The BCS Professional Examination
The BCS Professional Examination is available as a route for
Professional Membership to individuals who have not qualified through
an accredited degree. The highest level (Advanced Diploma) is set and
assessed at degree level. One of the core modules in the examination
deals with professional issues in information systems practice. The
description of this module, contained in the BCS booklet about the
Examination is reproduced below. It acts as a benchmark against which
to judge the professional issues content of accredited degrees and is
a good indicator of the topics with which students should be familiar.
Some of these topics are explicitly covered in Computer Science
courses. You are encouraged to learn about others by reading relevant
texts.
Professional Issues in Information Systems Practice
Rationale:
In order to function effectively, professional Information Systems
Practitioners need not only appropriate technical knowledge, skills
and experience, but also a broad understanding of the context in which
they will be expected to work. This does not mean that they must
become experts in these areas (although those who go on to assume
substantial management responsibilities may later need to acquire
professional knowledge and expertise in some of them).
Aims:
To understand the context - ethical, social, legal, financial and
organisational - in which professional Information Systems
Practitioners work.
Objectives:
- Show an understanding of the role of professional codes of conduct
and apply them to specific situations.
- Understand the nature and legal standing of a range of
organisations.
- Understand the range of functions that exist in an organisation,
the need for organisational structure and the characteristics of
various types of structure.
- Understand and read, at a basic level, a balance sheet, a profit
and loss account, and a statement of sources and application of funds.
- Understand and calculate, in simple cases, the basic information
needed for day-to-day financial mangement.
- Understanding the main pieces of legislation that apply to the
profession and recognise situations to which they are relevant.
- Understand the mechanisms used to protect computer software and
the reasons for such protection.
Prior Knowledge Expected:
Candidates are expected to be familiar with the material covered in
the Certificate syllabuses and have an appreciation of current affairs
such as may be obtained by regular reading of a serious newspaper or
news magazine.
Content:
- PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS
The role of professional institutions and their characteristics:
established by Royal Charter, self-governing, controlling entry to the
profession and maintain discipline; reservation of title and
reservation of function. Some familiarity with the best-known
professional institutions (e.g. those governing the law, medicine and
accounting) will be expected.
The development and structure of the engineering profession; the roles
of the Engineering Council and the professional engineering
institutions.
- ORGANISATIONS AND THEIR STRUCTURE
Limited companies and the role of directors and members; the
advantages of limited company status for commercial organisations.
Other legal forms of organisation.
The concept of delegation and specialisation. Management structures:
structure by function, by product, and by region.
- FINANCE
The financial structure of companies. The requirements for
financial disclosure imposed by statute and by stock exchanges.
Capital items and depreciation. The balance sheet, the profit and
loss account, and the statement of sources and application of
funds.
- MANAGEMENT ACCOUNTING
Simple management accounting practice.
- LEGAL OBLIGATIONS
Data Protection Acts 1984 and 1998. Computer Misuse Act 1990.
Relevant provisions (i.e. those relating to liability) of the Consumer
Protection Act 1987.
- INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
The concept of intellectual property; software, documentation and
designs as intellectual property. The mechanisms available to protect
intellectual property. The Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
The EC directive on the Legal Protection of Computer Programs,
91/250.
- PROFESSIONAL CODES OF CONDUCT AND THEIR LIMITATIONS
Professional Codes of Conduct, their strengths and
weaknesses.
- HUMAN RESOURCES MANAGEMENT
The statutory framework of employment, Job design: specialisation,
rotation, enlargement, and enrichment. Job evaluation.
Appraisal.
- PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Planning, estimating, monitoring and control. The use of simple
graphical techniques such as Gantt charts. Activity networks and
critical path analysis.
Primary Texts:
- Bolt F. et al, Professional Issues in Software Engineering, UCL Press
(2nd Ed.), 1995, ISBN:1-85728-450-X PB.
- Myers C. (Ed), Professional Awareness in Software Engineering, McGraw
-Hill, 1995, ISBN: 0-07-707837-3.
- Myers C., Hall T. and Pitt D., (Eds), The Responsible Software Engineer:
Selected Readings in IT Professionalism, Springer, 1997, ISBN: 3-540-76041-5
.
Other Texts:
- BCS Code of Conduct
- BCS Code of Practice
- IEEE/ACM Software
Engineering Code of Ethics
- Laudon K. C., Ethical Concepts and Information Technology, Comm ACM,
38(12) pp33-39. December, 1995.
- Anderson R. E., et al, Using the New ACM Code of Ethics in Decision Makin
g, Comm ACM, 36(2) pp 98-107. February, 1993.
- Benn P., Ethics, UCL Press, 1998, ISBN: 1-85728-453-4.