AUTHOR
Kiyoshi Murata
ABSTRACT
Nowadays, information and communication technology (ICT) is ubiquitous, and the quality of our home, work and social life is significantly dependent on the quality of ICT-based information systems. Since the majority of ICT and ICT-based information systems are developed and used in business organisations, ICT workers, including ICT professionals and ICT non-professionals or end-users, have both intentional and unintentional power over the general public. They have to recognise their responsibility to the general public and develop a professional outlook and attitude in order to create and maintain a safe and reliable information society.
Well-organised codes of conduct for guiding ICT workers in their professional behaviour have already been laid down; however, these codes may not function well on their own, unsupported by context. An ICT worker is not necessarily an independent and unchallenged entity; he/she works within a complex environment filled with various types of stress and pressure. This context might affect individual decisions, which may result in unprofessional behaviour, even though that individual has made a conscious decision to abide by a code. Therefore, the construction of an appropriately professional working environment, designed to encourage ICT workers to develop their sense of professional ethics, could offer a useful strategy for making codes of ICT professional conduct more effective.