LEARNING OBJECTIVES
After reading this chapter, you
will be able to:
1. Analyze the relationships among
ethical, social, and political
issues that are raised by informa-
tion systems.
2.
Identify the main moral dimen-
sions of an information society
and specific principles for con-
duct that can be used to guide
ethical decisions.
3. Evaluate the impact of contem-
porary information systems and
the Internet on the protection of
individual privacy and intellec-
tual property.
4. Assess how information systems
have affected everyday life.
CHAPTER OUTLINE
4.1 UNDERSTANDING ETHICAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES
RELATED TO SYSTEMS
A Model for Thinking About Ethical, Social, and
Political Issues
Five Moral Dimensions of the Information Age
Key Technology Trends that Raise Ethical Issues
4.2
ETHICS IN AN INFORMATION SOCIETY
Basic Concepts: Responsibility, Accountability, and
Liability
Ethical Analysis
Candidate Ethical Principles
Professional Codes of Conduct
Some Real-World Ethical Dilemmas
4.3
THE MORAL DIMENSIONS OF INFORMATION
SYSTEMS
Information Rights: Privacy and Freedom in the
Internet Age
Property Rights: Intellectual Property
Accountability, Liability, and Control
System Quality: Data Quality and System Errors
Quality of Life: Equity, Access, and Boundaries
4.4 HANDS-ON MIS
Developing a Web Site Privacy Policy: Dirt Bikes
USA
Achieving Operational Excellence: Creating a
Simple Web Site Using Web Page Development
Tools
Improving Decision Making: Using Internet
Newsgroups for Online Market Research
LEARNING TRACK MODULE
Developing a Corporate Code of Ethics for
Information Systems
Chapter 4
Ethical and Social Issues in
Information Systems
Interactive Sessions:
Data for Sale
The Internet: Friend or Foe to
Children?
125
or many years, parents of District of Columbia public school children complained about
buses running late or not showing up. A federal court appointed an independent trans-
portation administrator and enlisted Satellite Security Systems, or S3, to track the move-
ments of the district’s buses. S3 provides s