Ethical responsibilities in software design and development

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ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITIES IN SOFTWARE DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT

Ethical Responsibilities in Software Design and Development

Louis V. Gerstner, Jr., former CEO and Chairman of the Board of IBM, stated, “Computers are magnificent tools for the realization of our dreams, but no machine can replace the human spark of spirit, compassion, love, and understanding” (Reynolds, 2019, p. 263).A solid ethical framework is crucial for companies involved in the design and development of software and IT systems. At the very least, companies involved in these endeavors want to avoid poor sales and bad press from bugs or poor design. However, much more is at stake. Companies face potentially massive criminal and legal liability exposures if they make subpar or unethically designed products and services available to the public. Software bugs or poor design within computer systems can produce financially damaging occurrences and could lead to property destruction or even fatalities.To complete this assignment, use the Internet or the Strayer library to locate an example of poor IT design or software errors that led to personal or corporate financial or property loss or to a fatal accident.Write a 3–5 page paper that addresses the following items:

  1. Identify and describe the software design flaw, glitch, or error. Summarize the resulting impact of the failure.
  2. Determine if the failure was a result of poor quality or an ethical requirement deficiency. Provide recommendations that you feel would have prevented the failure.
  3. Explain who, in your opinion, should be held accountable for the incident and why.
  4. Identify the corrective actions that were put in place by the organization after the incident.
  5. Use at least three quality resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar websites do not qualify as quality resources. The Strayer University Library has many excellent resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

  • This course requires the use of Strayer Writing Standards. For assistance and information, please refer to the Strayer Writing Standards link in the left-hand menu of your course.

The specific course learning outcome associated with this assignment is:

  • Examine the ethical responsibilities of IT users, professionals, and organizations.
Reference

George Reynolds. 2019. Ethics in Information Technology (6th ed.). Cengage.