Professional ethics refers to a set of moral principles and values that govern the behavior of individuals in a specific profession. It encompasses the standards of conduct and decision-making expected within a particular field, and often includes guidelines for avoiding conflicts of interest, maintaining confidentiality, and treating clients/colleagues with respect and fairness. Professional ethics help to ensure that professionals act in an honest and responsible manner, and maintain the trust and confidence of the public. Examples of professions that have a code of ethics include medicine, law, engineering, journalism, and finance.
4. Meaning of “Ethics”
“Rational, optimal and appropriate
decision, behavior and response on
the basis of commonly desired
values, preferences and
expectations with effect of
rightness”
5. What is “Ethics”
Set of standards of conduct and moral
judgments to determine “rightness”
and “wrongness” in behaviour and
action.
8. • Rules for ‘right’ and ‘wrong’
• ‘Should be’ or ‘should not be’
• Emotion and belief
Values
• External exposure
• Social description
• Personal description
• Response to society
Morality
• Internal exposure
• Driving principles
• Values and norms
• Drive and motivation
Ethics
9. Philosophy on Ethics
• Virtues: Justice, charity and generosity benefiting the
person and the society (Aristotle)
• State consequentialism: Evaluating the moral worth
of an action based on how much it contributes to the
basic good of a state.
• Utilitarianism: Conduct which produces the
greatest/maximum happiness or benefit to the greatest
number of people.
• Deontological theory: Ethics are central to morality -
a human duty - based on rational people’s respect for
other rational people.
• Hedonism: Maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain
10. Scope of “Ethics”
• Meta-ethics: About the theoretical meaning and
reference of moral propositions and how their truth
values may be determined
• Normative Ethics: Value for service, development,
quality outputs, productivity, competitiveness.
• Descriptive Ethics: Value-free approach to ethics like
“ethical codes”, common pattern of behaviour
irrespective of real life situations. Prescriptive rather than
normative ethics.
• Applied ethics: How moral outcomes can be achieved in
specific situations
11. Scope of “Ethics”
• Value-free approach to
ethics like “ethical
codes”, common
pattern of behaviour
irrespective of real life
situations. Prescriptive
rather than normative
ethics.
• How moral
outcomes can
be achieved
in specific
situations
• Value for
service,
development,
quality outputs,
productivity,
competitiveness.
• About the theoretical
meaning and
reference of moral
propositions and how
their truth values may
be determined
Meta
Ethics
Normative
Ethics
Descriptive
Ethics
Applied
Ethics
12. Basic Principles of Ethics
• Utility principle
• Rights principle
• Fairness principle: Impartiality and
neutrality
• Social justice principle: Equity
• Professional competency principle
• Efficiency principle
• Accountability principle
13. Types of Ethics
• Ethics of Principled Conviction
– Asserts that intent is the most important factor.
– Good principles enforce ethical act.
• Ethics of Responsibility
– Outcome or consequence oriented ethics.
– Not dependent on high-minded principles.
14. • Values and intentions
• Good principles lead
to ethical behaviour
and actions
Principled
Ethics
• Consequentialism
• Result, impact and
outcome lead to ethical
behaviour
• Accountability
Responsive
Ethics
15. Different Schools of Thought
School Interpretation
Consequentialism All that matters is the consequences of a decision or action;
motivation is not relevant.
Contractarianism It is based on the concept of fairness. All individuals are
accorded equal respect as participants in social arrangements,
leading to the idea of a social contract and the right of
individuals to veto a proposed
solution
Pluralism Focuses on the concept of duty – individuals have an obligation
to each other to be open, honest and fair.
Aristocratic Focuses on the need of the individual to be enriched by the
17. Public Service Values
Values of
Public
Service
Impartiality and
Neutral
Competence
Legality
Integrity and
Fairness
Justice and
Equity
Efficiency in
Performance and
Delivery
Participation
Transparency
and
Accountability
18. Bureaucratic Ethics
Bureaucratic ethics is defined around "fairness"
in action and behaviour for public interest
comprising of trust, consistency, truthfulness,
integrity, clearly stated expectations, equitable
treatment, a sense of ownership, mutual respect
and impartial decision making.
Public interest or the best interest of the people is
the ethical framework and guiding philosophy
for professional civil service.
19. Values and Morals:
Complementarity with Ethics
• Values are the rules by which we make
decisions about right and wrong, should and
should not, good or bad, feasible or
infeasible, and so on.
• Morals have a greater social element to
values and tend to have a very broad
acceptance. These are the people’s
fundamental beliefs and motivational basis
for ethical judgment in social condition.
20. Different Views on Ethical
Behaviour
• Utilitarian View
Where moral behaviour is that which delivers the greatest good to
the greatest number of people.
• Individualism View
Where moral behaviour is that which is best for long-term self-
interest.
• Moral-Rights View
Where moral behaviour is that which respects fundamental rights
shared by all human beings.
• Justice View
Where moral behaviour is that which is impartial, fair and equitable
in treating people. (Protective, distributive and procedural justice)
21. Particular Fields of Application
in Ethics
• Bioethics: Controversial ethics brought
about by advances in biotechnology like
cloning, gene therapy, genetic engineering
• Geo-ethics: Ethical management of
relationship between human and earth
• Service ethics: Effective service delivery
with public service motivation
• Relational ethics: Managing professional
relationships
22. • Performance ethics: Delivery of standard
and ethical performance
• Political ethics: Political neutrality
• Developmental ethics: Right approach,
priority and allocation for development
• Innovation ethics: valuing innovation and
creativity
23. Ethical Responsibility
Involves more than leading a decent, honest,
truthful life.
And it involves something much more than
making wise choices when such choices
suddenly, unexpectedly present themselves.
Our moral obligations must . . . include a
willingness to engage others in the difficult
work of defining the crucial choices that
confront technological society .
24. Ethical Standards
• Professional responsibility and
competence
• Learning and professional development
• Contribution to institutional development
• Responsibility towards societal issues of
transformation
25. Benefits of Ethical Management
of Profession
• Social responsiveness
• Transparency and accountability
• Standardized performance and reputation
• Performance and service culture
• Sustainability
• Attraction and retention of competent human
resource
• Customer support
• Orientation to reform and improvements
• Social legitimacy
• Teamwork and productivity
27. Basic Principles
• Clear ethical standards
• Legal framework: Adequate and appropriate
• Ethical guidance for public servants
• Knowledge of rights, obligations and consequences to public
servants
• Political reinforcement to public service ethics
• Public scrutiny and transparency of decision making process
• Guidelines for interaction between public and private sectors
• Policy, institution, systems and methods for promoting ethics
• Adequate and appropriate accountability mechanisms
• Appropriate sanction against non-compliance and unethical
behaviour
28. Values of Public Service
Professionalism
• Providing public benefits: Adequacy, Utility and
appropriateness
• Emotional competence for performance and
delivery
• Promoting democracy and governance
• Empowering citizens and clients
• Continuous improvement for better performance
• Politico-administrative synergy in delivery of
public value
29. Who are Professionals
• Expert power
• Harmonized ‘knowledge’ and ‘wisdom’
• Use of expertise responsibly: integrity
• Marked as professionals: Legitimacy
• Delivering capacity for professional results
• Culture of performance, development,
reform
• Professional networking capacity:
30. Professional Ethics
• Personal, organizational and corporate
standards of behaviour expected of
professionals
• Making rational judgments, application of
skill, knowledge and competency for
service excellence
• Professional neutrality, impartiality and
fairness
31. Professional Ethics
• Principles that guide the actions and
decisions of professionals, and determine
if they are good or bad, or right or
wrong, or rational or irrational, or just or
unjust.
• Professional capability for securing
social, technical and professional
legitimacy of decisions and actions.
• Instrument for ensuring social
33. Occupational Ethics
“Among the universal ethical values
are honesty, integrity, promise-
keeping, fidelity, fairness, respect
for others, responsible citizenship,
pursuit of excellence and
accountability.”
- Michael Josephson
34. Characteristics
of An Ethical
Profession
Objectivity and
fairness
Willingness to
build corporate
moral
excellence
Stakeholder
consideration
Concerns for
corporate
governance
Social
legitimacy
Social
responsiveness
Reform
orientation
35. Understanding Professional
Ethics
• Professional ethics is the field of
applied ethics and system of moral
principles that apply the practice of
certain profession or occupation.
• The field examines and sets the
obligations by professionals to society,
to the client, and to the profession.
36. Determinants of Occupational
Ethics
• Ethical considerations to public,
clients, profession
• Fulfilment of professional standards of
performance
• Contribution to development of
profession
37. Ethical Principles for Profession
• Professionals shall hold paramount the
safety, health and welfare of the public and
shall strive to comply with the principles of
sustainable development in the performance
of their professional duties.
• Professionals shall perform services only in
areas of their competence.
• Professionals shall issue public statements
only in an objective and truthful manner.
38. • Professionals shall act in professional matters for each
employer or client as faithful agents or trustees, and shall
avoid conflicts of interest.
• Professionals shall build their professional reputation on
the merit of their services and shall not compete unfairly
with others.
• Professionals shall act in such a manner as to uphold and
enhance the honor, integrity, and dignity of the
engineering profession and shall act with zero-tolerance
for bribery, fraud, and corruption.
• Professionals shall continue their professional
development throughout their careers, and shall provide
opportunities for the professional development of those
engineers under their supervision.
39. Models of Ethical Profession
• Four Component Model (James Rest, 1984)
– Ethical perception and interpretation
– Ethical judgment or formulation - ethical reasoning
– Choosing the course of action using moral values and actions
– Ethical implementation of decisions along with follow-up
using moral strengths
• Person-Situation Interactionist Model (Linda Trevino,
1986)
– Cognitive moral development as the critical variable in
explaining decision behaviour
– Critical variables determining ethical decision making
• Individual variables: locus of control, ego strength, field dependence
• Situational variables: reinforcement contingencies, organizational
systems and culture
42. Instruments and Tools
• Normative and technical standards
• Regulatory and self-regulatory instruments
• Moral and value-focused instruments
• Technical operating tools
• Charter of client service
• Ethical audit mechanism
• Accountability assessment mechanism
45. Professional Ethics: A
Challenging Issue
• Conflict of interest
• Business rationality vs service
rationality
• Equality and equity considerations
• Process compliance vs compliance to
results
• Professional and positional ethics
46. Factors Affecting Managerial
Ethics in a Profession
• The Professional as a
Person
– Personal capability
– Family influences
– Religious values
– Personal standards and
needs
• Dynamics of Profession
– Professional values
– Institutionalization of
profession
– Standards of profession
• The Employing
Organization
– Policies and strategies
– Codes of conduct
– Behaviour of leaders
– Behaviour of peers and
subordinates
• The External Environment
– Global system
– Governance
– Norms and values of society
– Ethical climate of profession
47. Challenges to Managerial Ethics
• Socio-cultural challenges
– Social values and norms
– Level of empowerment
• Strategic and Structural challenges
– Political and bureaucratic capabilities
– Rationality vs populism
– Profit vs service
– Transparency vs secrecy
– Accountability dilemma: people vs managerial
leadership
– Managerial capability
48. Challenges....continued
• Systemic and Methodological challenges
– Performance management
– Professionalism vs political consideration
– Social vs financial consideration
– Technological applications
• Behavioural challenges
– Compliance to ethical values and norms
– Political capability and commitment
– Managerial behaviour
– Group dynamics
– Risk factor
– Conflict of interest
– Ethical dilemmas
– Role conflict
49. Ethical Problems in a Profession
• Position vs rank
• Expertise vs authority
• Political organizing
• “Groupthink” syndrome
• Organized anarchism
• Capability for generating intellectual
resources
• Issues of research orientation
• Social and political support
50. Improving Professional Ethics
• Philosophical base
• Selection of “good people”
• Cultural improvements
• Codes of ethics and management rules
• Leadership competency
• Goal-orientation and objectivity
• Participative management
• Independent social audits and monitoring
• Formal protective mechanisms for persons
acting ethically: Whistleblower protection
52. Value Based Management: Basis
for Ethics
• Drive value for key stakeholders
• Focus your business on what counts -
relentlessly
• Facilitate deployment of strategy and
management philosophy
• Establish accountability at all levels
