BHUPENDRA BK

S2918870

3410ICT
Semester 2, 2015

Professional Issues Assignment Part 1

Due Date: Midnight, 18/Sept/015

Lecturer: David Tuffley
Campus (NA, LG, GC): NA
Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

Table of Contents
1. Introduction................................................................................................................ 2
Analysis................................................................................................................................. 3
1.1. Legal factors.................................................................................................................... 3
1.2. Professional factors...................................................................................................... 3
1.3. Employment and Social factors................................................................................. 4
1.4. Personal factors............................................................................................................. 4
1.5. Intrinsic factors.............................................................................................................. 5
1.6. Prioritisation.................................................................................................................. 6
1.7. Decision............................................................................................................................ 7
Discussion.................................................................................................................................... 7
2. Conclusion................................................................................................................................... 8

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 1

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

1. Introduction

Ethical Dilemma is an intricate condition where a mental clash happens

between more goals in which one would pass with each other. Ethical dilemma is
most common problem in the sector of IT industry. Following the laws, one doesn’t
mean they are ethical. Sometime following the law can be also unethical. So
peoples should be more careful while handling the things/situation so that they do
not fall in the unethical behaviour. For example, a manager can sack the employee
according the law, but he can be called as unethical because he doesn’t have any
ethic towards his profession. It is very difficult to recognise whether the person is
ethical or not in first meeting. Ethical Decision model is way of finding a solution for
complex problems by breaking it down to simply solution having manageable pieces.
Ethical helps people to live in happy and propose life standard. So following the
code of conduct of every EDM’s factor can helps us to guide for ethical life. Every
factors (legal, personal, professional, employment, social) are inter-related and
following the entire factor according to their code of conducts helps to live happily.

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 2

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

Analysis

1.1. Legal factors

Factor 1: - In the case study of Erika Flynn (Past comes back to

haunt), she was an unlawful girl. She was charged for drink
driving while using unlicensed vehicle. And also she was under
aged when she was charged for those offences. She even faces
1 year suspended jail sentence and placed for 5 years good
behaviour bond. Which clearly shows that Erika was not a lawful
girl. According to Australian driving law, people should be more
than age of 16.
Factor 2: - When Erika was working as a project manager in
state government department for enchaining security; she came
to know about the vulnerability which can be serious in future, if
unethical peoples came to know about it. But she ignores about
it thinking there would be inter-departmental issues. Even
though it seems correct in surface level. But actually she was
trying to be unethical to avoid troubles. This was the breach of
Australian privacy and contract.

1.2. Professional factors

Factor 3: - When she came to know about vulnerability about

database, she didn’t thank Jason letting to know about the bugs
also. She just tries to ignore with it and hide within her thinking
that she might be in troubles. Which is totally unethical towards
her professional.
Factor 4: - Jason found vulnerability in other database. This is
totally unethical because he was just doing research on other
works going out of his own work or staying inside his own work
environment. Which seems totally unethical to me.

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 3

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

1.3. Employment and Social factors

Factor 5: - When Erika was working as a respected IT
consultant specialising in cyber- security, she has to reign from
the job due to her past history. After her friend Jamie who was
gossip type joined the same company and he revealed her past
to everyone. Although having bad history also, Erika hadn’t done
anything wrong in that company. But she was compelled to
leave the job. Which is totally unethical against her.
Factor 6: - Jason tries to aware peoples with the help of
journalist. Indeed talking to respective database manager, he
tries to aware people through news, which could bring down the
image of the company. And also it was a government database,
it could contains some private data. According to Australian law
of privacy, you cannot misuse or lead road to misuse other
privacy.
Factor 7: - Journalist put the news a scandalous, which caused
problems to the group of peoples. Even though it was bug in the
system that was totally out of scandalous. The action of
Journalist can be seen as professional and employment and
social factors also.
Factor 8: - Erika goes round to employment agency after she
got reign from her pervious jobs, which seems unethical.

1.4. Personal factors

Factor 9: - Erika was question by her senior when they discover
that she had an unlawful history in the past. Which seems totally
awful.
Factor 10: - Jason was righteous behaviour having person. So
Jason complains about database bugs to Elizabeth after Erika
ignores his saying or finding. And also he tries to aware the
people after his seasoned manager also ignores bug in
database. His personal habits make his unethical through his
profession

1.5. Intrinsic factors

Factor 11: - Jason was person having right or good behaviour
from his childhood. He cannot stand with having unfair to him or
people. Due to which it leads him to unethical towards his
profession or life. Even though Jason was just trying to fix the
problems of vulnerability and save the peoples data from
misused from unethical people. Due to which more than 10
peoples in troubles

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 4

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

Factor 12: - Erika’s school friend Jamie has a habit of gossiping.

His intention wasn’t to cause problem for Erika. But his habit
made a great problem for Erika where she had to reign from her
good going jobs.

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 5

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

1.6. Prioritisation
Factor Related Issue
1 Unlawful habit Drink driving in unlicensed
vehicle in under age. Due to
(Legal)
which was send for jail and good
behaviours bond.
2 Erika was question by senior. As soon as Erika’s school mate
join same company. Everybody,
(Personal & Employment)
Erika’s past knew due to his
gossip habit. Due to which was
in trouble.
3 Erika opted for the former. Erika was put under pressure in
the interview. She doesn’t have
(Employment & Professional)
any choice rather than resigning.
4 Jason discovers vulnerability. Jason found vulnerability on
(Breach of Agreement) other system database that
shows Jason was focused on
(Professional & legal)
other department, where he was
not working also.
5 Jason says about the bugs to his
boss (Erika).
(Professional)
6 Erika does round of employment After losing her pervious jobs,
agencies. she tries to find the jobs with the
help of employment agencies.
(Social)
7 Erika ignores about Jason’s finding
(Professional & social)
8 Jason complains about database to
Elizabeth.
(Professional)
9 Jason contact journalist. After being reprimanded by
Erika, he tries to make aware to
(Professional & social & employment)
peoples with the help of
journalist.
10 Thin story said by journalist.
(Employment & professional)
11 Erika got invitation for going away in
weekend.
(Personal)

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 6

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

Table 1: Priority List

1.7. Decision
It is very challenging to stay ethical in the entire factor in life. But if you follow all the
code of conduct of all the factors, then it might helps you to be ethical. Every time
following laws doesn’t means it will keep you ethical. So you have to see both law
and code of conduct of each factor. Before doing some action, try to think twice
weather it will affect your ethic or not.
Ethical behaviour can be character by honesty, fairness and equity in communal,
professional and academic relationships and in other activities. A person having
ethical behaviour always regards the nobility, differing qualities and privileges of
people and gatherings of individuals.

2. Discussion

The main factor is professional because it shows how good or bad you are in
your work place. So staying ethical in professional factor can save you from many
problems, even occur also. Every profession have different code of conduct, which
may seem illegal but can be ethical. For example, if you are system expert in
certain company, your jobs are finding some vulnerability in other system as
requested by the clients. This kind of things is mostly known as illegal but according
to his/her profession or code of conduct this might be ethical. After professional
factor, there comes an employment factor and social factor. How ethical you are in
your profession but if your senior in jobs doesn’t treat you in ethical way. You cannot
focus on the task in peacefully. So employment factor is directly connected to
professional factor. If there is unethical in employment factor then it might leads to
unethical in professional factor also. After that comes social factor, if you doesn’t
handle social factor in ethical way, then you might comes in bad problems. So
following the code of conduct can helps to guide for the ethical life. The entire
factors are equally important in somehow to stay ethical in the life. Sometime
personal factor doesn’t look problem but it may leads to unethical in professional
and social factor going against the code of conduct of the professional and social
factor. For example, Jason had a ethical Personal factor which is he does righteous
things only. But due those habits he creates a lot of problems for others. And also
makes him unethical in social and professional factor. On the other hand, Erika can
be seen unethical in legal factor and personal factor. But Erika tries to stay in ethical
in hers social and professional factor.

3. Conclusion

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 7

Professional Issues Assignment Introduction

At first, I used to think that following the law and having good habit is only
ethical. But I was totally unknown about that ethical factor which could make me
unethical. After learning professional issues in Information Technology, I came know
understand what is ethical dilemma and how can it effect my ethic. Now I try to
avoid unethical things, which could lead me towards unethical behaviour.

Avoiding code of conduct may bring a lot of problems. In case study, Jason
was working in one department but he found bugs in other department’s database. It
wasn’t Jason job to look vulnerability in other department database. So we can
assume that Jason was going against his code of conduct. If we analysis Jason
activity in surface level, it looks good because he doesn’t want other department
have bugs. It was a government database and it might contain some privacy and
confidence data. And if some bad guy like hacker came to know about that that
vulnerability then it could cause worst problem. On other hand, if we analysis same
case in depth, Jason was totally going against ethic. At first he doesn’t have any
relation or work with the database in which he found vulnerability. After finding those
bugs, he tries to solve the problem and complain about it to his boss and seasoned
manager. But also getting ignores from them, he does another great unethical crime.
Due to which everybody came to know about those bugs and due to his action other
people as well as department also got blame for that. If Erika and Elizabeth haven’t
ignored their professional ethic, then Jason might not went that far also.
So in an organisation, one-person unethical habit can also affect whole
organisation and as well as other ethical values also. So working in organisation,
people should always follow their code of conduct and ethical rules. So it is very
important to think yourself before doing some thing, that what you are going to do
will affect your or other ethical values or not. Some time compromising some factor
can be good decision, which helps to save from troubles and being unethical.

Reference: Image Taken from URL: - http:// www.ozassignmenthelp.com.au/wp-

content/uploads/2014/09/Capture4.png

(Bhupendra Bk, 3410ICt, Semester 2, 2015) Page 8