AMT20404

ETHICS AND
PROFESSIONALISM
By TS DR NURFADZILLAH ISHAK

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

 Do you need to
study ethics to be
a good person?
Can we be better
persons after
studying ethics?

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

What is difference between ETHICS
and MORALITY?

https://www.mentimeter.com/app/presentation/7db01b299f3c5de6391b2e79ebaefac3/e268da2ebf62

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

 The definition of ETHICS and MORALITY

ETHICS
Ethics is a system of moral principles by
which human actions and proposals may be
judged good or bad, right or wrong.
MORALITY
Manner, character, proper behaviour, it is the
conduct, belief or rules that a person or
community adhere to, believing these things
to be, in some sense, obligatory. It gives us
rules for everyday life and it is practical.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

 The differences:
ETHICS
Ethics = social system (external)
Ethics = Because society says it is the
right thing to do!
Ethics is a set of guidelines that define
accepted practices and behavior for a
certain group of people
Ethics are how you treat people you don’t
know
Influenced by profession, field,
organization.
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
MORAL
Morals = individual (internal)
Morals = Because we believe in
something being right or wrong!
Moral constitute a basic human marker
of right conduct and behavior
Morals are how you treat people you
know
Influenced by society, culture and
religion.
The importance of ETHICS in organization

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

In life our behavior is governed by different norm systems. The word NORM comes from Latin “NORMA”= yardstick.
Norms dictate what we “ought” or “ought not” to do. The norm systems governing the behavior of a professional are:

 Individual morality
Refers to individual values of a specific person and what they believe to be right. Individual morality is influenced by
how a person was raised. It is their personal value system. The sanction for disobeying one's individual morality is a
guilty conscience.

 Positive morality
This set of norms represents what is considered “right” in society at a particular time. The sanction for failure to obey
positive morality is social sanction.

 Law (Legal Norms)

Laws protect society and prevent anarchy by regulating behavior.
Public Law – also referred to as criminal law: between the state and individual.
Private Law – also referred to as contractual law and focuses on the relationship between persons.
Formal Law and Common Law find expression in the reported judgments of courts.

 Professional Ethics
Professionals are a group of people who earn a living by undertaking a common activity and who regulate most of this
themselves. Firstly they must form a constitution, and secondly they must publish a professional code of rules or an
ethical code of conduct. This code must be in line with the law and is often more restrictive than the law.
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
 Professional Ethics
The norm system governing and regulating science and engineering professional behavior is
professional ethics.

• The PROFESSIONS have always been linked with the notion of 'service’.
• A profession has been described as a group of people organized to serve a body of
specialized knowledge in the interests of society.
• Professions are occupations that both require advanced study and mastery of a specialized
body of knowledge and undertake to promote, ensure or safeguard some matter that
significantly affects others’ well-being. Its responsibilities have been variously described as
including the satisfaction of "an indispensable and beneficial social need" and a goal of
service to the public.
• A professional operates in a world of people with whom they work, colleagues and other
specialists, and people whom they serve, such as their clients and the public - a relationship
that has been termed as “consensual and fiduciary”.
• Professionals are not exempt from the common ethical behaviors - such as obligations,
duties and responsibilities - that are binding on ordinary people and are usually bound by a
set of principles, attitudes or types of character dispositions that control the way the
profession is practiced known as CODE OF ETHICS or CONDUCT.
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
 Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct
Code of Ethics is a set of principles based on values and morals by which a company makes
decisions about what is right or wrong while, Code of Conduct is a set of rules and regulations that
explain appropriate behavior in specific situations.

Code of Ethics is a standard of morals by which a company
makes decisions about what is right or wrong. Therefore, a
code of ethics in a company helps its employees to
understand the difference between right and wrong and use
that understanding to make decisions. In brief, the code of
ethics helps companies to conduct business with honesty
and integrity. The code of ethics typically includes:
• Values of the company
• Details of how the company plans to implement its
values and vision
• Guidance to employees on ethical standards and how to
achieve them
• Adherence to law, practices, confidentiality and privacy
policies
• Also some sections code of ethics may cover.
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
Code of Conduct typically covers major legal, ethical and
compliance risk areas in a business. Besides, some of the
general areas it will cover include:
• Work environment – equal opportunity, policies about
harassment, substance abuse, violence, safety, etc.
• Protecting the company’s assets – protecting intellectual
property, use of company property, information security,
etc.
• Conflicts of interests – insider trading, taking out loans,
etc.
• Attendance and punctuality
• Anti-bribery and corruption, etc.
 Construction Professional Bodies with their own Codes:

 Project Managers – Project Management Institute (PMI) Code of Practices

 Architects – Code of Conduct by Board of Architect Malaysia
 Engineer – Code of Professional Conduct by Board of Engineer Malaysia
 Quantity Surveyor - Code of Professional Conduct, Board of Surveyor Malaysia
 Land Surveyor – Regulations of Licensed Land Surveyors
 Safety Officer - Code Of Practices by Department of Occupational Safety and Health

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

 The difference between Code of Ethics and Code of Conduct
Both are used in an attempt to regulate behavior in very different ways. Ethical standards
generally are wide-ranging and non-specific, designed to provide a set of values or decision-
making approaches that enable employees to make independent judgments about the most
appropriate course of action.
Code of Ethics Code of Conduct
The document that explain on how decisions The document that dictates how employees
are made must act
Focuses on values Focus on rules and compliance
Has a narrower scope Has broader scope
Publicly disclosed Usually only accessible to employees/members
Provides a fairly clear set of expectations about generally require little judgment, you obey or
which actions are required, acceptable or incur a penalty,
prohibited
A standard of morals by which a company A set of rules and regulations that explain
makes decisions about what is right or wrong appropriate behavior in specific situations.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

Most codes have common fundamental principles which boil down to four (4) universal
fundamental principles:
• Limit your practice to your field of
• Respect the client's personal integrity (privacy,
expertise and competence
confidentiality)
• have the appropriate knowledge
• Be non-judgmental of the intrinsic value of the
and skill before undertaking an
client irrespective of age, behavior, culture, gender, activity
race or religion.
• Undergo relevant training and
• Respect the knowledge skills and experience of
adhere to best practice and keep
your colleagues and other professionals. abreast of new developments in
Respect for your field
People’s Responsible • Use a new technique under
supervision of a competent and
Dignity and Practice experienced senior
Rights

Integrity in
Responsibility
Relationships
• Clients are clearly the professionals
first responsibility but also have a
responsibility to society
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
• The power relationship is
unbalanced between the client and
the engineer as most power rests
with the engineer (having the
knowledge and skill) which
leaves the client vulnerable
• Professional codes expect
engineers to act with integrity
• For professional to be accepted in
society and successful in their
 Ethical Decision-making Model Steps

Identify the central ethical problem/dilemma/issues

Identify affected parties and their interests

Search for possible solutions for the

problem/dilemma/issues
Evaluate each solution using the interests of those
involved, accorded suitable priority
Select and justify the solution that best resolves the
problem/dilemma/issues.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

In Step 1, What is the problem?

• You have to determine precisely what must be decided, i.e. determine whether there is an ethical issue and/or
dilemma. Is there a conflict of values, or rights, or professional responsibilities? Which clause of the Code of
Ethics/Conduct is affected by this dilemma? If no connection can be made, there is no ethical problem.

• The first step in analyzing ethical issues involves recognizing that there is a problem that requires resolution
and a thorough understanding of the problem. The problem may seem obvious but it is advisable nonetheless
to still undertake research, investigation, and study until it the whole problem is understood. Do not make the
mistake of rushing off to solve a problem, which may not address what is really wrong underneath.

• Collect all the appropriate information, e.g. looking up records, asking for opinions, etc. Correct information
concerning the problem must be collected. Real facts and causes must be investigated and assumptions,
deductions and unsubstantiated claims must be avoided. Some ethical issues create controversies simply
because we do not bother to check the facts.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

In Step 2, Who is affected? Who will be affected by any decisions made and the execution of the solution?

• If you have any doubts or questions as to what the proper course of conduct should be in any given situation,
consult with relevant stakeholders, the interested and affected parties. Certain key role players form part of the
process of finding the best solution to an ethical problem. Seeking co-operation and involvement of all the
stakeholders will improve the transparency and legitimacy of the engineering operation. The participation of all
those affected by the ethical problem is important and needs to be clarified.

• Decide who will be affected by the decisions made. It is a good idea to involve them from the beginning to get
their input. This could be anyone who is affected by the problem, with a stake in the outcome of the problem or
anyone having decision-making power. Confer with all the necessary persons (i.e. clients and colleagues, as
appropriate) regarding the ethical dimensions and the potential risks and consequences of alternative courses of
action.

• A good place to start with problem recognition is an opening discussion to get all necessary stakeholder
viewpoints on the table. This offers viewpoints on the problem from all different angles. Perceived symptoms
can be categorized as either hard or soft. Hard data is hard scientific, factual information. Soft data involves
human factors such as feelings, opinions, attitudes, personality conflicts, frustrations, and hearsay. It is important
to study both hard and soft data to fully understand the problem. When the symptoms are discussed, the nature
of the problem may shift from what it originally seemed.
Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes
In Step 3, What is the solution to this problem?

• This step involves formulating and devising a full range of alternatives. This is a vital step towards
establishing agreement for the final decision. From the information gathered, alternative actions are
formulated. One must look for a number of alternative solutions. The first solution is not necessarily the
best one and a few alternatives should be considered.

• Problem solving involves developing a choice of strategies. It is unusual for only one solution to
immediately present itself as the obvious and ideal answer. Sometimes it is the least undesirable
solution that ends up being chosen as the best solution. Potential strategies are explored that will
address and permanently eliminate the root cause. In this step a complete list of possible solutions is
generated.

• A range of alternatives are first generated, and then in the next step, evaluated in terms of cost, time,
and complexity of each corrective action being considered. Each alternative is weighed according to its
advantages and disadvantages. The alternative with the most advantages and the least disadvantages is
then selected.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

In Step 4, What options do we have? Evaluate and priorities each solution in accordance with the general interests
of those involved.

• In this step, each idea is evaluated and compared. Each alternative is weighed according to its advantages and
disadvantages and the alternative with the most advantages and the least disadvantages is then selected.

• Identify the key values and principles involved. What meanings and limitations are typically attached to these
competing values? The ethical values and principles which in your professional judgment are most relevant to
the issue or dilemma, should be ranked. Why would you prioritize one competing value/principle over another?

• Take account of your own motives and try to detach them from your decision. Try to detach your emotions or
feelings from the equation and focus on the consequences to the affected parties.

• Examine your personal ethical code of conduct. Pondering ethical issues requires a strong sense of right and
wrong. Sometimes it helps in solving a dilemma to ask your conscience what the right thing to do is.

• Come to a conclusion about what is not true and what consequences are most likely to occur. Evaluate the
viable alternatives according to personal conscience. Prioritize the values so that you can choose which values
to advance and which to subordinate.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

In Step 5, In this step a workable solution is decided upon.

• Decision-making is deciding on the most suitable way to solve or handle a specific problem or situation after
considering the different alternatives. During this step the choice is made. The best alternative must be selected.

• All the previous steps were in preparation for this step to ensure that decision-making works properly. One of the
alternative solutions generated before is chosen as the course of action forward. One strategy has to be decided
on from all the options and it has to be one that everyone will be behind and accept.

• The final decision has to be rational and objective. Basing the decision on the work done at the previous steps
helps avoid unilateral decisions taken using political power, personal preference or poor leadership. This involves
comparative evaluation where poorest options are taken out of the equation and the options that remain are
weighed against each other; the alternatives are ranked, scored and prioritized until a final choice is made. The
objective is to find the best solution using a rational, practical method.

• Decision-making implies using judgment, i.e. the application of knowledge, experience and common sense to
analyze a matter logically or sum up a situation correctly in order to reach an acceptable conclusion between the
more and less important aspects of a matter, followed by level-headed action. In short, one's sense of judgment
allows one to make correct and intelligent decisions. It enables one to choose between two alternatives, in a
scientific manner.

Ts. Dr. Nurfadzillah Ishak’s notes

PROFESSIONALISM
SHOULDN'T BE DEFINED
BY A PERSON'S ROLE AND
TITLE.

IT SHOULD BE DEFINED
BY A PERSON'S WORK
ETHIC