Ethics in Information Society Case study

By: Ahmed Yehia Khalid Mosaad Hussam Ahmed Ramzy M. Ramzy

14th , Jan 2012

In the following analysis, the team will present a real life ethical dilemma that is related to the information system. The analysis will be based on the following five step process : 1. Identify and clearly describe the facts. 2. Define the confilct or dilemma and identify the higher-order values involved. 3. Indetify the stakeholders. 4. Identify the options that can be responsibily taken. 5. Identify the potential conseqyences of the option. The following is a brief analysis for the MIS Dilemma case:

1. Identifying and clearly desctibing the facts

y y y y y An entrepreneur software service firm that works in creating custom software solutions for its client. The decision makers are the board of directors, nearly 7 people. The firm got a request from an American Client, to build an e-commerce site, for one of the shops in USA. One of the e-commerce site sections was intended to sell womens lingeries, having a real women models on the site. The software services firm is only designing and developing the site as a framwork for the e-commernce transactions, and is not responsible about its content.

2. Confilcts , dilemma and higher order values involved

Higher values and dilemma is represented mainly in th ethical values (relgious), mainly, wheather to accept or reject doing this e-commerce site.

The ethical issue generated a dilemma, between two parties claim they are having higher values, the two values are diametrically opposed courses of actions.

One party said it is not eithical to do this type of e-commerce sites, and the other party had the company profit and success as higher value, given that, the e-commerce site not more than a framework, and an empty container, for the e-commemerce products that the client wants to sell.

3. The stakeholders
y The company board of directors, who were splitted into two groups, one group who see that the company should avoid doing this e-commerce site, given than they know from the beginning what it will contain (eithical higher value) , the other group see that it is only a framework e-commernce site, and doesnt conflict with any higher values, and it will generate more revenue to the company.

4. Options that can be responsibily taken

y y Non of the options satisfy all the interests involved. No options do a better job than others, since there all only two options available , either to take it, or reject doing it. y Any solution that will be taken will not considered a balancing of consequences to stakeholders.

5. Potentional consequences of the options

y If the board of directors went to reject this e-commerce site, this will imply rejecting all similar types of sites or system, and openning the door to discuss what other system can cause this kind of dilemmas to the company ( Banking, IPOs,..etc). If the board of directors went to accept this type of system, this will imply-as the previous case- defining the white and black lists of the types of systems to be accepted/rejected by the firm.