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Professional Ethics

Kleber Fernando Villacrés Miranda

Universidad Politécnica Salesiana

Electronic Engineering
2018
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Abstract

In every area of society, ethics play a major role in decision making. Personal integrity and ethical
choices can influence a successful life and career. Many societal views correlate ethics with
integrity. Integrity is the single most important attribute a person can have; a trait that can be a
powerful weapon. Compromising personal principles in any way impacts your ability to conduct
life in a moral fashion. A person's core values reflect honesty and truth and focuses on the ability
to make the right and just decision. This paper will discuss the origin of ethical principles, personal
Ethics is the study and examination of what constitutes good or bad conduct. Ethics is the
classification of specific behaviors as right or wrong within a person's personal or profession life.
Ethical behavior provides the guidelines which are the foundation for success or failure in each
person's life. and professional morals, and ethics in relation to policing.

Keywords: Profession, Ethics, Law

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Professional Ethics
Events that arise from ethical issues can build or destroy a person's reputation or career.
Ethical behavior builds respect, strengthens integrity, and allows others to view you as an honest
and trustworthy person. Values, beliefs, education, and experiences provide an ethical foundation
in your life. Most societal values center on ethical behaviors in people and because of this; we look
at others unfavorably when unethical behaviors are exhibited. Ethics provides the basis for moral
and truthful actions which is vital to individual well-being.
Many people in society have an individual code of ethics based on values, beliefs,
experience, culture, and education. In all cases, this drives our sense of what is right and wrong.
Some situations may feel wrong even if society deems them right. This would be your ethical code.
An ethical code is a source of values and characteristics that allows you to make a moral decision.
For instance, one choice may be preferable over another and your ethical code leads you to that
conclusion. Everyone has a different set of ethical codes and a variety of opinions about how
certain issues should be addressed. Ethical codes are the foundation of ethical behavior and
decision-making. Without a strong set of values in the ethical code the morals of individuals could
easily be compromised.
There is evidence that teaching children at an early age is the most effective time to
reinforce ethics. The issue is that the teaching of ethics must be learned by the child and reinforced
by the parents. The parents and role models need to teach by example through direction and
offering children choices. Taking a proactive part in moral guidelines will shape and lead the
person into adulthood and their life as a productive member of society. The core values we learn
start early in life. Parents need to establish good solid values and make sure children adhere to
certain rules, morals, and conduct. If a parent has impractical expectations or no rules, they will
fail at producing a child who will be trustworthy, honest, and moral.
Within the ideal of ethics there are distinctive traits and morals one must possess in their
professional life. Integrity is the excellent qualities of character that are integral to an individual's
entire life, public and private. People of integrity do the right thing even when they think that no
one is looking. Honesty is being able to be creditable and trustworthy as an officer. Honest officers
are essential and their worth is beyond measure. Values are a measure of a person's standards or
qualities. Values can be described as Personal values, Organizational values, and Social values.
Standards are set guidelines to establish a baseline as to what the officer should or should not do.
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Courage is overcoming a person's fear to do the right thing, even if it is not the most accepted
thing. Civility is being respectful and polite to all citizens encountered by law enforcement. A
devotion to these building blocks provides a solid foundation towards a moral and ethical path in
ones professional career.
The comparison between both personal and professional ethics correlates to the same
values and beliefs in both instances. These two areas build a foundation and if there is corruption
in either area it will adversely influence the other. Therefore, we must all maintain a solid personal
and professional ethical basis if we are to promote the ideal of ethics and morals in our personal
and professional lives.
An ethical decision brings up the issue of how this result will affect others. These choices
can be broken down in several distinct areas. The choice made will affect others in some way.
Because of this, you need to think about what the consequence is. The second part deals directly
with the decision you make and if it could end up hurting others. Life decisions have both good
and bad outcomes. As a result, decisions need to be made with all the facts and determine what the
best conclusion would be under the circumstances. The third process takes into consideration the
adage, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you", which applies for the purpose of
ethics in society today. We need to think about the options and base judgment on the outcome. The
last part of making an ethical decision relates to how others are
Members of the criminal justice system have a common expectation from the public. This
expectation is a level of integrity, ethics, and conduct that is required of them given their positions.
People empower members of the criminal justice system because they do not want the
responsibility.
The public expects all members of the criminal justice system to effectively and efficiently
implement our laws and procedures. This is just a part of the commonality we as criminal justice
professionals are expected to do. The criminal justice system as a whole is expected to create an
environment where we can all life safely. Speaking as a current law enforcement officer, I am
expected to carry myself off duty as respectful as when I am on duty. I have an image to up hold
and if that image is dishonored in any way the trust and respect for the entire department is flawed.
Officers are the members in a community many outsiders have first contact with. Because of this,
our demeanor and attitude are the deciding factor, in which others focus their beliefs about all
police and the criminal justice professionals.
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Departments need to conduct ethics training as part of a basic requirement for all new or
existing employees on a regular basis. Whether the training is conducted in the Police Academy or
at in-service training, police need to be constantly reminded of their ethical behavior. Some officers
believe they are doing nothing wrong. Some officers need education to gain insight about their
actions. No amount of training can provide the basic principles for individual ethics. Ethics are
learned over time and reinforced by decision making and obtaining feedback either positively or
negatively regarding your actions.
Officers need to realize when the decisions they make are unethical. Officers need to be
aware of repercussions for making unethical decisions and creditability issues associated with bad
moral character. Everyone in life makes mistakes however, we are judged on our decisions and
ethical principles.
The discussion of ethics provides an understanding of human behavior and decision
making. The examination of ethics in this paper reveals the crucial component moral principles
play in society. Each and every person has to be aware how our actions affect people directly or
indirectly. Personal and professional ethics influence each other and provide an indication of
individual character.
Our actions and decisions in any situation define how society views us. We must be mindful
about how others view us, our decisions, and our actions. Negative ethical decisions are noticed
more frequently and provide a basis for judgment rather than positive ethical decisions. Each
individual has a distinct responsibility to make the right and moral choice each time an ethical
situation arises.
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References

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[2] Mathew Coakley (2016). “Interpersonal Comparisons of the Good: Epistemic not
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http://www.journals.cambridge.org/abstract_S0953820815000266.
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http://gbelic.org/courses/intro/lectures/lecture-7-deontology.pdf.
[4] Shannon a. Bowen (2004). “Expansion of Ethics as the Tenth Generic Principle of Public
Relations Excellence: A Kantian Theory and Model for Managing Ethical Issues.”, Journal
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[5] Russ Shafer-Landau (2013). Ethical theory: An anthology (Russ Shafer-Landau, ed.).
Wiley-Blackwell.