IT Management

Ethical Challenges of Technology Management: Problems In Knowledge Age

Mr. Shehrevar Davierwala

Head Of Computer Department, The Bishop’s School and Junior College - Camp,Pune 411001, India

shehrevar@live.com

ABSTRACT Information Technology is changing the face of contemporary World. The IT has not only connected the World at one single platform but it is also helping in the integration of various traditional societies into modern societies.Information systems raise new and often perplexingsecurity and ethical problems.Unethical information technology (IT) conduct is estimated to cost billions of dollars in deficits for enterprises.Included in this unethical behavior are issues associated with the knowledge age. The ease and anonymity with which information can becommunicated, copied, and manipulated in online environments are challenging traditionalrules of right and wrong behavior. A distinction is made between moral indoctrination and instruction in ethics. It isargued that the legitimate and important field of computer ethics should not bepermitted to become mere moral indoctrination . Computer ethics is an academicfield in its own right with unique ethical issues that would not have existed ifcomputer technology had not been invented. Several example issues are presentedto illustrate this point. The failure to find satisfactory non-computer analogiestestifies to the uniqueness of computer ethics.Ethical issues confront individuals who must choose a course of action, often in a situation in which two or more ethical principles are in conflict. This paper argues that we must reconsider our approach to information security from the ground up if we are to deal effectively with the problem of information risk and overcome ethical issues. Keywords: Information Technology (IT), Ethics, Knowledge Age,Information System, Security 1. INTRODUCTION The past two decades have witnessed a fast yet disparate proliferation in computers and information technologies inbusinesses all over the globe. Society has entered a period driven by computer technologies generally identified asthe “Knowledge Age”. Managers, researchers, and academicians have become attentive that knowledge andinformation technologies are critical and significant organizational resources. As societies made the transition fromthe industrial era to the post-industrial era, the amount and availability of information is significantly greater [1].Knowledge is a primary resource for organizations [2] and a source of wealth and competitive advantage forsociety [3]. In this different information-rich environment, most work will involve the production and dissemination of information [4]. The importance of IT in the new economy, the knowledge workers who useIT and their manager’s benefit from better understanding the relationship between using information technology andperforming knowledge work. With this ever-increasing existence of computer technology in our lives, informationsystems ethics is vital. Ethics refers to the principles of right and wrong that individual, acting as free moral agents; use to make choices to guide their behaviors. Information systems raise new ethical questions for both individuals and societies because they create opportunities for intense social change, and thus threaten existing distributions of power, money, rights, and obligations. Like other technologies, such as steam engines, electricity, the telephone, and the radio, information technology can be used to achieve social progress, but it can also beused to commit crimes and threaten cherished social values. The development of information technology will produce benefits for many and costs for others.

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IT Management

2. ETHICS DEFINED Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Margaret Anne Pierce, a professor in the Department of Mathematics and Computers at Georgia Southern University has categorized the ethical decisions related to computer technologyand usage into 3 primary influences: a. The individual's own personal code. b. Any informal code of ethical behavior that exists in the work place. c. Exposure to formal codes of ethics. Ethics is a gray area that deals with actions that are not technically illegal, but are not quite right either [5]. Ethics isdefined in different ways and sometimes even conflicting ways depending on one’s perceptions, morals and values.Ethics are guidelines to influence human social behavior in a manner intended to protect and fulfill the rights ofindividuals in a society. Guidelines do not simply mean laws; they also include basic principles of analysis,beliefs and assumptions about the nature of God, the physical word, life, individuals and society and social values[6]. Computer ethics is a vibrant and multifaceted field of study that contemplates the interactions between facts,conceptualizations, guidelines and principles relating to continually varying computer technology [7]. Informationethics is also an important issue [8]. 3. ETHICAL CHALLENGES An ethical issue arises whenever one party in pursuit of goals engages in behavior that materially affects the abilityof another party to pursue goals [9]. Ethical issues in IT differ from general ethical issues as information inelectronic form is more readily available. This raises questions in regard to issues such as intellectual propertyrights, plagiarism, piracy and privacy when there is less personal contact. One factor behind the interest in IT ethicsis a suspicion that IT professionals are unprepared to deal effectively with ethical issues in the workplace [10].Mason [11] developed a theoretical social framework in dealing with the major information technology ethicalissues of the information age. He identified four issues known as PAPA which stand for privacy, accuracy, propertyand accessibility. The concept of PAPA as the foundation of information ethics has remained popular for over twodecades. Physicians, attorneys and other professionals whose job duties affect others’ lives usuallyreceive, as part of their formal training, courses that address ethical issues common to theirprofessions. IT security personnel often have access to much confidential data and knowledge about individuals’ and companies’ networks and systems that give them a great deal of power. That power can be abused, either deliberately or inadvertently. But there are no standardized training requirements for hanging out your shingle as an IT security consultant or in-house security specialist. Associations and organizations for IT pros are beginning to address the ethical side of the job, but again, there is no requirement for IT security personnel to belong to those organizations. The education and training of IT professionals, including security specialists, usually focuses on technical knowledge and skills. You learn how to perform tasks, but with little consideration of how those abilities can be misused. In fact, many IT professionals approach their work with a hacker’s perspective: whatever you can do, you’re entitled to do. Professionals in the IT field have no single, agreed upon code of conduct. Furthermore, IT professionals are notprovided any ethical conflict guidance. 4. SECURITY MANAGEMENT Information systems raise new and often-perplexing security an ethical problems. This is truer today than ever because of the challenges posed by the Internet and electroniccommerce to the protection of privacy and intellectual property. Other security and ethical issues raised by widespread use of information systems include establishing accountability for the consequences of information systems, setting standards to safeguard system quality that protect the safety of individuals and society, and preserving values and institutions considered essential to the quality of life in an information society. If organization running a large business, it will be confronting these issues, and

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IT Management

organization need to know how to deal with them.Information Security can only be managed properly if, on a macro level, an internationallyaccepted reference framework (code of practice) is used, and if on a micro level, physicalmeasurements can be made. All this must be accompanied by an international informationsecurity certificate, and a comprehensive corporate information security culture. There areplenty of tools to enforce security in information system. Information being a vital resourcefor organization must be kept secure from unauthorized access. Security tools minimizeerrors, fraud, and losses in the e-business systems that interconnect businesses with theircustomers, suppliers, and other stakeholders. Where information risk is well enough understood and at least in broad terms stable, information security starts with policies. These policies describe "'who should be allowed to do what" to sensitive information. Once an information security policy has been defined, the next task is to enforce the policy. To do this, the business deploys a mix of processes and technical mechanisms. These processes and mechanisms fall into four categories: 1. Protection measures (both processes and technical mechanisms) aim to prevent adverse events

from occurring. 2. Detection measures alert the business when adverse events occur. 3. Response measures deal with the consequences of adverse events and return the business to a safe

condition after an event has been dealt with. 4. Assurance measures Validate the effectiveness and proper operation of protection, detection, and

response measures. The final information security task is an audit to determine the effectiveness of the measurestaken to protect information against risk, we say "final" but, obviously, the job of informationrisk management is never done. The policy definition, protection, and audit tasks areperformed over and over again, and the lessons learned each time through the cycle are applied during the next cycle. 5. CONCLUSION Using IT in business activities enhances productivity of all components of the organization. But these enhancements are not free of cost. Use of IT in business causes information risks. Therefore a trade off between rewards and risks exist. The organization must ensure the some rules to preserve their information, the privacy of working staff and to reduce the risks of computer crimes. It is a myth that black hat hackers cause most security breaches but in reality, 80% of dataloss is caused by insiders. To design a security solution that truly protects data, organizationmust understand the security requirements relevant to its business process, and the scopeof current threats to data.It is thought that unless public confidence had been restored and there existed a general belief that corporations wereoperating within a climate of greater trust, honesty, and adherence to appropriate standards of governance, theeconomy was likely to suffer further.It is probably not possible to develop comprehensive ethical guidelines to cover everypossible situation of IT misuse in inside or outside the organization. It is possible, however,to realize the pervasiveness and the magnitude of the problem. It is also possible to developethical guidelines on an ongoing basis to keep pace with changes in the issues. Codes ofethics and professional conduct vary from one professional organization to the next and areincomplete or obsolete. REFERENCES 1] Huber, G. P. (1984). The Nature and Design Of Post-Industrial Organizations. Management

Science, 3(8), 928- 951. 2] Drucker, P. F. (1988). Management and The World's Work. Harvard Business Review, Sept-Oct. 3] Peterson, R, Beltramini, R. & Kozmetsky, G. (1991). Concerns of College students regarding

business ethics: A replication. Journal of Business Ethics, 10, 733-738. 4] Maner W. 1996, “Unique Ethical Problems in Information Technology”, Science and

Engineering Ethics, 2.2, 137-54. Revised version in Maner (1999). 5] Hunt, S. D. & Vitell,, J. (1986). A general theory of marketing ethics. Journal of Marketing

Research, 48, 30- 42.

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6] Marshall, K. (1999). Has Technology Introduced new ethical problems? Journal of BusinessEthics, 19(1), 81-90.

7] Moore, J. H. (1985). What is Computer Ethics. Metaphilosophy, 16(4), 266-275. 8] Hilton, T. (2000). Information Systems Ethics: A Practitioners Survey, Journal of Business

Ethics, 28, 279-284. 9] Mason, R.O., Mason, F. M., & Culnan, M. J. (1995). Ethics of Information Management.

Thousand Oaks, CA:Sage publications. 10] Maner W. 1996, “Unique Ethical Problems in Information Technology”, Science and

Engineering Ethics, 2.2, 137-54. Revised version in Maner (1999). 11] Mason, R.O. (1986). Four ethical issues of the information age. MIS Quarterly, 10(1), 4-12.

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