The Importance of Ethics in Public Service

 Published On: September 14, 2020

Arkansas State University’s online Master of Public Administration in Public

Management quickly gets to the point defining its core area of learning: “Building
communities and social infrastructures through the use of clear communication and
ethical and effective management techniques.” Coursework in administrative ethics
explores this vital topic, ensuring graduates understand their essential role in promoting
ethical behavior and conduct in public service at both the individual and organizational
level.

What Does Ethics Mean?

According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, ethics is “the discipline concerned with what
is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong.” Focusing more on group
conduct, dictionary.com calls ethics “the rules of conduct recognized in respect to a
particular class of human actions or a particular group, culture, etc.”
Merriam-Webster draws an important distinction between ethics and morals:
“Morals usually connotes an element of subjective preference, while ethics tends to
suggest aspects of universal fairness and the question of whether or not an action is
responsible.”
Taken together, these definitions illustrate what ethics means in the context of public
service, being based on morals or values judged to be universal in terms of fairness and
serving the public interest. Ethical standards are intended to guide public service
organizations and the individuals who run them as to behavior, decision-making and
overall function.

Why Do Ethics in Public Service Matter?

It may seem common sense that public service is based in ethical conduct. The goal of
public service is to advance the public good, help people and their communities and
better society, right? While ethics certainly underlie these essentials of public service,
they can be viewed in many ways. And the actions taken to accomplish public service
goals reflect these varying interpretations.

Politicians perpetually disagree on what laws and regulations best serve the public
good. Some educational leaders believe progressive, differentiated educational
methods most equitably (and therefore ethically) serve diverse student groups. Yet
many educators stand by traditional pedagogy and universal methodologies. Examples
of contrasting interpretations of ethics in public service practices exist across the public
sector.

Although people in public service generally work to improve the lives of the public, their
behavior in public service is based on subjective morals and belief systems as opposed
to universal, ethical principles. The purpose of ethics is to bridge the gap between these
varying moral systems, ensuring that public service represents all of the public.

Importantly, trust in public services is forever being eroded by public officials and
organizations acting unethically. This may take the form of an organization serving
differing populations inequitably, or it may be a more overt betrayal, such as an elected
official misusing public money.

Even if they’re not they are elected, public servants must be held accountable to the
public. When public servants violate the public trust, they violate the public’s sense of
representation, undermining the very institutions that undergird our democracy. Thus
unethical behavior is antithetical to public service and the principles of democracy.

Is There an Accepted Code of Ethics that Public Administrators

Follow?
Ethics is a central component of public service. But variances between organizations’
individual codes of ethics lead to inconsistencies. Many in public service leadership
have pushed for a universal code of ethics.

The most widely adopted code of ethics for public administrators was published by
the American Society for Public Administration in 1984 and revised in 2013. It focuses
on eight core directives:
1. Advance the public interest

2. Uphold the Constitution and the law

3. Promote democratic participation

4. Strengthen social equity

5. Fully inform and advise

 6. Demonstrate personal integrity

7. Promote ethical organizations

8. Advance professional excellence

ASPA members in the public sector are supposed to ensure that their operations align
with this code. Further, they work to integrate these principles into the public sector,
creating consistency in professionalism and restoring trust.

Ethics is an essential part of public service work and maintaining the integrity of
democratic institutions. As public administrators, graduates of A-State’s online MPA
play a crucial role in instilling trust and responsibility in the public sector through ethical
behavior and conduct.

Ethically sound means something that can be accepted morally in society.

How to Maintain a Sound Workplace

Culture and Ethics
 CULTURE

 2 minute read
It is no secret that a sound workplace culture and ethical environment helps establish a sense of
belongingness for individual employees. But establishing it, let alone maintaining it, is a difficult task
to be fair. Workplace culture determines the employee satisfaction and ethical environment keeps a
sense of discipline intact.

Here’s how you can maintain a sound workplace culture and

ethics:

Have a positive attitude and strong work ethic

Failure and mistakes are signs of a normal human being. It is very important to be highly positive
and optimistic in all work, and strictly adhere to the work ethics, no matter what.
Take responsibility and be dependable

If you are a part of the organization, and you are important, then you should be dependable and you
should take responsibility for your own actions.

Be enthusiastic and sympathetic

A workplace culture does not mean that there should not be any fun. Be enthusiastic in your work,
spread the enthusiasm and be sympathetic towards your co-workers.

Be adaptable to all kinds of situations

Needless to say that in an organization, you will be faced with different prices in arrears than you
could ever possibly imagine. It is very important to quickly adapt to each and every situation and
work your way through.

Honesty is of utmost importance

This is basic knowledge. One lie leads to another and in the matter of seconds things can get very,
very complicated. It is very important to be honest in whatever you might be doing.

Stay motivated and keep motivating

Feeling motivated will not only help you to overcome all obstacles but it will also decrease in the
monotony that is creeping in into the workplace. It is important that you motivate the people around
you too, to create a positive atmosphere.
Be willing to learn and grow with your workplace

There is no limit to how much you can learn. Constantly keep learning and grow with your company/
organization. Maintain a constant professionalism and do away with all your personal issues.

Suffice it to say, that if you have the above what it thinks imbibed in you, you would in all
probability, be able to spread them among your co-workers, keeping your juniors and seniors alive,
and, most importantly, maintain a sound workplace culture.

What Are the 12 Ethical Principles for Business

Executives?
November 08, 2022

A set of moral values or a personal code of ethics can serve as the guide for
judging between right and wrong in your daily life. Business ethics are
similar in principle to personal ethics, but have much broader consequences.
From the worker on the sales floor to the business executive in the corner
office, decisions made on the job are typically judged by a much larger
number of people than personal decisions. Thus, the fate of an employee, and
perhaps the organization's fate, could rise or fall according to the perceived
integrity of decisions made in the workplace. In other words, company morals
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can have a big impact on a business's success.

For example, by engaging in unfair or questionable business practices purely
for the sake of profit, an overly ambitious business executive with little regard
for business ethics is courting disaster. Although the bottom line may improve
in the short-term, the long-term fallout from organizational and possibly public
disapproval may prove fatal to the executive's reputation and the
organization's sustainable success. As American investor and business
magnate Warren Buffet advises, "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and
five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you'll do things differently.” Read
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through this blog to explore what principles should guide company morals,
learn from real-world ethical business practice examples and find out how
strong leaders can combine basic business principles with business ethics to
mold an organization into one that does good while generating good
outcomes.

What is ethical behavior?

Ethical behavior can't necessarily be defined by one set of actions or moral

values. As defined by the Encyclopedia Britannica, ethics, is the discipline
concerned with what is morally good and bad and morally right and wrong.
"[Ethics is] not a matter of factual knowledge in the way that the sciences and
other branches of inquiry are. Rather, it has to do with determining the nature
of normative theories and applying these sets of principles to practical moral
problems." 9

There are some ethics, or moral principles, that are generally agreed upon
such as that it's wrong to kill another person, returning a lost wallet is good,
littering is bad, and so on. However, personally, and in business, you're likely
to come across situations in which the good or bad choice isn't so obvious.

When it comes to business, ethical behavior can be determined by basic

business principles, certain company morals and codes of conduct specific to
certain industries. Basic business principles say that you should create a
quality product and pay fair wages to your employees. The
corresponding business ethics examples could be that you shouldn't falsely
advertise your product and you shouldn't pay one race or gender more than
another. Company morals might further dictate that the business doesn't
advertise with networks that hold certain political views or that the firm's
executive salaries are made public. Another type of ethical business practice
example is a code of ethics, which are often specific to different professions.
For example, financial advisors have something called "fiduciary duty" which
is a legal requirement to act within the best interests of their clients.
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The path to sustainable success

Ambition, competitiveness and market-savvy are important characteristics for

success, but must be guided by a strong inner core of ethical principles. To
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achieve lasting, sustainable success, organizations need all of their personnel

to make ethically sound decisions regarding job performance and personal
behavior. This is especially difficult when the stakes are high and no one else
is watching. 3

To help establish company expectations, an executive with an inherent

appreciation for ethical values can help promote a benevolent environment in
which ethical behavior is encouraged and nurtured. In fact, business leaders
committed to personal and organizational excellence are often called upon to
define a company-specific set of ethical business practices to help employees
understand the principles by which they will be judged. Once developed and
implemented, this set of principles offers a path to lasting, sustainable
success. ,
4 5

Below, the 12 ethical principles in business are presented to help provide

strong guidance for ethical business practices. Included with these principles
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are details that focus on the ways in which each principle can be
demonstrated by both businesses as a whole and by individual employees.

The 12 ethical principles for business executives

1. HONESTY

All personnel must be committed to telling the truth in all forms of

communication and in all actions. This includes never purposely telling partial
truths, selectively omitting information, making misrepresentations or
overstatements. Honesty also means reliably sharing both good and bad
news with equal candor.
2. FAIRNESS

All dealings and relationships must be founded on a conscious commitment to

fairness, treating others as you would like to be treated. Fairness requires
treating all individuals equally and courteously, never exercising power
arbitrarily and never exploiting weaknesses or mistakes for personal or
corporate benefit.

3. LEADERSHIP

Demonstrated by a conscious effort to set a positive example of ethical

behavior, leadership is a commitment to excellence through ethical decision-
making. Businesses and business executives maintain their leads by
constantly improving operational efficiency, worker satisfaction and customer
approval.

4. INTEGRITY

Organizations and personnel demonstrate integrity through a consistency

between actions and words that inspires trust and credibility. Integrity also
means keeping promises, honoring commitments, meeting deadlines and
refusing to participate in unscrupulous activities or business dealings.

5. COMPASSION

Fostering a business environment of empathy and compassion requires a

commitment to being kind and caring toward all personnel, business partners
and customers. Business goals must be benevolent, ensured by spending
enough time to understand the needs and sensitivities of others, including the
local community.

6. RESPECT

Respect is demonstrated by a full commitment to the human rights, dignity,

autonomy, interests and privacy of all personnel. It means recognizing that
everyone deserves equal respect and support for sharing ideas and opinions,
without fear of any penalty or form of discrimination.
7. RESPONSIBILITY

Employees exhibit responsibility by taking full ownership of their jobs, striving

to be conscious of the emotional, financial and business consequences of
their actions. Taking their responsibilities seriously also demonstrates
employee maturity and ability to do a job without needing strict supervision.

8. LOYALTY

Loyalty is proven by never disclosing information learned in confidence and by

remaining faithful to coworkers, clients, business partners and suppliers. Loyal
employees avoid conflicts of interest, help build and protect the good
reputation of their company and help boost the morale of their coworkers.

9. LAW-ABIDING

Organizations must fully comply with all applicable laws and codes from local,
state and federal agencies. Law-abiding businesses and personnel also
adhere to industry and trade regulations, marketplace standards and any
additional mandatory organizational policies, practices and procedures.

10. ACCOUNTABILITY

Accountability requires a total commitment to the ethical quality of all

decisions, actions and relationships. High expectations for ethical behavior
drive business practices when an organization and its personnel are held
accountable to fellow employees, consumers, the local community and the
wider public in general.

11. TRANSPARENCY

Committing to transparency requires making business information and policies

available to appropriate groups, such as financial investors, personnel and
consumers. It includes, for example, sharing criteria for price hikes, wages,
hiring, granting promotions, addressing workplace infringements and firing
employees.
12. ENVIRONMENTAL CONSCIOUSNESS

Organizations and personnel demonstrate a commitment to the environment

by helping mitigate the effects of global climate change. Beneficial actions
include reducing the negative environmental impact of doing business by
improving energy efficiency to help lower carbon emissions, reducing water
usage and reducing waste.

Ethical business practice examples

When you consider the 12 ethical principles for business, you might imagine
that it can be hard to stick to the company morals while also seeing through
basic business principles. But it is possible and can have waves of positive
outcomes. Here are some real-world business ethics examples:
 Since 1970, Chick-fil-A has helped over 80,000 employees fund
academics through a total investment of $136 million in scholarships. 6

 Among other animal welfare and corporate responsibility projects,

McDonalds is on course to use only cage-free eggs throughout their
franchises worldwide. 7

 In 2018 Nike made its company morals clear when it stood by Colin
Kapernick as a brand ambassador when the former 49ers quarterback
claimed NFL teams weren't hiring him for standing with the political
movement Black Lives Matter. Nike didn't only make a political stance
but also increased its brand reputation among the public. Critically, the
move also likely helped its stock price remain higher than competitors. 8

Learn to Promote Sustainable Business Success

Organizations are more focused than ever on recruiting and retaining

personnel committed to moral integrity and ethical business practices. 3

If you are interested in becoming a confident leader with a strong inner core of
ethical principles, ready to face any business challenge, consider an
affordable online MBA from the Marquette University Graduate School of
Management.