"The development of new products must be ethically responsible under an interdisciplinary nature and through the inclusion of economic, social and environmental dimensions in favor of Sustainable Development." UDD (s / f)
Introduction
Those related to ethics, values, morals and good customs are difficult topics to generalize, and I have even come to consider them as utopias, and these principles are directly related to various social factors such as general and regional culture Socioeconomic strata, level of education of the society and the individual, are subject to the situational factor and time; just to mention a few.
Consequently, these principles will tend to vary between individuals and over time, history has taught us that human relationships are adapted to their needs.
That said, I can assure you that the codes of conduct therefore seek to guide the behavior of individuals in certain situations given in a certain period of time, based on the uses and customs of the region. Sometimes being the basis of legal regulations since the laws emanate from them, in other cases they are only a frame of reference or generalities as they lack legal support.
Therefore, what for some may be ethical, for others may not be; regardless of whether it might be legal or not. We have the case of abortion, which in some places is legal, but there will always be the dilemma of whether or not it is ethically and morally acceptable. In our daily activities we will always act according to our principles and values, this will be reflected in our social, family and professional activities.
The Royal Spanish Academy defines ethics as the “set of moral norms that govern human conduct”, and based on what was mentioned by Argandoña, (2008), in his «la Caixa» Chair of Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance / Ethics in business, I will define ethics as a set of moral norms that seek to regulate human interactions, in order to achieve a more pleasant coexistence between individuals.
Therefore, ethics is a set of rules that must be met, imposing a series of restrictions on human activities, and therefore these restrictions could hinder the intention of their marketing objectives. (Argandoña, 2008).
With more than 10 years as a professional, one of the most difficult actions that I have taken to date was when I detected abuses by staff, which directly affected our clients and on more than one occasion these abuses of trust managed to undermine the relationship with our clients. In fact, these abuses were detected when investigating a complaint from a client and the result of which was the dismissal of the personnel involved, who incidentally were not only co-workers but also friends.
Development
Relationship between ethics and software development
The relationship between ethics and the activities of the human being are close. And as IT professionals, we will find ourselves in situations that will lead us to make decisions based on ethics and principles, as mentioned by the IEEE Computer, in the article "Computer Society and ACM Approve Software Engineering Code of Ethics" our performance will contribute to generate opportunities and benefits or, failing that, damages and losses. Either directly or indirectly, consciously or unconsciously.
Poor planning, lack of involvement, not understanding the scope of the project, are factors that will undoubtedly affect its development and implementation, and if the personnel involved only seeks to sell, leaving aside the final interests of the client intentionally or unconsciously, do not We will only be violating the code of ethics mentioned above, but we will be working under the principles of Nicolás Machiavelli "The end justifies the means." (Jay, A. 2002). That in this case they are not to achieve the sale.
Case in which a software error generated a problematic situation
The investigated case is considered one of the most expensive software errors, it deals with the loss of 440 million dollars, in the purchase and sale of shares, by Knight Capital Group of New Jersey, which in 2012 developed a program which would be in charge of managing shares in the stock market in order to get the most out of them, under a complex code and algorithms the software would buy and sell shares, however a failure occurred shortly after having Once the program was launched, the “began to automatically buy shares in a wide range of companies - such as RadioShack,Ford Motor Company and American Airlines - in 45 minutes in the incursion of unauthorized operations ”when the company realized it sold them causing the aforementioned loss. (Marks Paul, 2012)
In this particular case, I consider that the only principle of the code of conduct "Computer Society and ACM Approve Software Engineering Code of Ethics", which was not omitted, was that of Colleagues.
Having two ethical implications, on the one hand is the eminent failure, which was derived from the lack of a meticulous stage of tests and simulations, as well as contingency plans and monitoring systems. Which violates the principles of Society; Client and entrepreneur; Product; Administration; Profession; Colleagues; Personal.
However, it has an additional implication since Marks mentions that the Bank of England warns "… that high-frequency continuous market systems that buy and sell shares in fractions of a second risk destabilizing market values" therefore these types of tools may be considered harmful to the world economy, derived from this in the United States of America, the Securities Commission calls for stricter regulation of the continuous market. Therefore, the second ethical implication would be defined on whether the development of this type of software is ethically correct or not. Therefore the principle of Judgment was also violated.
Sustainability and Information Technology (IT)
Sustainability seems to be the hot topic today, with the environment being the main focus, however sustainability is also given by the ability to adapt and maintain a computer system or equipment and that it grows according to the needs of the client, this for two basic fundamentals, it is not required to dispose of 100% of the technology but rather that it can be reused achieving less investment in the long term, and in its environmental approach less waste, on the other hand the technology should be designed seeking also an environmental balance with biodegradable or easily recyclable components, lower energy consumption among others, that is why the issue of sustainability must always be present in each and every one of the IT projects.
Conclusions
When we get involved in a computer project as well mentioned in the code, we will have to adhere as much as possible to the principles that emanate from it as well as the values and ethical principles under which we are governed, being aware that our actions can generate benefits., but also great damage to organizations.
Likewise, we must know the laws and regulations that exist in this regard, it is worth remembering that ignorance of them does not exempt us from them.
We must change our mentality to act better under pressure and to be reactive, that is, to put ourselves to work at the last minute, to work on correcting faults and to seek to work under a culture of quality and prevention of faults.
Failures in the development of IT projects are generally given by the lack of capacity or knowledge on the part of those involved, lack of experience, ignorance of the administration and project management processes, poor planning and estimation of times and costs, lack of involvement of specialists or clients, so continuous training on these types of topics is important.
Although the code of conduct, I consider it appropriate, it has been published for at least 13 years, so it should be updated. Some of the points in which there should be greater emphasis on the development of more environmentally friendly technology, that they favor the sustainability and growth of the projects in the medium term, as well as that the easy support of the information and lifting after failures in it and the development and implementation of contingency plans.
Bibliography
- Alan R. Peslak. "Improving software quality: An ethics based approach." Rogerson, S. "The software engineering code of ethics and professional practice: a case for being proactive." "FDA Statement on Radiation Overexposures in Panama." Example of quality failures in software development Patrick B. The most costly computer errors. Retrieved on January 15, 2014 from: http://www.cnnexpansion.com/economiaJimenez P. Guillermo (2014) "Video of week 1: Ethics and sustainability." Argandoña, A. (January 2008). «La Caixa» Chair in Corporate Social Responsibility and Corporate Governance / Ethics in business. Retrieved on January 16, 2014, from IESE Business School - University of Navarra: http://www.iese.edu/research/pdfs/OP-08-10.pdfJay, A. (2002). Machiavelli: lessons for managers. Barcelona: Management 2000.UDD Universidad del Desarrollo de Chile (s / f). Description of the Master in Sustainability Management. Retrieved May 24, 2013 from UDD: http://ingenieria.udd.cl/mga-santiago-concepcion/presentacion/descripcion Don Gotterbarn, Keith Miller, Simon Rogerson (October 1999) «Computer Society and ACM Approve Software Engineering Code of Ethics ». Executive Committee, IEEE-CS / ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices. IEEE Computer.Rosalyn McKeown, Ph.D. (Version 2, July 2002). «Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit». Marks Paul, (August, 2012) “Robot trading loses signed $ 440 million in 45 minutes”.cl / mga-santiago-concepcion / presentation / description Don Gotterbarn, Keith Miller, Simon Rogerson (October 1999) «Computer Society and ACM Approve Software Engineering Code of Ethics». Executive Committee, IEEE-CS / ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices. IEEE Computer.Rosalyn McKeown, Ph.D. (Version 2, July 2002). «Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit». Marks Paul, (August, 2012) “Robot trading loses signed $ 440 million in 45 minutes”.cl / mga-santiago-concepcion / presentation / description Don Gotterbarn, Keith Miller, Simon Rogerson (October 1999) «Computer Society and ACM Approve Software Engineering Code of Ethics». Executive Committee, IEEE-CS / ACM Joint Task Force on Software Engineering Ethics and Professional Practices. IEEE Computer.Rosalyn McKeown, Ph.D. (Version 2, July 2002). «Education for Sustainable Development Toolkit». Marks Paul, (August, 2012) “Robot trading loses signed $ 440 million in 45 minutes”.2012) “Robot trading loses signed $ 440 million in 45 minutes”.2012) “Robot trading loses signed $ 440 million in 45 minutes”.
