Civics - The Need - Dead - Final

The Need of
Professional Ethics in
Ethiopian Institutions
By: EiABC MCiE 1012 – Sec-C Gr-4

To: Dr. Michael Sisaye
ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

AND CITY DEVELOPMENT (EiABC) | Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
The need of professional ethics in Ethiopian institutions
Introduction
Do we appreciate and practice professional ethics in its true sense? This question is nagging
everyone whenever he/she is confronted with malpractices, abuse of authority, and lack of
accountability at service delivery points. These services could be public or private, but essential for
a citizen seeking them. This citizen is deemed to be a tax-payer demanding services with officially
fixed charges. He knows he is entitled to these services with or without charges. But he is
dumbfounded or amazed when confronted by a guard, a messenger, a typist, an office secretary,
an archivist, an expert, a legal officer, deputy manager, or even a manager who require him to
meet certain conditions to get the service he needed from the office they run. Some of the staffs
have a common stand on the terms and conditions of delivering their services to a polite citizen.
Usually, besides having moral responsibility to give service appropriately, professionals have
professional code of ethics. These codes of ethics are to be used as a guideline for professional
while carrying out their work. Professional codes of conduct offer benefits to the public by
building confidence in the profession’s trustworthiness, to clients by providing transparency, to
the professionals by providing support so as to do their work appropriately and for making
acceptable decisions in quarrelsome areas.
Public institutions in Ethiopia are ineffective at providing suitable service to the public. This is
attributed to many reasons including lack of proper infrastructure in the institutions, lack of
independency from the influence of the political paradigm of the country and the ineffective
practice of professional ethics in the public administration and the public service.
In Ethiopia professional ethics is, generally, facing challenges. Professionals, due to many reasons,
are not practicing professional ethics principles in the different professions that they possess.
Mainly this is caused by the professionals not being a professional by themselves. People are
graduating and receiving their degrees from educational institutions without sufficient training
and preparation to use their expertise and professional ethics principles in reality. Another is that
people are being employed in public institutions by bribing and using influential relatives. These
results the wide spread of corruption in the institutions. In addition, how professionals give
service to the public is also influenced by the overall political, social and economic condition of the
country. Professionals are most likely to ignore ethics of their professionals when the country is
politically instable. They may try to take advantage of the condition the time created.
This paper is mainly about the need of professional ethics in Ethiopian institutions. The first part of
this paper makes a brief description of definitions and basic concepts of terms related to our main
topic. Next, the need of professional ethics in Ethiopian institutions as a general and specifically to
some government and non-governmental institutions, that have a profound effect in our lives.
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The Need of Professional Ethics in Ethiopian Institutions
Definition and basic concepts

Ethics is the moral principle that governs a person’s behavior or the conducting of an activity.
Ethics plays a role in every profession.
Professional ethics are principles that direct the behavior of a person or a group in a work
environment. Professional ethics includes the personal and company standards of behavior
expected by professionals. It provides rules on how a person should act towards other people and
institutions. Professional ethics are a set of rules, which professionals must use to deliver their
specialized knowledge for their clients. A person’s professional ethics tells him/her what they are
expected to do and how they are expected to do it.
Types of professional ethics:

1. Meta ethics: (origin of ethical principle)
It deals with origin of ethical principles that govern the specification of right and wrong behavior.
A major issue of debate in this category is whether ethical principles are eternal truths that evolved
from a spiritual world or simply created by the humans.
2. Descriptive ethics: (moral beliefs)
It refers to the study of moral beliefs of the people. It is a field of empirical research into what
people or societies consider right or wrong.
3. Normative ethics: (self-moral conduct)
It is concerned with arriving at set of moral conduct rules against which behavior are judged.
4. Applied ethics:
These are ethical principles that are designed or written for implementation in a specific situation.
a. Bio ethics: These are the ethical principles or codes for maintaining normal livelihood.
b. Medical ethics: The ethical principles or codes designed for a medical profession.
c. Computer ethics: The ethical principles or codes designed for a computer science.
d. Engineering ethics: The ethical principles or codes designed for an engineering
profession.
e. Business ethics: The ethical principles or codes designed for a business operation.
f. Legal ethics: The ethical principles or codes designed for maintaining a legal system.
Professionalism is defined as "meticulous adherence to undeviating courtesy, honesty and

responsibility in one's dealing with citizens associates.”
Professional is a person who is educated and trained and who is a competent and motivated civil
servant working in a system dedicated to serving the public interest.
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Even though different professions have different principles to follow depending on the type of the
profession, there are some ethical professional principles that are commonly shared. For example,
the professional ethics in the medical profession and in the legal and justice profession is different
in its content but there are some values that these two shares. The most common professional
principles shared are respecting others, serving the public interest, impartiality, trustworthiness,
honest, loyalty, accountability, transparency, fairness, objectivity, adherence to law and
confidentiality in the work place.
Usually, besides having moral responsibility to give service appropriately, professionals have
professional code of ethics. These codes of ethics are to be used as a guideline for professional
while carrying out their work. Professional codes of conduct offer benefits to the public by
building confidence in the profession’s trustworthiness, to clients by providing transparency, to
the professionals by providing support so as to do their work appropriately and for making
acceptable decisions in quarrelsome areas.
Professional ethicality is a core element in public service. Public ethics are a prerequisite to public
trust and are a corner stone of good governance. Public service involves public trust. Citizens
expect public servants to serve the public interest with fairness and to manage public resource
properly on their duty. Fair and reliable public services inspire public trust and create a favorable
environment for businesses, thus contributing to well-functioning markets and economic growth.
The need of professional ethics

Broadly speaking, ethics means a code of conduct that directs an individual in dealing with others.
Business Ethics is a form of the skill that examines ethical moralities and honesty or ethical
problems that can arise in a business environment. It deals with matters regarding morals,
principles, duties and corporate governance applicable to a company and its employees,
customers, shareholders, media, suppliers, government and dealers. This is what the famous
Henry Kravis had to say about professional ethics: “If you don't have integrity, you have nothing.
You can't buy accountability. You can have all the money in the world, but if you are not a moral
and ethical person, you really have nothing.”
Ethics are also related to the core of management practices such as human resource management,
accounting information, production, sales and marketing, intellectual property knowledge and
skill, international business and economic systems. In the corporate world, the organization’s
culture sets standards for shaping the difference between good or bad, right or wrong and fair or
unfair. This quote by Albert Einstein says it all: “Relativity applies to physics, not ethics.” The
point being that it is possible to make profits without having to negotiate on ethics. And over and
above the factor of correctness associated with ethics, an ethical business and its proprietors only
serve themselves, their clients and the whole enterprise much better in the final reckoning.
Management gurus often preach on the advantage an ethical company has over their competitors.
“A business is successful to the extent that it provides a product or service that contributes to
happiness in all of its forms” – these famous words by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi are a fitting
description of this reality.
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Lately, ethical issues in business have become more complicated because of the international and
diversified nature of many big corporations and because of the difficulty of economic, social,
global, political, legal, and administrative regulations and peculiarities. Thus, companies have to
decide whether to stick to constant ethical principles or to bend according to domestic standards
and culture. It can be aptly summed up in the words of John D. Rockefeller: “I believe that every
right implies a responsibility; every opportunity an obligation; every possession a duty.”
In every company, the managers should remember that leading by example is the first and very
important step in nurturing a culture of ethical conduct. Hence, the best way to encourage ethical
behavior is by setting a good personal example. Teaching an employee ethics is not always
effective. One can explain and define ethics to an adult, but understanding ethics does not
necessarily result in ethical behavior. John Mackey once quoted that “Business social responsibility
should not be coerced; it is a voluntary decision that the entrepreneurial leadership of every
company must make on its own.”
Thus, ethics are important not only in business but in all the other parts of life because it is an
important base on which a civilized and cultured society is built. A business or society without
ethics and scruples is only headed towards self-destruction.
At work, ethical behavior is the legal and moral code guiding employee behavior. Being a
professional requires more than wearing a nice suit. It requires ethical behavior that drives
interactions with other employees, customers and leadership. It also guides how someone
performs her job. Ethical behavior guides whether someone will perform minor infractions if she
feels no one is watching. Business leaders need to set clear guidelines for ethical behavior in the
workplace and to consistently train employees on working according to those expectations.
As mentioned earlier, every company or business needs their own set of ethics and standards for
several reasons.
Some of the important reasons are:
1. Success:
Success is the most important reason for need of professional ethics. A company should give their
employees in writing the list of moral and ethics codes that they have to follow. In the world, every
singles person’s individual set of morals and ethics differ. In the workplace, all these individuals
come together and work under the same roof. If one person’s ethics is totally against another
person’s set of ethics, then this will lead to confusion and politics. No professional organization
can afford to have warring factions within their office if they have to conduct business
successfully.
2. Checking Tool: Work place ethics act as moral police and check the employees when they are
wrong. An employee, who knows what the work ethics are, will not go wrong and live up to the
business standards. This is the biggest advantage that an organization gets by defining a set code
of ethics.
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3. Integrity: Integrity is one thing that every business should have. When employees follow work
ethics, they show integrity to the outside world. Customers believe in the company and also
business prospects increase. Every industry has its own ethical guidelines, and a business should
make sure that they follow these standards.
4. Mutual Respect: Mutual respect also should be one of the strongest ethical points for a
company. When employees respect each other, then everyone else, including the customers,
respect the business.
Why do professionals need professional ethics?

First, most professionals have an informational advantage over those they serve. This power
asymmetry can be exploited to the advantage of the professional and thus there needs to be a
corresponding sense of professional responsibility that obligates the professional to act in the
client's best long-term interest and, additionally, to take appropriate safeguards and to make
necessary disclosures and to secure consent to protect the client and assure the professional's
behavior is on the up-and-up. Professional ethics will provide the useful function of identifying
these moral hazards and providing the appropriate avoidance or work-around strategies.
Second, most professional are, at some point, young and inexperienced professionals. Thus,
professional ethics represents a kind of collective, time-tested wisdom that is passed on to new
professionals: watch out for this or do that. Also, with changing laws, technologies and mores,
professional standards will work to keep the profession abreast of new ethical challenges and
emerging responsibilities and best practices.
Thirdly, professional ethics act as a somewhat effective countervailing power to organizational

influence or the power of authority (say, from a supervisor or boss). Thus, accountants have
standard for reporting earnings and should not be swayed by a boss you say, in effect, "make the
number work" so that we hit our earnings estimate.
Finally, insofar as professional ethics often get promulgated by professional organizations, they
may play a role in enforcement and disciplinary action with respect to those who violate such
standards.
Importance of Professional Ethics

Professional ethics are important for several reasons as explained below:
(a) Ethics corresponds to basic human needs:
It is a human trait that the man desires to be ethical; not only in his private life but also in his
profession/business affairs where, being a manager, he knows his decisions will affect the lives of
thousands of employees. Also, most people want to be a part of an organization which they can
respect and be publicly proud of, because they perceive its purpose and activities to be honest and
beneficial to society. These basic ethical needs compel the organizations/business enterprises to be
ethically oriented.
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(b) Ethics create credibility with the public:
A company ethically and socially responsive is honored in the society, people favor its products
and its public issues attract an immediate response.
(c) Ethics give management credibility with employees:
The management automatically gets credibility with its employees when it has credit with the
public. The leadership and the people (employees) come and work together.
(d) Ethics help better decision making:
An ethical attitude of management helps making decisions in the interest of public, their
employees and the company.
(e) Ethics and profit:
Ethics and profit go together. Value driven companies are always successful in the long run.
(f) Ethics can protect society:
What ethics can do, probably government, and law cannot, to protect society. For example, an
ethical oriented management can prevent pollution and protect the health of their workers, and
people in general, much before being mandated by law.
Professional ethics in Ethiopia

Modern administrative system in Ethiopia is believed to have been established during the reign of
Emperor Menelik II. Prior to this period, the country was under traditional administration and the
different Ethiopian monarchs had failed to build any kind of administrative framework through
which they could exercise their absolute power (Paulo’s, 2001). As part of the effort to modernize
the country’s public administration, the Emperor established nine ministries which marked the
beginning of European style administration. The ministers were not salaried and appointment was
based on loyalty and the number of followers that they could mobilize during wartime. This was
the beginning of a new era in the administrative development of the country and the inception of
the civil service. The civil service was also small in number and was primarily engaged in
maintaining law and order.
According to the MSC (ministry of civil service) (2012), at the time the public administration was
implemented based on the free will of the kings and lords without any pertinent rules and
regulations. People were hired based on the personal acquaintances and friendships they had with
the nobility. Anyone who did not have some kind of relationship, no matter how competent
he/she was, was denied services and employment. It was therefore a widely accepted culture
among the public to pay tribute and bribe to the nobility to get any type of service from public
offices. This also indicated that activities were under the influence of the nobility; and therefore,
justice was easily and obviously violated based on the quality and amount of bribe paid.
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According to Paulo’s (2001), Emperor Haile Selassie had the best claim of instituting modern
public administration in Ethiopia, which was started by his predecessor (Menelik II). It was during
his reign that the process of centralizing and modernizing the state reached a relatively advanced
stage and the modernization of the state was promoted. However, as identified in different
literatures the challenges not resolved in more, because all things in the hands of the king. ECA
(1996) noted that the basis of a modern administrative system and the moral basis of the state were
laid in the imperial period. Hence, this period constituted a period of high moral values on the part
of the population and civil servants. On the other hand, as the study argues, the emperor and the
aristocracy in this period had a dominant influence on the governance processes and this usually
served to undermine ethical direction and consistency in the civil service. Kassahun (1998) argues
along the same line and asserted that Public Administration under the monarchy suffered from
irregularities that resulted from the rampancy of several ills, which included, among others,
cronyism, discretionary interventions, prevalence of political clientelism, and the taking effect of
individual and group interests to the detriment of established rules and procedures. Such
malpractices militated against the smooth functioning of the civil service thereby reducing its
prowess to gear the development of work ethic in the desired direction. Moreover, Paulo’s (2001)
stated that the absence of strict adherence to the civil service rules and regulations, and political
interference in administrative affairs were seen as chronic problems of the time.
In 1994 a self-proclaimed socialist government came to power through coup d’état. It was a highly
centralized unitary government following a Soviet-inspired centralized economic planning and
command economic system. The Dergue exerted all it could to radically redesign the
administrative machinery in line with its socialist/central-planning ideological ethos. According to
Kassahun (1998), within few years of its incumbency, the Dergue politicized the civil service by
fusing the single party within the institutions of state and government. This resulted in the
proliferation of parallel party structures and appointment of party functionaries to key civil service
decision-making positions. In such processes, merit and professionalism gave way to political
clientelism and patronage. The ever centralization of administrative decision making in the hands
of political decision makers witnessed a situation where corruption, inefficient service delivery and
increased neglect of due process of law in matters of public concern became a routine exercise.
Furthermore, the Dergue regime questioned the basis of the accepted norms and codes of behavior
within and outside the civil service (ECA, 1996). It attempted to foster new socialist ethical
foundation in the society and the civil service, which culminated in a state of moral confusion and
turbulence ultimately undermining ethics in the hearts and minds of the people (ECA, 1996).
After the political change took place in 1991, one of the milestones taken by the government was
the restructuring its organizations so that they could accommodate the new political approach of
federalism. The introduction of decentralization of power entailed the change that was taking
place in the structure of the civil service and the legal and political environments of the nation. The
first structuring took place between 1992 and 1994 to allocate staff from the center to the newly
formed regions (World Bank, 2004).
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To improve the living standards of its people, a government of any developing country has the
responsibility of undertaking different types of development programs (CSRP) in 1996. In
addition, it has to revise its policies frequently to create congenial business environment and to
attract private investors to the country. Hence, the government needs to improve its administrative
capacity by strengthening the management skill of its organs and should focus on
professionalizing of the civil servants in order to achieve its goal spelled in the Growth and
Transformation Plan of the nation.
Professional ethics are as important as personal ethics. Many big well-known companies have
suffered many destructive effects because the management of the company may have lacked
professional ethics. In order to have a successful business, it is important to run a business
ethically. However, the term "business ethics”, when correctly interpreted, means standards of
behavior of every individual in a business, and not necessarily only standards of the business, as a
whole. Thus, a business or a society that lacks ethical principles is bound to fail sooner or later. The
main components of professional ethics are respect and honesty. Since all the workers are a part of
the company, they are expected to represent it ethically. This is why, for the most part, business
people usually speak of "we" or "us" rather than the more personal "I". Professional ethics are also
usually known as ethical business practices. Read on to understand the need for professional
ethics.
Professional ethics problems in Ethiopia

Any public servant is expected to serve the public ethically, discharge his responsibilities to
execute the government policies and respect the constitution and the laws. Besides, the civil
servant must keep confidential information which if disclosed may have negative consequences on
government, institution and the country.
Furthermore, on article 62 of Proclamation 515/2007, the Civil Servants shall oblige to be loyal to
the public and the Constitution; devote his whole energy and ability to the service of the public;
discharge the functions specified in his job description and accomplish other tasks ordered legally;
observe laws, regulations and directives related to the civil service; have a duty to perform
government policy efficiently. Ethical problems or offences which entail rigorous disciplinary
penalties are stipulated on the Federal Civil Servants Proclamation 515/2007 article 68(1-14) are
undermining one's duty by being disobedient, negligent or tardy or by none observance of
working procedures, deliberate procrastination of cases or mistreatment of clients, deliberately
obstruct work or to collaborate with others in committing such offence, unjustifiable repeated
absenteeism or nonobservance of office hours in spite of being penalized by simple disciplinary
penalties, initiate physical violence at the place of work, neglect of duty by being alcoholic or drug
addict, accept or demand bribes , commit an immoral act at the place of work.
Furthermore, any behavior or act that deviates from the cultural norm or moral is immoral which
have a negative consequence on the institutional performance and trust, and commit an act of theft
or breach of trust; an act of misrepresentation or fraudulent act; inflict damages to the property of
the government due to an intentional act or negligence; abuse of power and commit sexual
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violence at the place of work and commit any breach of discipline of equal gravity with the
offences specified.
The Need for Professional ethics in ministry offices of government

Before we layout the need of professional ethics on ministry offices. First let us see what a ministry
office is. So, ministries are usually immediate subdivisions of the cabinet (the executive branch of
the government), and subordinate to its chief executive who is called prime minister,
chief minister, president, minister-president, or (federal) chancellor. Ministry of Defense; Ministry
of Education; Ministry of Communication and Information Technology; Ministry of Transport;
Ministry of Public Service and Human Resource Development; Ministry of Water, Irrigation and
Electricity are some of the different kinds of ministry offices of government. So, all of these
ministries are basically in relation with public administration in which proper work, satisfaction of
the public cannot be gained without the compliance of the different professional ethics on the work
area.
Issues of honesty and transparency in government, dealing with matters such as bribery, political
corruption, police corruption, legislative ethics, regulatory ethics, and conflict of interest, avoiding
the appearance of impropriety, open government, and legal ethics are the ethical issues on
ministry offices of government.
What is the need of ethics in the government service?

Professional Ethics on ministry offices of government is needed because it provides accountability
between the public and the administration. Adhering to a code of ethics ensures that
the public receives what it needs in a fair manner. It also gives the administration guidelines for
integrity in their operations. That integrity, in turn, helps foster the trust of the community.
Additionally, a code of ethics creates standards of professionalism that co-workers in the public
sector can expect from each other; the public can also expect the same from their leaders. The
different kinds of professional ethics also provide benefits like:
 Trustworthiness-to the public, as they build confidence in the profession’s trustworthiness
 Transparency-to the clients, as they provide greater transparency and certainty about how
their affairs will be handled
 Ability to cope with problems-to the members of the profession, as they provide a
supporting framework for resisting pressure to act inappropriately, and for making
acceptable decisions in what may be ‘grey areas’
 Honesty- to others dealing with the profession, as the profession will be seen as more
reliable and easier to deal with.
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The need for professional ethics in defense man force Institution

Professional ethics has also a great role in defense man force as in others institutions. Honesty,
loyalty, trustworthy, adherence to law, accountability, respect others, doing good and not harming
others are some elements of professional ethics used in defense man force. These professional
ethics are applied in this institution for the purpose of making it successful. Honesty, for instance,
creates openness to maintain the public confidential information.it increases the reliability of
people on an institution. Loyalty creates a unity and enables the members to devote their
maximum effort for the success of institution. It has a great role in creating a committed member
who are willing to risk challenges and struggle even in difficult conditions for they have to be loyal
to the people they represent. Both honesty and loyalty enforce all the stake holder of defense force
to be loyal and honest so that public rely on and trust them.
Adherence to the law teaches the police, soldiers, and other members the way they have to
perform their duties and responsibility. On one hand, it encourages them to practice the basic
principles stated in the rule or constitution, on the other hand it confirms that every action they
perform should be according to the sets rule. It restricts their power and remind them that it is
unethical to do the favors of one based on their wish
Accountability is one of the most practical professional ethics that prevent defense force from
abusing the right of others as it teaches the police, the soldiers and other member that they are held
responsibility for every of their unjust or unlawful act. It prevents them from harming others for
the sake of their interest. It clearly explains that even if they are ready to safeguard their
community, there is no remedy for them in the case they commit unrecoverable fault. For instance,
they may practice rape, abduction and adultery forcefully. They may put innocent people to the
jail if they have grudge with them using the power of gun. But their professional ethics doesn't
allow them to do so and accountability repeatedly announce them that representing a people and
being their police is not a guarantee to be absolved from being responsible while the basic right of
human are abused.
Showing respect for others is another professional ethics that enable all defense force stake holder
to act politely. Thinking that they are physically trained, the members of defense force may
sometimes consider civilians as inferior to them. But because of their professional ethics they do
not do so. This professional ethics enables them to treat all people equal. It also enforces them to
show sympathy for those who are with disability.
Confidentiality is the very basic professional ethics in defense man force. It is the ethics that does
not allow dispensing confidential information of institution everywhere. An ethical members of
defense force do not distribute confidential information not because they are fear of governing
rule, as sometimes rule is impractical in application, but because they are confirmed to
confidentiality Generally the code of character mentioned above and others are applied in this
institution with the aim of guiding the members of procession so that their work attractive and
successful.
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The need for professional ethics in Higher Education Institutions

Like many other institutions professional ethics got many roles to play in higher educations. For
Many generations we have eye witness for change that had made higher education, depending
societal needs. All of them should be guided by the law to bring professional interaction between
the learners and the teacher
As education is basis for ethics the need for professional ethics is very high since it brings good
quality of resources for the generations which are righteous, sociable and creative personality.
Professional does not mean giving all authorities for the teacher but providing a critical thinking
for the learners with love, affection, care, and creating intractable atmosphere.
Teachers are curial in successful education of students’ ethical standards require teaching to
support student’s growth independence and success in every way possible. The common
characteristics shared by many teachers we absorbable which are known as teachers code of
conduct
The common rules are:
1. Fairness and confidentiality

The teachers protect the learners and treat them equally regardless of ability, race, ethnicity
religious or any other factor they are expected to bring safe ground for the students. They
must not share information of the learners rather than of professions who need the
information to assist the student.
2. Accountability and truthfulness
Teachers should be accountable for creating better and qualified learners they are also
accountable for making a decision that may lead the learners they may lead the students for
the betterments of their life. This includes not making any sexual reaction with their students
for example as we seeing in higher institutions learners are being sexually abused by their
teacher who lack profession ethics, which lead to psychological and physical damage to
learners and also decreased the numbers students in higher education and not giving
inappropriate things to students such drugs, alcohol, etc..; and also involve not giving a
permission to use such thing.
3. Collaboration with parents
for building at atmosphere of trust according to national association of special education
teachers code of conduct include the interaction between the parents the teachers in
contemporary this code of conduct prohibits the teachers from discriminating students
based on their parent’s wealth and position.
4. Create good colleague interaction
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Based the ethics the teachers are also obligated to create relationship with other teachers this
include the prohibition of teachers from making any false rumor about colleges with equal and
motivation way.
5. Professionalism
Ethics requires the teachers to work and maintain professional standards this include not making
unqualified and misrepresent the professional qualities of teachers
The need for professional ethics in Financial Institution

Professional ethics regulates the relationships of members of the relevant profession with each
other and with society, by imposing certain rules for resolution of problems originating from
inside or outside the organization. Professional ethics in banking system is one of the applications
of this it provides sustainable working environment for both workers and customers. All
individuals working in the banking sector are required to act in a fair and honest manner. This is
to protect the interests of customers, colleagues and other banks; and the wider interests of society
as a whole.
We believe that to enhance public confidence and trust in banking system, and pride within the
banking profession, individuals working in banking should make a personal commitment to a
higher standard of professionalism. This in turn brings additional responsibilities. All the members
are expected to display, the highest standards of professionalism and a commitment to ethical
conduct, giving, at all times, due care and consideration to others and putting the public interest
first. bank's code of ethics is a set of internal guidelines that should make a commitment to operate
legally and it should promote honesty, accountability and ethical conduct. Since banks vary in size
and engage in different types of business, it is impossible to outline a unique code of ethics. Each
institution needs to develop a suitable set of guidelines to cover all activities and it should apply to
all employees, officers, directors and agents, associated with in the bank. The common objectives
of banking system include enhancement of banking service quality, best use of resources, creation
of a fair and honest competitive environment among banks, and prevention of unfair competition
and they should oblige to regulate their relations with each other and with other organizations,
and with their customers in accordance with these ethical principles. Among those principles the
following are the main one.
1. Integrity: Stick to the principle of integrity in all their relations in the course of their operations,
indicates that the bank and employers should work by observing those ethical principles which
developed to create suitable working environment for both the workers and customers.
2. Neutrality: Do not ever discriminate among their employees and customers, and free from
biased behaviors; and Abstain from any discrimination of ethnical origin, religion, financial and
social status, or sex in provision of their services.
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3. Reliability: Provide clear, understandable and accurate information to their customers within the
frame of mutual trust in all their services and operations, and perform their customer services
timely and completely.
4. Transparency: Keep their customers clearly, understandably and right informed about their
rights and obligations, and benefits and risks regarding the products and services offered by the
bank system; and access the finical status of their customer before they take those services in order
to protect future risks.
5. Supervision of Public Benefits, and Respect to Environment: In all of their activities, banks
should not only target profitability, but also take pains in supporting and sponsoring social and
cultural events and activities in supervision of public benefits and respect to environment.
6. Fight against Financing of Terrorism: banks should work within the framework of international
norms and national laws and regulations; adopt those acts willingly to cooperate with each other
and with other relevant organization in order to protect financial terrorism.
7. Information Abuse: Take all kinds of measures and actions in order to prevent abuse of
information of themselves and their customers.
8. Fight against those IL loyal acts: They should keep the secrets of their customers this in turn
promotes acceptance from their customers based on mutual benefits.
Professional ethics in the legal system
Professional ethics is also crucial in the professions of a legal system. The professional ethics in
these systems and professions is called legal ethics. Formally legal ethics is “the standard of
minimally acceptable conduct within the legal profession, involving the duties that its members
owe one another, their client and the court” (Black ‘s Law Dictionary, 726).
Some of the rules on advocate’s duty towards the court include: -
1. Respect for the court
2. Should not communicate with the judicial officer in private
3. Appear in proper dress code
Chief justice Marshal explains the aim of legal ethics in this way
“The fundamental aim of legal ethics is to maintain the honor and dignity of the law profession. To
secure the spirit of friendly cooperation between the bench and the bar in promotion of high
standard of justice, to establish honorable and fair dealings of the counsel with his client opponent
and witness to establish a spirit of brotherhood in the bar itself and to secure that lawyers
discharge their responsibilities to the community generally” (Myneni 90).
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Legal ethics is important since it maintains the honor and dignity of legal profession in the
promotion of justice. If the legal profession does not have honor and also dignity by the society, it
will result in disrespect for the law and the court. The society will lack confidence in courts and
also, they will not use the system for the resolution of their problems with each other. Instead, they
will take their own measurements based on their own moral judgments. When everyone follows
their own paths and their and own laws, chaos will arise and destruction of properties and lives
will be the outcome.
For the survival of any society in the world, any professional in the legal system needs to be ethical
and follow the legal ethics. Courts, lawyers and other professionals in the system are required to
obey the professional ethics in their day-to-day activities of their work place. Relations of the court,
lawyers, opponents, and clients have to be ethical. For example, legal professionals should keep
confidential information, they should not involve in cases having a conflict of interest. Lawyers
have to respect the court and have a dignified behavior. Judges should not follow relationships to
influence judgment. The judges, the prosecutors and the advocates should have a friendly co-
operation.
The need for professional ethics in Ethiopia health care institution

Health care institutions, by virtue of their roles as health care providers, employers, and
community health resources, have special responsibilities for ethical conduct and ethical practices
that go beyond meeting minimum legal and regulatory standards. Their broad range of patient
care, education, public health, social service, and business functions is essential to the health and
well-being of their communities. These roles and functions demand that health care organizations
conduct themselves in an ethical manner that emphasizes a basic community service orientation
and justifies the public trust. The health care institution's mission and values should be embodied
in all its programs, services, and activities.
Because health care organizations must frequently seek a balance among the interests and values
of individuals, the institution, and society, they often face ethical dilemmas in meeting the needs of
their patients and their communities. This advisory is intended to assist members of the Ethiopia
Hospital Association to better identify and understand the ethical aspects and implications of
institutional policies and practices. It is offered with the understanding that each institution's
leadership in making policy and decisions must take into account the needs and values of the
institution, its physicians, other caregivers, and employees and those of individual patients, their
families, and the community as a whole.
Community Role
 Health care institutions should be concerned with the overall health status of their
communities while continuing to provide direct patient services. They should take a leadership
role in enhancing public health and continuity of care in the community by communicating
and working with other health care and social agencies to improve the availability and
provision of health promotion, education, and patient care services.
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 Health care institutions are responsible for fair and effective use of available health care
delivery resources to promote access to comprehensive and affordable health care services of
high quality. This responsibility extends beyond the resources of the given institution to
include efforts to coordinate with other health care organizations and professionals and to
share in community solutions for providing care for the medically indigent and others in need
of specific health services.
 All health care institutions are responsible for meeting community service obligations which
may include special initiatives for care for the poor and uninsured, provision of needed
medical or social services, education, and various programs designed to meet the specific
needs of their communities.
 Health care institutions, being dependent upon community confidence and support, are
accountable to the public, and therefore their communications and disclosure of information
and data related to the institution should be clear, accurate, and sufficiently complete to assure
that it is not misleading. Such disclosure should be aimed primarily at better public
understanding of health issues, the services available to prevent and treat illness, and patient
rights and responsibilities relating to health care decisions.
 Advertising may be used to advance the health care organization's goals and objectives and
should, in all cases, support the mission of the health care organization. Advertising may be
used to educate the public, to report to the community, to increase awareness of available
services, to increase support for the organization, and to recruit employees. Health care
advertising should be truthful, fair, accurate, complete, and sensitive to the health care needs of
the public. False or misleading statements or statements that might lead the uninformed to
draw false conclusions about the health care facility, its competitors, or other health care
providers are unacceptable and unethical.
 As health care institutions operate in an increasingly challenging environment, they should

consider the overall welfare of their communities and their own missions in determining their
activities, service mixes, and business. Health care organizations should be particularly
sensitive to potential conflicts of interests involving individuals or groups associated with the
medical staff, governing board, or executive management. Examples of such conflicts include
ownership or other financial interests in competing provider organizations or groups
contracting with the health care institution.
Patient Care
 Health care institutions are responsible for providing each patient with care that is both
appropriate and necessary for the patient's condition. Development and maintenance of
organized programs for utilization review and quality improvement and of procedures
15
to verify the credentials of physicians and other health professionals are basic to this
obligation.
 Health care institutions in conjunction with attending physicians are responsible for
assuring reasonable continuity of care and for informing patients of patient care
alternatives when acute care is no longer needed.
 Health care institutions should ensure that the health care professionals and
organizations with which they are formally or informally affiliated have appropriate
credentials and/or accreditation and participate in organized programs to assess and
assure continuous improvement in quality of care.
 Health care institutions should have policies and practices that assure that patient
transfers are medically appropriate and legally permissible. Health care institutions
should inform patients of the need for and alternatives to such transfers.
 Health care institutions should have policies and practices that support informed
consent for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and use of advance directives.
Policies and practices must respect and promote the patient's responsibility for decision
making.
 Health care institutions are responsible for assuring confidentiality of patient-specific
information. They are responsible for providing safeguards to prevent unauthorized
release of information and establishing procedures for authorizing release of data.
 Health care institutions should assure that the psychological, social, spiritual, and
physical needs and cultural beliefs and practices of patients and families are respected
and should promote employee and medical staff sensitivity to the full range of such
needs and practices. The religious and social beliefs and customs of patients should be
accommodated whenever possible.
 Health care institutions should have specific mechanisms or procedures to resolve
conflicting values and ethical dilemmas as well as complaints and disputes among
patients their families, medical staff, employees, the institution, and the community.
Organizational Conduct
 The policies and practices of health care institutions should respect and support the
professional ethical codes and responsibilities of their employees and medical staff
members and be sensitive to institutional decisions that employees might interpret as
compromising their ability to provide high-quality health care.
 Health care institutions should provide for fair and equitably-administered employee
compensation, benefits, and other policies and practices.
 To the extent possible and consistent with the ethical commitments of the institution,
health care institutions should accommodate the desires of employees and medical staff
to embody religious and/or moral values in their professional activities.
 Health care institutions should have written policies on conflict of interest that apply to
officers, governing board members, and medical staff, as well as others who may make
or influence decisions for or on behalf of the institution, including contract employees.
Particular attention should be given to potential conflicts related to referral sources,
16
vendors, competing health care services, and investments. These policies should
recognize that individuals in decision-making or administrative positions often have
duality of interests that may not always present conflicts. But they should provide
mechanisms for identifying and addressing dualities when they do exist.
 Health care institutions should communicate their mission, values, and priorities to
their employees and volunteers, whose patient care and service activities are the most
visible embodiment of the institution's ethical commitments and values.
What are the reasons for studying ethics in the health care profession?
There are many elements involved in the health care industry that requires a strong understanding
and application of both personal and social ethics. The reality is that very few decisions in the
industry do not carry ethical implications because there are others who depend on the health care
provider to give them answers and certitude in a setting where there might be little upon which to
progress. This is where the ethical principles are needed. Individuals in this field have to not only
understand ethics as a concept, but have developed their own "core vision" that guides their own
ethical conduct, complete with what they can do and what they will not do. When needed health
care professionals must communicate that to those who require such guidance. The very essence
of ethics and what is justified and right or wrong is definitely something that is highly applicable
to the health care profession and those who are involved in it.
Every single human need or will need health care at some point in their life. How easy it would
be, when working in the health care profession, to become numb or indifferent to humanity. If a
doctor sees 50 patients in a single day, they can easily lose their individuality, their individual pain
and suffering and become just one of a series, an endless series. So, like law enforcement, or
education or social work, the study of ethics in the health care industry helps to remind people
that they are, in fact, dealing with other people, and often in their most vulnerable and frightened
states. Ethics helps remind them to treat their patients with the kind of humanity they would like
to be shown if the situation were reversed.
I would say that the major reason to study ethics in the health care profession is the fact that a
person's life and health is one of their most precious possessions. Therefore, any actions that affect
those things is of supreme importance to the person. Because of this, health care professionals
must act ethically when interacting with patients.
Health professionals that are more knowledgeable and have favorable attitude tend to have good
ethical practice. A study conducted among doctors in Addis Ababa showed that knowledgeable
medical doctors were more likely to have good practice of code of ethics and having good practice
of code of ethics.
A majority of medical doctors were knowledgeable about codes of ethics. Sex, level of education,
and attitudes toward codes of ethics were significantly associated with knowledge of codes of
ethics. A significant proportion of medical doctors had unfavorable attitudes. Level of education,
work experience, and knowledge of codes of ethics were significantly associated with attitudes
17
toward codes of ethics. As such, it is important to raise awareness and if necessary, change
attitudes of medical doctors toward codes of ethics.
The Ethiopian Health Professionals’ Code of Ethics has been developed and endorsed through
regulation 299/2013 according to Food, Medicine, and Healthcare Administration and Control
proclamation 661/2009. The Federal Health Professionals Ethics Committee (FHPEC) was
reorganized in 2014 based on this regulation.
According to the Ethiopian Health Professionals' Code of Ethics, medical doctors shall not provide
any health service for their benefit that does not serve the needs of their patient, and they shall
render the same level of care to their clients/patients in overtime and regular practice. No medical
doctor shall provide any preferential treatment to a client/patient by considering the relationship
established with him/her in other health institutions where the same medical doctor works. In
addition, a medical doctor shall not refuse on grounds of personal belief to provide such services
as contraception, legal abortion, and blood transfusions.
The fundamental elements of the code of ethics are to respect patient autonomy and obtain
informed consent, respect patient confidentiality, privacy, choices, and dignity, and provide
medical service without discrimination.
In Ethiopia, regulations have been endorsed and the FHPEC established to examine, investigate,
and propose appropriate administrative measures on complaints made with respect to
substandard health service and incompetent and unethical health professionals to take
administrative measures with those who violate the code of ethics. However, complaints
submitted to the FHPEC indicate that clients and patients have grievances about medical doctors’
ethics.
There is limited information in Addis Ababa regarding knowledge of and attitudes toward the
code of ethics and associated factors among medical doctors. As such, this study aimed to assess
such knowledge and attitudes and associated factors among medical doctors in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia.
A majority of medical doctors working in governmental and private hospitals in Ethiopia had
knowledge of the local medical code of ethics. Sex, level of education, and attitudes toward the
code were significantly associated with knowledge of the code. Furthermore, a significant
proportion of medical doctors had unfavorable attitudes. Level of education, work experience, and
knowledge were significantly associated with attitudes.
Therefore, it is necessary to increase awareness of medical doctors and change their attitudes
toward ethics by providing on-the-job training and strengthening integration of medical ethics
courses within medical education. It is also important to establish a system that can help identify
the root causes of frequently lodged complaints related to ethical violations to provide sustainable
solutions and improve the quality of medical service and patient safety. Finally, we recommend
further research be conducted using focus-group discussions to minimize a social desirability–
response bias, which was considered a limitation of this study.
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The Need of Professional Ethics n media and press Agency Institution

Today news media and the practice of journalism are increasingly global. In one hand media
corporations are increasingly global enterprises. And on the other hand, new technologies give
news organizations the ability to gather information from around the world. This media-connected
world brings together a plurality of different religions, traditions, ethnic groups, values, and
organizations with varying political agendas. Therefore, in this new scope of journalism, media
ethics needs to take a global approach to responsible journalism. A reporter is a type of journalist
who researches, writes and reports on information in order to present using sources.
The Fourth Estate offers a clear and detailed Code of Practice for anyone seeking to create ethical,
principled journalism, regardless of their background, employment status, or means of delivery.
This code is equally relevant for professional journalists and for those outside the profession who
are seeking to report honestly and fairly on the events and issues relevant to their community.
There are so many professional ethics relevant to journalism profession.
The following codes of practice are the most crucial among the them: -
1. Accuracy and standards for factual reporting: -Reporters are expected to be as accurate as
possible given the time allotted to story preparation and the space available and to seek
reliable sources. Events with a single eyewitness are reported with attribution. Events with
two or more independent eyewitnesses may be reported as fact. Controversial facts are
reported with attribution.
2. Impartiality: -means not being prejudiced towards or against any particular ideology, idea,
or preconception. Impartiality requires fairness and balance that follows the weight of
evidence: it allows the journalist to make sense of events through dispassionate analysis of
all relevant facts and perspectives.
3. Integrity: -Integrity in journalism ensures that people and organizations uphold the values
of journalism, always strive to do the right thing in all situations, even to their personal or
organizational detriment, and put their obligations to the public first.
4. Harm Minimization: -Journalists must always remember that they are dealing with human
lives. The potential for public good must sufficiently outweigh the potential for harm that
may come from the activity of journalism.
5. Accountability: -Accountability is essential to the ethical practice of journalism and the
maintenance of the public trust. Being accountable for news-gathering practices and
reporting means making firm commitments and taking responsibility for your journalism
and the journalism of your peers. Accountability is essential to the ethical practice of
journalism and the maintenance of the public trust. Being accountable for news-gathering
practices and reporting means making firm commitments and taking responsibility for
your journalism and the journalism of your peers. Accountability is essential to the ethical
practice of journalism and the maintenance of the public trust. Being accountable for news-
gathering practices and reporting means making firm commitments and taking
responsibility for your journalism and the journalism of your peers.
6. Independence: -Independence from state control, business interests, market forces, or any
other vested interest or outside pressure is a hallmark of dispassionate, critical, and reliable
journalism. It bolsters legitimacy and credibility in the eyes of the public.
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 Make your own editorial judgments based only on careful consideration of all the facts.
 Do not allow yourself to be influenced by political, sectional, or commercial interests.
 Declare and manage any conflicts of interest, including gifts, funding, advertising
relationships, and free or discounted travel or services.
7. Engagement: -Engagement with the public ensures that journalism remains open,
accessible, collaborative, and participatory while keeping the journalist accountable to the
highest standards of accuracy, independence, impartiality, and integrity.
The need for professional ethics in journalism

Professional ethics is useful in the field of journalism. Journalists search, record, entertain suggest,
disclose different aspects.in order to perform their work professional ethics is needed. Without
trust, journalists do not fulfill their public responsibilities. journalists commit themselves to
• Honesty
• Fairness
• Independence
• Respect for the right of others
As a journalist they have the responsibility towards society to provide truthful, balanced, factual
and objective information while steering away from conflicts of interest and taking society’s
privacy into account. According to the founding director of the center for journalism ethics
“Journalists who take on the often-thankless task of developing guidelines should ignore the
skeptics and push on with this remarkable reinvention of journalism ethics. The future of
responsible journalism depends on it”. Journalist should be accountable to their readers, subjects,
listeners, viewers, and each other. Journalists should Minimize Harm. Ethical journalists should
treat all sources, subjects, and colleagues as humans deserving of respect. Ethics is more prominent
in a field of journalism because it creates basic guidelines for journalists to follow that protect the
people from being outlasted and feeling unequal. It also important in making sure that media stays
true and further helps journalists maintain a sense of equality. As we know the work of journalists
is based on the people. And when journalists perform their work based on the rules, regulations
and professional ethics, the recipient of their work or the people can get adequate, precise, accurate
knowledge. So, doing their work based on the code of conduct of ethics makes the recipient feel
free to accept it.
Additionally, when the journalist follows professional ethics, they will be accountable for the work
they do.so for every fault they will be accused for it. Ethical journalism entails factual information,
hard evidence, opinions from all parties involved, objective information steered away from
subjectivity and outstanding grammar, spelling and punctuation. Ethical journalism, just like an
exercised muscle, is strong in content, endures and does not go unnoticed.
1. Report and interpret honestly, striving for accuracy, fairness and disclosure of all
Essential facts do not suppress relevant available facts, or give distorting emphasis. Do your
utmost to give a fair opportunity for reply.
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2. Do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity,

nationality, gender, age, sexual orientation, family relationships, religious belief, or physical or
intellectual disability.
3. Aim to attribute information to its source. Where a source seeks anonymity, do not agree
without first considering the source’s motives and any alternative attributable source. Where
confidences are accepted, respect them in all circumstances.
4. Do not allow personal interest, or any belief, commitment, payment, gift or benefit, to
undermine your accuracy, fairness or independence.
5. Disclose conflicts of interest that affect, or could be seen to affect, the accuracy, fairness or
independence of your journalism. Do not improperly use a journalistic position for personal gain.
6. Do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine accuracy,

fairness or independence.
7. Do your utmost to ensure disclosure of any direct or indirect payment made for
interviews, pictures, information or stories.
8. Use fair, responsible and honest means to obtain material. Identify yourself and your
employer before obtaining any interview for publication or broadcast. Never exploit a
Person’s vulnerability or ignorance of media practice.
9. Present pictures and sound which are true and accurate. Any manipulation likely to mislead
should be disclosed.
10. Do not plagiarize.
11. Respect private grief and personal privacy
Therefore, the global media and journalism ethics should promote the individual and social goods.
Global journalism should reveal inequalities, report diversity, assess the quality of social life,
monitor citizens' participation, and assist social bridging between diverse classes, ethnic groups,
religions, and cultures within and among countries. It should also promote media literacy and the
evaluation of media. Journalism can promote the political and ethical goods by helping to nurture
morally reasonable citizens willing to discuss essential issues
The need of business ethics

“Business Ethics comprises the principles and standards that guide behavior in the world of
business” (Ferrell, Fraedrich and Ferrell, 2005). Business ethics refers to the application of ethics in
business. Earlier it was a widespread opinion that a business cannot be ethical. This trend has been
changed today (Ranjit Kumar, 2010). Companies are now coming to a common understanding that
they cannot be economically or socially sustainable if they can’t maintain an ethical business. For
instance the story of Jeffrey Skilling the former CEO of ENRON who apparently when he did his
MBA at Harvard University, he took the view that the only obligation of a firm are essentially to
maximize its profit and be well abided by the law and as a result of that particular view on
Corporate Social Responsibility (Corporate Social Responsibility, 2009) the decisions made by the
company under his jurisdiction has harmed a lot of stakeholders involved in the business which
might have translated into the company’s financial distress and bankruptcy in the long run.
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Today business has found out that they are, responsible for social welfare, since they live and
operate within a social structure. In this present globalized economy; corporate social
responsibility, corporate governance, ethical behavior are key factors of concern. Business ethics is
a form of applied ethics (Broni, 2010) that examines ethical principles and moral or ethical
problems that arise in the business (Solomon, 1991). This however should not only focus on the
business. It needs to be applied to all aspects of business conduct and to all relevant conduct of
individuals and business organizations as a whole.
Business ethics consists of a set of moral principles and values (Jones - Parker - Bos, 2005:17) that
govern the behavior of the organization with respect to what is right and what is wrong (Badiou,
2001; Seglin, 2003). In such cases, I argue that there has to be a certain accepted moral principle that
needs to be applied in business. For instance, a person who is at the age of 14 yrs. might be eligible
in a certain country but it doesn’t mean it’s ethical for firms to hire minors in business though the
land of the law allows them to do so. Main reason would be such things are objectively moral and
can be based on entirely on rational and scientific reasoning.
Such things might force companies to spell out the basic philosophy and priorities of an
organization in concrete terms (French, 1979; French, 1995). It should also contain the prohibitory
actions at the workplace (Collier - Esteban 2007:19; Duska, 1999). It provides a framework on
which the organization could be legally governed.
In a much deeper definition, business ethics can be explained as the behavior that a business
adheres to in its daily dealings with the world (Borgerson - Schroeder, 2008). Though the ethics of
a particular business can be diverse, there should be universal ethical principles and companies
need to have the willingness to extend their ethicality to the maximum level.
Ethical considerations are as important in management as in any other occupation. In the field of
morality, personal life is not separate from business life. Business ethics is currently a very
prominent business topic, and the debates and dilemmas surrounding business ethics have tended
to attract an enormous amount of attention from various sections. Since the business exists and
operates within the society and is a part of subsystem of society, its functioning must contribute to
the welfare of the society (Ferrell, Fraedrich, Ferrell, 2008). To survive in the society a business
must earn the social sanction of the society. Without social sanction, a business cannot earn loyal
customers. (George A. Steiner, 2010).
Supporting Ferrell’s opinion, I say that business can only operate as long as their nearby societies
are well enough to be part of business. Like it or not, business and societies are joined at the hip to
each other and business are sanctioned by the society over their resources of land, water, people
and other and in return companies should operate in a way that doesn’t erode the societies trust.
However, it should also go in line with profit maximization and satisfy the stakeholders. Within
the parameters of stakeholders, society can be considered one important among them.
In the words of George Steiner (2010), the social dimensions of business ethics cannot be
overlooked because many problems arise from the relationship of business to the broader society.
22
Business needs to remain ethical for its own good. Unethical actions and decisions may yield
results only in the very short run. For surviving long term businesses require to conduct it ethically
and to do its business on ethical lines.
There are two schools of thought about why business should or ought to be ethical (Josie Fisher,
2002, pp.96-101). The first view links ethics with self-interest. It has been pointed out that
businesses ignore ethics at their peril. In order to survive a business must make a profit; however,
in doing so it must comply with the law and the society’s moral values (Kitson and Cambell, 1996).
The second view takes a different focus. According to this view, the reason why businesses should
be ethical is not to promote self-interest; rather, there is an intrinsic motivation for doing the right
thing. Business should be ethical because this is the right way for them to behave (Trevino and
Nelson, 1999). As per the second view, the intrinsic motivation is taken as the only leading factor
towards acting ethically. This may not allow setting ethical standards and practice, except it comes
from internal. On the other hand, the first view gives a chance to set ethical guidelines and also
links ethical practices with the organizational survival, which is what it should be.
Why do we need business ethics in Ethiopia?

1. Due to the effects of unethical business practices that have been practiced in the country
business companies. The following evidences can be mentioned as the effects of poor business
ethics in the country.
 Unethical business practices have been causing legal problems in businesses the run in the
country. Businesses that act unethically in ways that break the law may face large fines and
other penalties.
 It also results in poor employee performance. A lack of business ethics within a business
company have been affecting the way employees do their job. Employees could decide that
because their leaders could break the rules, they could too. This led them to damage the
business company. They have also become discouraged or not see the need to work hard in
an unethical environment. This in turn have been resulting in selective service for some
clients. According to the research ‘Marketing Ethics Practices of Small Businesses and their
Effect on Consumer Purchase Intention: An Empirical Investigation from Addis Ketema
Sub-city’ when consumers purchase commodities, they may face discrimination from the
marketers. This was supported by the survey result among cloth consumers in Addis
Ketema sub-city. Accordingly, 112 respondents showed their agreement on the existence of
selective service for some clients yielding 46.5%. Whereas, 83 respondents showed their
disagreement that small sized cloth shops give selective service for some clients yielding
34.5%. The remaining 46 respondents remain neutral on the issue with 19%. The mean
score for this item was found to be 3.1. From the above finding, we can understand that
discriminating consumers exist among small sized cloth shops in the sub-city.
Discriminating consumers involves providing a good service or product to one consumer
and denying it to the other where the two consumers should be treated equally. Especially,
in small business firms, where most of the businesses are family owned, marketers may
23
provide superior satisfaction to what they claim their best friend or relative. This paves the
way to be unethical in business environment.
 Unethical business practices have also been resulting in poor business credibility. When a
business company is unethical, it affects its reputation. Not only will the leaders and
company lose respect from employees, they may lose credibility with the general public as
well. This can result in reduced sales, lost customers, and significant financial harm.
 Charging different price for the same product results from unethical business practices.
The survey result for pricing issues showed that charging different price for the same item
or product exist among small sized cloth shops. This was supported by the response of
consumers in which 141 respondents with 58.5% showed their agreement that firms charge
different price for the same product, 58 respondents with 24% showed their disagreement
that firms charge different price for the same product, and 42 respondents with 17.5%
remain neutral. Overall, this item scored a mean value of 3.49. In situations where small
business firms sell a product to different consumers at different prices, consumers trust on
small business will be degraded. The loss of trust among consumers on the other hand
creates unethical market behavior. Hence, the above finding implies that consumers are
discriminated by small sized cloth shops in Addis Ketema sub-city, which is unethical
practice. In general, the abovementioned issues that are related to price have scored a total
mean score of 15.46. As stated in the methodology part, a five item has a minimum of five
and a maximum of twenty-five score and a mean score near to the maximum is perceived
as unethical. Therefore, price ethics, with a mean score of 15.46, tend to be unethical market
practice.
 Combining high quality with low quality product also occurs when the employees of
business companies behave unethically. According to the survey that has been taken in
‘Determining key problems of marketing in Addis Ababa, Kirkos, sub-city, by Bekele
Gebisa, the result of the researcher, majority of the respondents (107 respondents) with
44.4% showed their agreement that small sized cloth shops change the brand of products.
On the other hand, 69 respondents with 28.6% showed their disagreement that firms
change brand of the product. The remaining 65 respondents with 27% remain neutral. In
general, this item scored a mean value of 3.18. Some business firms deceive consumers by
providing a product that is similar to the original one. By providing the counterfeited
product business firms try to get abnormal profits and behave unethically. The above
finding also shows that small sized cloth shops in Kirkos sub-city change brand of forfeited
cloth with the original one and sell it as an original cloth. Hence, there is unethical business
practice in this aspect.
2. Due to the effects that may occur in the presence of lack of professional ethics on a business
environment in the country.
 Great impact on employee performance
24
A lack of professional ethics has a negative effect on Ethiopian companies’ employees’

performance. In some cases, employees are so concerned with getting ahead and making money
that they ignore procedures and protocol. This can lead to additional paperwork and careless
errors that result in the task having to be completed again. Additionally, employees who feel
acting ethically and following the rules will not get them ahead in the business sometimes feel a
lack of motivation, which often leads to a decrease in performance. This issue has been being
observed in some of the small businesses in the country.
 Employee relations are affected
When a manager or head of a business exhibits a lack of ethical behavior, he faces losing the
respect of his employees. It is difficult to have a successful business without well-respected
leaders. A lack of ethical behavior can also cause tension among employees, with some employees
resenting those who do not play by the rules and still manage to get ahead. Unethical behavior in
the workplace also has the potential to lead to a lack of trust among employees, which is
detrimental to a business that relies on collaboration and a sense of community.
 Damage to company credibility
If a lack of ethics in a business becomes public knowledge, that business loses credibility. While
some businesses survive public knowledge of a lack of ethics through reimaging and advertising
campaigns, many lose a key customer base. Even if a business recovers from news about its lack of
ethics, it takes a lot of time and money to restore its image and consumer confidence. Customers
that abandon a company because they are dismayed by poor ethical practices will find other
products and services to meet their needs. Those customers are difficult to win back, even after
ethical lapses are a thing of the past.
 Preventing unethical Behavior
Often a lack of ethics appears because of poor planning and faults elsewhere in the business. To
prevent unethical behavior, set realistic goals for employees. If employees are expected to meet
unreachable quotas and goals, they could engage in unethical behavior to attempt to reach those
goals. Consistently monitor employee performance. Employees left unmonitored sometimes slack
in their performance and take credit for completing tasks that were left uncompleted. Properly
train all employees. Untrained employees often cut corners and make excuses for not completing
work up to the standards the business requires.
All of the cases we demonstrate above justify the need of professional ethics; in this case business
ethics, in Ethiopian business companies.
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Conclusion
In Ethiopia educational institutions are not entirely implementing ethical principles. Due to this
an unethical generation of professionals is being shaped. Students are not properly grasping the
idea of ethics in work place even though they are being taught as a subject by it. Teachers are not
exercising professional ethics in educational institution even though their profession requires them
to do so.
In medical institutions health officials are not using their expertise to the need of the public
instead they are using it for monetary gains for themselves. This in turn is highly affecting the
society at large. Nowadays it is a common practice for medical personals to mistreat a patient.
One of the public institutions in which professional ethics is being highly violated is in the
judicial institutions. Judges and lawyers are violating the principle of being fair, objective,
trustworthy and loyal by inclining their judgment to one party and accepting bribes from people.
In Ethiopia public media institutions are highly dependent on certain subjective bodies including
the government and other bodies. Professional journalists are not implementing their jobs as their
professional ethics says so. They are usually partisans in their work. These are only some of the
prominent public institutions where professionals are not doing their job effectively or giving
effective service to the public because of the lack of professional ethics.
We can see that the lack of professional ethics poses a great problem for different bodies in
different levels. As a country in Ethiopia a young unethical generation is created. People are not
getting proper services, corruption and other malpractices are now a common practice and the
overall state of the country is being affected negatively. So, in order to reverse this situation, the
practice of ethical professionalism must be effectively implemented. Public institutions need to
train their employees and give them opportunities to develop these set of ethical principles. In
addition, the ethical code of conduct must be implemented strictly. Not only the professionals but
the public as a whole must also correct its impression and belief that bribing or having a relative is
the only way to get a service.
26
References
1. Ahluwalia, Pal & Nursey, B. (Eds.). (1997). Post-Colonialism: Culture and identity in Africa.
Commack, NY: Nova Science Publishers.
2. Birhanu, O. (2011). The growing influence of bribery in Ethiopian journalism. Retrieved 05
23, 2011, from http://birhanudirbaba.wordpress.com/2011/05/21/52/.
3. Black, J. Steele, B. Barney, R. (eds) 1997. Doing Ethics in Journalism, 3rd edn, Allyn &
Bacon, Boston.
4. A Project Report Submitted to School of Graduate Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the
Requirements for the Degree of Master of Business Administration (MBA) By: Bekele
Gebisa (June 2010)
5. Challenges in Developing New Small Businesses: Evidence from Ethiopia BY Demeke
Chimdessa Gutu June, 2020 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
6. Threats to Professional Ethics: Among Selected Authorized Accountants and Auditors in

Ethiopia Engida Bayou (February, 2016)
7. Public Servants‟ Attitude towards Professional Ethics and Its Implication for Service
Deliveryin Selected Bureaus of the Oromia Regional State by Gelaye Midaksa Kure May,
2018 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
8. An Exploration of Work Ethics in The Ethiopian Civil Service: The Case of Selected Federal
Institutions by Teklay Tesfay Gebre-Egziabher (January, 2016)
9. Engineering, Business and Professional Ethics Simon Robinson, Ross Dixon, Christopher
Preece and Krisen Moodley (June, 2007)
10. The Ethical Behaviors of Educational Leaders in Ethiopian Public Universities: The Case Of
The Western Cluster Universities Frew Amsale, MA Mitiku Bekele, PhD Mebratu Tafesse,
PhDs. Jimma University, College of Education and Behavioral Sciences, Ethiopia (May,
2016)
11. The Business Ethics Practice: The Case of East Africa Bottling SC., Addis Ababa Plant
Submitted as Partial Fulfillment of Degree of Master of Business Administration by Muse
Girma, July 2016 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
1.
27
Group name - MCiE 1012 – Sec-C Gr-4
EiABC Pre-Engineering
Section – C
The need of professional ethics in Ethiopian institutions.
Group members:
1. Firomsa Abdi (UGR/9901/12)

2. Ismael Jelal (UGR/1541/12)
3. Israel Mathewos (UGR/8810/12)
4. Gizachew Asefa (UGR/2920/12)
5. Jibril Idris (UGR/3195/12)
6. Henery Alemayehu (UGR/2923/12)
7. Jibril Abdulmejid (UGR/2160/12)
8. Feti Yusuf (UGR/9366/12)
9. Gemechis Diriba (UGR/2795/12)
10. Girum Tesfaye (UGR/2443/12)
12th February, 2021
28

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The Need of

By: EiABC MCiE 1012 – Sec-C Gr-4

ETHIOPIAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTURE, BUILDING CONSTRUCTION

The Need of Professional Ethics in Ethiopian Institutions

Definition and basic concepts

Types of professional ethics:

2. Descriptive ethics: (moral beliefs)

3. Normative ethics: (self-moral conduct)

Professionalism is defined as "meticulous adherence to undeviating courtesy, honesty and

The need of professional ethics

Some of the important reasons are:

Why do professionals need professional ethics?

Thirdly, professional ethics act as a somewhat effective countervailing power to organizational

Importance of Professional Ethics

(a) Ethics corresponds to basic human needs:

(b) Ethics create credibility with the public:

(c) Ethics give management credibility with employees:

(d) Ethics help better decision making:

(e) Ethics and profit:

(f) Ethics can protect society:

Professional ethics in Ethiopia

Professional ethics problems in Ethiopia

The Need for Professional ethics in ministry offices of government

What is the need of ethics in the government service?

 Trustworthiness-to the public, as they build confidence in the profession’s trustworthiness

The need for professional ethics in defense man force Institution

The need for professional ethics in Higher Education Institutions

The common rules are:

1. Fairness and confidentiality

4. Create good colleague interaction

The need for professional ethics in Financial Institution

Professional ethics in the legal system

Some of the rules on advocate’s duty towards the court include: -

1. Respect for the court

2. Should not communicate with the judicial officer in private

3. Appear in proper dress code

The need for professional ethics in Ethiopia health care institution

 As health care institutions operate in an increasingly challenging environment, they should

The Need of Professional Ethics n media and press Agency Institution

The need for professional ethics in journalism

• Respect for the right of others

2. Do not place unnecessary emphasis on personal characteristics, including race, ethnicity,

6. Do not allow advertising or other commercial considerations to undermine accuracy,

10. Do not plagiarize.

11. Respect private grief and personal privacy

The need of business ethics

Why do we need business ethics in Ethiopia?

 Great impact on employee performance

A lack of professional ethics has a negative effect on Ethiopian companies’ employees’

 Employee relations are affected

 Damage to company credibility

 Preventing unethical Behavior

6. Threats to Professional Ethics: Among Selected Authorized Accountants and Auditors in

Group name - MCiE 1012 – Sec-C Gr-4

1. Firomsa Abdi (UGR/9901/12)

12th February, 2021

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