Introduction to Information and Communication Technology (ICT)
Discuss about the Ethical Issues in ICT for Software Architecture and Metrics.
Information and communication technology is used for the efficient and effective communication of information to large group of people at the same time. The report introduces a concept of Information and communication technology (ICT). The report also presents the ethical issues that are involved in the usage of ICT in the general sense and then chooses a case study to provide a clear picture of the problems. The organisation that has been selected for the case study is the Cisco organisation of Australia (Hill, Jones and Schilling 2014, p-30). ICT involves the usage of the proper form of technology for the solving of the issues that are present in the different organisations. The use of ICT enables one to take necessary decisions in the organisation. ICT also allows the organisation to communicate with each other and with the clients efficiently. The technology is responsible for the storage, collection and integration of all the information. The use of this technology helps in the gaining of the competitive advantage and helps in easing the workflow of the organisation. The method of ICT helps in the providing of the best possible solution that is put forward by the comparison with the various forms of data. The report helps in the analysing how organisation carry out attacks for personal gain by the unethical processes.
Cisco is a technology provider organization that is responsible for the providing of solutions related to issues in the field of information technology (Rothaermel 2015, p-40). Cisco is responsible for improving the quality of life of the people by the providing of the most advanced technological solutions. Cisco also helps the different organization in the providing of the better solution for the storage and management of data. With the help of ICT, Cisco can provide the best possible solution to the ordinary people or the different organizations. Cisco stores the information of the various clients. Cisco is an organization that is responsible for carrying out business in an ethical manner and has even been one of the three companies to achieve an award for the corporate social responsibility. The news of the moral issue in the organization came as a surprise. Moreover, the more surprising fact is that the technology that was used by the organization to gain the competitive advantage was used by the organization to carry out the unethical activity.
Ethical Issues in Business Management via Cisco Case Study
The information and communication technology system is a process, which gives the company a higher chance of handling the business. The strategic information system provides an added advantage to the organization. The vital information system allows the organization to stay in the competition with the other organizations. The strategic information system (SIM) is a feature of information technology. The SIM technology helps in the storing and sharing of the information. The SIM technology helps the business in sharing the information with the clients in an efficient manner. The strategic information systems are generally used for supporting the activities of the market. There are different types of information systems which are used by the different organizations. The first type of information system is the financial system. These commercial systems involve the various accounting and budgeting of the multiple products. The information of the payrolls of the employees also comes under the economic, strategic system. The measurement of the various payment of the client depends on the size of the operations and the multiple projects. The use of the financial information systems will help in the retrieving of the information whenever it is needed. The operational modes are the second kind of information system, which helps in keeping track of the operations that are carried out by the organization. The various hospitals also take the help of the operational services. These include the systems that are used by the operation managers to handle the operation of the business. The process is a way which cans the profitability of an organization in a significant manner. The third of information system is the strategic information system, which is the topic of discussion in this review. The vital information systems are the information systems that link the business to the computer systems. The strategic information system may involve the business strategies, which have been developed and can be realized using information technology. The vital information system may be useful for the aspiring entrepreneurs who seek to know how the findings can help in developing new technology.
The big data is an implementation of the information and communication technology. The proper management of the data has become important for every booming organization. The introduction of big data has created a stir in the market and has replaced many of the current technologies that were used such as the database management system. The database management system was used to handle structured data. Data stored in database management system consumed the physical space of the computer memory. Due to this reason the big data concept was introduced to get rid of this drawback. The data managed using the big data concept does not take up the physical memory space of the system. Thus, the big data can store a large number of data without consuming any space. This advantage makes big data one of the most used technologies in today’s world.
Implementation of ICT Technologies for Effective Business Management
The Enterprise Resource Planning is the other technology that is being implemented by the use of Information and Communication technology. Enterprise resource planning is the process of management of the core business resources. The control of the business may take place in real time or may take place by the use of software and hardware. The Enterprise resource planning generally considers the use of software for the management of the business (Leon 2014, p-38). The work of the software is to typically manage and organize the data, collect the information and interpret the messages. The Enterprise resource planning techniques can be used to efficiently handle the various data and also the transaction of the organisation. The Enterprise system technology can use the database just mainly as a place for storing of information.
There may be the situation when the organization wants to maximize profit by breaking the codes of conduct and in the most unethical way. Cisco, like any other organization, found itself in a situation of the ethical dilemma. The moral dilemma is a situation, where the organisation is not able to decide which decision is correct. The ethical dilemma is a situation where the taking of one of the choices may involve the profit of the organization while the other options include the benefit of the ordinary people. To solve the ethical dilemma, the utilitarian approach should be followed. The functional approach is defined keeping in focus the maximum profit for the maximum mass of people. By the following of the functional approach, the problem of ethical dilemma can be solved. The moral dilemma may also be addressed by the use of the individual strategy, which revolves around the making of the decision based on the profit of an individual.
By the code of conduct of the Cisco organization, the Cisco organization looks to promote the correct handling of the conflicts that may occur within the organization or among people outside the organization (Wheelen et al. 2017, p-130). All the working of the organization and the terms and conditions that need to be followed is to be submitted to any of the governmental bodies should be disclosed to the public documentations while making the report. Protection of the confidential information of the organization and all information related to clients and employees is the responsibility of the organization (Chiu et al. 2014, p-120). Under the code of conduct, sticking to the rules and regulation laid down by the government is also included. All the employees should adhere to the law of conduct of the organization. If any of the members violates the code of conduct, then action should be taken by the organization accordingly.
Solving the Ethical Dilemma with Utilitarian Approach and Codes of Ethics
An ethical dilemma is when a professional cannot decide which decision needs to be taken. The decision should satisfy both the requirement of oneself and the organization as well. The ethical dilemma needs to be solved so that none of the sides is affected by the decision. In this case, the organization faces the issue of moral dilemma as the organization cannot decide whether to look for personal or for the benefit of the ordinary people. As an ICT professional the different ethics needs to be followed and for that reason, the various codes of ethics should be kept in mind before carrying out any activities.
As an ICT professional there is the particular code of ethics that need to be followed. The various parameters of the ACS documents should be satisfied (Jafarkarimi et al. 2016). The ACS document contains six different principles such as enhancing the quality life, trust, professional development, professionalism, competence, a primacy of public interest. The parameters that need to be satisfied in the first case of ethical dilemma is the enhancing of the life quality. The setting that needs to be happy is the trust because as an ICT professional, one should be loyal to the organization and inform the manager about providing the information. In the second case, the parameter that needs to be satisfied is the trust parameter of the company. The employee should be loyal to the organization. This decision also satisfies the utilitarian approach as it benefits the organization.
Ethical behaviour in the justice approach is guided by respect for impartial standards of fairness and equity. One consideration here is whether an organisation’s policies-such as those governing promotions or sexual harassment cases – are administered impartially and fairly regardless of gender, age, sexual orientation, and the like.
The other way of solving the ethical issues is the moral rights approach. Ethical behaviour in the moral-rights approach is guided by respect for the fundamental rights of human beings. In the US, a Bill of Rights forms part of the constitution whereas in Australia rights are expressed in a variety of legal documents, with the Australian Human Rights Commission having oversight. In New Zealand, a Bill of Rights Act was passed in 1990 and in 1993 the Human Rights Commission was established to advocate and promote respect for and appreciation of human rights in New Zealand society. International agreements such as the United Nations Global Compact (UNGC) are another source of reasons that business organisations can use to guide their actions. Supporters of the UNGC, numbering around 7000 business leaders in 2013, commit to respecting a set of core values in the areas of human rights, labour standards, the environment and anticorruption. We would all tend to agree that denying people the right to life, liberty, privacy, health and safety and due process is unethical.
Justice and Moral Rights Approach for Ethical Issues
According to (Power and Conboy, 2015, p-20), the Cisco is one such organization that has been having ethical issues in the field of ICT. The ICT is an important concept that is used by the various organization to gain the competitive advantage. The case study presents the use of ICT in the different organization of Australia. The Cisco has generally been mentioned in the journal, and the issues in the case of IOT has been said in the report.
Cisco by breaking the ethical code of conduct has led to the downfall of the reputation of the organisation. Cisco has been involved in the different data loss cases. ICT is used for the storage of the information of the clients (Beauchamp 2017, p-17). By the use f the same technology, the organization has tried to access the personal information of the client and have been involved in the data leak (Wright et al. 2014). ICT has given the organization access to the knowledge of the clients. ICT has been engaged for the better management of the data and the information. However, Cisco has misused the technology and have been involved in frauds of the data leakage. The passage of the data was being made to the unknown sources. The data leakage may have been done due to the variety of reasons, the possible being for the securing of the personal profit. By obtaining the personal information, the account of the person can be accessed and desirable amount may be extracted from the report. All these processes may be carried out by the usage of the ICT technology. The Cisco organization has been trying to implement the utilization of the technology to track the presence of any form of information relating to the details of the client. This is a use of technology of the wrong kind. It is the responsibility of the organization to safeguard the information of the clients and the employees. The organization was also involved in the data leak of the employees. The knowledge of the employees was stored in the database of the organization. Thus, by the use ICT, the access of the data of the employees can be easily obtained. By the use of these data, Cisco tried to get hold of the personal data of the employees.
Cisco has passed the information of the employees to one of the payment models. This also involved the confidential data of the employees. For the collaboration of the organization with the payment module, Cisco had to share the database of the employees with the online transaction organization. Cisco was getting a significant share of the collaboration with the online payment module. As a result of which, Cisco was in an ethical dilemma as to whether to share the information with the payment company or to safeguard the knowledge of the employees. Cisco chose to collaborate with the online payment organization. All the confidential information was provided to the payment organization. By the use of ICT, all the sensitive information was extracted regarding the employees that should not have been disclosed. ICT was responsible for the fetching of the large volume of data from the systems of the employees. The employees were cheated as Cisco broke the ethical code of conduct of the organization. The help of the different reports that Cisco has also been making efforts getting into the personal network of the clients to get hold of the information has also found it. This is also done with the help of ICT, which allows the identification of the network of a location based on the details of the user. The use of ICT is made for the protection of the cybersecurity issues, which can help identify the IP address from where the attack has been made. With the concept of this technology, the network of the user may be accessed.
To solve this ethical dilemma, Cisco should have followed the approaches that have been mentioned above. The first approach that may be supported is the utilitarian approach, which involves the profit of the maximum people. Had the Cisco followed the utilitarian approach, then the check on the maximum benefit for the maximum people could have been obtained. In this case, if the functional procedure is followed, then the maximum profit is analyzed to be of the employees of the organization (Power and Conboy 2015, p-17). If the confidential information of the employees had been used in a wrong manner by the online payment module, then the organization would have lost the employees and also the position in the market. The loss of employees would have resulted in the shutting down of the organization. The Cisco focused on the own profit, for which the confidential information was shared with the online payment organization (Leon 2014, p-100). Based on utilitarian approach, the maximum advantage would have been in the protection of the knowledge of the employees as this would have helped in the maintaining of the position of the organization. When reported about the data leakage, Cisco has said that it has been done to improve the employees of the organization. The organization wanted to carry out the transaction with the clients and the employee through an online mode. Cisco denied any form of activity related to the data leakage.
Based on the individual approach to the solving of the ethical dilemma, the situation of the organization should be considered. By personal approach, Cisco should have thought that if the information about unethical access to the confidential information were leaked then the organization would have lost its reputation or may have even shut down. There was profit involved if the information was shared with the online payment organization. However, the practice of unethical activities had to be required to make the profit. Even by the individualistic approach, the practical choice of the organization would have been to follow the ethical code of conduct as the amount that was being gained by the company can easily be obtained if the organization takes up a new project.
Cisco has been providing smart solutions to some organizations. There has also been fraud in this particular section. The use of ICT technology was made by Cisco to compare and out forward the best possible solution. However, in the process of maximizing the profit, Cisco has been making the use of ICT to find the answer that would require the minimum cost for the implementation. This allows Cisco to reduce the investments that are being made for the application of the solution. Thus, then the wrong answer is being presented by the usage of the ICT technology by the Cisco systems (Luo and Bu 2016, p-200). The organizations are often facing losses due to the implementing of the wrong solution. However, Cisco was concerned with the own profit. With the advancement in the technology, the improvement of the quality of service has to be improved. However, Cisco has been using the same techniques and systems for the making of the decisions. The website of the Cisco, however, shows the usage of the most advanced technologies. The systems need to be updated to achieve the best possible outcome by implementing ICT. This is an unethical activity as the organisation is not performing the planned architecture, which is being promised. Due to this reason, the proper outcome is not achieved. In the process of making the personal profit, the quality is being compromised. To overcome this ethical dilemma, again the use of the two approaches may be mace namely the utilitarian approach and the personal approach (Gordieiev, Lobur and Kozak 2016, p-3). Based on the functional approach, the maximum benefit is achieved if the quality service is provided to the clients. The use of the correct techniques is used for the delivering of the task then the organization can benefit more than by cheating on the clients by minor investment or providing poor quality. If the proper service were provided by, Cisco then that would help in the maintenance of the position of the organization. By the providing of the quality service, the Cisco would gain the number of clients, and that would also benefit the client but also Cisco. The providing of quality service would also help the mass of people, resulting in the benefit of the maximum people. ICT is a technology, which when correctly used contributes in the providing of the quality services. The use of ICT technology should be made positively and not in a negative way.
Based on the individualistic approach the maximum benefit of an individual is to be considered. By the individualistic approach, the providing of the quality service is the way to obtain the advantage over the other organizations as this would help in the increasing of the number of clients. The organization has to update to the latest form of technologies to provide the best possible solution to the clients. By updating the techniques number of clients may be obtained, and the investments may be recovered. Analyzing the situation, the case of individual approach should be considered.
Cisco has been involved with the case of providing improper cyber security solutions to the clients. Cisco has the responsibility of the protection of the systems of the clients by the proper usage of technologies. However, Cisco has not been able to provide satisfactory solutions to its clients in the field of cybersecurity. The improper technique has been used for the protection of the data and information. The use of the ICT has been made to check which of the technologies has the minimum cost of implementation. This will help in the obtaining of the profit to the organization as this will reduce the amount that is required to implement a technology. Here, by the use of the two approaches, the proper requirement can be satisfied, and the solution to the ethical dilemma can be obtained.
Conclusion:
The report concludes that the use of information technology has bridged the gap between current system and the need for people. The development of the ICT raises the ethical implications of the use of technology. To understand the ethical issues in ICT, the over view of the practices regarding ICT has been discussed in this paper. Cisco Australia has been chosen as the organization as the reference of the discussion. Desirable ethical practices in ICT has been referenced through the methods in this organization. Some of the ethical issues that may raise influences the decision making process of the company. This article has tried to identify those moral dilemma in general and the relevant solutions to resolve those ethical dilemmas. The finding of the paper indicates that the use of ICT in the organization is helpful to improvise the communication along with that it helps to provide better service to the consumers. The method of ICT also helps the organization to gain more profit. However, the unethical ways should be avoided in the organization to gain the personal advantage.
Cisco should be making the proper usage of the ICT technology for easing the operations of the work. ICT has been implemented in the negative aspect by the Cisco to gain profit in the unethical forms. Cisco should focus on sticking to the ethical code of conduct to maintain the position in the market. The ICT has the full range of applications in the different fields. The ICT is responsible for the communication of the various valuable information to a large group of people at the same time. ICT is also responsible for the management of the large volume of data by the usage of the proper form of intelligence. These are the actual usage of ICT, which on the appropriate implementation can lead to the gaining of the competitive advantage. The report helps in the identification of the ethical issues in the field of ICT. The prevention of these issues may lead to the helping of organizations to do away with the problems. In case of any of the problems the use of the practical and individual approach should be made.
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