Tutorial Answer Chapter 5
ISYS104 Tutorial – week 5
Review Questions
1. What ethical, social, and political issues are raised by information systems?
Explain how ethical, social, and political issues are connected and give some examples.
Figure 4.1 can be used to answer this question. Information technology has raised new possibilities for behavior for which laws and rules of acceptable conduct have not yet been developed. The introduction of new information technology has a ripple effect, raising new ethical, social, and political issues that must be dealt with on the individual, social, and political levels. Ethical, social, and political issues are closely related. 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 (a dilemma). Social issues spring from ethical issues as societies develop expectations in individuals about the correct course of action. Political issues spring from social conflict and are mainly concerned with using laws that prescribe behavior to create situations in which individuals behave correctly.
In giving examples, students can identify issues surrounding the five moral dimensions of the information age. These include: information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, accountability and control, system quality, and quality of life.
Differentiate between responsibility, accountability, and liability.
Responsibility is a key element of ethical actions. Responsibility means that you accept the potential costs, duties, and obligations for the decisions you make. Accountability is a feature of systems and social institutions. It means that mechanisms are in place to determine who took responsible, action, who is responsible. Liability is a feature of political systems in which a body of laws is in place that permits individuals to recover the damages done to them by other actors, systems, or
Review Questions
1. What ethical, social, and political issues are raised by information systems?
Explain how ethical, social, and political issues are connected and give some examples.
Figure 4.1 can be used to answer this question. Information technology has raised new possibilities for behavior for which laws and rules of acceptable conduct have not yet been developed. The introduction of new information technology has a ripple effect, raising new ethical, social, and political issues that must be dealt with on the individual, social, and political levels. Ethical, social, and political issues are closely related. 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 (a dilemma). Social issues spring from ethical issues as societies develop expectations in individuals about the correct course of action. Political issues spring from social conflict and are mainly concerned with using laws that prescribe behavior to create situations in which individuals behave correctly.
In giving examples, students can identify issues surrounding the five moral dimensions of the information age. These include: information rights and obligations, property rights and obligations, accountability and control, system quality, and quality of life.
Differentiate between responsibility, accountability, and liability.
Responsibility is a key element of ethical actions. Responsibility means that you accept the potential costs, duties, and obligations for the decisions you make. Accountability is a feature of systems and social institutions. It means that mechanisms are in place to determine who took responsible, action, who is responsible. Liability is a feature of political systems in which a body of laws is in place that permits individuals to recover the damages done to them by other actors, systems, or