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.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

RIGHT ETHICS AND DUTY ETHICS

·         In terms of ethical theory, rights can be define along with the following lines:-

  “  Natural rights are certain basic, important, unalienable entitlements that should be respected and protected in every single action.

·         This notion of rights goes back to the British philosopher  John Locke (1632-1714). He created the concept of the ‘natural rights’ that humans are entitled to and which should be respected and protected.

·         This has extended to include the right to freedom of speech, conscience, consent, privacy and the entitlement to fair legal rights whereby this rights has been enunciated by Immanuel Kant (1724 – 1804, a German philosopher) and is called the Kantian/Rights.

·         The significance of the notion of the rights of an ethical theory lies in the fact that these rights typically result in the duty of others to respect them.

·         Today basic human rights will include also right to life, liberty, justice, education, fair trial, fair wages etc.

·         It should be noted that rights are connected with duties, since the right of one person can result in a corresponding duty for other person to respect, protect or facilitate these rights. For example, my right to privacy imposes a duty on others to refrain from gathering personal information about my personal life without my consent.

PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

THE MEANING OF ETHICS

·         Ethics have been generally defined as the principles of morally acceptable conduct of individuals.

·         Ethics can generally be defined as an individual’s personal belief about right and wrong behaviour.

·         Merriam Webster defines ethics as “ the embodiment of those values that the person or organization feels are important….., and spell our proper conduct and appropriate action. ..”

·         The importance of ethics is that for the well-being of the individual officers and directors, as well as the employees.

THE MEANING OF PROFESSIONAL ETHICS

·         Professional ethics designates the moral value that a group trained people develop to control their performance of a task or their resources.

·         People internalize the rule and values of their professional culture just as they do those of their society.

·         The reflexivity adhere professional rules and values when deciding how to behave.

·         Some organization have many groups of professional employees – nurses, lawyers, researches, doctors and accountants – whose behaviour is governed by professional ethics.

·         Professional ethics helps shape the organization’s culture and determine the values its members use in their dealings with other stakeholders.

·         Most professional groups are allowed to enforce the ethical standards of their profession.