Chapter 10: Ethics and ownership:

Answers to coursebook questions and to

Worksheet questions
Syllabus section covered: 7.1

From the coursebook

Task 10.01
No comment is required.

Exam-style questions
1 a 1 mark each for the following (or a sensible alternative).
i As a computer professional your primary concern when faced with an issue should be
the public good (alternatives include ‘the health, safety and welfare of the public’, ‘the public
interest’ and ‘public concern’.)
ii If an issue arises you should exercise your professional judgement and possibly seek expert advice
iii You have a responsibility to act in accordance with the welfare of your colleagues
iv You are expected to act in the interests of your client and of your employer
v You should not accept duties for which you lack expertise
b 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 4)
The alternative is verbal instruction (1), which may not be fully remembered (1), documentation can be
referred back to as many times as is necessary (1), documentation can be made universally available (1),
there can be no disputing the content of a document (1), documentation can be updated if necessary (1).
2 a i Ownership (1)
ii 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 2)
Owner of the copyright (1), date of creation (1), period copyright will apply (1), policy if the owner
dies (1), method of showing that copyright exists (1).
iii 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 1)
Copying (1), use (1).
iv 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 2)
Can be copied provided copyright is acknowledged (1), can be copied with owner's permission (1),
copies can be made for personal use only (1), can be used for educational purposes only (1).

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 b i 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 4, but must include two options, at least one description
and a benefit)
An out-of-date (1) or not fully tested (1) version might be offered free as shareware (1), a single-user
license (1) where multiple copies are charged at the full rate (1), a site license (1) where a defined
number of copies can be in use at any one time by undefined users (1). Shareware offers the
opportunity to try out software before committing to buying the up-to-date product (1), a site licence
is a cheaper option if all users will not be using the software simultaneously (1).
ii 1 mark each for any of the following. (max 2)
Freeware is made available with no time limit for its use (1). Shareware is made available for a limited
period (1). There might be the possibility later of upgrading shareware but this would have to be paid
for (1).
3 There are many possible answers.
Examples of the application could be playing chess, medical diagnosis, robotics, software for answering a
telephone query, search engine, spam filter, directed advertising, influencing voter intentions. (1 mark each
for application 1 and application 2)
Examples of the aspect of human intelligence could be problem solving, perception, inference, speech
recognition, learning from experience, reasoning, generalisation. (1 mark each for application 1 and
application 2, provided that different examples are given and the example is appropriate to the application)
The identification could be generic, for example shorter working hours, or specific. The reason should be
worded to indicate a change, for example quicker diagnosis leading to fewer lives lost. (1 mark for
identification of the benefit or concern and 1 for the reason)
4 This is Question 5 in 9608 Paper 12 November 2015. At the time of writing the published mark scheme is
available on the Cambridge International School Support Hub (requires registration). The Examiners Report
for the November 2015 series is also available there and this may contain comments specific to this question.
The following are what the author of this chapter in the Teacher Resource would suggest as reasonable
answers with alternatives suggested where appropriate.

Activity Ethical Unethical

Gives away passwords used in the intruder detection

software
Uses source code developed at the software house for

the software he develops for his own company
Insists that staff work to deadlines 
Turns down training opportunities offered by his

employer
Writes and sells software that reads confidential data

from client computers
Fakes test results of safety-critical software 
Has the software applications developed overseas for

sale in his own country
Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science 9608 paper 12 Q5 November 2015
5 This is Question 6 in 9608 Paper 11 June 2016. At the time of writing the published mark scheme is available
on the Cambridge International School Support Hub (requires registration). The Examiners Report for the June
2016 series is also available there and this may contain comments specific to this question.

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 The following are what the author of this chapter in the Teacher Resource would suggest as reasonable
answers with alternatives suggested where appropriate. Where a suggested answer includes bullet points,
each bullet point would be worth one mark up to the maximum mark allocation for the question.
It should be noted that the principles only need to be identified. This means choosing three names from this list:
Public, Client and Employer, Product, Judgement, Management, Profession, Colleagues and Self.
Most examples will fit into more than one principle. This is because good working practice will lead to a more
reliable and effective product, which in turn will be in the best interests of the client.
The following are a few suggestions that might be included. Each is an example that could be given for more
than one of the principles:
 The project manager has a project plan with defined deliverables with dates for their delivery.
 The project manager has contingency plans in place to deal with unexpected difficulties.
 Adequate time is allowed for testing.
 Only software engineers with experience in writing HTML are employed for the project.
 A thorough requirements analysis is carried out before the development starts.
Cambridge International AS & A Level Computer Science 9608 paper 11 Q6 June 2016

Worksheet 10.1: for testing basic understanding

1 Some example answers:
 When the software is to be used for military purposes.
 When the software is to be used for monitoring the activities of the general public.
 When software is to be used in a safety-critical situation.
 When the development work is being paid for by the government and, therefore, by taxpayers.
 When the software is a new version of an operating system that will be widely used.
2 a Communication of the information, which could be:
 Verbal, face-to-face or in a telephone call, in a meeting (of developers or between a client and
development manager) or in a one-to-one interchange.
 Written, as a text message or email that is not stored and is not made widely available.
b Human memory is not reliable. Some details will be forgotten. Someone may even forget that the
conversation took place.
c It must be agreed as acceptable by all interested parties before being signed off for use.
It must be written in clear language, with all terms used defined in a glossary if there is any doubt about
their meaning.
All parts must be in sufficient detail to meet the needs of the different users of the document.
It must be confirmed as signed-off before any work dependent on it has begun. (This does not preclude
the release of a document in parts with an understanding that there will be later additions.)

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 3
5.01 Both
5.02 Pragmatic
5.03 Both
5.04 Uncertain
5.05 Pragmatic
5.06 Ethical
5.07 Ethical
5.08 Ethical
5.09 Ethical
5.10 Ethical
5.11 Both
5.12 Ethical

The above set of answers could be used as the basis for a discussion. Some answers are reasonably clear but
others might not be.
4 a A, b C, c B, d A, e C, f A, g B
It is often the case that an issue does not clearly belong to one or another category. In particular, it can be
argued that any issue for the employer will impact on what is provided to the client company. Two of the
issues can be considered to concern the public good because the work is being done for a government
agency. Software is likely to be less than satisfactory if the requirements have not been fully documented or if
the testing has been limited.
5 a This is an open-ended question. Possible answers include the use of Linux or UNIX as an operating system,
or the use of an open-source compiler for a language where commercial compilers exist.
b There are many possible answers here. For example:
 Different operating systems have incompatible coding schemes, so a file in use under one cannot be
used under another. This can be a problem if a user wishes to import files from elsewhere.
 In a company recruiting new staff, there might be difficulty in finding people with experience of using
the open-source operating system.
 Although programming languages are standardised, individual compilers have non-standard features.
This means that code developed using one compiler might not be as fully portable as desired.
6 A True, B False, C False, D True, E True, F True
There are a number of aspects about copyright legislation that could vary from country to country. An
overriding principle is that if something is protected by copyright there will be limitations on how it can be
used. In many cases use is allowed if permission is obtained beforehand.

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 7

It is easy to forget which is freeware and which is shareware. Both are examples of commercial software, so
the company is providing them with a commercial aim. For shareware, the aim is often to check how well the
software is working. For freeware, the software is often a limited or out-of-date version with the intention
that this will encourage purchase of the full version or the up-to-date version.
8 a An autonomous robot has sensors so can respond to data received from them to change what is to be done
next.
b Typical statements could include:
 Use of automation leads to fewer paid workers needed.
 Manufacture of automation equipment leads to employees being recruited.
 Automation increases profits due to a reduction in the numbers of paid workers and increased productivity.
 Need for raw materials to manufacture products is an environmental concern.
 Disposal of products no longer functioning causes environmental concern.
c The major concern is the prospect of robots having more intelligence than humans and becoming the
rulers of the world.

Worksheet 10.2: a more challenging question

1 a 5.02, 5.04, 5.06, 5.07, 5.08
b i 5.01, 5.02, 5.03, 5.04, 5.08, 5.11, 5.12
ii 5.05, 5.09, 5.10; these might be a good basis for a discussion.
c In some clauses the involvement of the programmer might be subject to doubt. The following is a
suggested list where the relevance seems clear:
3.04, 3.05, 3.06, 3.07, 3.11, 3.15

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 d In the context of the remainder of this question the following would be sensible choices:
3.01, 3.02, 3.08, 3.09
3.01 Your ability to create and test the modules you are programming is being affected because
programmers working on other modules are not producing completed work on schedule.
Decision guidance could be from 2.06, 3.10 or 7.07.
3.02 The project manager asks you to program in a language with which you are unfamiliar.
Decision guidance could be from 2.01, 3.04 or 6.13.
3.08 You have seen the requirements specification document or the design specification document and
you believe that certain parts are unclear.
Decision guidance could be from 4.02, 4.03 or 7.04.
3.09 The project manager gives you a project to work on but is asking you to complete it in an
unreasonably short period of time.
Decision guidance could be from 2.06, 3.01 or 3.10.

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