PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

Virtue Ethics

·         Virtue Ethics is a departure from the traditional approaches discuss so far.

·         Virtue Ethics can be defined  as follows:-

Virtue Ethics contends that morally correct actions are those undertaken by actors with virtuous characters. Therefore, the formation of a virtuous character is the first step towards morally correct behaviour.

·         This are set of acquired characters that enables a person to lead a good life.

·         Central of the ethics of virtue is the notion of “good life”.

·         For Aristotle, one of the original proponents of virtue ethics is happiness.

·         For example: a happy businessperson would not only be one who finally makes the most money, but one who does so by at the same time savouring the pleasure of a virtuous manner of achieving their success. 

CODE OF ETHICS

·         Code of ethics are voluntary statements that commit organizations, industries, or professions to specific beliefs, values, and actions and/or that set out appropriate ethical behavior for employees.

·         There are four main type of ethical codes:-

(i)           Organizational or corporate codes of ethics- these are specific to a single organization. Basically these codes seek to identify and encourage ethical behaviour at the level of the individual organization. 

(ii)          Professional Codes of Ethics – Traditional professional groups such as doctors, lawyers and accountant have their own guidelines for their members. However this is increasingly common for other professions such as marketing or engineers to have their own conduct.

(iii)        Industry Code of Ethics- particular industries also sometimes have their own codes of ethics. For example, in 2005 the electronic industry released its code of conduct to ensure the working environment is safe to work, workers are treated with respect and dignity and the manufacturing process are environmentally responsible. This code was developed by a number companies together including Dell, Hewlett, IBM.

(iv)         Programme or Group codes of ethics:- This are code of ethics established by certain programmers, or other sub-grouping of organization participating in specific programmers. For example the usage of a certain label or trademark.

·         Consequently, codes of ethics are usually written in general terms, nothing obligations to each group without stating which one of them take precedence in any given situation.

·         In terms of the content, codes of ethics typically address a variety of issues, many of which appear to reflect industry factors and the prevailing concerns of the general public.