The Code Of Ethical Conduct

“Ethics examines moral values and the standards of ethical behavior” (Ornstein & Levine, 2008, p. 162).

In the context of research, ethics is defined as the systems of moral principles that guide human action (1). Ethics is the reflection of the societies ideals of what is right and wrong. It is required in order for research to be valid and published for an ethics committee to evaluate the proposed research question, design and implementations and provide approval in order for a research project to be considered ethical.

First, it is important to define ethics and how its components play an extensive role in our society. The term ethics is defined as “Moral principles that govern a person 's behaviour or the conducting of an activity.” (Oxford); ethical decisions are the ones that per se determine whether or not murder is wrong. Likewise, ethics consists of different ramifications and perspectives from many philosophers. Moreover,

Ethical principles that support all research include: Protection of individuals, Ensuring that individuals only participate voluntarily, Ensuring that any personal information relating to the research is treated confidentially, Agreement that the plan for any research project is subject to independent scrutiny by experts.

Ethics are defined as “a set of moral principles and perceptions about right versus wrong and the resulting philosophy of conduct that is practiced by an individual, group, profession, or culture” (Barker, 2001, p. 159). In the field

Ethics refers to behaviors, practices, and decisions that address three basic and fundamental questions: What is the right thing to do? What is worth doing? What does it mean to be a good behavior analyst (Cooper, 2007)?

Another major ethical principle that is involved

What is ethics? Merriam-webster dictionary defines ethics as: the discipline dealing with what is good and bad and with moral duty and obligation. Ethics and beliefs are ubiquitous throughout the modern world and always arise in numerous topics, issues, and arguments. When it comes to any research processes, ethics is something that must be considered in order to benefit both the results and the people involved. When ethical issues in medical research arise, the thought of the patient is paramount; ensuring that the patient knows exactly what is taking place through informed consent, that they have the respect to autonomy and confidentiality, that they are to remain unharmed, and the most vulnerable patients have the same treatment as all other

There are so many questions that we'll probably never be able to properly answer due to morality. Ethics is a gray area as far as I'm concerned, as what's right and what's wrong differs greatly from person to person. Without ethics there would be nothing morally stopping scientists from fabricating data and running questionable experiments. A great example of an ethically gray experiment is the Stanford Prison Experiment, in which students were assigned the part of either prisoner or guard, and studied to determine how readily they'd take on their roles. One of the key problems with the experiment is that the participants weren't notified of certain parts- such as being 'arrested', without notice, in their own homes. In my opinion that

The application of moral principles in the procedure of planning, recruiting subjects, conducting research and publishing the results in the context of conducting research involving human participants can be called ethics. These principles comprise treating people with respect, consideration of all possible risks; moreover, the welfare of the participants. And treating all the subjects with fairness and equity.

Provide a conclusion with reasons which answers the question “Do the ends justify the means?”

The code of ethics and conduct is a written set of rules and regulations that provides guidance to employees of an organization on how to conduct themselves and carry out their duties in line with the organization’s principles. The code of ethics and conduct is also be backed up by suitable disciplinary actions. A code of ethics and conducts helps employees deal with ethical issues and other gray areas that they face as they execute their daily activities. An effective code of ethics and conduct is required for an organization to run smoothly and maintain a positive image. Having an ineffective code of ethics and conduct is almost like having none.

"Our results indicate that the informal methods ("manager sets an example" or "social norms of the organization") are likely to yield greater commitment with respect to both employee attitudes than formal methods ("training courses on the subject of ethics") (Adam, et al, 2004).

The Economical and Social Research Council (ESRC), British Sociological Association (BSA) and Social Research Association (SRA) each have set out framework to ensure ethics are taken into consideration when conducting research, all three organisations share very similar guidelines. The ESRC state that any research that is carried out should aim to have an advantage on the individuals involved and also should try to reduce any possibility of danger to participants and also society. Furthermore the rights of the people involved should be respected and taken very seriously, whilst also ensuring that the research is carried out with honesty. Ensuring that participants are not pushed into being involved with the research project is essential, and finally any responsibility should be very evident. (Esrc.ac.uk, 2017)

Social science, and research thereof does not occur within a vacuum – Sociologists, like everyone else, are human beings and hold their own unique ideas of norms and values. If everyone in society were to follow their own unique morals and norms, then humanity would descend into a state of chaos and normlessness. To prevent such anarchy, a strict code of moral and ethical values are placed upon us by institutions such as the legal and education systems. We are socialized from birth to follow these rules and if we stray from them, we are punished for the good of humanity. Therefore, as sociologists are part of society, they too must follow ethics when conducting their research for the good of the discipline.