The Obligations of Information Systems Professionals: Searching for Consensus

摘要

Obligation identification becomes even more complicated when it is framed in terms of the various constituents (e.g. employers, system users, and society) that may demand conflicting allegiance from IS professionals (Johnson, 1991). For example, an employer may want a system operator to violate an employee's privacy by monitoring his electronic mail. To whom and to what degree is the IS professional responsible? Does his allegiance belong first to the employer at the potential expense of a system user? In a broader sense, what is the cumulative effect of similar dilemmas on society as a whole? Are our ethical standards changing due to the new context provided by technology in the information age? The traditional domain and study of MIS ethics (software piracy, system security, etc.) should expand by encouraging discussion and debate on the responsibilities of IS professionals to various constituents.