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PART 1 – The ACS Code of Professional Conduct and Ethical Theory Given THREE Case studies below: 1. Rahul works for a small business developing apps. His latest app, which he developed to make it easier for friends to catch up over coffee, was a huge success and Rahul’s company received a Creativity Award from Apple. However, during an interview with SBS TV, Rahul’s boss took all of the credit for the development of the app, and Rahul received no credit for his work. 2. Consider an HCI consultant with extensive experience in evaluating web sites and graphical user interfaces (GUI). She has just received an evaluation contract for a new accounting product made by Company A due to her prior experience with e-commerce site evaluation. The work involves assessing the training requirements and the usability of the system. During the initial configuration of her usability laboratory she becomes aware that that software she is to evaluate contains a GUI already patented by a rival Company B, which she evaluated several weeks before. Under her contractual arrangements she is not allowed to discuss the evaluation of a product with anyone outside the contract. She therefore has an obligation to Company B not to provide information regarding their product to anyone else without their permission. She has a similar obligation to Company A. Can she continue with the evaluation? If she cannot continue with the evaluation how does she inform Company A of the patent violation? Does she have an obligation to let company B know Company A has copied their GUI? 3. Company X has just signed a business agreement with Company Y, which entitles both of them to access each other clients’ records. Mr. Faisal, a software programmer at Company Z, was assigned the task of developing a software program that handles the access and retrieval of records from each Company’s database system into the other. A first run of the software on real data indicated that the work was well within the state of the art, and no difficulties were found or anticipated. Several weeks later and during a normal test on the software developed, Faisal discovered a serious ‘security hole’ in the database system of Company Y by which hackers can easily obtain confidential information about clients. He was convinced that while the software he developed could correctly accomplish the task, the code in Company Y’s database system could not be trusted as the security hole posed a threat even on Company X’s database system. Faisal told his manager about the problem and explained its significance. The manager's response was, "That's not our problem; let's just be sure that our software functions properly." Faisal is not sure what to do. Refusing to work on the project means disobeying his manager’s orders. Continuing to work on the project, means disobeying one of God’s commands, this requires him to be truthful and sincere in his dealings. Question 1. ACS Code of Professional Conduct (20 marks) What is the action in this case study that is raising an ethical issue? (2 marks) What is wrong with the action (from an ethical point of view)? (2 marks) Who is responsible for that action? (2 marks) Who is affected by that action? (2 marks) What is the effect of that action on the person affected? (2 marks) Which of the following values of the ACS Code are relevant to the above case study? (5 marks) How the values you identified are relevant to the above case study? (5 marks) The values of the ACS Code are: 1. The Primacy of the Public Interest 2. The Enhancement of Quality of Life 3. Honesty 4. Competence 5. Professional Development 6. Professionalism Question Question 2. Ethical Theory (10 marks) We ask the students to analyse the above case study using either two or four classical ethical theories. So, it is always from the four classical ethical theories such as utilitarianism, deontology, virtue and contract. PART 2 – Essay (30 marks) Q7. Write an essay on the following: 1. Driverless cars raise several ethical dilemmas especially concerning human lives. Even though driverless cars are equipped with sensors, cameras, radars and collision avoidance systems, to name a few, that can make them capable of stopping at short notice, driverless cars still need some time to stop. Imagine a scenario in which a driverless car could not stop and a crash was unavoidable. Which ethical values should have been embedded in it to enable it to make ethical decisions regarding which human lives to save and which human lives to sacrifice? 2. Elsevier Press is a prestigious academic publisher, headquartered in the Netherlands. Noted for its quality publications in science and mathematics, Elsevier publishes approximately 2,000 journals and roughly 20,000 books. Some of its journals, such as The Lancet and Cell, are highly regarded. However, many scientists and mathematicians have been displeased with Elsevier’s pricing and policy practices, which they believe restrict access to important information. In 2011, distinguished mathematician Timothy Gowers (of the University of Cambridge) organized a formal boycott of Elsevier Press. As of August 2015, the boycott has collected close to 16,000 signatures from scholars around the world; they have signed a petition pledging not to publish in or review manuscripts for Elsevier. The boycott has come to be called “The Cost of Knowledge.” 3. Decision-making assisted by algorithms developed by machine learning is increasingly determining our lives. Can transparency contribute to restoring accountability for such systems? Arguments for and against include issues such as the loss of privacy when data sets become public, the perverse effects of disclosure of the very algorithms themselves (which can lead to ‘gaming the system’), the potential loss of competitive edge, and the limited gains in answerability to be expected since sophisticated algorithms are inherently non-transparent. It is concluded that transparency is certainly useful, but only up to a point: extending it to the public at large is normally not to be advised. Do you agree? You must: Present an introduction (or background WHAT IS CASE ABOUT) to your topic and your essay Compare and contrast professional ethics from other types of ethics. Include examples of professional Codes of Ethics to support your answer. Present a conclusion that briefly outlines your point of view. Ensure that your essay is well written and structured. You are not required to include any references in your essay, but where applicable you should cite relevant researchers to support your arguments. State any assumptions before you start writing your essay.