Running head: COPYRIGHT CONCERNS Topic: Copyright Concerns Student name: Instructor name: Course name: Date: Copyright Concerns 2 Table of Contents Identifies Dilemma.......................................................................................................................... 3 Establish the Facts in a Situation ................................................................................................ 3 Determine Ethical Issues............................................................................................................. 3 Evaluate Your Options ................................................................................................................ 4 Choose the Best Option .............................................................................................................. 4 Considers Stakeholders ................................................................................................................... 5 Analyzes Alternatives ..................................................................................................................... 5 Choose an Action ............................................................................................................................ 5 References: ...................................................................................................................................... 7 Copyright Concerns 3 Ethics entail making decisions that suit a scenario in different approaches. Individuals comprehend the impact of moral behavior and ethical decisions to their lives. Dilemmas face people in their lives and they must choose an option as either true or false and be ready to defend their decisions. One might generate a feeling that a behavior is wrong while in other cases they might not even know what decision suits the uncertainty they face. The study focuses on Ralph, an entry level engineer that’s found caught between developing a new code for their software application and re-using a code which he already used in another company which has the potential of putting the company on a lawsuit. Identifies Dilemma Establish the Facts in a Situation Ralph had worked as an intern in a company and developed lines of codes which greatly improved the working of an application they developed. According to Crane, (2016), he got the first job as an entry-level software developer at SDX Alliance Company he unknowingly got himself in a compromising scenario, (p. 35). SDX Alliance Company got in the same scenario and they needed a functionality that’s similar to that which Ralph had developed. He applied the same line of code that generated massive success in the operation of the computer program developed. That’s where the problem arose because it got identified that the line of code remained a copyright of the first company that employed Ralph. Determine Ethical Issues Normative ethics concerns with the outcome of people’s actions like that of Ralph. Normative ethics distinguishes bad things against the goods ones and requires people to value the actions. Human beings are special creatures with rules that guide the manner they live with one another. In particular, consequentialism illustrated that morality depends on the outcomes of Copyright Concerns 4 one’s results. Morally right actions entail the ones that generate tolerable outcomes. The consequences of an action let it get classified as good or bad. Ralph had unknowingly committed a crime against his former company by re-using lines of code that got copyrighted against another company’s name. According to Crane, (2016), it’s a legal offense that might subject SDX Alliance Company into a legal battle against another institution, (p. 63). Knowingly or unknowingly, the law has no leniency for a person that commits an offense without knowing. Problems identified resolved the early the better. Evaluate Your Options The team had three alternatives which they would ponder to proceed with their project. The first alternative involved seeking the company that owned the copyright and request the use of the code for business purpose and the deal would get settled either formally or informally. Otherwise, they would wait for months while they worked on another software code lines that would meet their objectives. The last option that wasn’t ethical involved using the code lines because they assumed the company had closed down their business. Choose the Best Option The most appropriate deal entailed making a formal request to the copyright owner of the code lines or sending Ralph to the company so that they may reuse the codes. Once they were made aware and they had the option to either decline or agree to the deal. If SDX Alliance didn’t want to get involved with the company they might develop their codes until they became successful after all Ralph works in the company and knows the features and functionalities of the previous code. Copyright Concerns 5 Considers Stakeholders Two main companies get involved in the scenario, SDX Alliance and the former company that Ralph worked as an intern. Kauffman, (2013) argued that Ralph didn’t imagine that copyright laws exist or even they include issues lines of code produced for programs, (P.52). Ralph made SDX Alliance infringe the copyrighted property of another institution and it would land them into problems. They needed to act spontaneously and act within the law. Analyzes Alternatives Ralph’s manager identified that the lines of code belonged to another company; even though Ralph acknowledged that he copied them from a previous system he developed for the company. If they used the copyrighted code lines under the knowledge of the parent company, it would let them operate transparently and with the permission of the institution. On the other hand, if they illegally retained the code lines without their knowledge, it’s not ethical even if it doesn’t mean that they won’t get caught. The question is whether they would survive that way forever with uncertainties of getting caught. If they resorted to the development of new lines of codes, it might increase the timeline for development of the software and the program might be running after a longer duration of time. Choose an Action In lieu of getting involved with other companies and running legal battles that won’t end well with SDX Alliance, they would have developed their lines of code. Ralph worked with them and he knows the running of the code in the previous company. Mizzoni, (2014) argued that he might develop a completely new line of code and set the company free of any litigation, (p.73). Ethical decision making requires a person to make decisions that favor the majority and does Copyright Concerns little or no harm. Consequentialism required Ralph and SDX Alliance not to engage in any sideshows whose consequences might get detrimental to them. Making a new line of code keeps all legal complains at bay and enhances transparency. 6 Copyright Concerns References: Crane, A. (2016). Business ethics: Managing corporate citizenship and sustainability in the age of globalization. Oxford University Press. Kauffman, K. D. (2013). Legal ethics. Albany, N.Y: Delmar. Mizzoni, J. (2014). Ethics: The basics. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell. 7 
Purchase answer to see full attachment