Ethical code: Difference between revisions

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{{short description|Ethical concept}}

इथिकल कोड नेपाली भाषामा नेपालबाट गरिएको छ

{{redirect|Code of ethics|the band|Code of Ethics (band)}}

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'''Ethical codes''' are adopted by [[Organization|organizations]] to assist members in understanding the difference between [[ethics|right]] and [[Wrongdoing|wrong]] and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of [[business ethics]], [[code of conduct|codes of conduct]] for employees, and codes of professional practice.

==Code of ethics or code of conduct? (corporate or business ethics)==

==Code of ethics or code of conduct? (corporateCorporate or business ethics)==

{{See also|Business ethics|Code of conduct}}

{{Unreferenced section|date=April 2017}}

Many companiesorganizations use the phrases ''ethical code'' and ''code of conduct'' interchangeably, but it may be useful to make a distinction. A code of [[ethics]] will start by setting out the values that underpin the code and will describe aan companyorganization's obligation to its stakeholders. The code is publicly available and addressed to anyone with an interest in thethat companyorganization's activities and the way it does businessoperates. It will include details of how the companyorganization plans to implement its values and vision, as well as guidance to staff on ethical standards and how to achieve them. However, a code of conduct is generally addressed to and intended for employeesthe aloneorganization's leaders and staff. It usually sets out restrictions on behavior, and will be far more focused on compliance or rules focused than valueon values or principle focusedprinciples.

==Code of practice (professional ethics)==

{{See also|Professional ethics}}

A code of practice is adopted by a profession (or by a governmental or non-governmental organization) to regulate that profession. A code of practice may be styled as a code of [[professional responsibility]], which will discuss difficult issues, and difficult decisions that will often need to be made, and then provide a clear account of what behavior is considered "ethical" or "correct" or "right" in the circumstances. In a membership context, failure to comply with a code of practice can result in expulsion from the professional organization. In its 2007 International Good Practice Guidance, ''Defining and Developing an Effective Code of Conduct for Organizations'', the [[International Federation of Accountants]] provided the following working definition:

"Principles, values, standards, or rules of behavior that guide the decisions, procedures and systems of an organization in a way that (a) contributes to the welfare of its key stakeholders, and (b) respects the rights of all constituents affected by its operations."<ref>{{cite book |author=PAIB Committee |date=31 May 2007 |title=Defining and Developing an Effective Code of Conduct for Organizations |series=International Good Practice Guidance |publisher=The International Federation of Accountants (IFAC) |isbn=978-1-931949-81-1 |url=http://www.ifac.org/publications-resources/defining-and-developing-effective-code-conduct-organizations |url-access=registration }}</ref>{{Page needed|date=August 2017}}

Listed below are a few example statements from the professional codes of the [[Public Relations Society of America]] (PRSA) and the [[Society of Professional Journalists]] (SPJ):

; PRSA Code of Ethics<ref>{{cite web |title=PRSA Code of Ethics |website=Public Relations Society of America |url=https://www.prsa.org/ethics/code-of-ethics/ |access-date=19 August 2017 }}</ref>

: “Loyalty"Loyalty: We are faithful to those we represent, while honoring our obligation to serve the public interest.”"

: “Fairness"Fairness: We deal fairly with clients, employers, competitors, peers, vendors, the media, and the general public. We respect all opinions and support the right of free expression.”"

; SPJ Code of Ethics<ref name=SPJ>{{cite web |date=6 September 2014 |title= SPJ Code of Ethics |website=Society of Professional Journalists |url=https://www.spj.org/ethicscode.asp }}</ref>

: “Minimize"Minimize Harm … Balance the public’s need for information against potential harm or discomfort. Pursuit of the news is not a license for arrogance or undue intrusiveness. … Balance a suspect’s right to a fair trial with the public’s right to know. Consider the implications of identifying criminal suspects before they face legal charges. …”…"

: “Act"Act Independently … Avoid conflicts of interest, real or perceived. Disclose unavoidable conflicts.”"

==General notes==

Ethical codes are often adopted by management and also employers, not to promote a particular moral theory, but rather because they are seen as pragmatic necessities for running an organization in a complex society in which moral concepts play an important part.

They are distinct from [[moral code]]s that may apply to the culture, education, and religion of a whole society. It is debated whether the politicians should apply a code of ethics,<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.academia.edu/2064759/Elementi_di_deontologia_politica |language=Italianit |first=Giampiero |last=Buonomo |title=Elementi di deontologia politica |journal=Nuovi studi politici |date=April–September 2000 |pages=3-663–66 }}</ref> or whether it is a profession entirely discretionary, just subject to compliance with the law: however, recently codes of practice have been approved in this field.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/qui/code_deontologie.asp |title=Déontologie à l'Assemblée nationale |author=Assemblée Nationale |author-link=National Assembly (France) |language=Frenchfr |date=2 August 2017 |website=Assemblée Nationale |access-date=3 April 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140327042350/http://www.assemblee-nationale.fr/qui/code_deontologie.asp |archive-date=27 March 2014 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Often, acts that violate ethical codes may also violate a law or regulation and can be punishable at law or by government agency remedies.

Even organizations and communities that may be considered criminal in nature may have ethical codes of conduct, official or unofficial. Examples could include [[Black-hat hacker|hacker communities]], bands of thieves, and [[street gang]]s.

Codes seek to define and delineate the difference between conduct and behavior that is [[malum in se]], [[malum prohibitum]], and good practice. Sometimes ethical codes include sections that are meant to give firm rules, but some offer general guidance, and sometimes the words are merely aspirational.

The Jewish [[Written Torah]] and [[Oral Torah]] comprise the earliest and best preserved ethical code. Adapted to every field of actual day-to-day life for thousands of years, Jewish [[Halakha]] is the oldest collective body of [[religious law]]s, [[law]]s and [[jurisdiction]]s still in use.

Codes seek to define and delineate the difference between conduct and behavior that is [[malum in se]], [[malum prohibitum]], and good practice. Sometimes ethical codes include sections that are meant to give firm rules, but some offer general guidance, and sometimes the words are merely aspirational.

In sum, a code of ethics is an attempt to codify "good and bad behavior".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/code%20of%20ethics |title=Code of Ethics |work=[[Merriam Webster Dictionary]] |access-date=March 23, 2017}}</ref>

==Examples==<!-- PLEASE RESPECT ALPHABETICAL ORDER -->

[[File:Wood tablet from Jebel Moya, with an ethical code of conduct Wellcome L0011498.jpg|thumb|Wood tablet from [[Jebel Moya]], inscribed with an ethical code of conduct, relating to [[Moses]] (line 7) and [[Pharaoh]] (line 12).]]

; Medical workers and physicians

: [[Code of Conduct for the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement and NGOs in Disaster Relief]]

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: [[Hippocratic Oath]]

: [[Thomas Percival#Occupational health and medical ethics|Percival's ''Medical Ethics'']]

: [[Psychiatry#Ethics|Madrid Declaration on Ethical Standards for Psychiatric Practice]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://wpanet.org/detail.php?section_id=5&content_id=48|title=Madrid Declaration on Ethical Standards for Psychiatric Practice|website=World Psychiatric Association |date=21 September 2011|access-date=28 February 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304140238/http://wpanet.org/detail.php?section_id=5&content_id=48|archive-date=4 March 2016|url-status=dead}}</ref>

; Military, warfare, and other armed conflict

: [[Bushidō]] (Japanese [[samurai]])

:[[Chivalry]]

: [[Code of the U.S. Fighting Force]]

: [[International Code of Conduct against Ballistic Missile Proliferation]] ("ICOC" or "Hague Code of Conduct")

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; Religious

: Code of [[Ma'at]] ([[Ancient Egyptian religion|Ancient Egypt]])

: [[Eight Precepts]] ([[Buddhism]])

: [[Five Precepts]] (Buddhism)

: [[Golden Rule]] / Ethic of reciprocity (various)

: [[NoahideSeven LawLaws of Noah]] ([[Judaism]])

: [[Patimokkha]] (Buddhism)

: [[Quran]] ([[Islam]])

: [[Rule of St. Benedict]] ([[Christian monasticism]])

: [[Silver Rule]] (various)

: [[Ten Commandments]] ([[Abrahamic religions]])

: [[Ten Precepts (Buddhism)|Ten Precepts]] (Buddhism)

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: [[Yamas]] and [[niyama]] ([[Hindu scriptures]])

; Others

: [https://www.ala.org/tools/ethics American Library Association Code of Ethics]

: [[Applied ethics]]

:* [[Media ethics]]

: [[Aviators Model Code of Conduct]]

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* [[Medical ethics]]

* [[Public sector ethics]]

* [[IDF Code of Ethics]]

==References==

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==Sources==

{{refbegin}}

* {{cite book |last=Ladd |first=John |chapter=The Quest for a Code of Professional Ethics: An Intellectual and Moral Confusion |editor-first=Deborah G. |editor-last=Johnson |title=Ethical Issues in Engineering |publisher=Prentice Hall |___location=Englewood Cliffs, NJ |date=1991 |isbn=978-0-13-290578-7 |oclc=851033915 }}{{pages needed|date=August 2017}}

* {{cite book |last=Flores |first=Albert |chapter=The Philosophical Basis of Engineering Codes of Ethics |editor1-last=Vesilind |editor1-first=P. Aarne |editor2-first=Alastair S. |editor2-last=Gunn |title=Engineering Ethics and the Environment |___location=Cambridge |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=1998 |pages=201–209 |isbn=978-0-521-58112-7 |oclc=300458305 }}

{{refend}}

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==External links==

* {{cite web |author=Center for the Study of Ethics in the Professions |url=http://ethics.iit.edu/ecodes/ |title=Ethics Codes Collection |publisher=[[Illinois Institute of Technology]] }}

* {{cite web |date=26 February 2014 |title=Code of professional ethics: Version 20122018 |website=[[International Association of Conference Interpreters]] (AIIC) |url=https://aiicaiic2.netin1touch.org/pagedocument/6724 6299/Code%20of%20professional%20ethics_ENG.pdf}}

* [https://www.ogejustice.gov/Webarchives/OGE.nsfncfs/0page/73636C89FB0928DB8525804B005605A5file/$FILE761076/14%20General%20Priniciples.pdfdownload The Fourteen Principles of Ethical Conduct for Federal Employees]

* [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3399321/ The Code of Medical Ethics of the American Medical Association]

{{Ethics}}

{{Social accountability}}

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[[Category:Ethical codes| ]]

[[Category:Codes of conduct]]

[[Category:MoralityProfessional ethics]]

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