My research topic is on ethical behavior of information systems (IS) professionals and whether there is a need for unified code of conduct.

 Abstract

Business ethics focuses on realization of ethics theories in real life within organizations. In its application business ethics attempts to understand and shape peoples interactions within internal and external environments and the norms they follow. Many research studies were undertaken on holistic look at business ethics within various groups, departments and organizations, yet very few, allocated enough attention to information system (IS) professionals specifically. Every day, IS professionals come across ethically ambiguous situations where generic business ethics may not provide enough foundation for decision making? Furthermore, IS professionals’ classifications change and increase in their number as a response to rapid development of technologies and surge of diverse specializations such as network analysts, programmers and security analysts among many. Various IS professional organizations adopt their own code of conduct to outline ethical behaviors and provide guidelines. Recent years have witnessed proliferating efforts by various stakeholders to jeopardize privacy of computer/ internet users and cybercrimes. In response, national IS societies, including Canadian, are undertaking projects to identify and promulgate a set of international principles, that are already rooted in professional code of conduct of IS professionals. This paper tries to discuss ethical behavior of IS professionals and if there is a need for a unified and comprehensive code of ethics for them.