1. Introduction to Ethics and Professionalism

Ethical questions are non-empirical
- Are solved without observation and experimentation

What is a profession?

A profession requires 6 things,

1. Intellectual Basis, requires a good education
2. Private Practice, being a contractor??
3. Advisory Function, give advice then act on it if it is accepted - has control over their work (not a ‘slave’)
4. Tradition of service, not working purely for money??
5. Representative Institute, one or more institutes representing the profession
6. Code of Conduct, a code of professional ethics enforced by the institute or institutes

The last thing is must have a protected term such as a ‘Doctor’ or a ‘Chartered IT professional’

Codes of Conduct

There are several professional bodies that govern computing such as:

• The Association of Computing Machinery (ACM)
• The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
• The British Computing Society (BCS)
  All these codes contain some commitment to:

1. Acting in the public interest
2. Avoiding harm to other people