Skip to main content

Incorporating Ethical Aspects in Information Systems Requirements Engineering

  • Conference paper
  • First Online:
Perspectives in Business Informatics Research (BIR 2024)

Part of the book series: Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing ((LNBIP,volume 529))

Included in the following conference series:

  • 255 Accesses

Abstract

Ethical considerations in software requirements engineering are a critical but often overlooked aspect of the software development process. However, requests for transparency and autonomy in the way IT artefacts are designed, described, used, applied and integrated in the everyday life are getting more pressing within the society. In this research, the process of software engineering is taken as an illustrative model for the proactive incorporation of ethical principles in the system design within the design of a software artefact. Specifically, the phase of requirements elicitation and analysis are expanded with ethical aspects, since that is where the first steps of the software construction as an artefact are initiated and the first common ground of understanding is achieved. Being rooted in the security engineering, the SQUARE process is expanded to provide a basic structure for incorporating of ethical aspects into software design. By doing so, the social and moral values become central to the design and development of new technologies.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Harrison, M.I., Koppel, R., Bar-Lev, S.: Unintended consequences of information technologies in health care—an interactive sociotechnical analysis. J. Am. Med. Inform. Assoc. 14(5), 542–549 (2007)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Majchrzak, A., Markus, M.L.: Methods for Policy Research: Taking Socially Responsible Action. SAGE Publications, Thousand Oaks, CA (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  3. Hein, A., Schreieck, M., Wiesche, M., Krcmar, H.: Multiple-case analysis on governance mechanisms of multi-sided platforms methods to master heterogeneity in IT service value networks. In: Mkwi, pp. 1613–1614 (2016)

    Google Scholar 

  4. Ann Majchrzak, M., Markus, L., Wareham, J.: Designing for digital transformation: Lessons for information systems research from the study of ICT and societal challenges. MIS Q. 40(2), 267–277 (2016). https://doi.org/10.25300/MISQ/2016/40:2.03

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Mahieu, R., van Eck, N.J., van Putten, D., van den Hoven, J.: From dignity to security protocols: a scientometric analysis of digital ethics. Ethics Inf. Technol. 20(3), 175–187 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10676-018-9457-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Baldini, G., Botterman, M., Neisse, R., Tallacchini, M.: Ethical design in the internet of things. Sci. Eng. Ethics 24(3), 905–925 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-016-9754-5

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Myers, M., Venable, J.R.: A set of ethical principles for design science research in information systems. Manag. Past Present Future 51(6), 801–809 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2014.01.002

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Peffers, K., Tuunanen, T., Rothenberger, M.A., Chatterjee, S.: A design science research methodology for information systems research. J. Manag. Inf. Syst. 24(3), 45–77 (2007). https://doi.org/10.2753/MIS0742-1222240302

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Beck, K.: Extreme Programming Explained. Addison-Wesley Professional (1999)

    Google Scholar 

  10. Kotonya, G., Sommerville, I.: Requirements engineering with viewpoints. Softw. Eng. J. 11(1), 5–18 (1996)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Mead, N.R.: System Quality Requirements Engineering (SQUARE) Process. Carnegie Mellon University (2013)

    Google Scholar 

  12. Collins, W.R., Miller, K.W., Spielman, B.J., Wherry, P.: How good is good enough?: an ethical analysis of software construction and use. Commun. ACM 37(1), 81–91 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1145/175222.175229

    Article  Google Scholar 

  13. Mason, R.O.: Four ethical issues of the information age. Comput. Ethics 10, 41–48 (1986). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315259697-8

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Davis, M.: Part of: thinking like an engineer: the place of a code of ethics in the practice of a profession. Philos. Public Affair 20(2), 150–167 (1991)

    Google Scholar 

  15. Floridi, L.: Information ethics- On the philosophical foundation of computer ethics. Ethics Inf. Technol. 1, 37–56 (1999)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Friedman, A., Kahn, B., Borning, P.: Value Sensitive Design: Theory and Methods. University of Washington (2002)

    Google Scholar 

  17. Boehm, B.W.: Value-based software engineering: overview and agenda. In: Biffl, S., Aurum, A., Boehm, B., Erdogmus, H., Grünbacher, P. (eds.) Value-Based Software Engineering, pp. 3–14. Springer Berlin Heidelberg, Berlin, Heidelberg (2006). https://doi.org/10.1007/3-540-29263-2_1

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  18. Mingers, J., Walsham, G.: Towards ethical information systems: the contribution of discourse ethics. MIS Q. 34(4), 833–854 (2010)

    Article  Google Scholar 

  19. J. Happa, J. Nurse, M. Goldsmith, S. Creese, und R. Williams, „An Ethics Framework for Research into Heterogeneous Systems“, 2018

    Google Scholar 

  20. Roberts, M.J., Reich, M.R.: Ethical analysis in public health. Lancet 359, 1055–1059 (2002). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2009.07.003

    Article  Google Scholar 

  21. Hartman, L.P.: Perspectives in Business Ethics. McGraw Hill (2005)

    Google Scholar 

  22. Donaldson, T., Preston, L.E.: The stakeholder theory of the corporation: concepts, evidence, and implications. Acad. Manage. Rev. 20(1), 65–91 (1995). https://doi.org/10.2307/258887

    Article  Google Scholar 

  23. Strenge, B., Schack, T.: AWOSE - a process model for incorporating ethical analyses in agile systems engineering. Sci. Eng. Ethics 26(2), 851–870 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-019-00133-z

    Article  Google Scholar 

  24. Aberkane, A.-J., Poels, G., Broucke, S.V.: Exploring automated GDPR-compliance in requirements engineering: a systematic mapping study. IEEE Access 9, 66542–66559 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1109/ACCESS.2021.3076921

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Biable, S.E., Garcia, N.M., Midekso, D., Pombo, N.: Ethical issues in software requirements engineering. Software 1(1), 31–52 (2022). https://doi.org/10.3390/software1010003

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Olga Levina .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this paper

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this paper

Levina, O. (2024). Incorporating Ethical Aspects in Information Systems Requirements Engineering. In: Řepa, V., Matulevičius, R., Laurenzi, E. (eds) Perspectives in Business Informatics Research. BIR 2024. Lecture Notes in Business Information Processing, vol 529. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71333-0_10

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-71333-0_10

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-71332-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-71333-0

  • eBook Packages: Computer ScienceComputer Science (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics