Ethics, Essay Example

1.Ethics refer to standards and principles that determine the way we treat other people. It refers to the tendency of an individual to do what is good and fair for the welfare of others (Haag, & Cummings 62). An individual with ethics will avoid as much as possible to violate the rights of others. In most cases, ethical persons find it hard to make decisions that fall between conflicting loyalties and incompatible desirable outcomes. An ethical dilemma comes when one’s duties tend to direct into contrary ways.

As seen, ethics are applicable in a business situation. If employees are devoid of ethics at the place of work or in a business, productivity is likely to suffer a big blow. In most places of work, workers spend time on computers doing their personal tasks instead of focusing on their work. Statistics show that companies suffer losses raking to billions of dollars. In 2008, it is estimated that loss of productivity in firms such as Gray & Christmas and Challenger amounted to $1.7 billion (Haag, & Cummings 102). This figure was so worrying such that, in the recent tournaments, organizations have avoided to estimate the loss that comes with March Madness. Businesses are also losing productivity because of unethical employees who spend time on social media. Arguably, society has experienced technology advancements, which demands businesses to expand on measures to curb unethical behaviors found on employees.

2. Although copyright is meant to protect one’s intellectual property, some exceptions are there. A good example is a television station deciding to air a video game without seeking permission from the original owner. In such a situation, it is assumed that a copyrighted material has been employed in production of another new program. This act is considered legal because it is in line with Fair Use Doctrine (Haag, & Cummings 23). This doctrine allows use of copyrighted materials in exclusive situations such as in production of a new product, or for purposes of teaching. However, limits are put on the extent one can make use of the copyrighted product.

3. Spyware refers to a terminology for describing software associated with some behaviors, obviously not authorized by the person using the computer. Spyware can alter the computer configurations, access personal details and display some adverts on the screen. This software is closely connected to adware, which does advertisements and track some personal details.

Spyware would also involve key logging while one is at work. It is no exception because the malware can pop up while one is using the business computer. One need to be careful as it comes in diverse forms and one may be tempted to download them (Salomon 87). It is advisable to avoid downloading some free demos on the computer. In the event one must do so, it is necessary to read the license agreement and understand it. In a business situation, it is advisable to use PC surveillance in order to avoid such activities meant to interfere with log in details. However, the business owner has to be very careful because if abused, this service can violate the business privacy. A business can also decide to train workers on using virtual keyboards whenever they are feeding the password and username on the computer. Notably, the business must settle on some special virtual keyboards because not all are capable of hiding the password or the username (Vacca 29).

Works Cited

Haag, Stephen. & Cummings, Maeve. Management Information Systems for the Information Age. 9^th Ed. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Education, 2013. Print

Salomon, David. Elements of Computer Security. London: Springer, 2010. Print

Vacca, John. Computer and Information Security Handbook. New York, NY: Morgan Kaufmann, 2009. Print