Introduction
Throughout the world, business organizations and various professions conduct daily activities that require standards of ethical behavior. To convey a company’s ideals, principles, and goals most companies develop a document called a code of ethics that defines the behavior that others can expect from them. A business code of ethics is a valuable tool used within a profession or business to evaluate its performance in the business world.
Business Codes of Ethics
Each day in the workplace, people encounter ethical situations to which they must react. A code of ethics formed by a profession or a business is very clear and helpful in providing guidance in the ethical decision making process. The purpose behind a code of ethics is to clarify a company or a profession’s policies, values, and priorities. These clarifications convey to others the behavior and conduct customers, stakeholders, and employees can expect from the organization. In the case of employees, it also sets standards that the employer expects the employee to reflect and uphold. As David Hildebrand stated in an article in the Canadian Appraiser,
“Codes of ethics should set members apart from others, who may purport to provide similar services to the public, by establishing a set of principles by which to work. However, in order for the code to have merit and respect, it must contain procedures for monitoring the members' adherence and for disciplining those members who act in breach of the standards” (Hildebrand, 2003).
When codes of ethics are breached, positive outcomes are rare. An illustrative case is the now defunct Enron Corporation. In the movie, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the room, (Gibney A, 2005) We observed how Enron traders sham...
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...rse if it is necessary. A well written and precise business code of ethics will pay dividends far into the future for all who take care to follow them.
Works Cited
Gibney, A. (Director). (2005).Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room [Documentary]. USA: Magnolia.
Hildebrand, D. (2003, July 3). Why do we need a code of ethics? | Company Activities & Management > Business Ethics & Corporate Citizenship from AllBusiness.com. Business Resources, Advice and Forms for Large and Small Businesses. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from http://www.allbusiness.com/human-resources/employee-development-employee-ethics/990862-1.html
SANS: IT Code of Ethics. (2004, August 24). SANS: Computer Security Training, Network Security Research, InfoSec Resources. Retrieved July 3, 2010, from http://www.sans.org/security-resources/ethics.php
In 2005, the American Counseling Association (ACA) published a document titled the ACA Code of Ethics which was designed to aid counselors in the ethical decision making process and, in response, “expand the capacity of people to grow and develop” (p. 3). The ACA Code of Ethics provides regulatory guidelines for all counselors to follow in ethical decision-making and practice. Of a more specific nature, the American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC) has also published a document stating the ethical practices and procedures for the Christian counseling field. The two documents contain many similarities, but, due to differing goals and principals, also containing may differences. This paper compares these two documents and more specifically focuses on the similarities and differences in the areas of confidentiality, fees, and records.
The code of ethics cannot guarantee ethical behavior and it cannot solve every ethical issue (AHIMA, 2016). But it does set values, ethical principles and ethical guidelines, according to AHIMA. This reminds me of an ethics class I took last year and how I had to study it and learn to know it. It becomes your practice to be ethical and you expect your employees to abide by these guidelines as well. I would not change these guideline because it is a standard that all companies’ and organizations’ should live by.
Ethics or rather morals entail mechanisms that defend, systematize as well as recommend conceptions of right or wrong. Many organizations develop ethical codes to ensure employees and employers understand the difference in doing good or bad. In that respect, ethics are an essential aspect of successfully running of any organization or government. Ethics ensure employee’s productivity levels are up to the required standards. It also assists them to know their rights and responsibilities. Additionally, employers, as well as any persons in management, are guided by them to ensure they provide transparent leadership. Ethics also defines how customers should be handled. Ethical codes govern the relationship between customers and an
Trevino, L., & Nelson, K. (2011). Managing business ethics - straight talk about how to
When running a business ethics plays an important role in the success of the business. “Ethics is the study of those values that relate to our moral conduct, including questions of good and evil, right and wrong, and moral responsibility” (pg. 2). Every individual will have a different set of moral codes. Moral codes are shaped by your personality, environment and religion. In this scenario and throughout this paper you will come to understand how our moral code of ethics plays a role in our daily decisions.
Ethics is a branch of philosophy which seeks to address questions about morality; that is, about concepts such as good and bad, right and wrong, justice, and virtue. The NASW Code of Ethics is intended to serve as a guide to the everyday professional conduct of social workers. This Code includes four sections. The first Section, "Preamble," summarizes the social work profession 's mission and core values. The second section, "Purpose of the NASW Code of Ethics," provides an overview of the Code’s main functions and a brief guide for dealing with ethical issues or dilemmas in social work practice. The third section, "Ethical Principles," presents broad ethical principles, based on social work 's core values, which inform social work practice.
(Mallor, Barnes, Bowers, & Langvardt, 2010) Business ethics is when ethical behavior is applied in a business environment, or by a business. There are many situations that can arise in which a person is experiencing an ethical dilemma. They have to choose between standing by their own personal ethical standards or complying with their companies ethical standards. In some instances, some have to choose whether to serve their own personal interests, or the interests of the company.
For a company to be successful ethically, it must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture. A corporate code of ethics can be a very valuable and integral part of a company’s culture but I believe that it is not strong enough to stand alone. Thought and care must go into constructing the code of ethics and the implementation of it. Companies need to infuse ethics and integrity throughout their corporate culture as well as into their definition of success. To be successfully ethical, companies must go beyond the notion of simple legal compliance and adopt a values-based organizational culture.
The codes of ethics are established to help, protect, and provide guidance to each individual professional on how to act in their respective profession and create an environment where ethical behavior is practiced and observed by everyone in the profession. By observing the code of ethics every member ensures that they are held to a higher standard when it comes to quality patient care and at the same time help eliminate bad actors in the profession. For example, every physician is held to a code of “do no harm” when it comes to patient care and every physician or medical student are required to follow this
To provide an example of a breach of ethical conduct in the workplace, we may remember the case of a financial manager in a corporation that decided not to pay overtime to some employees. After a deep outside investigation, the company was summoned with thousands of dollars to remedy the payment that was supposed to be paid to all employees who worked more than forty hours per week. Again, it is needed more than just a booklet stating that the company adheres to the code of business ethics. It is needed serious managers that can run the company with the most seriousness as possible. Consequently, any written codes of business ethics, regardless of how well it has been crafted, need people that adhere to its internal content with a serious desire to do the right thing.
By definition, ethics refers to "a set of principles of right conduct." It is also defined as "the rules or standards governing the conduct of a person or the members of a profession," (www.thefreedictionary.com) and in business may be considered the standards governing the conduct of people in the business environment. Business ethics is the behavior that a business adheres to in its daily dealings with the world. It relies on values as a way of guiding behaviour in business.
Ethics in business is a highly important concept, as it can affect a company’s profits, salaries paid to employees and CEOs, and public opinion, among many other aspects of a business. Ethics can be enforced by company policies and guidelines, set a precedent when a company is faced with an important decision, and are also evolving thanks to new technology and situations that arise due to technology usage. Businesses have a duty to maintain their ethical responsibilities and also to help their employees enforce these responsibilities in and out of the workplace. However, ethics and the foundation for them are not always black and white. There are many different ethical theories, however Utilitarianism, Kant’s Deontological ethics, and Virtue ethics are three of the most well known theories in existence. Each theory is distinct in that it has a different quality used to determine ethicality and allows for a person to choose which system of ethics works best with both the situation and his or her personal ethical preferences.
A code of ethics is a formal document in which is used to assist members of an organization, to know what’s ‘right’ and what is ‘wrong’ in the work place and applying it to their decisions. A code of ethics is a written set of rules or guidelines to help the workers and management ‘conduct’ or direct their actions with its primary values and ethical standards. A code of ethics is important because without it, employees and management wouldn’t have guidelines and the establishment would resemble a crazy house. Consider the establishment, Dunkin Donuts. Dunkin Donuts is a food establishment well-known for their famous donuts, coffee and their slogan “America runs on Dunkin”. Without a code of ethics, the industry would most likely be extremely hard to control.
For the general public, the benefits of ethical rules far outweigh their costs. Both the drafting and administration of codes of ethics require a balancing of political, administrative and legal considerations. A central and pervasive concern should be to balance the desire for high ethical standards with the preservation of the individual rights of public servants. A major principle guiding the administration of a code in one Canadian government is that public servants 'should enjoy the same rights in their private dealings as any other citizen unless it can be demonstrated that a restriction is essential to the public interest. ' Similarly, the Australian draft code states that 'where personal behavior does not interfere with the proper performance of official duties, and where it does not reflect on the integrity or standing of the Service, it is of no interest or concern to the employing authority. '" Although some governments have paid little attention to the impact of codes of ethics on their employees ' rights, most governments have been sensitive to this problem. But the fact remains that a well-drafted and well-administered code does tend to diminish the rights of public servants compared to the rights enjoyed by their fellow citizens outside government. Perhaps the single greatest advantage of a code of
As a law enforcement officer, my fundamental duty is to serve mankind; to safeguard lives and property; to protect the innocent against deception, the weak against oppression or intimidation, and the peaceful against violence or disorder; and to respect the constitutional rights of all men to liberty, equality and justice.