Development of a Code of Ethics Policy for an Organization

Ethics and Responsibility 1
DEVELOPMENT OF A CODE OF ETHICS POLICY FOR AN ORGANIZATION
Student’s Name:
University Affiliation:

Ethics and Responsibility 2
INTRODUCTION
Scholars have defined code of ethics as a document containing moral rules that are
designed specifically in an attempt to help professionals in conducting themselves and business
activities with integrity and honestly (Brandl, & Maguire, 2002). Code of ethics entails the
mission, vision and values of the organization, outlines how professionals are required to
approach problems that arise at work place and also the ethical moral rules which are based on
the organization’s core values and standards of the profession (Verbos et al. 2007). The scope of
a code of ethics includes areas such as employees’ code of conduct, business ethics and a code of
professional practice.
Code of ethics may be broken down into three categories (Schwartz, 2004). These are;
 Compliance-Based Code of Ethics- this sets guidelines for ethical conduct and penalties
in case of violation of the guidelines.
 Value-Based Code of Ethics- this outlines the required standards of responsible conduct
in relation to the environment and the public at large and the.
 Code of Ethics among Professionals- this mainly relates to financial advisors who are
registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission and are bound by a code of
ethics known as fiduciary duty. They are required by the law to act in the best interest of
their clients.
Code of Ethics
A code of ethics guiding activities in an organization may be as outlined below (Organisation,
2010);
 Professional Appearance
A company can come up with a dress code which may include a suit and tie for certain classes of
employees and casual clothing on Fridays since a person’s dress code is part of the value-based
code of ethics section. It can also be made a requirement that employees’ clothing should be
clean and pressed. A professional appearance is significant when employees interact with
customers.