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Is an Ethical Code Feasible?

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The Responsible Software Engineer

Abstract

This chapter aims to show that ethical codes in Software Engineering, as in any other business, are desirable and necessary, and then offers suggestions as to how ethical precepts might be enforced. It is not directly concerned with the content of any ethical code. It will be argued that it is possible to satisfy three essential conditions before any ethical code can be launched with some possibility of general acceptance. Firstly, an ethical code can be feasible; that is, consonant with the imperatives of the business and organizational world and capable of being absorbed into the system. Secondly, it can be acceptable to those involved and thus likely to be taken up voluntarily. Thirdly, effective sanctions can be devised to discourage breaches of the code.

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© 1997 Springer-Verlag London Limited

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Myers, C., Hall, T., Pitt, D. (1997). Is an Ethical Code Feasible?. In: Myers, C., Hall, T., Pitt, D. (eds) The Responsible Software Engineer. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0923-5_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-0923-5_9

  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-540-76041-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-0923-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

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