The foremost thesis presented by these authors can be formulated as follows: the way in which codes of ethics help to advance the cause of an organization is not as much concerned with promoting the freedom of innovation, as it is concerned with controlling the actions of the employees. According to the authors, codes of ethics have in the recent past been used as ground to sue people and limit their ability to perform.
The author uses relevant examples to show how advances in IT have been crippled due to ethical bureaucracies. In addition, the author states that IT is a highly transformational field. As such, setting a standardized ethical guideline may in the end limit or hinder progress in this field. This book will help in drafting viable recommendations on how best to integrate ethical codes in IT departments without affecting the rate of progress therein.
At the very basic level, a professional is someone who has undergone specialized training for a certain vocation. Knapp explores the fact that professionals are not solely defined by this attribute but also by their adherence to certain behavior that are inherent in the particular profession. The author uses relevant case studies to show how leaders can influence the impact of the set codes of ethics in any given profession.
He acknowledges that every professional group has a code of conduct which stipulates what is admissible behavior within the profession. The limitation in this book is that the author puts more emphasis on leaders as the promoters of ethical practices and undermines the impact of individuals in upholding ethical standards. The book will be a primary source of information in my research on the roles of individuals in promoting and upholding the set code of conducts.
In his article, Reynolds aims to provide an explorative analysis of how the implementation of codes of ethics into information technology affects the quality of work exhibited by employees. According to the author, this implementation has resulted in creating a situation where more and more professionals grow increasingly cautious about how they work. Whereas, before the advent of these codes, most IT professionals used to pay little attention to how society would perceive them along the lines of a patriarchic tradition, it is now no longer the case. Reynolds states that the implementation of ethical codes has to some extent limited the innovative ability of employees in the fear that they may lose their practice.
This book will be of great use in my research regarding the extent to which code of ethics limit the ability of employees to perform effectively. It will act as a secondary source of information in my research on the disadvantages of ethical codes to IT departments.
Seebauer & Barry review various means that can be used by professionals to resolve ethical conflicts, evaluate judgments and deliver justice. The authors use the classical virtue theory, practical realities and fictional cases to provide comprehensive results regarding ethical reasoning among different people. The authors focus on exploring how habit affects ethics, safety and confidentiality in these fields. The information obtained from this text will be useful in determining how aspects such as whistle blowing, conflict of interest, and intuition affect the decision making process. It will be a primary source of information because it explores how human behavior affects the ability of a person to make ethical decisions and choices.
This book offers a comprehensive guide regarding the issues that should be considered when developing a code of ethics. The guidelines offered are general and could therefore be used in any field of expertise. The author focuses on environmental, social, behavioral, and political aspects that should be considered while developing a code of conduct. She uses a review of relevant laws and regulations to help the reader understand the steps to be followed in the process of developing a code of ethics. She drives a very strong point throughout the book as she reveals that ethical codes are integral to the success of any business or project.
As such, this book will be important to my research during the process of exploring the viability of ethical programs in IT. It will be a primary source of information in my research on the factors that should be considered during the development of a code of ethics.
In his book, Sims discusses a variety of ways in which the existence of continuous development of ethical codes promotes success in information technology firms. According to the author, IT professionals should acknowledge the fact that they have social and environmental responsibilities. As such, ethical codes act as a guideline through which practitioners in this field can fulfill these responsibilities. This book highlights the importance of ethical codes in promoting the corporate responsibilities of IT firms. It will be of great use to my research on ethics and social responsibilities.
Stoodley bases this book on the fact that technology is always advancing at a high rate and its global influence is growing substantially every day. As such, the author tries to explore how different professionals in IT can be supported to maintain ethical practices. He employs a qualitative method of research to identify key areas that should be focused on to provide the support needed. Stoodley recommends that attention be directed towards how professionals interpreted set standards in their experiences. This book will be useful to my research in regard to the development of my research questions pertaining to
- ethics and information users;
- adopting other attitudes in professional ethics; and
- how to change life experiences for professional development.
This book offers a balanced examination of the legal and ethical issues that imaging Professionals may face in the line of duty. The author uses various case studies, scenarios, review questions and updated legal terminologies to discuss the foundation of ethical standards that are used by technologists. Research conducted by Towsley-Cook & Young focuses on the ethical challenges that may be faced by imaging professionals and offers recommendations as to how practitioners may prevail over such challenges. The book is useful to my research because it provides updated information about laws that are used to govern imaging professionals.
The main limitation in this book is that it focuses mainly on medical imaging systems. As such, more extensive research needs to be conducted so as to provide more insight on the codes of conducts that govern the use of imaging system technology in other fields. This book will not be a primary source of information in my research; however, it will provide supplementary information for my research on the importance of laws and ethics in the imaging profession.
References
Ferrell, O., Fraedrich, J., & Ferrell, L. (2009). Business Ethics: Ethical Decision Making and Cases. New York: Cengage Learning.
Knapp, J. (2007). Leaders on ethics: real-world perspectives on today’s business challenges. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Reynolds, G. (2007). Ethics in information technology. USA: Thomson/Course Technology.
Seebauer, E., & Barry, R. (2001). Fundamentals of Ethics for Scientists and Engineers. NY: Oxford U Press.
Shaikh, S. (2006). Business Environment. India: Pearson Education.
Sims, R. (2003). Ethics and corporate social responsibility: why giants fall. New York: Greenwood Publishing Group.
Stoodley, I. (2009). Professional Ethics. USA: VDM Verlag.
Towsley-Cook, D., & Young, T. (2007). Ethical and legal issues for imaging professionals. Michigan: Mosby/ Elsevier.