©1999 Addison Wesley Longman Slide 7.1 Human and Ethical Issues 7

©1999 Addison Wesley Longman Slide 7.1

Human and Ethical Issues

7


Table 7.1Making New Hire Data Available for Enforcing Child Support Obligations


Table 7.1 Making New Hire Data Available for Enforcing Child Support Obligations

CUSTOMER

Spouses to whom child support is owed

State welfare agencies trying to enforce child support obligations



PRODUCT

Identification of new address and new job of nonpaying ex-spouse

Greater ability to enforce payment of child support



BUSINESS PROCESS

Major steps related to gathering data:

•Employers submit new hire identification quarterly

•Federal government consolidates this data into a single database

Major steps related to using data:

•Identify ex-spouses who have not met child support obligations

•Search for them in the database

•Take action, such as withholding part of their pay

Rationale:

•Ex-spouses with child support obligations sometimes move to avoid paying

•New hire data should be made available to enforce child support obligations



PARTICIPANTS

Employers

Federal government

State welfare agencies

INFORMATION

Name, social security number, address, wages, and employer for each new hire

TECHNOLOGY

Computer system for storing the data

Network for accessing the data


Table 7.2Human Versus Machine Strengths and Weaknesses

ENDURANCEPeople: •Become tired and bored•Need variety•Need to stop to rest and eat

CONSISTENCYPeople:•Often somewhat inconsistent even when doing highly structured tasks

SPEEDPeople:•Comparatively slow in storing, retrieving, and manipulating data

MEMORYPeople:•Often forget things•Time required for remembering is unpredictable•Able to retrieve information based on associations not programmed in advance

Machines:•Never become tired or bored•Don’t need variety•Need to stop for servicing

Machines:•Operate totally consistent with their programmed instructions

Machines•Enormously fast in storing, retrieving, and manipulating data

Machines:•Storage and retrieval times are predictable•In most cases can retrieve data based only on associations programmed in advance


Table 7.2Human Versus Machine Strengths and weaknesses

ABILITY TO PERFORM PROGRAMMED TASKSPeople: •Can perform highly structured work, but may find it boring and unsatisfying

UNDERSTANDINGPeople:•Capable of understanding the meaning of work•Want to understand the meaning of work

IMAGINATIONPeople:•Can invert new ideas and associations•Can draw conclusions from data without using formulas

ABILITY TO SEE THE WHOLEPeople:•Can recognize things as wholes in addition to recognizing details

Machines:•Can only perform totally structured tasks (which may be parts of larger tasks that are not totally structured)

Machines:•Incapable of understanding the meaning of work•Only capable of following unambiguous instructions

•Machines•Basically unable to invent ideas•In a few limited areas, can draw conclusions by combining specific facts in preprogrammed ways

Machines:•Recognize details and combine them into recognizable wholes only through appropriate programming


Table 7.3Characteristics of a Healthy Job

SKILLSYou can use and increase your skills.

MEANINGFULNESSYou understand and respect the importance of your work and understand how it fits into the organization’s work.

AUTONOMYYou can control your work. You are not made to feel childish by the methods of supervision.

SOCIAL RELATIONSYour job includes collaboration and communication with others.

PSYCHOLOGICAL DEMANDSYour job includes a mix of routine demands and new but reasonable demands. You have some control over what demands to accept.

PERSONAL RIGHTSYou feel that you have appropriate personal rights at work and have reasonable ways to settle grievances.

INTEGRATION WITH LIFE OUTSIDE WORKThe job does not interfere excessively with your ability to participate in family and community life.


Figure 7.1Guidelines for VDT users


Figure 7.3Increasing autonomy through tools


Figure 7.2Cockpit of a Boeing 777 airliner


Box 7.1Different types of computer-mediated work

COMPUTER-MEDIATED PRODUCTION WORK

COMPUTER-MEDIATED OFFICE WORK OR RECORD KEEPING

COMPUTER-MEDIATED INTELLECTUAL WORK

COMPUTER-MEDIATED CONTROL OR SUPERVISION


Table 7.4 Alternative Levels of User Involvement in System Development

NONINVOLVEMENTUsers are unwilling to participate, unable to contribute, or are not invited to participate.

INVOLVEMENT BY ADVICEUser advice is solicited through interviews or questionnaires, but others make decisions about which features are included in the system.

INVOLVEMENT BY SIGN-OFFUsers approve the results produced by the project team, but are not actively involved in analyzing or designing the system.

INVOLVEMENT BY DESIGN TEAM MEMBERSHIPUsers participate actively in design activities, such as interviews of other users and creation of functional specifications and external specifications.

INVOLVEMENT BY PROJECT TEAM MEMBERSHIP, MANAGEMENT, AND PROJECT OWNERSHIPUsers participate throughout the entire project, including initiation, development, implementation, and operation; a user representative manages the project; the user organization owns the project.


Figure 7.6Importance of involvement and committment during implementation


Table 7.5Common Explanations of Resistance to Information Systems

People: •Perhaps the resisting users are not smart enough to understand the system’s advantages.The system:•Perhaps the system is too difficult to learn in a reasonable amount of time or too difficult to use effectively.Interactions:•Perhaps the system is wrong for these particular users.

People: •Perhaps users are involved in a political fight unrelated to the system.The system:•Perhaps the system is causing a political problem for some of the users.Interactions:•Perhaps the system will change the political distribution of power in the organization.

People: •Perhaps users are lazy and want to continue doing things the outmoded way they have always worked.The system:•Perhaps the system doesn’t solve enough of the problem to make the change worthwhile.Interactions:•Perhaps the system will help some users but harm others by increasing their workloads or devaluing their skills.


Table 7.5Common Explanations of Resistance to Information Systems

People: •Perhaps users’ complaints about missing or poorly designed features are an excuse for not plunging in.The system:•Perhaps the system is poorly designed.Interactions:•Perhaps the system needs to be enhanced to make it more effective for these users.

People: •Perhaps users are overly perfectionistic in their expectations.The system:•Perhaps the system doesn’t solve the problem well.Interactions:•Perhaps the system doesn’t meet expectations and needs to be improved.


Table 7.6Distinctions between Ethical Issues and Legal Issues

WHAT IS THE BASIS?Ethics: Customs and beliefs about how people should treat each otherLaws and regulations: A combination of:•society’s consensus about ethics•practical issues about what can be enforced•historical precedents from existing laws

WHO IS THE JUDGE?Ethics: IndividualsLaws and regulations: Judges appointed or elected through a governmental process

WHAT IS THE PRICE OF NONCONFORMANCE?Ethics: Criticism or ostracismLaws and regulations: Legal penalties such as fines or jail sentences

DOES THE PRINCIPLE HAVE GEOGRAPHICAL BOUNDARIES?Ethics: May differ from society to society or region to regionLaws and regulations: May differ from society to society or region to region


Figure 7.7Extending technology to increase access


Table 7.7Positive and Negative Impacts of Innovations Mentioned in This Chapter

NATIONAL DATABASE OF NEW HIRESPositive impacts: Helps track down parents who fail to pay child supportNegative impacts: Jeopardizes privacy of millions of workers who have no child support obligations

SOFTWARE THAT MONITORS USE OF CORPORATE NETWORKSPositive impacts: Identifies people who spend too much time playing games; identifies best users of particular softwareNegative impacts: Promotes feeling that Big Brother is always watching

COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS FOR MONITORING TRUCK USAGEPositive impacts: Increased efficiency through better use of equipment and timeNegative impacts: Reduced feeling of autonomy; feeling of being spied on and distrusted

COMPUTERIZED SYSTEMS FOR INSURANCE UNDERWRITINGPositive impacts: Better service to customers; shorter training time; better work conditionsNegative impacts: De-skilling of experienced underwriters

USE OF AUTO PILOTS IN AIRPLANESPositive impacts: Greater safety and consistencey in many situationsNegative impacts: Mental disengagement of pilots; de-skilling

DATA PROCESSING AUTOMATION OF INSURANCE CLAIMSPositive impacts: Greater productivity in claim processingNegative impacts: Decreased social interaction at work; feelings of alienation


Table 7.7Positive and Negative Impacts of Innovations Mentioned in This Chapter

AUDITING THROUGH A COMPUTERPositive impacts: Less need to travel to branches because the computer provides informationNegative impacts: Increasing abstractness of work; difficulty relating numbers to reality

HIGHLY STRUCTURED WORK IN FAST FOOD RESTAURANTSPositive impacts: Making it likely that somewhat unskilled workers will produce consistent resultsNegative impacts: Feeling that the work requires participants to act like machines

DEVELOPMENT OF NATIONAL CREDIT-RATING SERVICESPositive impacts: Better information for decisions related to granting credit, renting apartments, and hiring employeesNegative impacts: Possibility of incorrect decisions based on incorrect information in the database; possibility that information will be retrieved and used illegally

USE OF PROFILING IN INSURANCE SALESPositive impacts: Creates a better understanding of client needs; informs client about need for disability insuranceNegative impacts: Makes the sales process lengthier and more complex

PROLIFERATION OF ELECTRONIC INFORMATION ON VARIOUS MEDIAPositive impacts: Ability to disseminate and use that information more effectivelyNegative impacts: New opportunities to steal that information and use it illegally

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©1999 Addison Wesley Longman Slide 7.1 Human and Ethical Issues 7