Professional Ethics

Professional ethics govern the way moral issues that arise because of a specialist knowledge that a professional attains. It governs how the use of this knowledge should be governed when providing a service to the public.

Discipline is the area of expertise that you happen to be working in or studying. The arts, social science, economics, journalism are all examples of discipline. 

Ethics may include the following: Moral codes, Morality & Ethics.

Moral Codes - Rules that establish the boundaries of generally accepted behaviour.
Morality - Refers to social conventions about right and wrong human conduct.
Ethics - Are beliefs regarding right and wrong behaviour.
Virtues - Habits that incline us to do what is acceptable.
Vices - Habits that incline us to do what is unacceptable.

Age can play a part in the ethics for instance what may have been politically correct in the early 19th century may not be politically correct with the younger generation of Australia today.

Social & Ethical Responsibilities

ICT systems and applications:

Moral
Ethicial - Professional Ethics, Code of Ethics.
Legal - Software Piracy.
Health Related Problems.
Social Political.

The Code of Conductthat Australian IT Professionals are governed by are produced by the Australian Computer Society. Their code of ethics can be found on the following link as a PDF file.

There are six main values of the ACS.

1. The Primacy of the Public Interest
You will place the interests of the public above those of personal, business or sectional interests.
2. The Enhancement of Quality of Life
You will strive to enhance the quality of life of those affected by your work.
3. Honesty
You will be honest in your representation of skills, knowledge, services and products.
4. Competence
You will work competently and diligently for your stakeholders.
5. Professional Development
You will enhance your own professional development, and that of your colleagues and staff.
6. Professionalism
You will enhance the integrity of the Society and the respect of its members for each other.

Questions to determine the ethics of an Action

Is it honourable, Is it honest, Does it avoid any possibility of conflict of interest, Is it wihin your competence, Is it fair, Is it considerate (i.e. not wasteful of time & resources)