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All of us have at one-time been exposed to professionals that must adhere to a specific code of ethics. It may be a medical doctor, a lawyer, and even the accountant that prepares your taxes each year. These professions have a licensing procedure which includes a type of certification and admittance to a professional fraternity of like-minded professionals. In many cases this oath to uphold an ethical standard supersedes a business agreement between the professional and their employer. The question I pose is this; "Is it time for all professions to develop their own code of ethics to govern their behavior in the business world?"

Thankfully, most organizations have long instituted practices of ethical behavior, even going to the extent of providing a mechanism for employees to report unethical behavior anonymously. In this way, the organization provides a "check" to employee's behavior to ensure that all employee's regardless of position behave in an ethical manner. What I propose is one step further. Imagine during new employee orientation that the new employ makes a promise to behave in an ethical manner towards employees, customers, and the public at large. In this way, each of us makes a promise to uphold the ethical principles of the organization.

John Hasnas, in an article titled The Core of Business Ethics outlined several principles to develop a modern business code of ethics;

1. Personal ethical responsibility is alienable
2. Refrain from physical coercion
3. Refrain from fraud and improper deceptive practices
4. Honor all the terms of one's contracts
5. Treat all parties with equal respect for their autonomy

Hasnas states "Much of the focus on business ethics literature is on com-plex  questions  of  corporate  social  responsibility.  Yet,  the  heart  of  business  ethics  consists  in  a  set  of  fundamental  moral  principles  that  are  inherent  in  the  activity  of  doing  business  in  a  market.  These  principles  transcend  differences  in  nationality,  culture,  and  religion  and  supply  the  building blocks on which the more complex analyses can be based."

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Hasnas, J. (2020). The core of business ethics. Business & Society Review (00453609), 125(4), 375–385. https://doi/10.1111/basr.12218

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