The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is a trade group representing the world s lar

gest software and hardware manufacturers; mission is to stop the unauthorized co

pying of software

Professional code of ethics

States the principles and core values essential to the work of an occupational g
roup.
Ethics in Information Technology, Second Edition
page 54-55
IT usage policy defines appropriate and inappropriate IT user behavior
US Code of Federal Regulations defines a professional as someone who meets these
criteria:
Duties require advanced studies in a recognized field.
One s instruction, study, or work is original and creative.
Job requires consistent exercise of discretion and judgment.
Job is predominately intellectual and varied in character
Codes of Ethics
A professional code of ethics states the principles and core values essential to
the work of a particular occupational group.
Most codes of ethics have two main parts:
Aspirations of the organization
Rules and/or principles
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)
Association of Information Technology Professionals (AITP)
Computer Society of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEECS)

Negligence is the omission to do something which a reasonable person would do, o

r something which a prudent and reasonable person would not do.
Duty of care refers to the obligation that we not cause any unreasonable harm to
others.
Professional malpractice is when a professional breaches duty of care - commonly
referred to as liability.

Duty of care: obligation to protect people against any unreasonable harm or risk
Reasonable person standard
Reasonable professional standard

Professional malpractice: professionals who breach the duty of care are liable f
or injuries that their negligence causes

Professional code of ethics

States the principles and core values essential to the work of an occupational g
roup
Serves as a guideline for ethical decision making
Promotes high standards of practice and behavior
Enhances trust and respect from the general public
Provides an evaluation benchmark

Licensing and certification of IT professionals would increase the reliability a

nd effectiveness of information systems.

An overview of the IT usage policy at the University of Cincinnati

Guiding principles
Applicable laws and regulations
Resource limits
Privacy
Access
Security
Plagiarism and copyright
Enforcement