Review Professional Practice In Information Technology

Question: Discuss about theProfessional Practice in Information Technology. Answer: Introduction Conflict of interest refers to a situation where the parties involved are faced with a scenario that may affect their ability to make sound and wise decisions, and this may lead to financial or any other relevant form of loss (Taylor and Curtis, 2010, p. 21). In the case study 2, conflict of interest arises because Michael, who is the IT manager is supposed to procure an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that will help his company to function effectively and efficiently but that may not happen if he decides to select his friends company B instead of choosing company A. Ethical Issues Arising from this Scenario Lack of Transparency If Michael decides to choose company B over company A due to friendship, then that transaction will not be transparent as it is clear something is wrong. Corruption Although company B has less initial costs than Company A, company B should not be chosen as it has extra costs that will hurt the firm. Professional Issues Arising from Michaels Scenario: Breaching Terms of Employment Employees in all organizations are employed to bring benefits to the enterprise and help the organization to achieve its goals which include minimizing costs (Wamick and Silverman, 2011, p. 280). However, in this case, Michael will increase the costs of operations if he decides to choose company B over A and this will be breaching the terms of employment. Acting in Bad Faith By Michael choosing, B against A will make him be termed not to be acting in good faith as he will not have chosen the company that will make the organization to be more effective and efficient in carrying out its transactions. Hence, this will hurt the firm. (Corey et al., 2014, p. 66). Legal Issues Arising from Case Study 2 Breach of Contract Michael will have violated his terms of the contract if decides not to choose company A which is slightly better than group B which belongs to his friend Steve hence not doing what is best for the company. Failure to Act in Due Diligence and care. According to De-Cuir-Gunby, (2011, p. 1070), due diligence and care involves Michael taking reasonable steps to do what is right and satisfies all legal requirements. Michael should not choose B over A. Recommendations Michael and his firm should consider implementing the following recommendations: Follow the Codes of Ethics Which Include Performing duties competently and diligently as per the clients and employers interests when necessary Trying to enhance the life of those affected by my work Serving the interest of my employers and customers with no less priority. Outsourcing from Employment Agencies Due to the existence of a conflict of interest, the firm should outsource the procurement process to another company so that the organization can get the best software without putting Michael in a rocky relationship with his friend. Third Party Evaluations Michaels firm should hire an independent firm to oversee the purchase of the software so as to ensure the transaction entirely benefits the organization (Marchalant et al., 2009, p. 1074). Thomas Whites 3 Basic Steps for Solving Ethical Dilemma Michael should consider following Thomas Whites 3 basic steps for solving ethical dilemma: Analysis of the consequences Michael should consider the consequences of not doing what is best for the firm and consequences of not selecting his friends company and then make decisions to avoid heavy consequences. Analysis of the actions Choose the action/decision that has fewer problems afterwards to the companys IT operations Make a decision. Now the firm should consider both the actions and the consequences of its decision before making a decision and if so is done, a sound decision will be made. Conclusion Conflict of interest is our organizations is one the major reasons why firms make poor and unsound decisions and therefore, necessary actions should be taken to avoid severe consequences that are associated with making decisions without putting into consideration due care and diligence. References Corey, G., Corey, M.S., Corey, C. and Callanan, P., 2014.Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions with 2014 ACA Codes. Nelson Education. DeCuir-Gunby, J.T., Marshall, P.L. and McCulloch, A.W., 2011. Developing and using a codebook for the analysis of interview data: An example from a professional development research project.Field Methods,23(2), pp.136-155. Marchalant, Y., Brothers, H.M. and Wenk, G.L., 2009. Conflict of interest.Molecular Psychiatry,14, pp.1069-1071. Taylor, E.Z. and Curtis, M.B., 2010. An examination of the layers of workplace influences in ethical judgments: Whistleblowing likelihood and perseverance in public accounting.Journal of Business Ethics,93(1), pp.21-37. Warnick, B.R. and Silverman, S.K., 2011. A framework for professional ethics courses in teacher education.Journal of Teacher Education,62(3), pp.273-285.