Questions and Answers of Business Ethics

It is a common practice for managers to hold people accountable to meet“stretch” goals, quotas, and budgets. How can this be done in a way that does not encourage unethical behavior on the part
Identify three CSR goals that would be appropriate for a large, multinational IT consulting firm. Create three such goals for a small, local IT consulting firm.
The Ethics Resource Center identified five characteristics of a successful ethics program. Suggest a sixth characteristic, and defend your choice.
Do you believe an organization should be able to escape criminal liability for the acts of its employees if it has acted as a responsible corporate citizen, making strong efforts to prevent and
Briefly discuss Title I and II of the DMCA, including the primary protections it provides for copyright material as well as the associated penalties. Do you believe that the DMCA has given excessive
You are interviewing for the role of human resources manager for a large software developer. Over the last year, the firm has lost a number of high-level executives who left the firm to go to work
1. Clearly state three business reasons to justify why these major IT firms formed Rockstar Consortium.2. Although Rockstar is set up as an organization independent of its founders, what are the
Identify the necessary conditions to grant a patent according to Title 35 of the U.S. Code.
You have been asked by the manager of software development to lead a small group of software developers in an attempt to re-engineer the latest release of the software by your leading competitor. The
1. Do you think that Google should have taken a different approach that would have allowed it to avoid litigation and a lengthy delay in implementing its Book Search Library Project?Please explain
How did the America Invents Act modify U.S. patent law? Do you think this act was an improvement over the preexisting way of patenting? Why or why not?
You have procrastinated too long and now your final paper for your junior English course is due in just five days—right in the middle of final exam week. The paper counts for half your grade for
What is a cross-licensing agreement? How do large software companies use such agreements? Do you think their use is fair to small software development firms? Why or why not?
Your friend is a two-time winner of the Ironman™Arizona Triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, and 26.2-mile run). He is also a popular and well-known marathon runner throughout the Southwest. He
What is the role of the WTO, and what is the scope and intent of its TRIPS agreement?
You are beginning to feel very uncomfortable in your new position as a computer hard-ware salesperson for a firm that is the major competitor of your previous employer. Today, for the second time,
Briefly discuss how the courts and USPTO have changed their opinions and attitudes toward the patenting of software over the years. Do you believe that software patents inhibit new software
Identify and briefly discuss three key advantages that trade secret law has over the use of patents and copyrights in protecting intellectual property. Are there any drawbacks with the use of trade
What problems can arise in using nondisclosure and noncompete agreements to protect intellectual property?
Under what conditions do you think the use of reverse engineering is an acceptable business practice?
How might a corporation use reverse engineering to convert to a new database management system? How might it use reverse engineering to uncover the trade secrets behind a competitor’s software?
Why might an organization elect to use open source code instead of proprietary software?
What is the nominative use defense? What are the three key elements of this defense?
What measures can companies take to combat cybersquatting?
Read the fictional Killer Robot case at the Web site for the Online Ethics Center for Engineering at www.onlineethics.com/CMS/computers/compcases/killerrobot.aspx. The case begins with the
1. A mission-critical system is one whose failure will result in an organization being unable to continue business operations. A safety-critical system is one whose failure will result inhuman injury
Identify the three criteria you consider to be most important in determining whether or not a system is a quality system. Briefly discuss your rationale for selecting these criteria.
Your manager is leading a project to develop new software that is essential to the success of the midsized manufacturing firm where you work. The firm has decided to hire outside contractors to
1. Should Apple conduct extensive screening of apps before they are allowed to be sold on the App Store? Why or why not?2. Do research to determine the current status of the FCC investigation of
Briefly describe and give an example of a business information system, a decision support system, and a control system.
You are a programmer for a firm that develops a popular tax preparation software pack-age designed to help individuals prepare their federal tax returns. In the course of testing some small changes
1. What additional measures must be taken in the development of software that, if it fails, can cause loss of human life?2. What can organizations do to reduce the negative consequences of software
Define and briefly discuss the difference between white box testing and black box testing.
Explain why the cost to identify and remove a defect in the early stages of software development might be 100 times less than the cost of removing a defect in software that has been distributed to
You have been assigned to manage software that controls the shutdown of the new chemical reactors to be installed at a manufacturing plant. Your manager insists the soft-ware is not safety critical.
Identify and briefly discuss two ways that the use of an effective software development methodology can protect software manufacturers from legal liability for defective software.
You are a senior software development consultant with a major consulting firm. You have been asked to conduct a follow-up assessment of the software development process for ABCXYZ Corporation, a
Your company is considering using N-version programming with three software development firms and three hardware devices for the navigation system of a guided missile. Briefly describe what this
You are the CEO for a small, struggling software firm that produces educational software for high school students. Your latest software is designed to help students improve their SAT and ACT scores.
Why is the system-human interface one of the most important but difficult areas of safety-critical systems? Do a search on the Internet and find three good sources of information relating to how to
What is the difference between system reliability and system safety? Give an example of a system that operates reliably but not safely.
Identify and briefly discuss the implications to a project team of classifying a piece of software as safety critical.
Your organization develops accounting software for use by individuals to budget and forecast their expenses and pay their bills while keeping track of the amount of money in their savings and
Discuss why an organization might elect to use a separate, independent team for quality testing rather than the group of people who originally developed the software.
Discuss how the average annual percent change in nonfarm productivity has varied over the past 65 years.
It is the year 2028, and robots are being introduced to handle the screening of patients at physicians’ offices in the United States. The robots look human and are able to speak and understand
Briefly discuss the correlation between IT investment and U.S. productivity growth.
You have been diagnosed with a rare bone marrow disorder that affects only 2 people out of 1 million. The disease is potentially life threatening, but your symptoms are currently only mild and do not
1. What do you think are the greatest benefits of the HealthConnect system for Kaiser Permanente subscribers? Can you identify any potential risks or ethical issues associated with the use of this
1. What concerns might a physician have about using a decision support system such as Isa-bel or Watson to make a medical diagnosis? How might those concerns be alleviated?2. Is it possible that in a
Define the term telework. What technologies are essential for effective telework?
You are a midlevel manager at a major metropolitan hospital and are responsible for capturing and reporting statistics regarding the cost and quality of patient care. You believe in a strict
Would you accept a telework position in which you would work from home three or four days per week? Why or why not?
As a second-year teacher at a low-rated inner-city elementary school, you have been asked to form and lead a three-person committee to define and obtain funding for an E-Rate program for your school.
What is the digital divide? Where does it exist? Why is it important to bridge the digital divide?
What is your opinion of the effectiveness of the E-Rate program? What facts back up your opinion?
You are an elected official in a small, third-world country’s house of parliament, which is responsible for initiating revenue spending bills. Your country is very poor; unemployment is high; most
1. Do further research on business results and employee morale at Yahoo! to develop an opinion on whether the ban on telework has helped the firm. Write a paragraph stating your opinion and providing
Which tool do you believe can be most effective in bridging the digital divide—the personal computer or the smartphone? Why?
You have volunteered to lead a group of citizens in approaching the board of directors of the nearest hospital (55 miles away) about establishing remote monitoring of 50 or so chronically ill people
The development and use of new medical technology has increased healthcare spending. Should the medical industry place more emphasis on using older medical technologies and containing medical costs?
You have been offered a position as a software support analyst. If you accept, you will have three weeks of on-site training, after which you will work from your home full-time, answering customer
The value of EHRs is being challenged by many in the healthcare industry. Why is this? In your opinion, is the investment in EHRs worth it? Why or why not?
As a relatively new hire within a large multinational firm, you are extremely pleased with the many challenging assignments that have come your way. Now another new hire with whom you have become
You are an entry-level worker in the audit department of the Internal Revenue Service, and you have stumbled across evidence of a program to turn off the audit process for major contributors to the
1. Why does IBM’s supply chain program have such a large impact on environmental health?2. How do companies like Cisco ensure that their suppliers are complying with their supply chain programs?3.
Edward Snowden—an employee of defense contractor Booz Allen Hamilton, working at the National Security Agency (NSA)—is responsible for what may turn out to be the most significant leak of
A coworker complains to you that he is sick of seeing the company pollute the waters of a nearby stream by dumping runoff water into it from the manufacturing process. He plans to send an anonymous
1. Do you support the implementation of enhancements such as photo matching and access to additional government databases to improve the accuracy of the E-Verify system? Why or why not?2. If you were
During a time in which unemployment in the United States exceeds 7 percent, some people feel that it is unethical to hire H-1B workers to work in the United States. Prepare a brief summary of reasons
1. What responsibility does an organization have to ensure that its suppliers and business partners behave ethically? To whom is this responsibility owed?2. How can an organization monitor the
Wipro received the highest rating of electronics manufacturers from Greenpeace for its efforts in green computing. Visit Wipro’s Web site, and document several examples of the company efforts to
Your firm has just added six H-1B workers to your 50-person department. You have been asked to help get one of the workers“on board.” Your manager wants you to introduce him to other team
What factors must a company consider in deciding whether to employ offshore outsourcing on a project?
Dr. Jeffrey Wigand is a whistle-blower who was fired from his position of vice president of research and development at Brown & Williamson Tobacco Corporation in 1993. He was interviewed for a
Visit the EPEAT Web site (www.epeat.net), and use the organization’s tool to select your next laptop computer. How would you make trade-offs between an expensive machine with a Gold rating and a
You are in the last stages of evaluating laptop vendors for a major hardware upgrade and standardization project for your firm. You will be purchasing a total of 1,200 new laptops to deploy to the
You work for an electronics manufacturer that does not belong to the EICC. Present a strong argument for your firm to join. Then present a strong argument for why it makes sense for your firm not to
You are the manager of a large IT project that will involve two dozen offshore outsourced workers who will do program development and testing. Identify several potential issues that could arise on
Although labor savings associated with offshore outsourcing may look attractive, what cost increases and other problems can you expect with such projects?
Your firm relies heavily on temporary workers. To minimize potential legal issues, it ensures that the temporary workers are not mistaken about their place within the com-pany. Therefore, temporary
Why do companies that make use of a lot of contingent workers fear getting involved in a coemployment situation? What steps should they take to avoid this situation?
Catalytic Software—a U.S.-based IT outsourcing firm with offices in both Redmond, Washington, and Hyderabad, India—wants to tap India’s large supply of engineers as contract software developers
Your company has decided to offshore outsource a $50 million project to an experienced, reputable firm in India. This is the first offshore outsourcing project of significant size that your company
Briefly describe a situation that could occur at your employer or your school that would rise to the level of a potential whistle-blower situation. What steps would you take and to whom would you
How would you clearly distinguish between hate speech versus speech that is merely annoying, critical, or offensive? Would you be willing to defend someone’s right to use annoying, critical, or
Imagine that you receive a strongly worded hate email at your school or job that threatens physical violence toward you. What would you do? Does your school or workplace have a policy that covers
What can an ISP do to limit the distribution of hate email? Why would such actions not be considered a violation of the subscriber’s First Amendment rights?
Do research to identify the current countries that are identified as“Enemies of the Internet” by the group Reporters Without Borders. What criteria did Reporters Without Borders use when deciding
You are the computer technical resource for a county’s public library system. The library is making plans to install Internet filtering software so it will conform to the Children’s Internet
Can you cite a specific example of federal government Internet censorship in the United States? Do you think the amount of Internet censorship in the United States is appropriate or overly
A college friend of yours approaches you about an idea to start an online reputation management firm. One tactic the firm would use is to threaten negative posters with a libel lawsuit unless they
Outline a scenario in which you might be acting ethically but might still want to remain anonymous while using the Internet. Identify two approaches someone might take to learn your identity even if
A coworker confides to you that he is going to begin sending emails to your employer’s internal corporate blog site, which serves as a suggestion box. He plans to use an anonymous remailer and sign
What is a SLAPP? Under what conditions might a corporation employ a SLAPP? What are some actions that could be taken to counteract a SLAPP?
1. Why is Facebook protected from liability for content posted by third parties? Do you think that Facebook and other social network providers should be protected from liability for what their
Your 15-year-old nephew exclaims“Oh wow!” and proceeds to tell you about a very revealing photo attachment he just received in a text message from his 14-year-old girl-friend of three weeks. He
Briefly discuss attempts to create laws protecting children from harmful material on the Internet. Why were early attempts found to be unconstitutional?
A former high school classmate of yours who moved to China emails you that he has been offered a part-time job monitoring a Chinese Web site and posting comments favorable to the government. How
1. Visit Yelp’s Web site (www.yelp.com) and search for reviews for a service from a local business with which you are familiar. Do you notice any reviews that are overly negative or that seem to

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