Code of Ethics 1 Personal Code of Ethics Your name ADJ 235 Due date Instructors name Code of Ethics Introduction Personal Code of Ethics 2 A personal code of ethics can guide an individual when faced with tough ethical dilemmas Personal codes of ethics define why people believe and act the way they do it is the essence of the individual who adheres to it Having a strong personal code of ethics assists an individual not only in his or her personal life but in that person s professional life as well Many professionals are faced with tough ethical situations daily and the professions code of ethics may not always direct the individual to make the most moral decision Having high morals and ethical standards helps in these situations because they steer an individual through hard decisions no matter where the situation occurs in one s personal life or in their professional life Personal codes of ethics will vary from one individual to another Most ethical individuals will include honesty respect and responsibility in their personal codes but the completed list of ethics is limitless Joseph Afful has included the aforementioned three as well as several others Joseph Afful s personal code is reviewed on occasion and additions are made when needed ensuring that The Code will always steer him in their right direction Changes usually come after Joseph is faced with a significant ethical dilemma that impacted his thoughts on ethical behavior Ethical Framework Ethics can be broken down into teleological and deontological branches Nawaz 2009 states that Deonto is a Greek word which means duty para 8 this explains why the very basic idea of the deontological system is to judge one s ethics on his or her duty or right to act in a certain manner The teleological system varies from deontological system because it analyzes the consequences of an action rather than the action itself If the result of an action is good then Code of Ethics 3 the action must have been justifiable BJC 2009 Each of these two branches can be broken down further into differing ethical systems Individuals can base their personal ethics on any of the major ethical frameworks from either the teleological or deontological system Joseph bases his ethics and his moral beliefs on the teleological system specifically utilitarianism The teleological system allows the reasons for one s actions to be taken into consideration which is something Joseph believes should play a part in judging his ethics Utilitarianism Utilitarianism holds that the moral worth of an action or practice is determined solely by the consequences of the action or practice Baylor University 2009 Joseph s belief is that his actions are always carried out with the intent of bettering those around him which most closely follows the utilitarianism line of thinking Many individuals associate utilitarianism with the thought that the ends justify the means This statement can have a negative connotation if the action the means is unfavorable What if the means are considered favorable Joseph tries to always act in a favorable manner so the saying does not have the same negative nuance for him that it may hold for others Utilitarianism is the belief that the good of individuals is the ultimate value Doing what is considered to be the right thing means doing what is good Making the world around him a better place holds significant importance for Joseph and his personal code of ethics reflects that Joseph s Code Joseph s personal code of ethics is constantly being perfected but his most recent personal code follows Joseph will respect himself and his limitations Knowing what he can Code of Ethics 4 and cannot do will help to keep Joseph from placing himself in a situation he cannot handle Respect for limitations will also allow for personal growth letting Joseph see where his weaknesses are will give him an idea of the areas in which he needs to grow Joseph will never stop learning and his desire to get ahead in every situation places him in a good stead every new situation he is placed in and every individual he meets can teach him something Being open to learning and seeing situations from another perspective will lead to a better understanding of those individuals around him Learning from others even when he does not agree with them will help Joseph define what he does agree with When learning from another Joseph will listen not just hear what that individual is saying Listening closely to another individual shows a level of respect that can be missing when an individual just hears Not only is Joseph committed to learning but to teaching as well Joseph will teach what he knows in an effort to better educate those in his life As Joseph relays his knowledge he will be careful not to force his opinion on others letting others form their own opinions will help them to determine their own ethical systems Having an understanding of one s beliefs will help that individual to stand up for what he or she believes in in turn empowering that individual Some people do not feel empowered and are not able to speak up for themselves when it is necessary that they do so Joseph will be an advocate for those individuals helping them to realize their own potential while ensuring that the individual is not taken advantage of In dealing with others Joseph will be courteous even when he is in an unpleasant situation or dealing with unpleasant individuals Emotions can overcome people leaving them to say or do things that they will later regret Joseph s goal is to live his life without such regrets To prevent living with regrets Joseph will right the wrongs in his life If he has offended or hurt Code of Ethics 5 another he will do all that is within his power to change the unfortunate situation Righting wrongs means accepting responsibility for what occurs in one s life Accepting responsibility includes admitting when one is wrong Joseph knows that in doing this he will remain humble which will gain him the respect of his peers Joseph will maintain his genuine self no matter what the situation is Putting on false airs and pretending to be someone other than who he truly is can put Joseph in a difficult situation with other individuals Remaining true to himself will keep others from questioning his motives or morals When an individual s morals and ethics are questioned people may have doubts whether or not he or she is trustworthy Joseph wants to remain a trusted individual and will