The Social Responsibility of Young Professionals Working with Information Systems and Technologies

Abstract

Research purpose—Economy digital transformation has had a strong impact on several areas, such as employment, economic organization modus operandi, or the digital modernization of economic agents. Technological innovations, such as artificial intelligence, have resulted in new digital products and services that are smarter, autonomous, and complex. This evolution requires ethics and social responsibility as critical components of economic sustainability. Design/methodology/approach—This article analyzes the relevance of ethics and social responsibility among young information systems professionals. Given the technological specificity of the new generation, it was considered an opportunity to analyze sensitivity to their ethical obligations and responsibilities. A survey was sent to about 40 information systems and technology young professionals, as a convenience sample, to assess several dimensions of ethics and social responsibility, and to identify an opportunity for future studies. Findings—The results show that there is responsibility regarding the social effects of technology on technology users. However, it is noted that there is still a long way to go, because decisions regarding ethical and social responsibilities cannot be left to the discretion of each individual professional. Economic organizations should assume values, policies, and rules appropriated to the new order in the context of the information society. Originality/value/practical implications—The present study aimed to evaluate the relevance of ethics and social responsibility to information systems young professionals, and we expect that these results can encourage them to develop greater sensitivity to this issue, contributing to the change needed and desired.

1. Introduction

The relevance of social responsibility [1] is based on the conviction that individuals and organizations have a moral obligation to behave constructively and not detrimentally to society at large [2]. This constructive development in which they must participate should generate social and economic values, based on the freedom of each stakeholder and, at the same time, the responsibility for activities and interactions that, directly or indirectly, are established in their respective professions [3].

Everyday society becomes more dependent on information systems and the information and communication technologies (ISs/ICTs). Society and markets expect that the information available is correct and the information systems (ISs) are reliable [3]. The diverse range of ISs/ICTs is growing exponentially, as individuals, organizations, and society seem to have an insatiable appetite for information [4]. As the importance of information increases, its strategic relevance to consumers, organizations, the economy, and society is increasing. Strategic information influences the direction of development of economic activities and promotes organizations to obtain long-term competitive advantages [5].

In this social context, the theme of social responsibility has been assuming a growing role in modern society. Social responsibility is a duty, and it is an obligation to protect, foster, increase, and enhance the benefit of stakeholders and people [6]. The social responsibility aspect no longer focuses only on the economic or environmental aspect, but it also, more obviously, focuses on the context of information, highlighting the need for the adequate management and protection of corporate data and information, as well as the green side of ICT [5].

In this context, ISs professionals assume a new moral and ethical role concerning society and citizens, as an ethical and moral commitment to the development, implementation, and management of ISs in the various fields associated with them, such as privacy, security, sustainability, digital inclusion, or transparency, is expected [7]. We understand ethics as the moral organization of society, which, based on the accepted and assumed models, allow a delimitation of the behaviors of various economic and social agents [8].

The computerization of economic organizations, economy, and society has had a strong impact on several areas, such as employment [9,10], the modus operandi of economic organizations [11], or the modernization and digital transformation of economy and society [12]. Innovation and technological advances, such as artificial intelligence, have enabled a new generation of digital products and services that, by quietly entering the economy and society, have generated new challenges [13] and responsibilities. This new generation of products and services is smarter, more autonomous, and more complex than previous ones [14], as the IS architectures that support them have become more demanding.

The impact on the economy and society is profound and requires governance approaches at the ISs level that ensure the consistency and quality of ISs and technologies appropriate to the services provided and the requirements of users and society. One of the dimensions of governance corresponds to the ethics and social responsibility associated with ISs [15,16,17,18,19].

However, at this level, it has not always been easy for ISs professionals to understand their responsibilities in the context of the information society. Individually, they associate responsibility with professional performance and the good execution of techniques and use of tools adopted for the development and management of ISs. However, the technical activities developed can have significant impacts on all those who use their technological products, and the impacts may compromise people, organizations, the economy, or even society itself. Let us consider the unauthorized access and disclosure of information, the commercialization of data/information not legally framed, or even the free provision of confidential information to the public domain. We can easily view the relevance of these subjects associated with ethics and social responsibility.

Considering that social responsibility corresponds to the obligation of an entity to act for the benefit of society, its contextualization in professions related to ISs/ICT refers us to the generation of value in the context of the information society. If we consider ISO 26000 [20], we can understand that social responsibility involves transparency, ethical behavior, and a respect for the interests of stakeholders in a digital context, ensuring compliance with the associated legal framework, such as the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). The relevance of this behavior, in some organizations, begins to be assumed by various entities representing ISs/ICT professionals through codes and ethical conduct regulations that aim to honor and value professionals, highlighting the values and principles that must be adopted when exercising their respective professions. We can refer, as an example, to the IEEE Code of Conduct, which describes IEEE members’ and staff’s commitment to the highest standards of integrity, responsible behavior, and ethical and professional conduct [21], and the guide developed by the Royal Statistical Society (RSS) and the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA) in the UK for Ethical Data Science [22]. These principles and values should be reoriented toward economic relations in the digital context, through respect for users of systems and consumers of digital products and services, aiming at contributing to a fairer society that is equitable and sustainable. For ISs/ICT professionals, technology should be a force for the common good. In this sense, it is expected that the respective professionals adopt socially responsible practices and act ethically, take responsibility for errors, meet deadlines and commitments, maintain confidentiality of customer information, practice honesty, avoid conflicts and interests, and respect the diversity of opinions and cultures [23]. To this end, an awareness of the relevance of these domains must be present at the various levels of education and training, assuming particular importance in graduate training [2].

The relevance of this subject in the actual context of a strongly dependent ISs/ICT society aroused interest and the opportunity for the study of the relevance of social responsibility and ethics among young ISs/ICT professionals. If we consider the classification of new generations (babyboomers, generation X, millennials, generation Z, and generation Alpha), we find the existence of different worldviews, experiences, behaviors, communication, and use of ISs/ICT. In view of this reality, we as a research question: what is the understanding of young professionals regarding the dimension of social responsibility that must exist among ISs/ICT professionals?

2. The Specificities of the Ethical Responsibilities of ISs/ICT Professionals

The interest of this study results from the different characteristics of young people regarding the values and behaviors associated with ISs/ICT and the need to study and understand the role they believe they should have, as IS/ICT professionals, in the context of responsibility in a highly digitized economic and social context. ISs/ICT professionals have specialized knowledge that allows them to become privileged actors of the information society. Due to the nature of their activities and especially the positions they hold in economic organizations and public institutions, their management activities, development, and operations associated with ISs and ICT can have a significant impact on the economy and society, in so far as, because they have an influence superior than the general rule of other stakeholders, it is their duty to exercise such power in a socially responsible manner [2]. This study is even more relevant in that, after the research on the theme of social responsibility associated with young ISs/ICT professionals in the web of science, no studies developed in this field were identified.

Some principles of social responsibility referenced by [24] establish an ethos of professionalism in ISs, namely:

• The development of a socially responsible culture at work, which strengthens an individual action in the moral domain;
• The appreciation of the well-being of all stakeholders;
• Respect for common values and local cultural differences;
• The recognition and social responsibility of principles and values that are beyond the established legal framework;
• Ensuring that all business processes are considered from a social responsibility perspective.

In general, the professional practice of ISs must display a balance between rights and obligations, freedom and responsibility, both internally and externally [25,26]. According to [27], ITS professionals are those who design, implement, and manage ISs and ICT. The responsibilities include ensuring the integrity and security of data and promoting the ethical use of information. They are fundamental in all phases of ISs development, namely in the construction of technological infrastructures that support business operations and decision-making processes. According to these authors, in the last 10 years, we have witnessed challenging periods from an ethical point of view. Several situations have stimulated this issue, leading to a reflection on the principles of what is right or wrong, the limits of users’ freedom, or respect for the privacy of digital people. For ISs professionals, it is associated with an ethical dichotomy associated with the balance of freedoms, will, and responsibilities in driving an ethical, fair, and responsible digital society. Laudon and Laudon [27] propose a model to think about ethical, social, and political issues, presenting five moral dimensions of the information age, concerning which ethical dilemmas may be generated, namely: information, rights, and obligations; property, rights, and obligations; accountability and control; quality of the system; and quality of life.

It should be noted that the responsibility dimension is not exclusive to ISs/ICT professionals. Correctly, responsibility must be corporate; in the face of the economic and social environment in which it is inserted, it is dispersed by the various organizational areas and, consequently, by the professionals. Social responsibility is a dimension of corporate governance, which conceptually integrates a set of rules, practices, and structures that define the correct and responsible relationship between the different stakeholders of an organization (shareholders, managers, employees, customers, suppliers, creditors, etc.) [28,29]. Corporate Governance aims to ensure that the interests of all stakeholders are aligned, and that the organization is managed in a responsible, ethical, and sustainable way. This includes ensuring that the organization is well managed, that the separation of functions arising from the organizational structure is respected, that there is an adequate disclosure of information, that there is no conflict of interest, and that there is a strong accountability structure. Davies [30] believes that, while there may be different frameworks for corporate governance, there are common principles, including management board accountability, transparency in the disclosure of information, and social responsibility.

Davies [30] states that processes drive companies, make them work, and produce some assets, these being the essence of sustainability. However, processes, when inadequately managed or controlled, generate a degradation of the organizational functioning and the relationship with stakeholders affecting the results and defined objectives. This need for control and monitoring highlights the relevance of audits, to minimize the risks of misappropriation of assets by third parties, whether internal or external to organizations. Usually, the focus is on tangible assets, such as money, equipment, materials, etc., but there are other assets, namely of an intangible nature, which should also be controlled, such as data (e.g., databases) or information (e.g., reports with distortions).

Considering that we live in an information society and that most economic and social activities developed are supported by information and ICT, we can affirm that ISs can play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining ethics in organizations. Through them, technological practices can be guaranteed that contribute to the ethical management and use of data and information by safeguarding integrity, privacy, and security to promote transparency and accountability. Given the relevance of these dimensions for the functioning of the economy and society supported by information technologies, the “word of order” is governance [15,17,18,19], to the extent that technological problems are associated with increasingly difficult human problems. Anunciação [3] focuses on the approach of ethics in the information society at three levels:

• Stakeholders (market/society)—where dimensions, such as privacy and confidentiality, emerge. In this case, the ISs must protect data privacy and ensure the confidentiality of sensitive information through measures, such as encryption or access controls [4].
• Economic activities (economic interactions)—where the dimensions of transparency or accountability are highlighted. Transparency should be promoted, e.g., by documenting and tracking the activities carried out in ISs, facilitating accountability for inappropriate practices, and showing how data is collected and used [4].
• Means (supporting infrastructures)—where the dimension of data integrity and accuracy are emphasized. The IS must guarantee the integrity of the data, preventing and detecting inaccuracies. This ensures the reliability of systems and information [4].

The social responsibility associated with ISs/ICT is related to the mitigation of economic and social impacts resulting from the appropriate use of information technologies, the safety of ISs, the protection of users, and support for fair and balanced initiatives to develop society. Taking as an example the area of systems at the level of security, to illustrate the associated challenges, it is important to recognize that developers must exercise, with due diligence, the process of software development, correcting known flaws, and transparently prevent unknown failures, especially in critical systems [23]. The risks vary from sector to sector, where, for example in the health area, a reliability on technological systems can assume a criticality that may depend on human lives. Loui and Miller [23], inspired by medical practice, advocate “informed software consent”, an ethical principle that requires developers to identify and inform individuals in a comprehensible way of the risks associated with the developed software, including the probability of occurrence of known failures and the potential for undiscovered failures. This idea promotes transparency and requires continuous research on methods to discover flaws and measure the risks of software.

The ethical use of information involves the responsible and moral treatment of data in various contexts, including aspects such as privacy, confidentiality, transparency, and fairness [31]. This essentially requires that individuals, organizations, and societies respect the rights and well-being of all when navigating the digital world, and involves careful decisions on data collection, storage, sharing, and analysis, with the aim of avoiding harm, protecting privacy, and promoting equitable access.

With technological advances shaping our world, maintaining ethical standards is crucial to promoting trust, sustaining social values, and ensuring a positive impact of information in the global community. Several authors, such as O’Keefe and Brien or Myers and Venable [32,33], emphasize a set of key principles for the ethical use of information, such as privacy, confidentiality, transparency, integrity, equity, accountability, equitable access, and social responsibility, as per

Table 1. Key principles of the ethical use of information [34].

Key Principles	Definition	Application
Privacy	Protection of individuals’ autonomy and their personal information	Obtaining explicit consent, implementing security measures (such as encryption), and providing individuals control over their data
Confidentiality	Protection of sensitive information in professional relationships	Ensure that confidential information is not disclosed without authorization, maintaining the trust and integrity of professional relationships
Transparency	Clear and open communication about data management	Be transparent about the purpose of data collection, how it is processed, and any third-party involvement, enabling informed decisions by individuals
Integrity	Maintain the accuracy, reliability, and veracity of the data	Prevent and detect inaccuracies through validation processes and maintenance of data quality standards
Equity	Fair distribution of the benefits and burdens of information use, avoiding discrimination	Identify and correct data and decision-making processes, promoting inclusion
Accountability	Take responsibility for the consequences of using information	Define clear roles and monitor data practices, holding individuals accountable for ethical violations
Access and equity	Ensure fair and equitable access to information	Promote equality in access to technology and information resources, reducing digital divisions
Social responsibility	Recognize the social impact of information use and contribute to the well-being of communities	Consider the social consequences of data-driven decisions and participate in initiatives that use information for the common good

. An adherence to these principles promotes trust and ethical behavior concerning the use of information, contributing to a more just and informed society.

The main ethical, social, and political issues in the information society integrate, according to [27], the rights and obligations of information, the rights and obligations of ownership, responsibility and control, system quality, quality of life, technological trends, profiling, and non-obvious relationship awareness. Ethical decisions are made by responsible individuals, with the ability to assume the consequences of their actions. The ethics concerns developers or users and not systems, according to the specificity of their functions or responsibilities. For example, the responsibility to ensure that laws are correctly reflected by systems will be the responsibility of the developers or ISs. In this sense, associated with information systems, there are some moral dimensions, such as the case regarding the collection of personal information without prior consent from consumers.

Let us look at some realities that, in a generic way, present a dimension of the moral challenges associated with the information society: monitoring third-party information sent over the Internet (voluntary exposure); tracking of visits to websites and user behaviors (Cookies, Spyware); difficulty of protecting digital products and services and ease of copying and sharing information; difficulties of protecting formulas, devices, and data used for commercial purposes, as well as the protection of authors and patents; fake news and reliability on data and sources; quality of systems, bad performance, software bugs and errors, and poor hardware; equity and access limits; burnout, difficulties of balancing work and personal life, and the omnipresent feeling of work; dependence on and vulnerability of information systems and technologies; computer crime and abuse, theft of information, and misuse of computers; and health risks, such as repetitive stress injury, computer vision syndrome, and stress induced by the use of computers.

3. Opportunities, Objectives, and Methodology

The scope of this work was supported by the identification of a literature gap and opportunity study validated through a web-of-science study regarding the identification of articles published from two key words: social responsibility and information systems. A result of seven articles was obtained. However, it was found that they did not directly focus on the analysis of social responsibility in the professional field of information systems. In this sense, the specificity of this search was increased, having added a new keyword, namely young professionals. The result obtained shows that there are no publications related to research work associated with these three domains.

This study aimed to analyze the sense of social responsibility among young professionals in information systems and technologies. There are several studies related to this topic among ISs/ICT professionals [2,35,36,37]. However, it seems relevant to investigate the relevance of the topic among young ISs/ICT professionals, as they have less experience, less professional maturity, and often less sensitivity to the tenets of ethics and social responsibility. In this sense, this developed study had an exploratory nature, that is, to analyze primary information from a smaller sample, given the analyzed theme’s relevance and relevance to these professionals. Exploratory studies, often termed pilot and feasibility studies, are a key step in assessing the feasibility and value of progressing to an effectiveness study [38,39].

For this aim, a questionnaire was developed and made available from May to July 2024, and the snowball technique was used to boost the number of responses. Through snowball dissemination, as a non-probabilistic sampling technique [40,41] in which individuals are selected to be studied, each participant invited new professionals from his network of professional contacts to increase the responses, and thus improve the conclusions and understanding regarding the relevance of ethics and social responsibility in the exercise of their professions.

The main topics analyzed focused on the following dimensions: conceptual, organizational ethical policies, social responsibility in the ISs profession, personal experiences in unethical situations, and the impact of ethical practices. Regarding these dimensions, 32 questions were elaborated on, mostly closed.

4. Discussion of the Results of the Survey

The survey was only presented to young professionals associated with information systems and technologies. For this study, being exploratory, a sample of 42 young professionals with different years of experience, with various positions, and belonging to different companies, was obtained. It was considered that a convenience sample would be the best way to start a study of this nature as it is an exploratory study and seeks some results for a first reflection on the relevance of this topic in the economic and social digital contexts that we incorporated.

• Sample characterization

Regarding the first dimension of analysis, the characterization of the sample, it was noted that 52.4% of respondents had more than 6 years of experience in information systems management, 4.7% had between 4 and 6 years of experience, 28.6% had between 1 to 3 years of experience, and 13.3% less than 1 year. These results allow us to verify the diversity of professional experiences; however, it was emphasized that the majority of respondents had considerable professional maturity.

Regarding the positions held in the respective companies, it was found that 57.2% assume the functions of operational or technical management in information systems, while 33.3% occupy intermediate management positions and 9.5% top management functions. This reflects a balance in the level of representativeness of all organizational levels in companies, from more technical responsibilities to top management. Regarding academic training, 47.6% of the respondents had a degree, while 33.3% had a master’s degree, and 9.5 post-graduate education. It should be noted that 9.5% had no higher technical training.

• Conceptual dimension

In the conceptual domain, when questioned about the concept of ethics, most (66.7%) understood ethics as a set of moral principles and values, 28.6% saw it as formal rules and regulations, and 4.7% understood it as acceptable behavior by society. This perception shows a correct understanding of ethics as a set of human values, intrinsically linked to individual values but simultaneously collective, beyond the established rules. However, interestingly, none of the respondents considered these two dimensions.

We asked, in this conceptual framework, how the respondents understood social responsibility at the level of their profession. In this case, a diversity of concepts was found more divergent, insofar as the majority (42.9%) understood this social responsibility at the professional level as the ability to privilege the development of information systems from a perspective of social justice. Others (33.3%) defined it as socially responsible decision making and practices, while 19% understood it as an ethical and moral commitment to the development and management of information systems. About 4.8% did not define social responsibility conceptually. Most respondents recognized the importance of socially responsible decisions, reflecting a significant awareness of the social impact of their activities.

• Organizational ethical policies

Regarding the organizational ethical policies, we questioned whether, in their organizations, ethical policies were present, and 76.2% answered positively about the existence of clear ethical policies. However, 9.5% said they did not exist and 14.3% were not sure of their existence. Most recognized the existence of ethical policies, which is a positive sign, but the presence of uncertainty or denial suggests that there is still room for improvement in the communication and implementation of these policies, showing a significant percentage (23.8%). It was not possible to ascertain whether these policies were written and if they are in the general domain of knowledge of companies.

It was asked, then, if there was a communication of the ethical guidelines. In this area, 33.3% stated that ethical guidelines were communicated through regular training, 42.9% mentioned the use of employee manuals, and 14.3% indicated meetings and workshops. Interestingly, 9.5% reported that, in their companies, the ethical guidelines are communicated in the three previous forms. The diversity of methods indicates an effort to disseminate ethics in various ways but may also suggest the need for a more unified and consistent method. Also, in this context, we attempted to understand the frequency of training, and, in this case, it was possible to see that training on and an awareness of ethics, in 38.1% of organizations, were not developed. On the other hand, 38.1% of respondents said that training is offered annually, 4.8% quarterly, and 19% monthly.

The lack of regular training in some organizations highlights the need to increase the awareness of and ongoing education on ethics.

• Social responsibility in the ISs profession

Regarding social responsibility in the context of the information society, when asked to express its importance, 40.1% considered social responsibility very important and 59.9% considered it important, underlining the need to integrate this dimension into daily information systems management practices.

When asked about the most important aspects of information systems professionals’ social responsibility, such as ethics and transparency, privacy and safety, social impact, environmental sustainability, or economic impact, 71.4% highlighted privacy and information security, 66.7% ethics and transparency, 38.1% social impact, 33.3% economic impact, 19% environmental sustainability, and 4.8% other aspects. These results point to the need for greater data/information security and protection, and the need for more transparency in data/information privacy.

Interestingly, when asked about the associated challenges, 38.1% identified misuse of information as the main challenge, followed by privacy and data protection (28.6%), compliance with regulations and legal framework (14.3%), and transparency in operations (14.3%). A low percentage (4.7%) points to other aspects. These results reflect the current concerns about data privacy and the ethical use of information in the corporate environment.

It was asked, then, whether there were policies and procedures to ensure privacy and data protection in their organizations and how they ensure them. The majority (66.7%) stated that their organizations have strict internal policies and procedures in this area and that they simultaneously apply the legal specifications, namely the General Data Protection Regulation. Regarding the means adopted for compliance, 33.3% conduct regular training and 42.9% conduct periodic audits. These data indicate a significant effort to maintain compliance with data protection standards and promote information security.

• Personal experiences of unethical situations

Regarding the existence of personal experiences of unethical situations, 52.4% of respondents stated that they had already personally dealt with unethical situations, while 47.6% had no such experiences. It was not possible to determine whether this experience of unethical situations included personal participation or only an experience of them. The prevalence of unethical situations underlines the importance of strengthening ethical practices in organizations.

Due to the relevance of this dimension of analysis, we tried to better specify the degree of these experiences, and it was possible to see that 38.1% witnessed or became aware of unethical practices in their organization, while 61.9% were not aware of such practices. These results suggest that unethical practices are not uncommon and that there is a need to improve the monitoring and correction of such behaviors.

Regarding the respondents who responded to having witnessed unethical practices, they were requested to identify the situations experienced, being referred to as more significant, the use of unlicensed software, disrespect for employees and breach of privacy, the disclosure of private information, the intention to hurt and create stress in people (bullying), the use of inside information, and access to and the copying of colleagues’ emails.

Given these results, we tried to understand the nature of the individual behavior of respondents when confronted with unethical situations. In 50% of the cases, unethical situations were ignored. On the contrary, 37.5% were treated with immediate corrective measures and 12.5% were investigated and followed by corrective actions. A significant percentage of ineffective responses to unethical situations is worrying and highlights the need for more rigorous and proactive behavior. We then tried to identify the frequency of the occurrence of unethical problems. In this case, it was possible to find that 25% faced unethical problems occasionally, and 37.5% rarely or only once. The regularity of unethical problems indicates the need to strengthen the ethical culture in organizations.

Regarding personal experiences, about half of the employees had already experienced an unethical situation or had already dealt with a situation where they were the target of a less ethical situation. The unethical situations considered were the use of unlicensed software, disrespect from employees, breach of privacy, disclosure of private information, intent to hurt and create stress in people, and access to and the copying of colleagues’ emails.

• Impact of ethical practices

Regarding the impact of ethical practices on their organizations, 28.6% rated these practices as very positive and 40.7% as positive. However, 23.8% of the respondents considered that this impact was neutral. Positive and very positive perceptions suggest that ethical practices have a beneficial impact, but there is room to improve effectiveness. Within the scope of improvements that can still exist that are associated with the management of information systems in their respective organizations, 38.1% believe that more awareness and training would improve ethical practices, while 33.3% point to improved policy communication. The emphasis on training and communication indicates priority areas for interventions, however 23.8% consider that there should be more frequent audit practices and 4,8% recommend the existence of a reward for adopting ethical practices in their professions.

Most respondents (76.2%) believe that the existence of strict ethical principles and responsibility in the development of information systems in which they participate has a positive impact on society, contributing to an improvement of the image and trust in these professionals. However, 19% have some doubts and 4.8% say that there is no impact on society. These results reflect an optimistic view of the role of information systems in social progress.

When asked about the digital inclusion of disadvantaged groups, 60.7% say that information systems adopt ethical principles to ensure the digital inclusion of disadvantaged groups, while 19% do not adopt these practices, and another 14,3% are uncertain about the adoption of them. Still, in this area, and more specifically regarding accessibility for people with disabilities, only 14.3% say that the systems are fully accessible to people with disabilities, while 52.4% say they are partially accessible, and 28,6% consider them to be unaffordable. The remaining respondents (4.7%) do not know or are unaware. Significant improvements in this area are needed.

In a way, and after obtaining the answers to the various questions presented, we sought to obtain an overview of the relevance of the theme as a way of confirming the relevance of some results previously obtained. Thus, the answers allow us to determine that 23.8% consider that their organization pays a lot of importance to ethics, while 52.4% see it as important, and another 23.8% as unimportant (4.8%) or indifferent (19%), indicating a variation in the perception of priorities. Regarding the effectiveness of ethics, 52.4% rate ethical policies as effective and 14.3% as very effective. However, 33.3% considered them indifferent (28.6%) or even ineffective (4.7%), pointing out the need for revision and continuous improvement.

5. Final Considerations

The results of the survey show a clear awareness and appreciation of ethical practices among young professionals in information systems. This finding is relevant because it indicates that young professionals are aware of the importance of ethics in the management of information systems. However, the responses also reveal significant variations in the communication and implementation of ethical policies as well as the ongoing challenges, especially concerning data protection.

Continuous training emerges as a critical element for the improvement of ethical practices. Organizations need to invest in regular educational programs that cover privacy, confidentiality, and the ethical use of information. These programs should be designed to keep practitioners up to date on the best practices and regulatory changes. In addition, the implementation of clear and effective policies is essential to create an ethical working environment. These policies should be well-communicated at all levels of the organization and supported by monitoring and auditing mechanisms that ensure their application. The lack of effective communication of ethical policies can result in inconsistent practices and a limited understanding of ethical expectations.

Another significant challenge identified is data protection. With the growing volume of data managed by organizations, adopting strict measures to ensure privacy and information security is imperative. Organizations must follow the GDPR standards and conduct regular audits to verify compliance. Social responsibility was also highlighted by the respondents, highlighting the need for organizations to integrate ethical policies into their daily practices. This includes ensuring the digital inclusion of disadvantaged groups and improving the accessibility to systems for people with disabilities.

In addition to technical competence, an information systems professional is required to be concerned with the social effects of computers on operators, users, and the public. When assessing the capabilities and risks of computer systems, the professional must report the relevant findings honestly and accurately. Thus, I have fulfilled the commitments to ensure data integrity and security by promoting ethical behavior when using information, which is fundamental to building technological infrastructures that support business operations and decision-making processes.

However, information systems play a crucial role in promoting and maintaining ethics in organizations by their functions, for example, the Management of Privacy and Confidentiality, through access control measures and encryption; Transparency and Accountability, through the documentation and tracking of activities in information systems; Data Integrity and Accuracy, through data validation and correction; Equity and Access, by reducing the digital divide and providing equal access to technology and information resources; and Social Responsibility, when assessing and mitigating the social impacts of decisions, supporting community initiatives, and ensuring that information use practices benefit society.

We can conclude that the ethics and social responsibility of professionals are of interest to all stakeholders, and there should be an alignment between information systems professionals and users of information systems. This means that users must also behave responsibly, morally, and ethically when handling data and information, considering privacy, confidentiality, transparency, and fairness.

6. Limitations and Future Work

The results of this study show the relevance of social responsibility and ethics in the performance of activities associated with young information systems professionals. However, although it can be said that this is evidence of the respective professions, the results also suggest an opportunity for further study in future works, with the purpose of analyzing some aspects in greater detail.

Having considered these results, in this initial study, an exploratory study using a convenient sample population, with the objective of investigating the relevance of the theme associated with young professionals in the field of information systems, it is considered that there is an opportunity for improvement and the results can be extended to a more significant statistical sample. On the other hand, it is believed that it may be relevant to study the possible differences between information systems young professionals, such as babyboomers, generation X, millennials, generation Z, and generation Alpha.