Chapter 10

Chapter 10

ETHICS OF IT ORGANIZATIONS

VIGNETTE 

Problems with suppliers 

1.)How can an organization ensure that all members of its supply chain will behave ethically?

Ans:

and agile Supply Chain ... communicate its role to other departments in the company. Ensure that all Purchasing transactions are conducted ethically.(http://www.weegy.com)

2.)What responsibility does an organization have to ensure that its suppliers and business partners behave ethically?

Ans:

Perhaps ethical responsibilities are only one fact of a wider range of responsibilities known as "social responsibilities". Whatever the precise distinction may be, business ethics and business social responsibility can both be said to constitute the philosophical foundation upon which the societal marketing concept is grounded.

Case 3: Manufacturers Compete on Green Computing 

1.)How have green computing efforts lowered the total cost of computer ownership?

Ans:

As a result of green computing efforts, the Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) of servers and computer systems has decreased significantly over time. [ Each of green computing 93%+ efficient systems, comparing to others equipped with traditional 70% to 80% efficient power supplies, can save up to $200 to $500 per year depending on configuration and usage. Alternatively, this savings can provide a reduction of more than half a metric ton of carbon dioxide emissions from the generation of electric power from fossil fuels. As an example, each node of Supermicro's SuperBlade? can save up to 100 watts over a traditional discrete 1U rack-mount server. These savings add up quickly when a SuperBlade chassis is fully populated with 10 servers. By eliminating the overhead in 1U discrete servers and using high-efficiency (up to 93%) power supplies, the SuperBlade? can save customers between $700 and $1,000 per year in power - even more when lower cooling costs are included. And the carbon dioxide emissions are reduced by more than 5.5 metric tons - the equivalent to planting 1.7 acres of trees.

(www.weegy.com)

2.)Which approach can yield greater benefits- building greener computers or implementing programs that change users' behavior so that they operate their computers in a more responsible manner? Explain your response.

Ans:

In my opinion implementing programs that change users? behavior so that they operate their computers in a more responsible manner is the best approach that can yield greater benefits , [ in the manner that such programs will definitely change the attitude of every individual in the working environment with regards to operational procedures of computers thus resulting to responsibility education to the manpower through green operation that will in turn minimize the green house effect to the whole world itself.(http://www.weegy.com)

3.)Do research at the EPEAT Web site and determine which computer manufacturer currently has the best green computing ratings.

Ans:

Based on my research the nuoffer.com has the best green computing rating for currently computer manufacturer.

Chapter 9

Chapter 9

SOCIAL NETWORKING

VIGNETTE  

Twitter emerges as news source for Iran protesters

1.)Many people question the value of Twitter’s goal of helping people stay connected in real time. Do the events in Iran illustrate the potential value to society of social networking tools such as Twitter? Are there other ways that Twitter and other social networks could be used by people and organizations to add real value?

Ans:

I think yes, because through social networking tools like twitter they can express their different sides even in chorus, and yes, there is other ways that twitter and other social networks could be used  just to add real value. and one of the example is discussing with your group online about..like for example business and etc. 

2.)How trustworthy is the information one gleans from social networks such as Twitter?

Ans:

I cannot state if how trustworthy the social network is like twitter because as i heard, a lot of social networking account right now has been crack of Huck. 

Case 3: Social Networking Disaster for Domino's


1.)Some observers believe that if an organization does not respond to an attack on its brand within the first 24 hours, then the damage has been done—lack of management response is judged as an admission of guilt. Others feel that some time is required to gather facts and figure out what happened before responding. With the advantage of 20/20 hindsight, how might Domino’s have reacted more effectively?

Ans:

Domino's executives initially decided to take no action, hoping that the hoopla over the video would soon subside.they did not want to attract even more people to the video by issuing a formal press release to the news media.

2.)Do you find it unusual that Domino’s response was primarily through the online media rather than the usual printed press releases? Does this seem an effective and appropriate way to respond under these circumstances? Why or why not? Does Domino’s use of the online media set a precedent for others to follow in the future?


Ans:

No, i don't fined any unusual thing with their response because the incident was happened through online media, so definitely they have also to response through that way. and i can say that it's really appropriate and effective because most of the people are really fan of online media and I'm pretty sure that every time they would open a web site they might see the streaming news which is the response of domino company about the issue. and yes, they use online media to set as a precedent for others to follow in the future.

3.)Identify three lessons that other companies could learn from Domino’s experience.


Ans:
The lesson every businessperson can learn - is that it's okay to make mistakes and get it wrong sometimes as long as you are honest enough and courageous enough to admit those mistakes and, even more importantly, are proactive in addressing them.  




 

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

THE IMPACT OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY ON PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY OF LIFE

VIGNETTE 

Western cape striving to eliminate the digital divide

1.)How important is access to ICT in children’s education?

Ans: 

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is important in  education because it enables children to search for the information they need and to organize what they have found. As children progress through the school system, they become increasingly responsible for their own learning. Many believe that ICT needs to be better integrated into curriculum so all schools produce computer literate, independent learners.(http://www.ehow.com)

2.)  What are the barriers that stand in the way of universal access to ICT for everyone who wants it?

Ans:

Barriers to universal access are not only about the national availability of telecommunications infrastructure and computing equipment. Barriers to individual
access are also economic, educational and sociocultural. The world’s poor, and especially the rural poor, have extremely limited access to basic ICTs, let alone advanced services. Assuming that the global and national political will is in place, the most overt challenge is to extend the physical availability of ICTs. But more subtle barriers -- economic, educational, and socio-cultural – also block the individual’s access and use of ICTs.(http://web.undp.org)

Case 3: Technological Advances Create Digital Divide in Health Care

1.)Can you provide examples that either refute or confirm the idea that a gap exists between the kinds of healthcare services available to the wealthy and the poor in the United States?

Ans:

Inequality in economic resources is a natural but not altogether attractive feature of a free society. [ As health care becomes an ever larger share of the economy, we will have no choice but to struggle with the questions of how far we should allow such inequality to extend and what restrictions on our liberty we should endure in the name of fairness."At its root, the lack of health care for all in America is fundamentally a moral issue. The United States is the only industrialized nation that does not have some form of universal health care (defined as a basic guarantee of health care to all of its citizens). While other countries have declared health care to be a basic right, the United States treats health care as a privilege, only available to those who can afford it... Americans purport to believe in equal opportunity. Yet, in the current situation, those who do not have health care are at risk for financial ruin and poorer health, both of which disadvantage them in society and thereby do not give them equal opportunity(http://www.weegy.com)

 2.)Should healthcare organizations make major investments in telemedicine to provide improved services that only the wealthy can afford?

Ans:

Yes they should , we all pay our bills to health care but not have improved services.
(http://www.weegy.com)

3.)What are the drawbacks of telemedicine? What situations might not lend themselves to telemedicine solutions?

Ans:
Drawbacks of telemedicines are that they can be expensive and may or may not be completely covered by every insurer. Demand of telemedicine is pretty high as well. Situations where telemedicine might not be useful might be to the elderly.(http://www.chacha.com)

 

Chapter 7

Chapter 7

SOFTWARE DEVELOPMENT

VIGNETTE 

Boeing dreamliner faces a few bumps in the road

1.)Is this example of software problems holding up the introduction of a major new product and impacting a firm's customers and suppliers unusual, or is it a common occurrence?

Ans:

Yes, this kind of instances is very common especially in the world of business, either in the hardware or software field. sometimes the causes of this are lack of resource management and cost management.

2.) What can organizations do to reduce the negative consequences of software development problems in the production of their products and the operation of their business processes and facilities?

Ans: 

As an organization develops plans and strategies to deal with the opportunities and challenges that arise in its particular operating environment, it should design a system that is capable of producing quality services and goods in demanded quantities in acceptable time frames.

Case 3:Patriot Missile Failure

 1.)With the benefit of hindsight, what steps could have been taken during development of the Patriot software to avoid the problems that led to the loss of life? Do you think these steps would have improved the Patriot’s effectiveness enough to make it obvious that the missile was a strong deterrent against the Scud? Why or why not?

Ans:

The point we make here is that errors in design and implementation of hardware and software systems can, and often do, carry a human cost.  Good design is not just an academic issue – it is also a human issue.

 

2.)What ethical decisions do you think the U.S. military made in choosing to deploy the patriot missile to Israel and Saudi Arabia and in reporting the effectiveness of the patriot system?

 

Ans:

 

The primary ethical decisions would have been how to protect the largest number of people - and since they could not cover everybody and had a limited number of missiles - which areas were not going to be defended.

 

 

3.)What key lessons from this example of safety-critical software development could be applied to the development of business information system software?

Ans:

There are many reasons why safety should be considered as a relative concept. For example, how would you demonstrate that a system was absolutely safe. Even if it continued to operate without any threat to safety for several years, there may be no guarantee that it will not fail in the next 24 hours. Changes in the environment, hardware failures, untested modes in software systems can all work together to expose systems in ways that had not been done in a previous period of `safe' operation. Hence continues safe operation may paradoxically increase our level of confidence in a system but may also lead to different concerns about the longer-term safety of an application.

---

 

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

VIGNETTE 

RIAA fights music piracy 

1.)Is the RIAA’s strong stand on copyright infringement helping or hurting the music recording
industry?
 

Ans:

The RIAA is helping and protecting the ability of the recording industry to invest in new artists and new music,and giving ligitimate online music sharing services a chance to be successful.

2.)Could an ISP’s implementation and enforcement of the RIAA’s multitier strategy have a
negative impact on the ISP?

Ans: 

Definitely yes, because it will be harder to their part,  they might loss many subscribers and they don't have any choice but  to follow, just not to have any sanctions.

Case 3:Lotus v. Borland 

1.)Go to your school’s computer lab or a PC software store and experiment with current
versions of any two of the Quattro, Excel, or Lotus 1-2-3 spreadsheet programs. Write a brief
paragraph summarizing the similarities and differences in the “look and feel” of these two
programs.

Ans:
For me the different in Excel from Borland is that, all the problems, procedures and formula needed to compute for large quantity of amount can be very easy, because it provides complete instruction for every formula and it is in its quality. I like Excel most especially that I can be able to run an Visual Basic application in Macro. But the only reason why the Borland Excel was being successful, because they just infringing the structure, commands, codes and all those stuffs according to survey, that's the reason they can gather some ideas on how to build same application more quality than the other.(http://dondellbatac.blogspot.com)

2.)The courts took several years to reverse their initial decision and rule in favor of Borland.
What impact did this delay have on the software industry? How might things have been
different if Borland had received an initial favorable ruling?
 

Ans: 

In this accident will result into unfavorable court, for allowing Borland product for several years to the public without knowing its infringement.(http://dondellbatac.blogspot.com)

3.)Assume that you are the manager of Borland’s software development. With the benefit of
hindsight, what different decisions would you have made about Quattro?
 

Ans: 
If ever I will be the manager of the Quattro and i already know that it is illegal, I will directly resign my employment even if I have my big income every month. because from time to time that the company that you were working on will be facing an invistagetion in court you are assuredly obliged to face the court as a managerin your company and aside to face the court you will be put in prison..(http://dondellbatac.blogspot.com)

Chaper 5

Chapter 5

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

VIGNETTE 

Sexting 

1.)Does sexting represent a form of expression that is protected by the first amendment?

Ans: 

sexting is a violation of teens' First Amendment rights. In the Miller v. Mitchell case heard by the United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, on Jan. 15, 2010, a suit had been filed by "the parents of three [female minors] against a Pennsylvania prosecutor after he threatened to prosecute the [girls for] producing and distributing child pornography by sexting. The American Civil Liberties Union, representing the minors, argued that the prosecution violated their First Amendment rights," wrote LawBrain in an article that defined sexting.(http://www.pointparkglobe.com)

2.) What can be done to protect people from the dangers of sexting while still safeguarding our
First Amendment rights? 

Ans: 

On February 28, 2010 at 7:33 pm Dean Eksteen said:

I think that sexting should also be banned since it does increase the amount of under age pornography in the world and there is no telling what one may do with the images that they receive. For example one may decide to post them on the internet and it could embarress the person in the picture. The whole world will be able to see them and with the society in this modern day and age, people can be quite harsh and label that person something they wish not to be called. For someone to even send a picture of themself to one another in such a category, shows that they have no decency and lack respect for themself as well. If other’s can get a hold of the images, it can only end up causing more complications for them and their families. There has been many recent reports of people getting blackmailed due to sexting and this helps demonstrate that its a completely bad idea to do so, adding a new law agaisnt these kinds of actions can help reduce and hopefully end these types of problems.(http://mpjournalism.wordpress.com)

Case 3: The electronic frontier foundation(EFF) 

1.)Visit the EFF Web site at www.eff.org and develop a list of its current “hot” issues. Research
one EFF issue that interests you, and write a brief paper summarizing EFF’s position.
Discuss whether you support this position and why.

Ans:
Facebook Grapples With Privacy Issues

"Facebook needs to have a few very simple high-level controls" so users can keep data private, said Peter Eckersley, senior staff technologist at the Electronic Frontier Foundation. The company, he said, should stop acting as if "they have a mission to make all of our private lives public."

Jessica E. Vascellaro

Wednesday, May 19, 2010(https://www.eff.org)

Yes, i support this position because this is what facebook users need.

2.)What reasons might a firm give for joining and supporting EFF?

Ans:

The reason maybe is to have a protection related to the use of technology, including free speech , privacy , innovation, and consumer rights. it frequently undertakes court cases as an advocate of preserving individual rights.

3.)The vice president of public affairs for your midsized telecommunications equipment
company has suggested that the firm donate $10,000 in equipment and services to EFF and
become a corporate sponsor. The CFO has asked if you, the CIO, support this action. What
would you say?

Ans:

Yes i will support that action, if it will help them to do more useful and beneficial act. towards the people in the society who are very exposed in technology. i want these organization. to grow bigger so that they could contribute more good things in the world of technology.

Chapter 4

Chapter 4

PRIVACY

VIGNETTE 

Privacy concerns abound with new IRS systems

 1.)What information about you is being held,who is holding it,and what is this information being used for?

Ans:

Most of us give information about ourselves to groups such as Government bodies, banks, insurance companies, medical professionals and telephone companies to use their services or meet certain conditions. Organisations or individuals can also get information about us from other sources. Under data protection law, you have rights regarding the use of these personal details and data controllers have certain responsibilities in how they handle this information.(http://www.dataprotection.ie)

2.)What measures are being taken to safeguard this information, and what happens if it is inadvertently disclosed or deliberately stolen?  

Ans:

When you give your personal details to an organisation or individual, they have a duty to keep these details private and safe. This process is known as data protection. We refer to organisations or individuals who control the contents and use of your personal details as 'data controllers'.

If you think that an organisation or individual may be holding some of your personal details, you can ask them to confirm this within 21 days. If they do have personal details about you, they must tell you which details they hold and the reason why they are holding this information. You can ask for this information free of charge.(www.dataprotection.ie)

Case 3: Is Google Watching You?

1.)How does Google’s business model use personal data?

Ans:

 Google is firmly committed to the privacy of our advertisers and users. [ While Google does add a cookie to a user's computer when he/she clicks on an ad, this cookie expires in 30 days, and Google does not associate a user's search activity with his/her ad click history. Further, Google does not collect or track personally identifying information, and does not reveal individual information to third parties. Users who do not wish to participate in tracking activities can easily disable Google's conversion tracking cookie in their Internet browser's user preferences settings. These users will not be included in your conversion tracking statistics. ] (http://www.weegy.com)

2.)What do you think are the major privacy concerns raised by Google’s business model and
applications?

Ans:

I think the major privacy concerns raised by Google's business model and applications is there technology was very open to the public and so others can sneak on it.((http://www.weegy.com)

3.)Do you think Google has taken adequate measures to protect its users’ privacy? Explain
your answer.

Ans:

Yes, I believe they have since they adhere to their own Privacy Policy that requires they handle information in a secure manner.(http://www.weegy.com)