Professional Ethics

Overview

Traditionally, the term ‘professional ethics’ was restricted to members of specific ‘professions’, so called largely because of defined codes of conduct considered definitive of the practices which defined them. More recently, the term has acquired a broader meaning, referring to a high level of general ethical awareness and practice that is not confined to any code of conduct. In this unit, business ethics will be discussed in terms of a ‘higher’ standard of professionalism, according to which the Socratic and Christian emphasis on self-management determines the way in which one manages and deals with others.The perspective of this Professional Ethics unit at the Excelsia College is that ethics is neither optional nor purely personal in a business context, since it lies at the heart of all decision making. Interestingly, in the world of commerce, we tend not to talk of ‘business morality’, but, rather, of ‘business ethics’. This is because, like all other forms of human activity, our commercial transactions have numerous codes of behaviour, numerous moral codes. Indeed, when attached to socially enforced sanctions and limitations, these moral codes become legal codes. As will be discussed throughout this unit, the issue, on most occasions, is not the presence or absence of such codes, but, critically, the awareness of the significance of such codes, their intention, and, especially, a willingness to abide by them. In other words, business ethics is about our understanding of, and commitment to, our values in commercial contexts.

Key Features