Information Technology Reference
In-Depth Information
product, judgment, management, profession, colleagues, and self. Each of these general
principles contains a list of clauses related to specific areas of potential moral concern
for the practicing software engineer. Good judgment is still needed, however. In many
situations, there is a conflict between two or more of the relevant clauses. At these times,
the decision maker must determine which of the clauses is most relevant and/or most
important.
To many, whistle-blowing is a heroic act requiring great moral courage. A whistle-
blower brings to light a real or potential harm to the public, such as an abuse of taxpay-
ers' money or a defective product, after trying and failing to get the problem resolved
within the organization. Inevitably, whistle-blowers and their families suffer emotionally
and economically. It may take a decade for a whistle-blower to be vindicated in court.
Different commentators have taken widely different views about whistle-blowing.
Some say whistle-blowing does so much harm to the whistle-blower and the organiza-
tion that it is never the right thing to do. At the other extreme are those who argue any
harm done to whistle-blowers and their families is outweighed by the benefits to soci-
ety, at least when certain conditions are met. In the middle are those who argue that any
decision for or against whistle-blowing must be made on a case-by-case basis.
If whistle-blowing is ever called for, it is only as a last resort. Everyone agrees that
people who discover real or potential harms to the public should first attempt to get
the problem fixed within the organization. It would be better if there were never a need
for whistle-blowing. Organizations ought to have communication and decision-making
structures that make it easier to identify and deal with financial irregularities or product
defects.
The predominant American corporate mind-set does not align well with this ideal.
Managers focused on maximizing “the bottom line” may well make decisions on utili-
tarian grounds, weighing the costs and benefits of each alternative. Utilitarian thinking
allows an organization to do something that is slightly bad in order to reap a greater
good. Undisclosed bad deeds are less harmful than those brought to the light. Hence
utilitarian thinking can create an atmosphere in which the free communication of orga-
nizational actions is suppressed. In this environment, those who wish to report financial
irregularities or product defects are ignored or silenced. The financial scandals at Enron,
Tyco International, WorldCom, Adelphia Communications, and other corporations that
cost investors billions of dollars have prompted some ethicists to call for a return to
principle-based decision making.
1.
What is a profession? How is a computer-related career, such as programming or system
administration, similar to a fully developed profession such as medicine? How is a
computer-related career unlike a fully developed profession?
2.
Why did the ACM pass a resolution opposed to the licensing of software engineers?
3.
Identify as many clauses as you can in the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and
Professional Practice that refer to issues related to privacy.
