CHAPTER 5 : Foundations of Business Intelligence: Databases and Information Management

CASE STUDY 5: MONITORING EMPLOYEES ON NETWORKS UNETHICAL OR GOOD BUSINESSS?

1.  Should managers monitor employee email and internet usage? Why or why not?
     
   I think managers should monitor employees’ email and internet usage during work time. Employees are paid to work. They have a common goal to maximize company’s wealth. Anything beyond this goal should not be done during work hours. As the article said, if employee is caught doing illegal activities online while they are working, the company will be sued. It is wasting company’s resources on unnecessary dispute. Monitoring employee email and internet usage may temporarily reduce employee’s morale. They will not feel free when they use computer. As the time goes by, they may get used to it. The rule will guide they act properly online when they are working. In the long run, it helps company to conduct business efficiency and effectively. Hundred percent of company’s resources is working for generate revenue.
   
   
   
   
   2.      Describe an effective email and web use policy for a company.
   An effective email and web use policy should include clear guide line what action is permitted and what is not, such as racist and sexually explicit has to be banned. Any employee step inside the banned area could be fire immediately. Also, managers could make the policy flexible. They could allow employee doing non work-related legal online surfing and email during break time and lunch time with limited speed load. If they occupied too much speed load, the regular online traffic will be blocked which could damage both hardware and software on company’s server. Since the policy is adopted, everyone in the company should work base on it, even include managers because employee will not be convinced if they see their boss does personal activities online during work time. Furthermore, everyone’s online activities should be kept in privacy as long as it is legal. Managers do not have the right to ask employee what they do online during break time and lunch hour. Also company has the responsibility to maintain the hardware and software which block spam because it could because employees read non-work related information from their email inbox and hardly to find a legitimate email among hundreds spam.
   
   
     
   3.      How does RFID technology threaten individual privacy? Should retailers have a RFID privacy policy? Why or why not? What issue should the privacy policy address?
   
   
   RFID is a technology, which tags are attached by manufacturers or sellers in order to track products’ information. It could minimize the lost, stole and defection of a product. RFID could threaten individual’s privacy. Since the tags are wireless connected with central server, wherever the product goes, it will eventually monitor by the server. After you use credit card or debt card to purchase, your information such as name, date of birth, address and even income record is collected by RFID tag. As more and more products you buy, your buying habit is tracked by RFID without your consent. It violates customer’s privacy. Retailers should have a RFID privacy policy when they implement RFID technology. It is a guide line that shows what retailers must do and must not do after they collect data. Also, it shows to customers how retailer will do with those data and how long the data will be deleted. Even some credit card information is collected; retailers have to make sure they will not share the information with other party. The more transparent business is conduct, the more confidence customers have. The potential use of RFID does not conflict with Canadian privacy legislation at the federal and/or provincial level. Canadian government has privacy law deal with electronic information which is called PIPEDA. It clearly states the information collected and shared must have the person’s consent and full knowledge of how data will be used.  RFID could find a way to collect customer’s information inside boundary of PIPEDA, such as obtain consent from customer and show them the purpose of gathering information. The law provides a legal assurance to customer. If any business violates the law, they will be sued.