Four common approaches to ethical decision making

Ethical Analysis Assignment

As the grading for the Project A Assignment is criterion-based using the associated rubric, you need to carefully read the following assignment description and follow it like a checklist to make sure you address all assignment criteria.

Objective: Apply decision making frameworks to IT-related ethical issues

For this assignment, you are given an opportunity to explore and apply a decision-making framework to an IT-related ethical issue. A framework provides a methodical and systematic approach for decision making. UMUC Module 2 - Methods of Ethical Analysis (see LEO Content – Readings for week 2) describes three structured frameworks that may be used for ethical analysis, namely Reynolds Seven-Step Approach, Kidder’s Nine Steps, and Spinello’s Seven-Step Process. There are several ways described in UMUC Module 2 to systematically approach an ethical dilemma, and while each of the frameworks described has its merits, each will result in an ethical decision if straightforwardly and honestly applied.

In addition, you will want to consider the ethical theories described in Module 1 – Introduction to Theoretical Ethical Frameworks (see LEO Content – Readings for week 1) which help decision makers find the right balance concerning the acceptability of and justification for their actions. A description of the ethical theory that supports your decision is part of the following requirements.

Submission Requirements: Prepare a report with a total minimum of 1,000 words and submit it to the Project A Assignment Assignments Folder as an attached Microsoft Word file (as an .rtf or .doc format file).

Please note: Use at least one article on the topic of your chosen IT Ethics issue and cite and reference it as the basis for some part of your report. Do not quote any source text (from the book or article) and do not include any graphics of any kind in your project papers. Only use text and original expression - only that will be counted in addressing the minimum word count and addressing the topic criteria.

For this paper, the following elements must be addressed (in a text-only report total minimum of 1,000 words) with the corresponding required headings shown below:

Current IT-related Ethical Issue (heading)

Choose and describe the context of a Current IT-related Ethical Issue from the list of topics provided at bottom of this post.

Develop of problem statement (heading)

Provide a description of the inherent problem based on specific facts extracted from the description or scenario.

Analysis/Decision (heading)

Under the Analysis/Decision (heading) of your report, you should choose one of the four common approaches (the ethical principles described in the list below) as the method to reason and resolve the ethical issue you have chosen in your Project A (from the list of ethical issues in the assignment description).

The decision-making framework you choose from Module 2 should be followed exactly and the decision was specifically supported by the analysis.

Four common approaches to ethical decision making:

Virtue ethics approach - the ethical choice that best reflects moral virtues in yourself and your community

Utilitarian approach - the ethical choice that produces the greatest excess of benefits over harm

Fairness approach - the ethical choice that treats everyone the same and shows no favoritism or discrimination

Common good approach - the ethical choice that advances the common good

For the second part of Analysis/Decision part of your report, refer to the diagram and discussion of the Reynolds 7 Step Decision-Making Process in the Module 2 Reading for Week 2 to include identifying and choosing alternatives. Include the decision and the evaluation results (Note: use care not to go too far from the basic problem with your assumptions you make for the evaluation.)

The flow is sequential up through the evaluation stage, at which point if the results indicate unintended consequences, there is a decision path that iterates the entire process to redefine the problem and solution in an attempt to solve it better - and this process continues repeating the entire process until there are no discernable unintended consequences

Impact of the Decision Process (heading)

Consider the Impact of the Decision Process on you, your organization, stakeholders, your customers and suppliers, and the environment

The impact of the decision for all stakeholders should be accurate.

Ethical Theory (heading)

State the approach that comes closest to your ethical decision and provide your rationale using one of the four common approaches. You should describe why the ethical approach you chose for the Analysis/Decision section was the best candidate among other possible choices for an approach. Mention why these other approaches don't make as good a fit with your topic area as the one you chose.

Two other criteria are the basis of grading:

APA Compliance: All reference sources and in-text citations must be used in accord with APA style requirements. For the chosen article, you must provide both a citation with the body of your text where it is first being referenced AND a corresponding reference after the end of your report. The reference to your online article must include the Web address (URL) that when clicked by a mouse will open a browser to the corresponding Web site (i.e., one that anyone can click on to re-access the original article). Both citation and reference must be in compliance with the American Psychological Association (APA) formatting rules. Note: The URL should be cited in the APA reference for an online article. Here is a link to descriptions and examples of APA references by category of online article publication:

https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/10/

Grammar, contractions, spelling, and punctuation correctly applied.

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List of IT-related Ethical Issues

Choose and describe the context of a Current IT-related Ethical Issue (under the Current IT-related Ethical Issue heading) from the following list of topics:

Privacy on the Web. What is happening now in terms of privacy on the Web? Think about recent abuses and improvements. Describe and evaluate Web site policies, technical and privacy policy protections, and current proposals for government regulations.

Personal Data Privacy Regulations in Other Countries. Report on personal data privacy regulations, Web site privacy policies, and governmental/law enforcement about access to personal data in one or more countries; e.g., the European Union. This is especially relevant as our global economic community expands and we are more dependent on non-US clients for e-business over the Internet.

Spam. Describe new technical solutions and the current state of regulation. Consider the relevance of freedom of speech. Discuss the roles of technical and legislative solutions.

Computer-Based Crimes. Discuss the most prevalent types of computer crimes, such as Phishing. Analyze why and how these can occur. Describe protective measures that might assist in preventing or mitigating these types of crimes.

Government surveillance of the Internet. The 9/11 attacks on the US in 2001 brought many new laws and permits more government surveillance of the Internet. Is this a good idea?

The Digital Divide. Does it exist; what does it look like; and, what are the ethical considerations and impact?

Privacy in the Workplace: Monitoring Employee Web and E-Mail Use. What are current opinions concerning monitoring employee computer use. What policies are employers using? Should this be authorized or not?

Medical Privacy. Who owns your medical history? What is the state of current legislation to protect your health information? Is it sufficient? There are new incentives with federal stimulus financing for health care organizations to develop and implement digital health records.

Software piracy. How many of you have ever made an unauthorized copy of software, downloaded software or music (free or for a fee), or used copyrighted information without giving proper credit or asking permission? Was this illegal or just wrong? How is this being addressed?

Consumer Profiling. With every purchase you make, every Web site you visit, your preferences are being profiled. What is your opinion regarding the legal authority of these organizations to collect and aggregate this data?

Biometrics & Ethics. Your fingerprint, retinal-vessel image, and DNA map can exist entirely as a digital image in a computer, on a network, or in the infosphere. What new and old ethical problems must we address?

Ethical Corporations. Can corporations be ethical? Why or why not?

Social Networking. What are some of the ethical issues surrounding using new social networks? How are these now considered for business use? What are business social communities? Are new/different protections and security needed for these networks?

Gambling in Cyberspace. Is it legal? Are there national regulations and/or licensing? What are the oversight and enforcement requirements? Are there international implications? What are the social and public health issues?

Pornography in Cyberspace For example, the U.S. Supreme Court ruling protecting as free speech computer-generated child pornography

Medicine and Psychiatry in Cyberspace. Some considerations include: privacy issues; security; third-party record-keeping; electronic medical records; access to information, even by the patient (patient rights); access to information by outsiders without patient knowledge; authority to transfer and/or share information. Are there any policies proposed by professional organizations?

Counterterrorism and Information Systems Your protection versus your rights

Open-source Software versus Closed-source Software Ethical ramifications and impact on intellectual property law

Creative Commons Licenses How do they work and what are the legal and ethical impacts and concerns?

Universal ID Card. What is the general position of the U.S. government about issuing each individual a unique ID Card? Which individual U.S. government agencies have already provided a unique ID Card? What steps have been taken to include individual ID information electronically in passports? How is privacy and security provided?

Video Games: Does playing video games distract from everyday responsibilities? Do video games correlate with real world violence? Why do game creators continually increase the violence of video games? What is video game addiction?

Cyberbullying: What is cyberbullying and what can be done to stop it?

Net Neutrality: What is the current position of the federal government and is it fair to all?