 Ethics (relating to ICT) are about the: › Sensible › Legal › Moral uses of ICT.  They are designed to develop and make best use of technology without taking advantage of an individual.

 Read page 212 of the text book.  Look at the reasons why codes of conduct are written and the examples that are given that relate to those reasons.  Identify codes of conduct within your school and explain why they exist.

 Set boundaries for what is expected from an employee.  Establish what can and can’t be done on a computer.  Provide expectations of behaviour.  Set out rights, role and responsibilities of employees.  They set out what do if an employee breaks a code of conduct.  Gives an organisation a professional standing within an industry and to its customers.

 British Computer Society (UK based).  The BCS code of conduct generalises the responsibilities that a member should abide by.  It is not as detailed and specific as an organisation may have for its workers but offers an approach from which all codes of conduct can arise from.

 It covers the following aspects: › Public Interest › Duty to relevant authority › Duty to the profession › Professional competence and integrity

 This is about: › Having respect for the environment. › Working safely for your benefit and others.

 This is about: › Having respect for an authority which governs a member’s actions, be it an individual, client or organisation. › Using professional judgement when dealing with certain situations. › Avoiding conflict with relevant authorities. › Ensuring that personal data is not disclosed to third parties or used for personal gain.

 This is about promoting ICT by: › Supporting other users › Behaving in a professional manner › Taking care when making public statements

 This is about: › Members updating their ICT knowledge and skills on a regular basis.  This also involves not claiming to know more than you do! › Members should encourage other members to work within the code of conduct. › Members take full responsibility for the work of sub- ordinates.

 Read through the full BCS code of conduct. ›  Make a spider diagram for each section of the code which summarises its contents.

 Association of Computing Machinery (USA based). › “ACM is widely recognized as the premier membership organization for computing professionals, delivering resources that advance computing as a science and a profession; enable professional development; and promote policies and research that benefit society.” – ACM about web page.

 Designed to help individuals make ethical decisions and provides a formal way of making a complaint.  It is broken down into different sections: › General moral imperatives › More specific professional responsibilities › Organisational leadership imperatives › Compliance with the code

 Read through this webpage. ›  Create a spider diagram which summaries each point from the following sections: › General moral imperatives › More specific professional responsibilities › Organisational leadership imperatives › Compliance with the code

 Review your two spider diagrams.  Create a Venn Diagram which shows some of the similarities and differences from both codes. You could, if you find it easier, create a table with 3 columns. ACMCommonBCS ……… ACM BCS Common

 In the exam you will be expected to talk about the advantages and disadvantages of following a code of conduct.  The codes of conduct from the BCS and the ACM address ethical issues.  Therefore, you can relate your answers to principles found in BCS and the ACM codes of conducts.

 Because codes of conduct aren’t laws, individuals and organisations don’t have to follow them.  This means, legally, an individual or company can benefit over those people who are actually working in accordance with the codes of conduct.

 This example is not suitable for an exam, but is designed to help you understand ethics. › Some companies sign up to follow the Fair Trade principles whilst others do not. › Those who do not follow the Fair Trade principles tend to make larger profits…but is this ethical?  They pay their workers far less (maybe as much as 60p per day) and make larger profits.

 Complete the activity on page 216 of the text book.  For each scenario, explain what the consequences of the action would be.