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Essay on Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

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                                                Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct

While both the code of conduct and the code of ethics are aimed at shaping the behavior of a person in an organization, the two are different. Code of ethics is a set of morals that guides the behavior and actions of an individual in an organization or a professional practice. On the other hand, code of conduct is a set of guidelines that a person is expected to have based on the guiding morals of an organization of a profession (Collins, 2012). Moreover, code of ethics involves a broader basis that determines a person’s actions as right or wrong, while code of ethics provides the rules that are translated into specific guidelines.

To create a code of ethics for an organization, the initial step is to set up code-writing team after the relevant managerial approvals. The team gathers relevant ethical issues that define the expected behavior of people in an organization based on common themes. The team then drafts a code of ethics that favorably compares with the related organizational environment and aligns with the expectations of the profession (Collins, 2012). After formulation, the code of ethics is reviewed and implemented with a specific methodology put in place to promote their compliance. Moreover. Regular reviews are done by the person in charge of ethics to align them to dynamic ethical environments.

In the article Spiro (2010) describes the need for ethics in an organization and how they shape the behavior of employees of an organization. Spiro (2010) further argues that code of ethics guides how employees in an organization relate to each other, with the management and with external parties such as suppliers and customers. This article is relevant to the questions above, since it provides comprehensive information to understand the meaning and process of preparing a code of ethics for an organization.
                                                                        References

Collins, D. (2012). Business Ethics. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Spiro, J. (2010). How to Write a Code of Ethics for Business. Retrieved From,

<http://www.inc.com/guides/how-to-write-a-code-of-ethics.html#ixzz323mvsYxX> May 18, 2014