Post 004 - CIS 537

Week Two Assignments

Week 2 - Readings and Objectives

Reading assignments for the week:

Chapter 2 in Ethics in Information Technology.

An article of your choice from the academic journal titled Ethics and Information Technology. The journal is available free of charge via the university online library. You can get assistance on how to use the online library by visiting the Technical Support tab above.

Supplemental resource:

Slaves of the Cyberworld. A film available via our library - check out the folder in Course Documents and then Films on Demand and you'll find links to this and other videos in our library.

Learning objectives for the week:

Identify key areas of ethical concern for IT professionals.

Contrast professionals with other kinds of workers.

Examine IT codes of ethics.

Describe how codes of ethics can affect professional behavior.

Select and analyze a journal article.

This week:

Week 2 is a good time to step back for a moment and make sure all is well. Did the first week go okay? Did you notice any rough spots or confusing points in the process? Feel free to let me know about those things - it is part of making the course better for each term and each new student. In a way, it could be considered an ethical obligation for your role as student.

One of the main topics this week is a code of ethics for IT professionals. Personally, I see a code of ethics as a way to bolster your staff members to do the right thing. You don't want long, drawn-out, unpredictable decisions about important ethical issues. Instead, you want clear, concise guidelines that can get your staff to do the right thing at the right time. This is not an easy task.

Looking for an interesting perspective on the topics for the week? Check out the supplemental resource listed above. It is a great way to find ideas to add to your discussion postings for the week.

Americans tend to be results-oriented. We are tempted to overlook ethical shortcomings if the person produces results. Look at athletic coaches - do they always take the ethical high road? For those coaches who do not, do we tolerate their wayward behavior as long as they win? Those types of questions are just as important in the IT world as the athletic realm. By the way, do you have a course code of ethics? If not, take a look in Course Documents. What do you think about that code?

Have you finished your readings for the week? If so, then go ahead and get started on the assignments below.

Week 2 - Video Overview

http://idcontent.bellevue.edu/content/CIT/cis/537/Week2.html

A brief video look at our upcoming week.

Week 2 - Thought for the Week

"On the whole human beings want to be good, but not too good, and not quite all the time." - George Orwell

There is no assignment associated with this item, just a chance to pause and ponder.

Week 2 - Image for the Week

Workroom on Broadway, early 1900s, photo in the public domain and available from the New York Public Library. There is no assignment associated with this item, just a chance to pause and ponder.

Week 2 - Chapter 2 Quiz

Read the assigned chapter this week in Ethics in Information Technology and then click on the link above to start the quiz.

The quizzes are a self-assessment and a participation grade. This means that you can take the quizzes as many times as you need in order to earn the grade you deserve. The idea is to allow you to self-test your reading comprehension.

Please do NOT try to print the quiz since that sometimes locks it up and prevents your score from being recorded. Simply take the quiz again if you need to review your readings and improve your score.

The quiz scores will be recorded each week, so be sure to take the quizzes in the weeks they are assigned. If you get a low score, then reread the material and take the quiz again.

Week 2 Forum - Main Posting

Choose ONE of the following topics for your main discussion posting for the week. Generally, it takes several solid paragraphs for your main posting. Remember to provide a reference if you used a source for your information. Also, remember not to copy and paste from your sources - summarize and analyze in your own words.

Watch this video at YouTube. Then, connect the ideas in the video to the ideas in our readings for the week. Feel free to share your personal observations on the concepts presented. Also, feel free to look around for more information about who this author is. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WIH8uMu1_ng

Review the course code of ethics in Course Documents. Compare it to the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct that you find in Appendix B of your textbook. What similarities and differences do you see? Is there anything missing from the code of ethics for students that you think should be added? Any changes needed?

You are the new CIO at a small manufacturing company with a total of 500 employees at one plant, two warehouses, and a headquarters building. Your manager is the Chief Financial Officer and wants you to make it a high priority to establish a set of policies and guidelines on the use of IT resources - the firm currently has none. How would you proceed?

Read Case 1 "Google Named in $1 Billion Trade Secret Lawsuit" at the end of Chapter 2 in your textbook. Briefly summarize the case for your classmates and then answer the questions at the end of the case.

Read Policy Statement 402 for Bellevue University. It is found in Course Documents. Then, look at the manager's checklist in Table 2-4 of your textbook. What are the strengths and weaknesses of BU's policy statement?

Find a current article in a newspaper or magazine related to ethics and copyright, trademark, trade secret, or patent. Summarize the main points of the article in your own words and tell us why you found the article to be potentially interesting for your classmates. Be sure to provide either a link or reference for the article. A tip: Lexis-Nexis and ProQuest are great ways to find articles; see the BU online library.

Multimedia option: Watch the movie Frankenstein (check Course Documents for details). Then, imagine that you are the chairperson of the Ethics Committee for the Association of Information Technology Professionals. Examine the Code of Ethics in Appendix C of your textbook. As chairperson, would you recommend that Dr. Frankenstein be cautioned, reprimanded, or expelled for ethical violations? Support your posting with items from the ethical code.

Please see the information in the Assessment area of Course Documents if you aren't sure what a good discussion posting looks like.

This assignment is due in the Week 2 Forum at least two days before the end of our academic week.

Week 2 Forum - Additional Postings

Post two additional messages during the week. Typically, these messages are replies to your fellow students, or you can ask about details in the readings that puzzle you. See the assessment guide for more details if you aren't sure what a good posting looks like.

Post at least two additional messages before the end of the week.

Week 2 Homework - Journal Article

Choose an article from the academic journal titled Ethics and Information Technology. The journal is available free of charge via the university online library. You can get assistance on how to use the online library by visiting the Technical Support tab above.

Analyze the article. Your analysis should include the following:

An APA reference for the article.

A brief summary of the main points that the author made in the article.

An analysis of the article. Did the author have a clear purpose for the article? Was this purpose accomplished? Did the author present compelling evidence to support main points? Does the article have gaps? Did the author present the information in a way that typical readers of journal articles would find appealing?

A personal reflection on the article. Was it useful to you? Do you agree or disagree with the conclusions? Would you recommend the article to other students of ethics?

Summarize your thoughts in one page (single spaced, with a blank line between paragraphs, usual margins and font). Submit the Word-compatible document via the link below. This assignment is due by the end of our academic week.

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William Favre Slater, IIIMBA, M.S., PMP, CISSP, SSCP, CISA, ISO 27002, ISO 20000, ITIL v3, Cloud Computing FoundationProject Manager / Program ManagerCIS 537 Blog: http://cis537-wfs.blogspot.com
http://billslater.com/career
Chicago, ILUnited States of America