Which of the following best describes the relationship between ethics and rules of conduct

Ethics and morals relate to “right” and “wrong” conduct. While they are sometimes used interchangeably, they are different: ethics refer to rules provided by an external source, e.g., codes of conduct in workplaces or principles in religions. Morals refer to an individual’s own principles regarding right and wrong.

Ethics are external standards that are provided by institutions, groups, or culture to which an individual belongs. For example, lawyers, policemen, and doctors all have to follow an ethical code laid down by their profession, regardless of their own feelings or preferences. Ethics can also be considered a social system or a framework for acceptable behavior.

Morals are also influenced by culture or society, but they are personal principles created and upheld by individuals themselves.

Consistency and Flexibility

Ethics are very consistent within a certain context, but can vary greatly between contexts. For example, the ethics of the medical profession in the 21st century are generally consistent and do not change from hospital to hospital, but they are different from the ethics of the 21st century legal profession.

An individual’s moral code is usually unchanging and consistent across all contexts, but it is also possible for certain events to radically change an individual's personal beliefs and values.

Conflicts Between Ethics and Morals

One professional example of ethics conflicting with morals is the work of a defense attorney. A lawyer’s morals may tell her that murder is reprehensible and that murderers should be punished, but her ethics as a professional lawyer, require her to defend her client to the best of her abilities, even if she knows that the client is guilty.

Another example can be found in the medical field. In most parts of the world, a doctor may not euthanize a patient, even at the patient's request, as per ethical standards for health professionals. However, the same doctor may personally believe in a patient's right to die, as per the doctor's own morality.

Origins

Much of the confusion between these two words can be traced back to their origins. For example, the word "ethic" comes from Old French (etique), Late Latin (ethica), and Greek (ethos) and referred to customs or moral philosophies. "Morals" comes from Late Latin's moralis, which referred to appropriate behavior and manners in society. So, the two have very similar, if not synonymous, meanings originally.

Morality and ethics of the individual have been philosophically studied for well over a thousand years. The idea of ethics being principles that are set and applied to a group (not necessarily focused on the individual) is relatively new, though, primarily dating back to the 1600s. The distinction between ethics and morals is particularly important for philosophical ethicists.

Videos Explaining the Differences

The following video explains how ethics are objective, while morals are subjective.

References

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Learning Objectives

• Differentiate between laws and ethics

Ethics are a set of moral values an individual establishes for one’s self and your own personal behavior. Laws are structured rules utilized to govern all of society. Not only do retail companies have an obligation to act ethically but so do the professional individuals working there.  Within the hierarchy of retail companies, managers often interact with individual employees who are subject to “professional” codes of conduct. These codes of conduct may vary depending on the employee and their position within the company.

For example the American Bar Association has set forth Model Rules of Professional Conduct for licensed attorneys that were put into place in order to influence what behavior is to be expected when working in that particular profession. Therefore, an attorney working for a retail company might be held to a higher ethical standard than that of a clerk working in a stockroom. Nonetheless, both have to follow the laws as set forth by their state and local governments.

As times progress so do ethical and moral standards within the retail environment. Advancements with the internet have brought about websites where employees can report unethical behavior within a company.  Ethicspoint is one such internet reporting site where one can go online anonymously and report violations by entering the name of the organization, the violation category which best describes the unethical behavior and after agreeing to the websites terms and conditions, one can file a report.  These types of reporting methods are helpful with issues like health and safety violations, sexual harassment claims and discrimination which will be addressed further in the next few sections.

Some retailers pride themselves on their ethical practices and procedures and even promote them publicly to improve their corporate image.  For instance, a retailer’s number one concern might be an ethical obligation to the environment so they use and sell only environmental friendly products within their company and advertise as such to improve their image. “The economic crisis and its consequences represent an unparalleled opportunity for retailers to develop ethical practices and social policies for the good of society and their companies. Studies indicate a positive link between ethical perceptions and consumer responses, in terms of trust.”

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