Homework Help: Questions and Answers: In which scenario would a technology professional have a social responsibility to question her supervisor?
A. The supervisor explains that a certain number, severity, and type of bugs are acceptable when their software ships to customers.
B. The supervisor tells her to ensure copy protection measures are implemented for their software.
C. The supervisor states that their organization is not responsible if criminals modify their software.
D. The supervisor asks her to write a code module to disable one of a device’s safety features.
Answer
First, let’s understand what “social responsibility” means in a technology context:
Social responsibility in technology refers to the ethical obligation that professionals have to prioritize the safety, welfare, and well-being of users and society over just meeting organizational goals. This includes ensuring products are safe, free from harmful effects, and are ethically developed.
Given Options: Step by Step Answering
a) The supervisor explains that a certain number, severity, and type of bugs are acceptable when their software ships to customers.
- Software can have minor, non-critical bugs, but if these bugs affect safety, security, or user trust, there could be ethical concerns. However, it doesn’t immediately suggest an unethical situation requiring urgent questioning unless the bugs are severe.
b) The supervisor tells her to ensure copy protection measures are implemented for their software
- Implementing copy protection is standard practice to prevent unauthorized use or piracy. This does not raise social responsibility concerns.
c) The supervisor states that their organization is not responsible if criminals modify their software.
- While it raises concerns about cybersecurity, companies often can’t control how their software is used or modified illegally. The ethical duty would focus on how well the software is secured from criminals, but this statement itself does not directly suggest unethical behavior by the supervisor.
d) The supervisor asks her to write a code module to disable one of a device’s safety features.
- Disabling a safety feature could put users at risk of harm, which directly violates the professional’s ethical duty to protect users and ensure their safety. This presents a clear conflict with social responsibility, as it could lead to dangerous consequences.
Final Answer:
Based on the above analysis, the correct answer is:
d) The supervisor asks her to write a code module to disable one of a device’s safety features.
A technology professional has a social responsibility to question their supervisor when asked to disable safety features because:
- It directly endangers users
- Violates professional ethics codes
- Could lead to harm or injury
- Safety features exist for protection and removing them is inherently dangerous
All other scenarios involve normal business practices or legal matters that don’t pose direct safety risks to users.
Learn More: Homework Help
Q. Which of the following would NOT be considered an accurate characteristic of high-quality data?
Q. How are dates from January 1, 1900, through December 31, 9999, stored?
Q. Which of the following Big O notations is appropriate for the complexity of a search algorithm?
Q. Which of the following Big O notations is appropriate for the complexity of a sort algorithm?