Module 13 Ethics Activity Discussion
Discussion Instructions
To complete this discussion, you must make an initial post responding to the ethical dilemma questions. Please address all the questions in full and cite your sources. Secondly, you must respond to another student's post in which you further the discussion. Start by reflecting on the original post. You may ask further questions, comment on the strength of their reply, address information that is missing, or provide examples that correspond with the topic. Agreement with the initial response is not required, but responses should reflect be supported with analogies, examples, research, or content from the text. All students should respectful of differences of opinions.
Ethics Discussion
As the owner of a small but growing business, you are concerned about employees misusing company computers for personal matters. Not only does this cost the company in terms of employee productivity, but it also ties up bandwidth that may be required for company operations and exposes the firm’s networks to increased risks of attacks from viruses, spyware, and other malicious programs. Installing e-mail monitoring and web security and filtering software programs would allow you to track e-mail and internet use, develop use policies, block access to inappropriate sites, and limit the time employees can conduct personal online business. At the same time, the software will protect your IT networks from many types of security concerns, from viruses to internet fraud. You are concerned, however, that employees will take offense and consider such software an invasion of privacy.
Using a web search tool, locate articles about this topic and then write responses to the following questions. Be sure to support your arguments and cite your sources.
Ethical Dilemma: Should you purchase employee-monitoring software for your company, and on what do you base your decision? If you install the software, do you have an obligation to tell employees about it? Explain your answers and suggest ways to help employees understand your rationale.
Related Chapter Outcomes and Course Goals
This group assignment addresses the following course goals:- Describe the functions of the business manager: planning, organizing, leading, and controlling.
- Describe how information technology has transformed business and managerial decision-making.
- Explain why computer networks are an important part of today’s information technology systems.
- Express how technology management and planning help companies optimize their information technology systems.
- Identify the best ways to protect computers and the information they contain.
- Identify the leading trends in information technology.
Grade Value and Rubric
- This discussion activity is worth 15 points.
- The course discussion rubric is applied to this discussion