Professional Values and Ethics

Paper Summary:

This paper discusses the impact that possessing strong values and ethics can have on an individual's professional, academic, and social life. The author suggests that values lay the foundation for individual ethical development, and explains that loss of credibility in any profession could lead to the end of that career, which is why it would be beneficial for all institutions to adopt certain ethical standards and hold their professionals to them.

From the Paper:

"Ethics is a philosophical course of study defined as a "discipline concerned with what is morally good and bad, right and wrong" (Ethics, 2010). A Business Ethics article retrieved from the Santa Clara University website explains ethics as the "well based standards of right and wrong that prescribe what humans ought to do, usually in terms of rights, obligations, benefits to society, fairness, or specific virtues" (Santa Clara University, n.d.).
"If values are the core of our moral beliefs it would be logical to assume that having positive values such as honesty, integrity, and loyalty will lead a person toward the development of positive ethics, but this may not always be the case. For example, a person may value personal success to such an extent that they may be willing to do anything to achieve it, even if it meant that he or she would have to be dishonest. Since "some decisions are values-based even though their ends do not appear to reflect the pursuit of 'good' values" (Urbany et al., 2008), the study of the moral philosophy of Ethics is important to evaluate if one's decision making is both morally and ethically strong."

Sample of Sources Used:

• American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. (2006). AICPA Code of Professional Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.aicpa.org/about/code/index.html
• American Psychological Association. (2002). Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct. Retrieved from http://www.apa.org/ethics/code/index.aspx
• Bakshtanovskii, V. I., & Sogomonov, V. I. (2007). Professional Ethics: Sociological Perspectives. Sociological Research, 46(1), 75-95. Retrieved January 26, 2010, from http://web.ebscohost.com (id=5&hid=105%sid=c3452).
• Carter, C., J. Bishop, S. Kravits. (2007). "Moving Ahead: Making Today's Study Skills The Foundation For Tomorrow's Success." Keys to College Studying: Becoming An Active Thinker, 2e. Prentice Hall, Inc. A Pearson Education Company.
• Dictionary.com. (nd). Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/values

More papers on Professional Values and Ethics:

• Case Study # 119577 : "Professional Values and Ethics of Four Companies"
• Term Paper # 141382 : "Social Work Values and Ethics"
• Term Paper # 141176 : "Social Work Values and Ethics"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: