Ethics - Professionalism and Governance Professional Environments

Question: Discuss about the Ethics, Professionalism and Governance Professional Environments. Answer: Introduction: The case study is an apt example of the violation of professional ethics and codes of conduct. Courtney is employed as a programmer for a small company that works in the area of web development with health care as its primary domain. She did not receive due credit for her efforts and work done towards development of a new system. Michael took away all of the credit and acknowledgment associated with the new system. The case study showcases the violation of some of the essential codes and guidelines set up by the Australian Computer Society (ACS). As per ACS Code of Ethics and Code of Professional Conduct, there are six essential ethical values that the employees shall adhere to during all of their professional commitments and activities. These values include primacy of public interest, enhancement of quality of life, honesty, competence, professional development and professionalism (Acs, 2014). There has been violation of honesty, competence, professional development and professionalism in the scenario as stated in the case study. Michael took away the credit for Courtneys efforts which must have been done with the aid of false reporting and dishonest conduct. Also, the appreciation and acknowledgement must fall in line with the effort that is devoted towards a particular task. Michael did not reflect competence and took away the credit for the efforts that were put in by another employee. Such occurrences lead to disturbances in the professional atmosphere and also take a toll on the professional development of an employee and the entire team. ACS Code of Professional Conduct also suggests that there shall be complete professionalism maintained in all the work related activities. There is a clear violation of these values in the case study (Roberts, 2017). There should be mechanisms maintained in the organization to clearly track the activities and performance of the employees through the aid of automated tools and regular audits and reviews. Such activities will ensure that there is complete honesty maintained by the employees in their responsibilities and also in the feedback and credit that is provided in return. Also, it would ensure that there is required competence present among the employees. There shall also be ethical trainings and sessions organized by the managers and human resource department so that the employees are aware of the ethical standards and practices that shall be followed. It would lead to the enhancement of the quality of life along with the professional development of the employees (Metz, 2016). One on one conversation with the leaders and managers would maintain the required level of professionalism within the organization. Such practices would have proved to be advantageous for Courtney as well as stated in the case study. It would have ensured that Courtney received the due credit for her efforts and would have prevented Michael from taking benefit from the situation. There shall also be enhanced reporting done at every organizational level to avoid the ethical and professional misconducts in an organization (Knapp, 2013) References Acs, (2014). ACS Code of Professional Conduct Professional Standards Board Australian Computer Society. [online] Available at: https://www.acs.org.au/content/dam/acs/acs-documents/ACS%20Code-of-Professional-Conduct_v2.1.pdf [Accessed 14 Mar. 2017]. Knapp, S. (2013). The Dark Side of Professional Ethics. [online] Available at: https://www.apa.org/pubs/journals/features/pro-a0035110.pdf [Accessed 14 Mar. 2017]. Metz, M. (2016). Professional Ethics and Business. [online] Professional Ethics and Business. Available at: https://journals.lww.com/thehearingjournal/Fulltext/2016/10000/Professional_Ethics_and_Business.2.aspx [Accessed 14 Mar. 2017]. Roberts, M. (2017). Professional Ethics and the ACS Code. [online] Web.science.mq.edu.au. Available at: https://web.science.mq.edu.au/~mattr/courses/object_oriented_development_practices/7/notes.html [Accessed 14 Mar. 2017].