Management and the Technology Professional – B302
Case study answer 1
The most compelling reason why I should not have developed the rootkit software is the possible effect or consequence(s) of developing it.
In an organization, decision making is of great importance at all levels as it determines how well a company will grow or stand the test of time. Unfortunately, due to pressure and the desire to save money, a number of organizations make wrong decisions without careful consideration of the consequences of their actions.
In making a decision not to produce this controversial software, the Utilitarian or Consequentialist ethical theory would be a more a more pragmatic and compelling theory to adopt. It stipulates that a decision should be made based on the most desirable outcome. This forms the basis of my decision. In order to come up with this decision, I would have made a careful look at the following factors:
Effects on the organization: It was said that the image of organization was dented as a result of the development of the software. It was also said that the hard earned customers that the company was trying to keep had started complaining. This would have been envisaged.
Code of Conduct: This singular act of producing this software led to the violation of the following British Computer code of conduct:
Public Interest
- In your professional role, you shall have regard for public health, safety and environment.
- You shall have regard for the legitimate rights of third part..
In as much as I would like to provide a solution for $4.2 billion loss of the industry, violating the professional standard required by the society would not have been an option.
Effects on the Public: In this case study, Brian Krebs expresses the fears and the nightmares of irate fans that used the product. The effects include vulnerability of exploitation of the software by hackers, Ability of the software to be used to create malicious software like worms, virus and so on, possible crash of users operating system and CD player.
A good product plan would have helped me in envisaging these effects on both the organization and on the public. As the lead team in the development of this software, it is my responsibility to communicate these consequences to my senior managers and other members of the team.
