Working with confidential data and information brings with it various levels of responsibility and accountability. Knowing how to approach these types of situations responsibly will ensure your appropriate accountability later. For example, analysts typically have access to confidential or sensitive data during the requirements discovery phase of a project, particularly during fact-finding. Analysts need to be aware of situations where there may be a breach of professional ethics, whether by acts of commission or omission, and the possible consequences.

Search the web and/or in business periodicals for articles on incidents involving breaches of professional ethics. Select two articles that report on such types of professional ethics violations and then answer the following discussion questions.

Discussion Questions:

Provide a summary of the article you selected.
What was the nature of each of these incidents?
What were the consequences?
What was the perpetrator’s personal responsibility in each incident?
What could have been done at the organizational and/or individual level to prevent the incident or to reduce its severity?