Differences Between Ethics And Professionalism

Ethics and professionalism are widely used in corporate organizations to refer to the conduct of employers and employees. Although the two concepts have similarities, they differ in other aspects. The American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA 1a) define ethics in the accounting profession as the moral standards or principles that govern their behavior in carrying out their responsibilities. Ethics can also mean guidelines imposed on an individual to direct the behaviors. The elements of ethics include integrity and honesty. Professionalism, on the contrary, refers to exercising specifics standards of a profession in executing responsibilities. It explains the skills of competence and conduct that individuals show in a profession.

In both cases, the public interest supersedes the individual interest. Ethics and professionalism are required for admission of an individual to a professional body. For instance, the US accountants must have ethics and show professionalism for admission in the AICPA. Finally, both ethics and professionalism require a predefined code of behavior that directs individual actions.

Differences between Ethics and Professionalism Although ethics and professionalism apply collectively in a business and personal life, there are factors that create differences between the concepts. The following table provides a summary of the differences between ethics and professionalism.

Ethics Professionalism

Ethics are standards that are designed to be acceptable to the community, society, or business. Professionalism only applies to business with employees and individuals and does not need to be acceptable to the

Therefore, it is not possible to show professionalism without ethics. For instance, all professional accountants are required to possess ethical standards of competence, honesty, and integrity in executing their duties (AICPA 2c). Finally, there is an inclusion of ethical standards in a profession making it impossible to practice professionalism without ethics. As accountants, therefore, you must strive to maintain both ethics and professionalism in discharging your