J . Michael Pearson , Leon Crosby , and J . P . Shim Measuring the Importance of Ethical Behavior Criteria

ue to the sensitive nature of and value associated with the different types of information required by today’s managers, organizations must insist the accuracy of the information provided by their computer-based systems is above reproach. Unfortunately, recent cases involving software piracy, data theft, system espionage and employee monitoring have emphasized the unethical behavior that can accompany the use of information technology. Anecdotal experiences and past studies have indicated that two of the more common causes of the misapplication of information technology are: 1) the organization’s computer system is not secure from unauthorized outside agencies and 2) the inside keepers of the information system(s) are not able/willing to operate in an ethical manner. As organizations become more reliant on IT, it is obvious that the actions of the information systems professionals can have a tremendous impact on the success or failure of their organizations. If the IS professional is to fill this strategic role, it is critical that individuals within this profession act in an ethical and responsible manner. Currently three major professional IS associations have proposed ethical standards for the IS profession: the Data Processing Management Association (DPMA), the Institute for Certification of Computer Professionals (ICCP), and the ACM. A recent review of these codes found that, while these codes of conduct have many differing and conflicting principles, they also have several behavioral principles in common [2, 4]. These include statements about obligations to society; obligations to employer; obligations to clients; obligations to colleagues; obligations to professional organizations; and obligations to profession. Oz concluded these principles represent criteria that should be present within any comprehensive professional code of ethics and that the IS profession must aspire to one coherent code of professional conduct if its members are to be recognized as professionals [5]. This study examined three issues related to the IS professional’s evaluation of ethical behavior: 1) the impact of individual characteristics on the IS professional’s ability to identify the role of certain decision criteria in his/her ethical evaluations; 2) to which set of ethical standards the IS professional is most likely to adhere (i.e., a professional code of ethics or a code of ethics set forth by the organization); and 3) the IS professional’s ability and/or willingness to conduct himself/herself in an ethical manner. This study found that gender, whether the IS professional believed a code of ethics was needed, and/or whether the organization considered itself an ethical leader had no impact on the IS member’s ability or inability to identify between the different ethical criteria tested in this study. However, age of the respondent and the respondent’s position within the organization did significantly impact the respondent’s