or she will certainly remember the
troublemakers when the next promotion comes available.”

4 The ability to trust others.

You can only accelerate your career if you’re trustworthy. “Without it, you can’t get projects done or get
cooperation,” Taylor says. “No one can operate in a vacuum for long.”

5 Knowing how and when to show empathy.

“Having the ability to place yourself in someone else’s shoes is a key people skill,” says Ryan Kahn, a career
coach, founder of The Hired Group, star of MTV’s Hired! and author of Hired! The Guide for the Recent Grad.
It allows us to create relationships with others, provides insights into people’s motives and allows us to predict
responses.

6 Active listening skills.

Hearing someone and actively listening to them are two different things, Hockett explains. Most people hear
someone speak and start to form a response in their mind (or worse, starting talking) before the person finishes
what they’re saying. “The key is to actively listen, which takes more time but produces better results. It means
you listen without interruption and then take the time to think and form a response before replying. It takes
practice, but it pays off.”

7 Genuine interests in others.

People know when you’re truly interested in them, Kahn says. “If you’re not showing a genuine interest –
asking thoughtful questions and considering about their answers – your interaction can actually have an
opposite effect to the one intended. Take care to remember names, dates and important life events.”

8 Flexibility.

Being "likable" or having a "good personality" are highly contingent and context dependant attributes, Parnell
explains. “Your prison-bound uncle's personality may not be likeable at the Thanksgiving table, but it may
serve him well once incarcerated. Supreme communicators have a keen ability to shift gears when the context
calls for it, and a deep well of communication options to choose from. This way, they can respond accordingly
to what the current situation requires.”

9 Good judgments.

Good judgment is a key people skill that comes directly from learning, listening to others and observing the
world around you, Kahn says. “It allows you to wisely select friends and associates, determine reactions and
responses, and make sound decisions.”

10 The ability to persuade others. There’s a good chance that at some point in your career you’ll have to sell
others on your ideas, products or services. Whether you’re up for a promotion, pitching a project, or selling
clothing in a retail store, you need to be able to form a strong, convincing argument for why you, or your
products, are the very best, or the “right” one.

11 Negotiation skills.

Good negotiating skills are beneficial with both internal and external discussions, Hoover says. “Internally, job
offers and salary discussions greatly benefit from solid negotiating, as well as when it's time to pitch a new
idea or sway coworkers to your way of thinking. Externally, both vendors and customers often require
negotiations and you can really become the hero when you are successful in either scenario.”

12 The ability to keep an open mind.

“To create trust and respect in others, people need to know that their point of view and feedback will be
considered and used,” Kahn says. Being known as someone who keeps an open mind also makes you more
approachable and easier to work with.

13 A great sense of humor.

“Who doesn’t enjoy laughing? It’s ‘the great diffuser’ of tension and conflict. If you can jam the system of
tension or routine with levity, you will thrive in your job,” Taylor says. “It was once said that ‘nobody ever
died of laughter,’ and if you can retain some lightheartedness in your job, you’re likely to get more air time
during meetings and overall.”

14 Knowing your audience.

Knowing what, how, and when to say things to others is critical. For example, if someone just loss their job,
it’s probably not a good idea to talk about your promotion. This seems trivial, but it’s one of the primary
reasons why people encounter communication breakdowns with each other, Hockett explains.

15 Honesty.

The saying, “honesty is the best policy” is not only true, it’s essential in building trust among your colleagues,
Taylor says. “Once you lose it, it’s almost impossible to regain.

16 Awareness of body language.

The importance of body language cannot be emphasized enough, since it makes up the majority of how we
communicate with others. “The reality is, we’re communicating with people all the time even when we’re not
speaking. Being mindful of what our gestures, expressions, voice, and appearance are communicating can
greatly help or harm our people skills,” Hockett says.

17 Proactive problem solving.

Work is a series of problem solving situations, but if you’re proactive, you’ll take the pressure off your boss
and colleagues, Taylor says. This is a great people skill to have in the workplace.

18 Leadership skills.

If you can motivate a team and help those around you do their best work, you'll be more successful even if
you're not in management, Hoover says.

19 Good manners.

“Using ‘please’ and ‘thank you’ goes a long way in the realm of people skills,” Taylor explains. While
seemingly obvious, some need little reminders. Keeping a post it with a smile or another icon can remind us
that work is more than getting something accomplished, it’s how we get it accomplished.

20 The ability to be supportive and motivate others.

“People want others to believe in them, regardless of how successful they might be. By showing support in the
form of encouragement, you can put someone back on track or keep them headed in the right direction,”
Hockett explains.

Information science agencies

The Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) is a corporate body of the Kenyan government with a mandate to
"promote, establish, equip, manage, maintain and develop libraries in Kenya".

[1] It was established in 1965 by an Act of Parliament of the Laws of Kenya to provide library and information
services to the Kenyan public.

[2] In its service provision, KNLS plays a dual role of public library and national library of Kenya. The public
library services are available in their 61 branches throughout Kenya, while the national library services are
available at the headquarters in Nairobi.

BACKGROUND

Kenya National Library service (knls) Board is a statutory body of the Government of Kenya established by an
Act of Parliament, Cap 225 of the Laws of Kenya in April 1965. The Board‘s mandate is to develop, promote,
establish and equip libraries in Kenya. The State Corporations Act Cap 446 of the laws of Kenya also guides
the Board in its operations.

CORE FUNCTIONS

These include: -

Preserve and conserve the national imprint for reference and research and maintain the National Bibliographic
Control through issuance of the ISBN, publication of the Kenya National Bibliography and Kenya Periodicals
Directory.

 Promote, establish, equip, manage and maintain the National and Public libraries services in Kenya
 Promote information literacy and reading among Kenyans
 Enhance stakeholders participation for equitable development of libraries throughout the country
 Advise the Government, local authorities and other public bodies on all matters relating to library,
documentation and related services.

ORGANIZATION STRUCTURE OF KNLS

An appropriate organization structure has been developed to enhance management, leadership and support of
this strategic plan. The necessary responsibility and authority relationship structures have been put down as
depicted in the organization chart. However, an organization restructuring, job evaluation and review may
become necessary in the near future in order for knls to be up to its task in contributing to Vision 2030. These
exercises will need to establish the composition of the Board, staff levels and re-examine job specifications and
descriptions that exist.

ROLE OF NATIONAL AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES IN COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Provision of information for development through the national and public library network enables people to
fight poverty deprivation and illiteracy and thus supports reading and recovery programmes by the
government. Rural and urban poor communities are better able to tackle their problems and introduce social
change if they have access to relevant information that meets their needs and interests. In addition, access to
information about the country enables citizens to participate effectively in the art of governance.

Through various reading campaigns, knls provides opportunities for communities to enhance their reading and
information seeking habits, and therefore sustain literacy. The 2006 Kenya National Adult Literacy Survey
estimated the national literacy rate at 61.5 % indicating that only 38.5 % Kenyan adults were illiterate. The
survey also revealed that only 29.6 % of the adult population had acquired the desired mastery level of literacy.

Library Membership

Membership is of the library is open to institutions and individuals, both Kenyan citizens and non-citizens.

Junior Membership

All primary children of school going age and below have access to the libraries within the knls network at no
charge (free). However, for them to borrow books, they have to be registered as members of that library and
also pay a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 5 per book borrowed.

Adult Membership

For adult membership, no charges are levied for registration but a minimal fee is charged for daily access. In
addition, for borrowing of books, one has to be registered as a member and a book borrowing fee of Kshs. 20 is
applicable per book borrowed.

Institutional Membership

Various categories of institutions may apply for registration at the library of their choice within knls network.
The institutions are categorised as; primary schools, secondary schools, colleges, universities, NGOs
Community based organizations and religious institutions. Under this category, institutions are required to pay
an annual registration as per schedule 2 below.

The core functions of the KNLS Board are:

 Preservation and conservation the national imprint for reference and research and maintain the National
Bibliographic Control through Issuance of the ISBN, publication of the Kenya National Bibliography
and Kenya Periodicals Directory.
 Promote, establish, equip, manage and maintain the National and Public libraries services in Kenya;
  Promote information literacy and reading among Kenyans;
 Enhance stakeholders participation for equitable development of libraries throughout the country;
 Advise the Government, local authorities and other public bodies on all matters relating to library,
documentation and related services.

Services

 Through the public library, the library offers these services;

 Adult, junior and institutional lending
 Inter-library lending
 Advisory on library services
 Technical assistance on library development to interested government and private institutions
 Internet services in the libraries that are connected
 Health information
 Services to visually impaired persons
 User education

Kenya National Archives and Documentation Services (KNADS)

is situated at the edge of the central business district in downtown Nairobi along Moi Avenue next to
Ambassadeur Hotel.

[1] The archives look out on the landmark Hilton Hotel, while on the rear side is Tom Mboya street.

[2] It was established in 1965.

[3] It holds 40,000 volumes.

[4] It was established by an Act of the Parliament of Kenya in 1965 and was placed under the office of the
Vice President and the Minister of Home Affairs. It is currently under the office of the Vice-President and
State Department for National Heritage and Culture.

[5] The Kenya National Archives building also houses the Murumbi Gallery which contains African artifacts
that were collected in the 19th century

INTRODUCTION

One of the key functions of the Kenya National Archives is to acquire and preserve valuable public and private
records which form part of the national documentary heritage. There are eight repositories / storage areas with
a holding of approximately 600 million pages of documents.

The role of the Repository section

The section is charged with the responsibility of providing custody and access to public records and public
archives as well as the private archives. This includes records from all Ministries, Government offices,
Parastatals/State Corporations, County Governments and anybody formed by an Act of Parliament and private
persons (E.g. Church Missionary Society records)

The records are those deemed to have historical, financial, legal, and administrative or research value.

REPOSITORY PROCEDURES

1. Receiving records from Kenya National Archives Regional Offices

 Receive already processed records from the regional offices. The records should be in archival boxes
with a clear label indicating the provenance, code allocated to the provenance, the box number and the
series / references of the files contained in the box
 Receive descriptive lists of the records and countercheck what has been received against the descriptive
lists
 Register the received provenance in the accession register
 Allocate space to records received
 Arrange the boxes in the allocated space
 Indicate the location of the consignment on the descriptive lists provided
 Hand over the descriptive lists to the search room. The lists will act as a finding aid
 Update the repository location guide. Indicate the repository, shelf number, box number, serial and
record group

2. Retrieving records

 Receive requisition forms from the search room.

 Ensure that all the necessary details are indicated i.e. the researcher’s name, permit number,
document reference number, title of the documents, piece dates, room number, shelf number, box
number, date of requisition, time of request, time retrieved and requisition number
 Record details of records requested in the requisition register. Indicate date requested, document
reference, the person requesting and the officer who has retrieved the record
 Retrieve file from the box indicated. Place the requisition form in place of the file retrieved to act as a
tracing slip
 If file is not found, note in the requisition form the reason why the file is missing. Transfer this
information to the requisition register on the remarks column. Indicate either, file missing, or file
retrieved earlier ….. (a previous requisition number)
 Inform search room staff on files not found and the reasons why the files have not been retrieved so
that they can do a follow-up on files already retrieved or other researchers and which have not been
brought back to the repository section
  If file is acidic, torn and in need of repair, record the file(s) in the conservation register and hand it over
to conservation section for restoration
 If file has a worn out file cover, replace the cover with a new file cover, ensuring all the details in the
original cover are transferred.
 Hand over all the retrieved the files to the search room staff

3. Reshelving

 Receive files from the search room staff

 Note in the requisition register files returned
 Sort out the files i.e. group the files into their respective provenances
 Arrange the files according to their reference numbers
 Reshelf the files. This includes removing the tracing slip from the box and placing the file in its rightful
place
 Register all files reshelved in a reshelving register

4. Replacement of worn out archival boxes

 Identify the worn out archival boxes

 Assemble new archival boxes and place a lining in each box
 Prepare a new label for each of the worn out box
 Transfer files from the worn out archival box
 Put the new label onto the new archival box
 Place the new archival box onto the correct shelf

5. Digitization

 Liaise with the digital archives division and identify the records to be digitized
 Prepare the records to be digitized. This involves:
 Ensuring that all records to be digitized are in their respective boxes.
 Tracing all the missing files
 Reshelving files that may have been requested for use but not yet reshelved
 Preparing a list of all missing files that cannot be traced.
 Paginate all files to be digitised
 Hand over the files to the digitizing team
 Verify the digitized records to ensure that filing has been done correctly and that the records are in their
correct archival boxes
 Reshelf the records

The Kenya Copyright Board is a State Corporation that was established under Section 3 of the Copyright Act
Cap 130 of the Laws of Kenya to administer and enforce copyright and related rights in Kenya.
The Copyright industries in Kenya contribute significantly to the economic development of the country and
need to be nurtured and facilitated. The Kenya Copyright Board provides a focal point for the industry as well
and the government in matters pertaining to copyright and related rights.

Composition:

The Kenya Copyright Board is comprised of members drawn from both the public and private sectors. The
members from the private sector are nominated by associations representing software, producers of sound
recordings, publishers, film distributors, performers, broadcasting, stations, musicians and the audio visual
industry. There are four experts on copyright and related rights and five members who are alternates to the
Attorney General, Commissioner of Police, Permanent Secretary Ministry of Information, Permanent Secretary
Ministry of Heritage and Culture, and the Permanent Secretary Ministry of Finance.

Functions:

 In order to achieve its mandate; the administration and enforcement of copyright and related rights in
Kenya, the Kenya Copyright Board under section 5 of Cap 130 carries out the following;
 Implement Copyright laws including the provisions of international treaties
 License and supervise the activities of Collective Management Organisations
 Facilitate training and awareness creation on copyright and related rights in Kenya
 Update copyright legislation
 Maintain an effective database on authors and their works.
 Liaise with national, regional and international organisations on matters of copyright and related rights
 Advise the government on matters of copyright and related rights
 Facilitates the implementation of the antipiracy security device (APSD)
 The Board also deals with matters related to traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions
and is currently working on establishment of policy and legal framework.

In the throes of doing your business, you may author a book or even an article to enlighten others in your area
of expertise.

What is copyright?

Copyright is a legal right created by the law of a country, that grants the creator of an original work exclusive
rights to its use and distribution, usually for a limited time, with the intention of enabling the creator (e.g. the
photographer of a photograph or the author of a book) to receive compensation for their intellectual effort.

What is the subject matter of copyright?

Section 22 of the Act provides the following works as being eligible for copyright:

Musical Works;
Audio Visual Works;
Sound Recordings;
Basic concepts of copyright

The basic concept of copyright is originality.

The parallel of this is the Patent law which carries with it the aspect of novelty.

A copyright work need not to be novel. All that the author needs to demonstrate is that he was the first to create
a particular express embodied in his work thus the ideas and themes may have appeared in earlier works.

What rights are acquired when one copyrights?

Copyright confers exclusive rights (economic rights) to the owner to control the doing of the following:
Reproduction of any material form of the original work or its translation or adoptions;
Distribution to the public of the work by way of sale, rental, lease, loan, importation or similar
arrangement;
Communication to the public; and
Broadcasting of the whole work or a substantial part thereof either in its original form recognizably
derived from the original.

Information privacy
Kenya: Data Protection In Kenya

After a long wait, Kenya has now passed comprehensive data protection legislation – the Data Protection Act
of 2019 which was assented to by the President of the Republic of Kenya on 08 November 2019 (the "Act").

The Act brings into play comprehensive laws that protect the personal information of individuals. It establishes
the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner, makes provision for the regulation of the processing of
personal data, and provides for the rights of data subjects and obligations of data controllers and processors.

Why Data Privacy?

Privacy laws are more relevant today than ever before. With data crossing borders following the increased
internet penetration and increased use of social media and other digital information platforms, it is becoming
more important to ensure that personal data is protected, processed and used for the correct purpose. While
these protection laws are (sometimes) good news for those who have data stored or transferred online, it may
not be so for those who have to navigate this mass of regulation.

Highlights of the Act

Establishment of the Office of the Data Protection Commissioner

The Act establishes the office of the Data Protection Commissioner (the "Commissioner"). There is no
indication at the moment as to when a Commissioner will be appointed. This is a process that could
take several months.
 The Commissioner's office is mandated with overseeing the implementation of the Act together with
establishing and maintaining a register of data controllers and data processors; receiving and
investigating any complaints on infringements of the rights under the Act; carrying out inspections of
public and private entities with a view to evaluating the processing of personal data; imposing
administrative fines for failures to comply with the Act, amongst other functions.

Registration of Data Controllers and Data Processors

All data controllers and data processors are required to be registered with the Commissioner. The
Commissioner is required to prescribe thresholds for mandatory registration and is to consider the nature of
industry; the volumes of data processed; whether sensitive personal data is being processed amongst other
matters. Until such thresholds are prescribed, mandatory registration does not come into play.

Data Protection

Every data controller or processor is required to ensure that all personal data is processed lawfully, fairly and in
a transparent manner in relation to any data subject. The Act applies to data controllers and processors
established or resident in or outside Kenya in so far as they process personal data while in Kenya or of data
subjects located in Kenya.

Storage of Data

There are no prescribed durations for the retention of personal data. Data controllers and processors are
required to apply a reasonableness test in assessing retention durations.

Sensitive Data

Data that reveals race, health status, ethnic social origin, conscience, belief, genetic data, biometric data,
property details, marital status, family details including names of children, parents, spouse or spouses, sex or
the sexual orientation are deemed sensitive data. Specific provisions apply to the collection, storage and
processing of such data. For example, personal data relating to the health of a data subject may only be
processed by or under the responsibility of a health care provider.

Transfer of Personal Data Outside Kenya

Data controllers and processors will be permitted to transfer personal data to another country only where the
data controller or data processor has given proof to the Commissioner on the appropriate safeguards with
respect to the security and protection of the personal data. It is not clear what process needs to be followed in
this regard. Further, the Cabinet Secretary may prescribe, based on grounds of strategic interests of the state or
protection of revenue, certain nature of processing that can only be effected through a server or a data centre
located in Kenya. There is no indication as to when or whether such a restriction will be implemented.
Exemptions

General exemptions from the provisions of the Act apply in cases where publication of data would be in the
public interest, for journalism, literature and art, research, history and statistics (all under specific
circumstances).

Enforcement

The Act gives the Commissioner wide powers on investigation of data breaches including powers of entry and
search and issuing administrative fines. Where personal data has been accessed or acquired by an unauthorised
person, and there is a real risk of harm to the data subject whose personal data has been subjected to the
unauthorised access, a data controller is required to notify the Commissioner without delay, within seventy-two
hours of becoming aware of such breach.

INFORMATION PROFESSIONAL LEGISLATION

THE ROLE OF ICT IN PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Computer ethics essentially protect individuals online from predation: they prevent the breach of privacy,
identify theft, interference with work, and unlawful use of proprietary software, among other events. Computer
ethics govern the behavior of users online and date back to 1992.

New areas of communication and technology use are constantly developed. The human relation to technology
then gets important to consider from both an ethical and an affective perspective. According to this work
information technology needs to be extended and explicitly include a communicative perspective. Ethics are
the moral values that stop you from doing anything that is not legal and that does not harm or damage anyone
else’s work, or interests.

New computing technology is very powerful and malleable and computers can be programmed to perform a
wide range of functions that can carry out various and diverse applications in our society.

Prevents Misuse of Personal Information – Computers have made the world come closer, be it personally or
professionally! Most of us find it more convenient to shop online rather than going out. For this, we are asked
to give out our personal information like name, date of birth, and most importantly, our ‘credit card
information’!

Prevents Theft of Intellectual Property – What is intellectual property? Well, unlike physical forms of
properties like a car or house, intellectual property refers to the property created by the mind! The internet
consists of various intellectual properties which include works of various researchers, writers, song artists, and
so on. Without the presence of computer ethics, the work created by the intellect of one person can be easily
copied and plagiarized by someone else. Imagine how we would feel if our poetry has been copied and
publicized under someone else’s name? Now, do we know what following computer ethics and privacy
policies is important?

Prevents Loss of Various Jobs in the field of Software Development – There are thousands of people
globally that are working in companies that develop computer programs and software. However, if we find out
a way to get this software without having to pay the price, most of us would prefer piracy overpaying, right?
Imagine, there are thousands of people getting involved in unethical downloads and distribution. In fact, a
report reveals that a significant number of people prefer never to pay for software and get involved in piracy!

Keeps us from being Unethical– It’s not that we need to follow computer ethics to show others. However, by
following these ethics, we would know what we need to do to be a responsible user and keep ourselves from
getting into trouble by being unethical. Trouble? Well, yes, there are various laws that can put us behind bars if
we are caught violating the privacy policies and norms of individual websites.

Makes our Computer a Better and Safe place to be – Our computer is not just an electronic device for
communication, it is our data store, our photo album, our work recorder, our social network, our calculator and
what not…, it is what we are! If we get involved in downloading information or accessing portals that we are
not allowed to, we are opening the doors of various issues and threats like viruses and Trojans that can illegally
enter our system and crash it completely! On the other hand, if our system is used in the way it is supposed to,
we are creating a safer and a better atmosphere wherein we can rest assured that our work and our personal
information is absolutely safe and secure.

FORMS OF TECHNOLOGY ABUSE IN INFORMATION PROFESSION

The term "IT abuse" describes willful or negligent unauthorized activity that affects the availability,
confidentiality, or integrity of information technology (IT) resources. In this context, "IT abuse" can take many
forms and may involve any one of a variety of information technology resources. Prohibited conduct relating
to computer access and use for which students and employees may be subject to disciplinary action are defined
in their respective "standards of conduct."

Some examples of IT abuse include:

 The use of obscene or abusive language;

 Unauthorized use or misuse of state property or records which includes electronic data and email;
 Willfully or negligently damaging or defacing state records, state property or other persons' property;
 Falsification of records;
 Theft or unauthorized removal of state records, state property or another persons' property such as a
DMCA violation.

Types of computer misuse

 Misuse of computers and communications systems comes in several forms:

  Hacking
Hacking is where an unauthorised person uses a network, internet or modem connection to gain access
past security passwords or other security to see data stored on another computer. Hackers sometimes
use software hacking tools and often target, for example, particular sites on the internet.
 Demonstration of the various weaknesses in a network which can be manipulated
 Data misuse and unauthorised transfer or copying
Copying and illegal transfer of data is very quick and easy using online computers and large storage
devices such as hard disks, memory sticks and DVDs. Personal data, company research and written
work, such as novels and textbooks, cannot be copied without the copyright holder's permission.
 Copying and distributing copyrighted software, music and film
This includes copying music and movies with computer equipment and distributing it on the internet
without the copyright holder's permission. This is a widespread misuse of both computers and the
internet that breaks copyright regulations.
 Email and chat room abuses
Internet services such as chat rooms and email have been the subject of many well-publicised cases of
impersonation and deception where people who are online pretend to have a different identity. Chat
rooms have been used to spread rumours about well known personalities. A growing area of abuse of
the internet is email spam, where millions of emails are sent to advertise both legal and illegal products
and services.
 Pornography
A lot of indecent material and pornography is available through the internet and can be stored in
electronic form. There have been several cases of material, which is classified as illegal, or which
shows illegal acts, being found stored on computers followed by prosecutions for possession of the
material.
 Identity and financial abuses
This topic includes misuse of stolen or fictional credit card numbers to obtain goods or services on the
internet, and use of computers in financial frauds. These can range from complex well thought out
deceptions to simple uses such as printing counterfeit money with color printers.
 Viruses
Viruses are relatively simple programs written by people and designed to cause nuisance or damage to
computers or their files.

MEASURES OF ENHANCING PRIVACY IN INFORMATION PROFESSION

Step 1: Identify and prioritize confidential information

The vast majority of organizations don't know how to start protecting confidential information. By categorizing
types of information by value and confidentiality, companies can prioritize what data to secure first. In my
experience, customer information systems or employee record systems are the easiest places to start because
only a few specific systems typically own the ability to update that information. Social Security numbers,
account numbers, personal identification numbers, credit card numbers and other types of structured
information are finite areas that need to be protected. Securing unstructured information such as contracts,
financial releases and customer correspondence is an important next step that should be rolled out on a
departmental basis.

Step 2: Study current information flows and perform risk assessment

It's essential to understand current workflows, both procedurally and in practice, to see how confidential
information flows around an organization. Identifying the major business processes that involve confidential
information is a straightforward exercise, but determining the risk of leakage requires a more in-depth
examination. Organizations need to ask themselves the following questions of each major business process:

Step 3: Determine appropriate access, usage and information-distribution policies

Based on the risk assessment, an organization can quickly craft distribution policies for various types of
confidential information. These policies govern exactly who can access, use or receive which type of content
and when, as well as oversee enforcement actions for violations of those policies.

In my experience, four types of distribution policies typically emerge for the following:

 Customer information
 Executive communications
 Intellectual property
 Employee records
 Once these distribution policies are defined, it's essential to implement monitoring and enforcement
points along communication paths.

Step 4: Implement a monitoring and enforcement system

The ability to monitor and enforce policy adherence is crucial to the protection of confidential information
assets. Control points must be established to monitor information usage and traffic, verifying compliance with
distribution policies and performing enforcement actions for violation of those policies. Like airport security
checkpoints, monitoring systems must be able to accurately identify threats and prevent them from passing
those control points.

Step 5: Review progress periodically

Lather, rinse and repeat. For maximum effectiveness, organizations need to regularly review their systems,
policies and training. By using the visibility provided by monitoring systems, organizations can improve
employee training, expand deployment and systematically eliminate vulnerabilities. In addition, systems
should be reviewed extensively in the event of a breach to analyze system failures and to flag suspicious
activity. External audits can also prove useful in checking for vulnerabilities and threats.
EMERGING ISSUES AND TRENDS

If a trend is a historical change up until the present, then an emerging issue is a possible new technology, a
potential public policy issue, or a new concept or idea that, while perhaps fringe thinking today, could mature
and develop into a critical mainstream issue in the future or become a major trend in its own.

 Bribery & corruption.

 Child protection and safeguarding.
 Competition and antitrust.
 Data protection and privacy
 Harassment and bullying.
 Human rights & modern slavery.
 Integrity compliance.

Data privacy, also called information privacy, is the aspect of information technology (IT) that deals with the
ability an organization or individual has to determine what data in a computer system can be shared with third
parties.

Information privacy is the relationship between the collection and dissemination of data, technology, the public
expectation of privacy, and the legal and political issues surrounding them.

[1] It is also known as data privacy

[2] or data protection.

Data privacy is challenging since it attempts to use data while protecting an individual's privacy preferences
and personally identifiable information.

[3] The fields of computer security, data security, and information security

Information types

Various types of personal information often come under privacy concerns.

Cable television

This describes the ability to control what information one reveals about oneself over cable television, and who
can access that information.

Educational

The Register that "a child's school life including exam results, attendance, teacher assessments and even
characteristics" could be available, with third-party organizations being responsible for anonymizing any
publications themselves

Financial
Information about a person's financial transactions, including the amount of assets, positions held in stocks or
funds, outstanding debts, and purchases can be sensitive. If criminals gain access to information such as a
person's accounts or credit card numbers, that person could become the victim of fraud or identity theft.

Internet

The ability to control the information one reveals about oneself over the internet, and who can access that
information, has become a growing concern. To avoid giving away too much personal information, emails
should be encrypted.

Locational

As location tracking capabilities of mobile devices are advancing (location-based services), problems related to
user privacy arise. Location data is among the most sensitive data currently being collected.

Medical

People may not wish for their medical records to be revealed to others due to the confidentiality and sensitivity
of what the information could reveal about their health. For example, they might be concerned that it might
affect their insurance coverage or employment.

Political

Political privacy has been a concern since voting systems emerged in ancient times. The secret ballot is the
simplest and most widespread measure to ensure that political views are not known to anyone other than the
voters themselves

Legality

The legal protection of the right to privacy in general – and of data privacy in particular – varies greatly around
the world. Laws and regulations related to Privacy and Data Protection are constantly changing; it is seen as
important to keep abreast of any changes in the law and to continually reassess compliance with data privacy
and security regulations.

Areas covered by information privacy

 Healthcare records
 Criminal justice investigations and proceedings
 Financial institutions and transactions
 Biological traits, such as genetic material
 Residence and geographic records
 Privacy breach
 Location-based service and geolocation
 Web surfing behavior or user preferences using persistent cookies
 Academic research

a. “A shift in the ‘power of voice in the story of harassment.

The movement has changed everything. A clear message for corporations and ethics and compliance
officers is, “Create a corporate culture in which employees feel comfortable raising their voices about
anything from sexual harassment to feelings of being insulted. This will allow your compliance
program to resolve issues before they turn into scandals, and preserve the integrity of your
organization’s culture internally and its reputation externally. And don’t ever tolerate retaliation.”
b. The “Glassdoor”
Effect (when people trust online reviews of their companies more than what companies communicate)
and the effect of trust when employee messages go viral on social media. Companies need to create
“listen-up” cultures by creating internal repor reporting systems in which leadership and managers
listen to and support employees when they raise their voices for the betterment of the company. “This
ensures employees know that their report will be heard, taken seriously, and things will change if
necessary.”
c. Assisting national disasters that suddenly occur causes havoc not only for vulnerable populations
but also for unprepared organizations.
Ethics and compliance professionals learned from 2017’s natural disasters (hurricanes in particular) to
update preparation plans and test emergency hotlines, communications systems, and employee
readiness.
d. The acceleration of the need for compliance and ethics programs as economies begin again to
grow; “growth without ethics and governance does nobody any favors.
Growth with ethics and governance won’t simply be a feel-good mantra in 2018, it will be a business
imperative.”
e. Creating a “culture of compliance” in corporations (a culture of integrity and ethics) over one of
“vicious compliance” (an overreliance on laws and regulations).
“Finally, and most importantly, leadership accountability is what every employee is watching. In the
end, what happens to the top performers who violate the rules will send the loudest message of all to
the organization.”
f. An increasing need for compliance’s role in prevention and mitigation as cybersecurity evolves.
“Compliance must play an integral part in any organization’s cross-functional cyber security program
to make sure such efforts are enterprise-wide.”
g. Giving new voice to whistle-blowers is predicted as. “Regulatory scrutiny is increasing, and the voice
of the whistleblower in the [Silicon] Valley is growing louder as well.” Corporations need to listen and
resolve whistle-blowers’ issues internally before they decide to go outside.
h. Managing culture and free speech in the workplace during “polarizing times”
Continues about “race, gender, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, and religion—
and people’s right to fair treatment, protection, and the rights and benefits enjoyed by others.”
i. Data privacy is becoming a larger concern for chief compliance officers in companies as
 “Privacy laws and the environments they regulate, have evolved.” Creating a safe and respectful
workplace is needed.
j. The role of the compliance professional evolves and innovates as
“Old networking models are giving way to online networks that provide new and unprecedented
opportunities to share ideas and collaborate.”

CHALLENGES AND OPPRTUNITIES OF EMERGING ISSUES AND TRENDS IN

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Challenges and Opportunities

There are many trends within the workplace and around the globe that have and will continue to affect
the workplace and your career. We will highlight some of these trends along with the challenges and
opportunities they present for students of professional ethics and organizational behavior.

Ethical Challenges
Business ethics refers to applying ethical principles to situations that arise at work.
The challenge is to continue to think about business ethics on a day-to-day basis and institute cultures
that support ethical decision making.
The opportunity for organizations to be on the forefront of ethical thinking and actions is wide open.

Lack of Employee Engagement

Studies suggest that fostering engagement, a concept related to passion, in employees has a significant
impact on the corporate bottom line. Gallup, for instance, has been on the forefront of measuring the
impact of what is called employee engagement. Employee engagement is a concept that is generally
viewed as managing discretionary effort, that is, when employees have choices, they will act in a way
that furthers their organization’s interests. An engaged employee is a person who is fully involved in
and enthusiastic about their work.

Technology
Technology has transformed the way work gets done and has created many great opportunities. The
nexus of increasing personal computing power, the Internet, as well as nanotechnology are allowing
things to be created that weren’t even imaginable 50 years ago. And the rate of technological change is
not expected to slow down anytime soon. It is now possible to send and receive e-mails or text
messages with your coworkers and customers regardless of where in the world you are.

Flattening World
Thomas Friedman’s book The World Is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century makes the
point that the Internet has “flattened” the world and created an environment in which there is a more
level playing field in terms of access to information. This access to information has led to an increase in
innovation, as knowledge can be shared instantly across time zones and cultures. It has also created
intense competition, as the speed of business is growing faster and faster all the time.

There are few barriers to information today, which has created huge opportunities around the globe. A
major challenge for individuals in the flattened world is learning how to evaluate the quality of the
information they find.

Coping with and Adopting to the Emerging Issues and Trends

Companies need to devise strategies for dealing with the emerging issues and trends in the supply
market.

a) Adopt Network thinking

In the past, firms have characteristically considered themselves to be independent stakeholders in
the market and, at best, managed interfaces to direct vendors and consumers. In contemporary
networked economies, this is just not sufficient any longer. Firms are at most times forced to work
in partnership with others both vertically and horizontally in their enlarged supply chain network,
and their partners expect them to incorporate their processes and systems. Firms are compelled to
adopt network thinking rather than company thinking.
b) Devise cost reduction strategies Consumer expectation of low cost continues.
Despite increased requirements including sustainability, social issues or risk-mitigation capabilities
being evaluated in the media, cost pressure continually appears as the ultimate criterion for
consumers. With the trend towards improved customer expectations, it is becoming even more
difficult to reduce costs any longer depths. Logistics costs play a crucial role in the reduction of
overall costs. Logistics costs share of overall revenue is as low as 4% and 6% in the electronics and
automotive industries, respectively.
c) Adopt globalization strategies
As worldwide footprints increases, logistics performance as evaluated through delivery reliability
has worsened, as a result of increasing customer needs, increased volatility, as well as challenges
with infrastructure. Most players in the industry agree that their company’s logistics capability is
negatively affected by poor transportation infrastructure, which is a great challenge more so in the
emerging markets. In sum, globalization unequivocally amplifies other trends and contribute to a
rise in complexity, specifically in regions of growth that including Russia, Eastern Europe, India,
and Africa.
d) Address talent shortfall challenge
Across all regions as well as sectors, the shortage of talents in logistics is viewed as one of the most
critical problems in the coming years. Shortages are being viewed at both the operational level as
well as the planning and controlling role. The most critical tactics for coping with talent shortage
are training and qualification programs and strategic cooperation with higher education institutions
and other research entities.
e) Handle Sustainability pressure
 This trend has emerged as a very serious topic. Corporate social responsibility has also developed
as a highlight for debate. However, there remains a great deal of uncertainty in the implementation
of these strategies, particularly relative to measurement systems, evaluation and setting objectives
and strategies relating to logistics sustainability.

Read more at: https://www.ebookskenya.com/coping-with-and-adopting-to-the-emerging-issues-and-

trends-in-supply-markets/