Kizza, Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age Essay

CS 300 Week 2 Kizza Chapter 4 – Ethics and the Professions pages 65 to 96 Kizza, Ethical and Social Issues in the Information Age, 3rd. Edition, ISBN 978-1-84628-658-2. |Chapter Number and Title: 3 Ethics and the Professions | |Your Name: Brent Robles | |Today’s date: 02NOV09 | |Briefly state the main idea of this chapter. | |A continued discussion of ethics in a professional atmosphere. | |2. List three important facts that the author uses to support the main idea: | |The four themes discussed are evolution of professions, the making of an ethical professional, and the professional decisions making process, | |and professionalism and ethical responsibilities. | |3. What information or ideas discussed in this chapter are also discussed in readings from DePalma? List the Unit and Title(s) of the reading:| |De Palma – Reading #10 – Dilberts of the World, Unite! | |This article discusses how fast the white collar sector is growing and some of the issues involved. Microsoft is discussed in great detail on | |the treatment of their contracted employees. When it came to wages they were considered to be high-level computer professionals, thus not | |entitled to overtime pay. When it came to benefits, they were treated as temps unworthy of healthcare  coverage and stock options. So some | |individuals got together and worked to organize the workers. The article also talks about Microsoft hiring immigrant workers in the same | |positions as Americans and paying them considerably less. The unions worked with congress to oppose Bill Gates request for immigrant visas to | |be extended. There will always be a fight with these companies when trying to keep them hiring Americans. They are just trying to ensure that | |they can maximize profits. I chose this article because it discusses morals in hiring and paying white collar workers. I believe that it had | |ethical issues when dealing with professional issues like equal pay and benefits for immigrants. | |4. List and briefly discuss one of the questions at the end of the chapter. | |Are whistle blowers saints or blackmailers? I think that society has turned a saint into a blackmailer. By this I mean because of the fear of | |reprisal a whistle blower has to keep his mouth shut. But when he doesn’t he is considered to be a disgruntled employee and is trying to | |blackmail his supervision. It is hard to get issue resolved when dealing with a uncooperative management team, that is why employees have | |rights and protections, however there are only a few companies that protect the whistle blower, that is why when the whistle is blown the | |individual is considered to be a problem worker. | |5. List any examples of bias or faulty reasoning that you found in the chapter: Section 4.4.3 discusses guilt and making ethical decisions. | |On page 87 he explains actions that people experiencing guilt will go through. I think that this is a biased or faulty reasoning because not | |everyone goes through this process. I know that this article is a generalization, but there are people in society that make their decisions | |and move on with no remorse or guilt. The statement that guilt causes decision makers to agonize over decisions I think is only true for a | |select few individuals. Those individuals that are affected have to have some integrity and solid values. | |6. List any new terms/concepts that were discussed in the article, and write a short definition: | |Utilitarian – where decisions are made solely on the basis of their intended outcomes or consequences. | |Rights – where decisions are made based on the set of liberties the society enforces such as the Magna Carta and the Bill of Rights. | |Justice – which decisions are made so that they are fair, impartial, and equitable to all. |