Computer Science Is It Possible to Act Legally without Acting Ethically Discussion
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Discussion 1:
This week contains multiple discussion questions that you are required to answer.
As an IT worker, is it possible to act legally without acting ethically? Explain and support your argument with at least one example either from the textbook or from a peer-reviewed source. Cite all referenced material in APA style.
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Discussion 2:
This week contains multiple discussion questions that you are required to answer.
Compare the financial performance of organizations that uphold high ethical standards to that of organizations that do not. Explain and support your argument with at least one example either from the textbook or from a peer-reviewed source. Cite all referenced material in APA style.
Peers:
Discussion 1: Student 1: Working in the field of IT, there are possibilities for one to act legally without acting ethically, and this can be seen in various situations. An IT worker can act legally without acting ethically because ethics and the law are not necessarily linked together. The reason why they are not linked together is that ethics refers to a code of behavior that culture can either accept or deny, and law is a system of rules enforced by institutions to which people must comply or face legal consequences. This means that because ethics and law are separate concepts, an IT worker can act within legal terms even if the actions are not ethically accepted in their culture. For example, Romania gives tax breaks to people who have received a bachelor’s degree related to the IT industry (Manelici & Plantea, 2021). In this situation, it is legal for an IT worker to receive compensation from the government if they have an IT-related degree, but the ethics of being a recipient of this tax break is a separate discussion that can be challenged as unethical by some. Given the example above and the definition of law and ethics, it seems that an IT worker can act legally without having to act ethically. ReferenceManelici, I., & Pantea, S. (2021). Industrial policy at work: Evidence from Romanias income tax break for workers in it. European Economic Review, 133, 103674. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.euroecorev.2021.103674______________Student 2: The issue of whether or not an IT worker can work legally without acting ethically is not necessarily a question of possibility, it is more a question of what companies have not already made their technologically-inclined employees conduct unethical, but legal practices. Take, for example, Google. Google takes browser data and sells that data to different companies that then use that data in legal, but not really ethical ways. The article It’s not like they’re selling your data to dangerous people: Internet privacy, teens, and (non-)controversial public issues”, written by Crocco M., et al., in 2020 details a study that was conducted with high school students and how they viewed these issues. Most of these students argued that the lack of ethical practices by companies online was commonplace and the price they had to pay to use the Internet. As for IT specifically, being on the other side of the tailoring that these companies do and enabling privacy breaches can definitely be legal, but not ethical.Crocco, M. S., Segall, A., Halvorsen, A. L., Stamm, A., & Jacobsen, R. (2020). Its not like theyre selling your data to dangerous people: Internet privacy, teens, and (non-)controversial public issues. The Journal of Social Studies Research, 44(1), 2133. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jssr.2019.09.004_______________________________________________Discussion2: Student 1: The question of whether high ethical standards within a company affect financial performance is not an easy one to answer. Doing the right thing is often more expensive. For example, someone that wants to help reduce car exhaust emissions can buy an electric car. However, electric cars are generally more expensive than internal combustion vehicles, so ones increased social responsibility comes with a higher price. Doing the right thing also seems like it could prevent someone from reaping the rewards that often come with unethical behavior. A developer of childrens app, for example, might decide to include in-app purchases. This is a legal but unethical practice that would net the developer higher revenues than a developer that did not include in-app purchases. Facing higher expenses and less revenue, an ethical company stands to have poorer financial performance than an unethical one. Thankfully, this is not the case. A 2002 study of 222 companies showed a strong association between a companys social responsibility efforts and positive financial performance. Furthermore, the study shows that this association is fostered by the strong ethical leadership of the company (Bouichou, et al., 2022, p. 9). The stronger financial performance of ethical companies compared to non-ethical ones is derived from the image that the company portrays to the public. In the short term, a non-ethical company can make a lot of money. But as their unethical practices gain public attention, their image will be reduced causing fewer people to use their products or services. An ethical company might not make as much in the short term, but as their image trends positive, they will experience greater success and better financial performance.ReferencesBouichou, S.; Wang, L.; Zulfiqar, S. (2022). How Corporate Social Responsibility Boosts Corporate Financial and Non-financial Performance: The Moderating Role of Ethical Leadership. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 871334871334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.871334________________Student2: The book lists a plethora of businesses that did not uphold high ethical standards and the negative impact their actions had on their profitability. The Takata Corporation seems by far to be the most unethical organization. After being warned by their engineer that their airbags could hurt or kill people, the company chose to ignore the cautionary message and proceed to release their faulty products anyway. Their poor decision killed ten people, injured one hundred, and led to the recall of over 100 million cars. This was a material breach of contract as well as the airbags never functioned appropriately in the act of preventing injury and saving lives. On June 25th, 2017, Takata filed for bankruptcy in the United States and was unable to pay reparations for all the harm it had caused.On the other hand, organizations that uphold high ethical standards retain their customers, have lower turnover rates, create strong employee morale, and establish quality relationships with suppliers and business partners making them more profitable than unethical companies. Intel is mentioned several times in the book as a leader in ethical standards, employee training, and corporate social responsibility. As a direct result Intel closed out the 2021 year with nearly $20 million in profit, all while the United States was suffering from a shortage on foreign microchip production. (Noticias Financieras, 2022).Works Cited: Translated by Content Engine LLC. (2022). Intel closes 2021 with a profit of 19,868 million, down 4.9. CE Noticias Financieras.