Ethics Essay ITECH XXXXXXXXXXProfessional Development CRICOS Provider No. 00103D 2 itech XXXXXXXXXXessay XXXXXXXXXXdoc Page 1 of 5 Topic Online Social Networks Due Date Week 7 – Monday, August 27, 2012, 4:00 pm Worth 20% (40 marks – ITECH XXXXXXXXXX% (50 marks – ITECH 7203) Course Objectives This assessment task relates to the following course objectives: • understand the principles of the Australian Computer Society Code of Ethics to IT professional practice • value and understand the legal, social and ethical issues involved in IT professional practice within a cultural context Background According to Turban et al XXXXXXXXXXa social network is a place where people create their own space, or homepage, on which they write blogs; post pictures, videos, or music; share ideas; and link to other Web locations they find interesting. Business-oriented social networks (BOSN) also known as professional social networks are social networks whose primary objective is to facilitate business. Currently the main difference between a social network and a BOSN is the purpose of their use, although this distinction is becoming blurred. The size of social networking sites is growing rapidly, with some having over 100 million members (Turban et al, XXXXXXXXXXWhilst the rapid expansion of BOSN’s have brought many benefits to individuals and organisations such as marketing, advertising and communication, there are also many issues associated with their use such as security, privacy, misuse etc. Requirements In this assignment, students are required to work in teams (3-4 members), to undertake an ethical analysis of the benefits and risks associated with the use of social networking sites in a community and/or business context. Your team will prepare an essay which analyses social networks through the lens of the four ethical philosophies presented in lectures in conjunction with the Australian Computer Society’s (ACS) code of ethics. When analysing online social networks, teams should consider the following ethical dilemmas: • Are the capabilities and services provided by online social networks appropriate? • Who should govern online social networks? Ethics Essay ITECH XXXXXXXXXXProfessional Development CRICOS Provider No. 00103D 2 itech XXXXXXXXXXessay XXXXXXXXXXdoc Page 2 of 5 • How can the use of online social networks benefit individuals, organisations and/or the community? • What are the issues associated with the use of online social networks for individuals, organisations and/or the community? For assistance in essay writing techniques, see: http://guerin.ballarat.edu.au/aasp/is/library/assignment_research/tutorials/essaywriting/module1/index.shtml Essays should contain the following components and be structured as follows. • title page • abstract • table of contents • introduction • ethical analysis of online social networks o utilitarianism * o deontology * o social contract * o character * • conclusion • references • appendices * denotes individual student contributions, all other sections are to be completed by the team Writing should be validated with concepts from other people’s work. Gather these references from various sources such as the Internet, assigned text books and readings etc. For assistance with in-text referencing and formatting your reference list in APA format, see: APA citation style. This assessment task should be completed in two phases. In phase one each student undertakes an individual task, and in phase two, students complete a team based task. Individual Tasks Each individual member of the team is to write a section of the essay (between XXXXXXXXXXwords) on the case study provided i.e. online social networks. Each section of the essay should have a heading which indicates the theory used and the name of the person writing it. The opening paragraph of each section should outline both the case study and the ethical theory to be discussed. The body of each section should discuss additional research undertaken on the ethical theory and the application of the theory to the case study, in the context of the ethical dilemmas listed above. Each individual essay is to apply only ONE of the following theoretical perspectives: • Consequence-based ethical theory (Utilitarianism) • Duty-based ethical theory (Deontology) • Rights-based ethical theory (Social contract) • Virtue-based ethical theory (Character) Additionally the ACS code of ethics should be consulted for its contribution to the case. For the purposes of this essay, the code should be interpreted from the viewpoint of the specific ethical theory selected i.e. consequences, duties, rights or virtues. Students in the same group must choose an ethical theory different from the other members of the group. A group of 3 should omit the virtue-based ethical theory. In exceptional circumstances where a group of 2 must be used, the consequence-based ethical theory should be chosen by one group member and either the dutybased theory or the rights-based theory by the other member. Ethics Essay ITECH XXXXXXXXXXProfessional Development CRICOS Provider No. 00103D 2 itech XXXXXXXXXXessay XXXXXXXXXXdoc Page 3 of 5 Team Tasks Teams should be formalised prior to or in the week 2 tutorial. Students who are absent from that tutorial, for any reason, will be assigned to a team by their tutor and assigned one of the four ethical theories on which the essay is to be based by the members of the team that are present. This assessment task is to be submitted by each team as a single essay, with the individual sections appended together. The essay should include a team abstract, a team introduction, a team conclusion and a team list of references. A reference used in more than one section should be listed once only. The assessment criteria and feedback provides guidelines and a breakdown of individual and team marks. Students are advised to read it carefully. The team conclusion should be written after consensus has been reached by the whole team and should begin by summarising the individual contributions. Responsibility for creation of the abstract, team conclusion and common reference list should be a shared responsibility and should be checked by all members of the team. As part of the appendices, there should be a brief list of the contributions of each member of the team in addition to the writing of the essay. This might be meeting minutes, writing the first draft of abstract, conclusion or list of references and/or proofreading an essay written by another team member and/or contributing in other ways to the work of the team. Additional Task for Postgraduate (ITECH 7203) Students Write a set of recommendations, on your overall preferred ethical approach for solving the ethical dilemmas posed. Explore each of the various options, and indicate why one option is preferred over another. Use references to validate your work. Include this in the team essay as an appendix. Clearly label with student name and identification number. Academic Writing and Presentation Please refer to the General guide for the presentation of academic work, available electronically on the university’s website. URL: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/current-students/learning-and-study/resources/generalguide-for-the-presentation-of-academic-work. Adhere to the academic writing standards such as correct grammar and spelling, and presentation and layout as outlined in the guide. Submission Please submit an ELECTRONIC copy only via Moodle (Mt Helen students only). Please refer to the “Course Description” for information regarding late assignments, extensions, special consideration, and plagiarism. A reminder all academic regulations can be accessed via the university’s website. URL: http://www.ballarat.edu.au/handbook Ethics Essay ITECH XXXXXXXXXXProfessional Development CRICOS Provider No. 00103D 2 itech XXXXXXXXXXessay XXXXXXXXXXdoc Page 4 of 5 Assessment Criteria & Feedback ITECH 3203 Students Student Name Ethics Essay Criteria Marking Scale Poor Excellent 1 .... XXXXXXXXXX5 Individual – introduction & summation of section 5 – review of ethical theory 5 – application of theory to ethical dilemma 5 – contribution of ACS code of ethics 5 Individual Total [20 marks] 20.0 Team – essay quality & structure 5 – evidence of team participation 5 – academic writing & presentation 5 – bibliography & in-text referencing 5 Team Total [20 marks] 20.0 Total Overall Mark [40 marks] 40.0 Total Worth [20%] 20.0 Comments Marked by Date Ethics Essay ITECH XXXXXXXXXXProfessional Development CRICOS Provider No. 00103D 2 itech XXXXXXXXXXessay XXXXXXXXXXdoc Page 5 of 5 Assessment Criteria & Feedback ITECH 7203 Students Student Name Ethics Essay Criteria Marking Scale Poor Excellent 1 .... XXXXXXXXXX5 Individual – introduction & summation of section 0 – review of ethical theory 0 – application of theory to ethical dilemma 0 – contribution of ACS code of ethics 0 Additional Tasks for Post-Graduate (ITECH 7203) Students: 0 – exploration of various solutions 0 – set of recommendations 0 Individual Total [30 marks] 0.0 Team – essay quality & structure 0 – evidence of team participation 0 – academic writing & presentation 0 – bibliography & in-text referencing 0 Team Total [20 marks] 0.0 Total Overall Mark [50 marks] 0.0 Total Worth [20%] 0.0 Comments Marked by Date