Need for ethics

Ethical behavior is like the "glue" that keeps a society working smoothly. Think
about what would happen if we couldn't trust others to be honest. If parents,
teachers, bosses, brothers and sisters, colleagues, and friends were always telling
lies, it would be really hard to talk to each other and get things done properly.
Ethical behavior is what helps us trust each other and make our society run well.

What ARE Ethics

Ethics can be defined broadly as a set of moral principles or values.

Why People Act Unethically

 Person's Ethical Standards Differ from General Society
Some people, like drug dealers, bank robbers, and thieves, do things that almost
everyone agrees are very wrong. When these people get caught, they often don't
feel sorry for what they did because their own ideas about right and wrong are
very different from what most people think is right

 The Person Chooses to Act Selfishly

Let's look at two people, Person A and Person B, and how they act differently
when they find a briefcase in an airport with important papers and $1,000 inside.
Person A takes the money and throws away the briefcase. They tell their family
and friends about it and are happy. This person probably doesn't share the same
values as most people in society.
Person B also keeps the money but leaves the briefcase where others can see it.
They don't tell anyone and spend the money on new clothes. Person B likely
knows they're doing something wrong according to their own values, but they
decide that the money is too important to pass up. In this case, Person B is being
selfish because they prioritize their own gain over doing what's right

 An ethical dilemma
is a situation a person faces in which a decision must be made about yea ae oy
the appropriate behavior.
Ex: You find a wallet on the street with money and identification inside. You have
to decide whether to keep the money for yourself or try to return the wallet to its
owner, knowing they might be in need of the money. This situation poses an
ethical dilemma because you must choose between personal gain and doing
what's morally right.

Rationalizing Unethical Behavior

Everybody Does It
Some people say it's okay to lie on tax forms, cheat on tests, or sell broken stuff
because they think everyone else is doing it, and that makes it okay. But that's not
a good excuse for doing something wrong.

If It’s Legal, It’s Ethical

Thinking that everything legal is also automatically ethical depends on having
perfect laws. In this way of thinking, you wouldn't feel like you have to give back a
lost item unless someone could prove it belongs to them.

Likelihood of Discovery and Consequences

This way of thinking is all about considering whether someone else will find out
what you did. It's like weighing how likely it is for someone to catch you and how
bad the consequences would be if they did. For example, if a seller accidentally
charges a customer too much but thinks the customer will notice and stop buying
if they find out, the seller will tell them about the mistake. But if the seller doesn't
think the customer will notice, they might wait to see if the customer complains.

Resolving Ethical Dilemmas

The six-step approach that follows is intended to be a relatively simple approach

to resolving ethical dilemmas:
1. Obtain the relevant facts.
2. Identify the ethical issues from the facts.
3. Determine who is affected by the outcome of the dilemma and how each
person or group is affected. 4. Identify the alternatives available to the person
who must resolve the dilemma.
5 Identify the likely consequence of each alternative.
6. Decide the appropriate action.
Ethical Principles
Responsibilities : Professionals should make thoughtful and moral decisions in all
they do.
The Public Interest: Professionals must act in ways that benefit the public, honor
trust, and show they are dedicated to their work.
Integrit: To keep the public's trust, professionals should do their job with the
highest honesty and trustworthiness.
Objectivity and Independence: Professionals should be impartial and avoid
conflicts of interest, especially when doing things like audits.
.Due Care Professionals should follow the rules and standards of their profession,
keep getting better at what they do, and always do their best.
Scope and Nature of Services: When professionals decide what work to do, they
should think about what their professional code of conduct says.
.

CODE OF PROFESSIONAL CONDUCT