CS 302 Professional Issues

Tutorial - Week 10

  1. Complete any outstanding material from last week's tutorial.

  2. As we know, the BCS Code of Conduct outlines a minimum professional standard of behaviour with which all members must comply. How should the issue of plagiarism by a student member be treated?

    Is plagiarism a breach of the Code of Conduct? If action is taken against a student by the University or college at which they are studying, should that action be reported to BCS, for possible further action under the Code? If the institution does not report the action, do individual members of staff have a professional responsibility to do so?

    If a member is found guilty of a breach of the code - whether for plagiarism or for anything else - is it appropriate for public announcement of the wrong-doing to be made? Indeed, would it be a consequential breach of the code (by the members of the relevant discipline committee) if public announcement were not made?

    Where do you feel the balance should lie between the requirements of the Code and what might be regarded as wider issues of natural justice and fairness?

  3. Following group discussion, complete the following phrases.

    1. The two principal divisions of the Scottish legal system are

      1. civil and criminal law
      2. criminal and domestic law
      3. domestic and business law
      4. business and civil law
      5. business and criminal law.

    2. If I keep personal information about my friends on a computer system, I am potentially breaking

      1. the Computer Misuse Act and the Data Protection Act, if the computer is my own
      2. the Computer Misuse Act and the Data Protection Act, if the computer belongs to the Department of Computer & Information Sciences
      3. the Data Protection Act only, regardless of the computer system
      4. the Computer Misuse Act only
      5. no laws.

  4. (Half an exam question, possibly for later consideration) As manager of a computer network, you have the responsibility for guarding against misuse of your company's computers. Some areas of misuse will be criminal offences, while others might be regarded as ethical issues. Identify the principal likely patterns of misuse, and explain how you would guard against them. See also the related question about the University, which question is on next week's sheet.

© Paul Goldfinch 2008 Tutorial Week 11 Return to CS 302 Menu