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In the context of a code that is adopted by a profession or by a governmental or quasi-governmental organ to regulate that profession, an ethical code may be styled as a code of professional responsibility
Professional responsibility

Professional responsibility is the area of legal practice that encompasses the duties of Lawyer to act in a professional manner, obey the law, avoid conflicts of interest, and put the interests of clients ahead of their own interests....
, which may dispense with difficult issues of what behavior is "ethical".

Some codes of ethics are often social issues. Some set out general principles about an organization's beliefs on matters such as quality, employees or the environment.






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In the context of a code that is adopted by a profession or by a governmental or quasi-governmental organ to regulate that profession, an ethical code may be styled as a code of professional responsibility
Professional responsibility

Professional responsibility is the area of legal practice that encompasses the duties of Lawyer to act in a professional manner, obey the law, avoid conflicts of interest, and put the interests of clients ahead of their own interests....
, which may dispense with difficult issues of what behavior is "ethical".

Some codes of ethics are often social issues. Some set out general principles about an organization's beliefs on matters such as quality, employees or the environment. Others set out the procedures to be used in specific ethical situations - such as conflicts of interest or the acceptance of gifts, and delineate the procedures to determine whether a violation of the code of ethics occurred and, if so, what remedies should be imposed.

The effectiveness of such codes of ethics depends on the extent to which to management supports them with sanctions and rewards. Violations of a private organization's code of ethics usually can subject the violator to the organization's remedies (in an employment context, this can mean termination of employment; in a membership context, this can mean expulsion). Of course, certain acts that constitute a violation of a code of ethics may also violate a law or regulation and can be punished by the appropriate governmental organ.

Ethical Codes are often not part of any more general theory of ethics
Ethics

Ethics is a word for a philosophy that encompasses proper conduct and good living. It is significantly broader than the common conception of ethics as the analyzing of right and wrong....
 but accepted as pragmatic necessities.

They are distinct from moral codes that may apply to the culture, education, and religion of a whole society.

Even organizations and communities that may be considered criminal may have their own ethical code of conduct, be it official or unofficial. Examples could be hackers, thieves, or even street gangs.

See also


  • Hippocratic Oath
    Hippocratic Oath

    The Hippocratic Oath is an oath traditionally taken by physicians pertaining to the ethical practice of medicine. It is widely believed that the oath was written by Hippocrates, the father of western medicine, in the 4th century BC, or by one of his students....
     and its list
  • Thomas Percival
    Thomas Percival

    Thomas Percival was an England physician best known for crafting perhaps the first modern code of medical ethics. He drew up a pamphlet with the code in 1794 and wrote an expanded version in 1803, in which he reportedly coined the expression "medical ethics"....
  • Professional ethics
    Professional ethics

    Professional ethics concerns the moral issues that arise because of the specialist knowledge that professionals attain, and how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public....


Personal Ethical Code

People often make ethical choices reflexively. The throes of an ethically sensitive situation is the worst time to think through your ethics. These situations are often time pressured, emotional, and complicated. It becomes all too easy to be blindsided by temptation.

The best antidote to ethical lapses is to commit in advance to a set of ethical principles -- your personal ethical code. Your code defines your standards of right and wrong. It helps you resist temptation and becomes your basis for making ethically sensitive decisions.

A personal ethical code can be as simple as a few sentences or as long as many pages.

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