Exam 1: An Overview of Ethics

Most of us have developed a decision-making process we use almost automatically, without thinking about the steps we go through.

The general public does not understand the critical importance of ethics as they apply to IT, as too much emphasis has been placed on technical issues.

Briefly describe the difference between morals, ethics, and laws.

____ describes standards or codes of behavior expected of an individual by a group (nation, organization, profession) to which an individual belongs.

Identify several trends that have increased the likelihood of unethical behavior.

Each society forms a set of rules that establishes the boundaries of generally accepted behavior. These rules are often expressed in statements about how people should behave, and they fit together to form the ____ by which a society lives.

____ had one of the highest software piracy rates in 2007.

In the business world, important IT decisions are too often left to the technical experts; general business managers must assume greater responsibility for these decisions.

The Department of Justice established sentencing guidelines that suggest more ____ treatment for convicted executives if their companies have ethics programs.

Multinational and global organizations must not present a consistent face to their shareholders, customers, and suppliers but instead must operate with a different value system in each country they do business in.

Apple was the highest rated U.S.-based, publicly held IT company by Business Ethics magazine based on its performance between 2000 and 2007.

Ethics must begin at the top of an organization. It is a leadership issue, and the ____________________ must set the example. or

In 2007, ____ of all software in circulation worldwide was pirated.

Development of a ____________________ is the most crucial step in the decision-making process.

____ is a system of rules that tells us what we can and cannot do.

Someone who stands to gain or lose, depending on how a situation is resolved is called a(n) ____.

Problem stakeholders who stand to lose or gain from a situation should be kept out of the decision making process as they will simply introduce their personal biases.

People develop habits that make it easier to choose between what society considers good or bad. ____________________ are habits of unacceptable behavior.

A ____________________ is a statement that highlights an organization's key ethical issues and identifies the overarching values and principles that are important to the organization and its decision making.

The existence of a formal ethics training program can ____________________ a company's liability in the event of legal action.