GE-112

Professional & Ethical Issues

Lecture Slides Week 7

Professional Issues in Computing

 Ethical Decision Making Guidelines
 Guideline
 A Guideline is something that guides us in certain
direction.
 Two Types
1) Informal
 Informal Guidelines are brief questions or tests that
help us quickly evaluate an action.
2) Formal
 Formal Guidelines are more explicit statements of
expected behavior.
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 Informal Guidelines (1/3)
 Inform Guidelines based on two processes:
A. Is there something you or others would prefer to
keep quiet?
Answer based on Four Tests
a) Are there “shushes” in the situation?
Who wants to keep things quiet?
▪ These are common in unethical situations.
▪ The people recognize unethical action but mistakenly feel it is
justified if kept secret.

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 Informal Guidelines (2/3)
b) Does it pass the Mom Test:
Would you tell her?
Would she do it?
▪ The test simply discovers that you would be proud or ashamed of an
action.
▪ Mom’s Test uses highly personal reaction as the 1st indicator of a
problem.
c) Does it pass the TV Test:
Would you tell nationwide audience?
▪ Would the story makes you look good or bad?
▪ How the millions of viewers will react?
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 Informal Guidelines (3/3)
d) Does it pass the Market Test:
Could you advertise the activity to gain a market edge?
▪ The Market test identifies the positive ethical flavor.
▪ Would you use your behavior as a marketing tool?
▪ Would publicizing your action reap praise or criticism for your
organization?

B. Does your instinct tell you that something is wrong?

 Does it pass the smell Test:
 Does the situation “smell”?
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 Formal Guidelines (1/2)
 Based on three Processes:
1. Does the action violate Corporate Policy?
 Corporations often tells their employees how to act.
 They may be rules or Matos.
2. Does the action violate Professional codes of conduct
or ethics?
 Often companies adopt such codes.
 Even you does not belong to professional society or your
organization do not have a computer ethics code, It may be
worthwhile to adopt a code as your personal guide.
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 Formal Guidelines (2/2)
3. Does the act violate the Golden Rule?
 Are treating others the way you would like to be
treated?
 What if the roles are reversed, if you were in the
other person’s shoes?
 Would you be happy if the act were done to you?
 Would you like to supply a client a known buggy
program?
 Would you like to be the client?

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 Sample Case for Analysis / Ethical
Decision Making (1/2)
 A small software company is working on an integrated inventory
control system for a very large national shoe manufacturer. The
system will gather sales information daily from shoe stores
nationwide.  This information will be used by the accounting,
shipping, and ordering departments to control all of the functions of
this large corporation. 
 The inventory functions are critical to the smooth operation of this
system. 
 Salman, a quality assurance engineer with the software company,
suspects that the inventory functions of the system are not
sufficiently tested, although they have passed all their contracted
tests. 
 He is being pressured by his employer to sign off on the software. 
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 Sample Case for Analysis / Ethical
Decision Making (2/2)
 Legally he is only required to perform those tests which had been
agreed to in the original contract. 
 However, his considerable experience in software testing has led
him to be concerned over risks of the system. 
 His employer say it will go out of business if it does not deliver the
software on time. 
 Salman contends if the inventory subsystem fails, it will significantly
harm their client and its employees. 
 If the potential failure were to threaten lives, it would be clear to
Salman that he should refuse to sign off.
 But since the degree of threatened harm is less, Salman is faced by a
difficult moral decision. 
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 Case Analysis for Ethical Decision Making using
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (1/2)

 Category: Software Risks 

 In the ACM Code of Ethics,
 Imperative 1.2 stresses the responsibility of the computing
professional to avoid harm to others. 
 In addition, principle 1.1 requires concern for human well-
being;
 1.3 mandates professional integrity, and
 2.1 defines quality as an ethical responsibility. 
 These principles may conflict with the agreements and
commitments of an employee to the employer and client. 
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 Case Analysis for Ethical Decision Making using
ACM Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct (2/2)

 Category: Software Risks 

 The ethical imperatives of the Code imply that Salman
should not deliver a system he believes to be inferior, nor
should he mislead the client about the quality of the
product (1.3). 
 He should continue to test, but he has been told that his
company will go out of business if he does not sign off on
the system now. 
 At the very least the client should be informed about his
reservations.

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Kant’s Categorical Imperatives (1/2)
 Kant considered it absolutely necessary for a person
to treat others equally and with respect.
 He suggested two principles:
A. The principle of consistency asks us all to be fair in
our actions. It also implies a refusal to do
something if we think some harm might result if
everyone has to do it.
 What if everyone acted this way?
 Would everyone benefit (or would no one be harmed) if
everyone were to take the action being considered?
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Kant’s Categorical Imperatives (2/2)

B. The principle of respect suggests that we treat

people with dignity.
 Are people treated as ends rather than means?
 If we use people as slaves, we deny their humanness and
do not show them respect.
 Thus, slavery violates the categorical imperative.
 A Stake-holder is a person or organization with
stake in the decision.
 There are usually many stake-holders in ethical
situations.
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Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and Decision
Making (1/6)

Step 1. Understanding the situation

 List and number the relevant facts.
 It should be a neutral and logical exercise
 Do not judge the facts at this stage
 Which of these raises an ethical issue? Why?
 What is the potential or resulting harm?
 When in doubt include the action.
 List the stakeholders involved.

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Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and Decision
Making (2/6)

Step II. Isolating the major ethical dilemma

 What is the ethical dilemma to be resolved NOW?
 State it using the form: should someone do or not do
something?
 Note: Just state the dilemma here;
 Leave any reasoning for Step III.

Step III. Analyzing the ethicality of both alternatives in

Step II.
Consequentialism
A. If action in Step II is done, who will be harmed? 15
 Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and
Decision Making (3/6)
B. If action in Step II is not done, who will be harmed ?
C. Which alternative results in the least harm, A or B?
D. If action in Step II is done, who will benefit?
E. If action in Step II is not done, who will benefit?
F. Which alternative results in the maximum benefit, D or E?
Rights and Duties
G. What rights have been or may be abridged/reduced?
H. What duties have been or may be neglected?
I. Identify the stakeholder and the right or duty.
J. When listing a right, show its corresponding duty and vice 16
 Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and
Decision Making (4/6)
Kant’s Categorical Imperative
K. If action in Step II is done, who will be treated with disrespect?
L. If action in Step II is not done, who will be treated with
disrespect?
M. Which alternative is preferable, K or L?
N. If action in Step II is done, who will be treated unlike others?
O. If action in Step II is not done, who will be treated unlike
others?
P. Which alternative is preferable, N or O?
Q. Are there benefits if everyone did action in Step II?
R. Are there benefits if nobody did action in Step II?
S. Which alternative is preferable, Q or R? 17
 Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and Decision
Making (5/6)

Step IV. Making a decision and planning the

implementation
A. Make defensible ethical decision.
B. Based on the analysis in Step III, respond to the question in
Step II.
 Indicate the letters of the categories that best support your
response.
 Add any arguments justifying your choice of these ethical
principles to support your decision.
 Where there are conflicting rights and duties, choose and
defend those that take precedence.
 Just make and justify your choice here; leave any action steps
for parts C and D below.
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 Four-Step Process for Ethical Analysis and Decision
Making (6/6)

C. List the specific steps needed to implement your defensible

ethical decision.
D. Show how the major stakeholders are affected by these
actions.
E. What other longer-term changes would be helpful to prevent
such problems in the future?
 such as political, legal, technical, societal, organizational
F. What should have been done or not done in the first place (at the
pivot point) to avoid this dilemma?

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