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Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

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100 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Introduction.

Work ethics and professionalism are essential in any job. They help maintain a positive environment and ensure success.

Work Ethics

Work ethics refer to the moral principles that guide our actions at work. They include honesty, responsibility, and respect.

Professionalism

Professionalism means conducting oneself with responsibility, integrity, and competence. It’s about doing your job effectively and respectfully.

Good work ethics and professionalism lead to job satisfaction and success. They build trust and respect among colleagues.

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250 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Introduction to work ethics and professionalism.

Work ethics and professionalism are fundamental principles that govern the conduct of individuals in a professional setting. These principles are quintessential in defining an individual’s character, commitment, and integrity within the workplace.

Understanding Work Ethics

Work ethics encompass a set of values based on hard work and diligence. It involves a belief in the moral benefit and importance of work and its inherent ability to strengthen character. A strong work ethic emanates from an individual’s inner drive and perseverance to achieve success. It includes attributes like reliability, responsibility, quality, discipline, and teamwork.

Professionalism: A Vital Component

Professionalism, on the other hand, is the conduct, behavior, and attitude of an individual in a work or business environment. It involves maintaining a level of etiquette, exhibiting a positive attitude, showing respect to others, and demonstrating a high level of competence and efficiency. Professionalism is about conducting oneself in a manner that enhances one’s image and the image of the organization one represents.

The Intersection of Work Ethics and Professionalism

Work ethics and professionalism are intertwined. A professional with strong work ethics is likely to be more successful because they are dependable, respectful, and competent. They value their work, respect their obligations, and strive for excellence.

500 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

Work ethics and professionalism are two integral elements that define the caliber and value of an individual in a professional setting. Work ethics refer to a set of moral principles that guide a person’s actions in the workplace, while professionalism is the conduct, behavior, and attitude of someone in a work or business environment.

Work ethics are a set of values centered on the notions of hard work and diligence. It involves a belief in the moral benefit of work and its ability to enhance character. An individual with a robust work ethic exhibits qualities such as integrity, responsibility, quality, and discipline. These values are not inherent; they are cultivated through experiences and societal interactions.

The Essence of Professionalism

Professionalism, on the other hand, is the practical application of work ethics. It is reflected in an individual’s conduct, behavior, and attitude in the workplace. Professionalism involves maintaining an appropriate level of etiquette, demonstrating a high degree of competence, and showing respect for others in the workplace.

Professionalism is not just about following a set of rules; it’s about embodying a professional identity. This includes being reliable, respectful, and accountable. It also means being able to handle criticism constructively, communicate effectively, and maintain a positive attitude, even in challenging situations.

The Interplay between Work Ethics and Professionalism

The presence of work ethics and professionalism in an individual can significantly enhance their career growth. Employers value these traits as they contribute to a positive work culture, improved productivity, and a better reputation for the company.

In conclusion, work ethics and professionalism are not just desirable traits but essential for anyone seeking to excel in their professional life. They are the pillars upon which successful careers and organizations are built. By fostering these values, individuals can not only enrich their professional journey but also contribute to creating a healthy and productive work environment. The cultivation of work ethics and professionalism is a continuous process, one that demands conscious effort and commitment. But the rewards, both personal and professional, are well worth the effort.

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10.2: Professionalism, Etiquette, and Ethical Behaviour

Learning objectives.

Target icon

2. Explain the importance of ethics as part of the persuasion process.

3. Define and provide examples of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as strategies for how to eliminate it.

4. Identify and provide examples of eight common fallacies in persuasive speaking.

5. ENL1813 Course Learning Requirement 2: Plan and deliver short, organized spoken messages and oral reports tailored to specific audiences and purposes. (A2, B2, H2, I2, M2, S2, T2)

i. Use effective and engaging language and non-verbal behaviours (A2.2) ii. Use verbal and nonverbal techniques to enhance spoken messages (I2.4, M2.4, R6.2, S2.4, T2.4)

From the moment we started considering what communication skills employers desire (see §1.1.2 above) onwards throughout this guide, we’ve been examining aspects of professional behaviour. A recurring theme has been the importance of being nice. The logic is that, if you’re nice and the people you work with and for like you because they feel that they can trust you and are productive when you collaborate with them, you’ll keep your job and be presented with attractive new opportunities. In this section we’ll look closer at behaviours that will get you liked and open doors for you.

Professionalism, Etiquette, and Ethical Behaviour Topics

10.2.1: Professional Behaviour in the Workplace

10.2.2: business etiquette, 10.2.3: respectful workplaces in the #metoo era, 10.2.4: speaking ethically and avoiding fallacies.

We’ve said from the beginning that professional communication must always cater to the audience. This is true especially in face-to-face interactions where, unlike with written communication, you can assess audience reaction in real time and adjust your message accordingly. This places the responsibility of behaving professionally in the workplace solely on you. When we speak of professional behaviour, we mean the following aspects that generally fall under the banner of soft skills:

  • Social Intelligence
  • Emotional Intelligence
  • Social Graces

We’ll consider these aspects in more detail throughout this subsection, but first we’ll spend some time on the personality traits of successful professionals.

We must be careful with how we define success when we speak of personality, however. Those who lack the soft skills associated with the above aspects are difficult to work with and are usually demoted or fired. In rare instances, cruel, selfish, arrogant, narcissistic, or sociopathic people rise to positions of power through a combination of enablers tolerating or even rewarding their anti-social behaviour and their own lying, cheating, and bullying. This is an unfortunate reality that’s difficult to watch, but it’s important that the rest of us avoid being enablers. It’s also important that we don’t let their bad example lead us into thinking that such behaviour is right. It isn’t, and the proof is the suffering it spreads among people in their sphere of influence. For every horrible person who moves up the corporate ladder, there’ll be a trail of broken, bitter, and vengeful people in their wake. The loathing most people feel towards such people proves the importance of conducting ourselves otherwise.

10.2.1.1: The Five Qualities of a Successful Professional

A persistent idea within the field of psychology is that there are five basic personality traits, often known as the “Big Five” or by the acronyms OCEAN or CANOE. Each trait contains within it a sliding scale that describes how we behave in certain situations. The five are as follows:

  • Openness to experience: curious and innovative vs. cautious and consistent
  • Conscientiousness : goal-driven and detail-oriented vs. casual and careless
  • Extraversion : outgoing and enthusiastic vs. solitary and guarded
  • Agreeableness : cooperative and flexible vs. defiant and stubborn
  • Neuroticism : anxious and volatile vs. confident and stable

Except for neuroticism, most of the traits as named correlate with professional success. Researchers have found that successful people are generally organized, innovative, outgoing, cooperative, and stable, although extraverts don’t do as well as introverts on individual tasks and agreeableness doesn’t necessarily lead to a high salary ( Spurk & Abele, 2010 ; Neal et al., 2011 ).

Blending these with Guffey, Loewy, and Almonte’s six dimensions of professional behaviour in Essentials of Business Communication (2016) and putting our own spin on these ideas, Table 10.2.1.1 below presents a guide for how generally to be successful in your job, how to be well liked, and how to be happy. Consider it also a checklist for how to be a decent human being.

Table 10.2.1.1: The Five Qualities of a Successful Professional

Quality Specific Behaviours
Conscientious
Courteous
Tactful
Ethical
Presentable

Source: Guffey, Loewy, & Almonte (2016, p. 309: Figure 10.1)

10.2.1.2: Civility

Civility simply means behaving respectfully towards everyone you interact with. Being civilized means following the golden rule: treat others as you expect to be treated yourself. The opposite of civility is being rude and aggressive, which creates conflict and negatively affects productivity in the workplace because it creates a so-called chilly climate or a toxic work environment. Such a workplace makes people uncomfortable, miserable, or angry—not emotions normally conducive to people doing their best work.

10.2.1.3: Social Intelligence

In the decades you’ve been immersed in the various cultures you’ve passed through, you’ve come to understand the (often unspoken) rules of decent social interaction. Having social intelligence means following those rules to cooperate and get along with others, especially in conversation. This includes reading nonverbal cues so that you know:

  • How and when to initiate conversation
  • When it’s your turn to speak and when to listen in order to keep a conversation going
  • What to say and what not say
  • How to say what you mean in a manner that will be understood by your audience
  • When and how to use humour effectively and when not to
  • How and when to end conversation gracefully

People who lack social intelligence, perhaps because they missed opportunities to develop conversational skills in their formative school years, come off as awkward in face-to-face conversation. They typically fail to interpret correctly nonverbal cues that say “Now it’s your turn to speak” or “Okay, I’m done with this conversation; let’s wrap it up.” It’s difficult to interact with such people either because they make you do all the work keeping the conversation going or don’t let you speak and keep going long after you wanted it to stop, forcing you to be slightly rude in ending it abruptly. Like any other type of intelligence, however, social intelligence can be developed through an understanding of the principles of good conversation (see §10.1 above) and practice.

10.2.1.5: Emotional Intelligence

Like social intelligence, emotional intelligence (EI) involves being a good reader of people in social contexts, being able to distinguish different emotions, and knowing what to do about them with regard to others and yourself. Strong EI means knowing how a person is likely to react to what you’re about to say and adjusting your message accordingly, and then adjusting again according to how they actually react. Though we often hide our inner emotional state—smiling and looking happy when we’re feeling down, or wearing a neutral “poker face” to mask our excitement—in professional situations, EI enables us to get a sense of what others are actually feeling despite how they appear. It involves reading subtle nonverbal signals such as eye movements, facial expressions and fleeting micro-expressions (Ekman, 2017) , posture, hands, and body movements for how they betray inner feelings different from the outward show. Beyond merely reading people, however, EI also requires knowing how to act, such as empathizing when someone is upset—even if they’re trying to hide it and show strength—because you recognize that you would be upset yourself if you were in their position (see §10.5.3.4 below for more on empathy).

Every interaction you have is coloured by emotion—both yours and the person or people you interact with. Though most routine interactions in the workplace are on the neutral-to-positive end of the emotional spectrum, some dip into the red—anywhere from slightly upset and a little sad to downright furious or suicidal. Whether you keep those emotions below the surface or let them erupt like a volcano depends on your self-control and the situation. Expressing such emotions in the workplace requires the good judgment represented by the 3 T’s :

  • Tact: Recognizing that what you say has a meaningful impact, tact involves the careful choice of words to achieve intended effects. In a sensitive situation where your audience is likely to be upset, for instance, tact requires that you use calming and positive words to reduce your message’s harmful impact (see §8.3 above on negative messages). When you’re upset, tact likewise involves self-restraint so that you don’t unleash the full fury of what you’re feeling if it would be inappropriate. When emotions are running high, it’s important to recognize that they are just thoughts that come and go, and that you may need some additional time to process information when you’re in a different emotional state before communicating about it.
  • Timing: There’s a time and place for expressing your emotions. Expressing your anger when you’re at the height of your fury might be a bad move if it moves you to say things you’ll later regret. Waiting to cool down so that you can tactfully express your disappointment will get the best results if it’s an important matter. If it’s a trivial matter, however, waiting to realize that it’s not worth the effort can save you the trouble of dealing with the fallout of a strong and regrettable reaction.
  • Trust: You must trust that the person you share your feelings with will respect your privacy and keep whatever you say confidential or at least not use it against you.

By considering these 3 T’s, you can better manage the expression of your own emotions and those of the people you work with and for in the workplace ( Business Communication for Success , 2015, 14.6) .

Like those who lack social intelligence, those who lack emotional intelligence can often be difficult to work with and offensive, often without meaning to be. When someone fails to understand the emotional “vibe” of their audience (fails to “read the room”), we say that they are “tone deaf.” This can be a sign of immaturity because it takes years to develop EI through extensive socialization in your school years and beyond, including learning how and why people take offense to what you say. Someone who jokes openly about another’s appearance in front of them and an audience, for instance, either fails to understand the hurt feelings of the person who is the butt of the joke or doesn’t care. Either way, people like this are a liability in the workplace because their offense establishes an environment dominated by insecurity—where employees are afraid that they’ll be picked on as if this were the elementary school playground. They won’t do their best work in such a “chilly climate” or toxic environment.

10.2.1.6: Social Graces

Social graces include all the subtle behavioural niceties that make you likeable. They include manners such as being polite, etiquette (e.g., dining etiquette), and your style of dress and accessories. We will explore most of these in the following section, but for now we can list some of the behaviours associated with social graces:

  • Saying please when asking someone to do something
  • Saying thank you when given something you accept
  • Saying no, thank you, but thanks for the offer when offered something you refuse
  • Complimenting someone for a something they’ve done well
  • Speaking positively about others and refraining from negative comments
  • Smiling often
  • Being a good listener

Of course, there is much more to social graces, but let’s focus now on specific situations in which social graces are expressed.

Return to the Professionalism, Etiquette, and Ethical Behaviour Topics menu

Etiquette is a code of behaviour that extends to many aspects of how we present ourselves in social situations. We’ve examined this throughout this guide in specific written applications (e.g., using a well-mannered, courteous style of writing, such as saying please when asking someone to do something; see §4.5.2.5 ). Though we’ll examine specific applications of etiquette associated with various channels (e.g., telephone) throughout this chapter, we will here focus on dining etiquette and dress.

10.2.2.1: Dining Etiquette

If you are invited out for a lunch by a manager, it’s probably not just a lunch. They will assess how refined you are in your manners so that they know whether they can put you in front of clients doing the same and not embarrass the company. Though it may not be obvious, they’ll observe whether you use your utensils correctly, chew with your mouth closed, wait till your mouth is empty before speaking or cover your mouth with your hand if you must speak while chewing, and how you position your cutlery when you’re done. Why does any of this matter?

Though all of this seems like it has nothing to do with the quality of work, it shows the extent to which you developed fastidious habits and self-awareness. Someone who chews with their mouth open, for instance, either lacks the self-awareness to know that people tend to be disgusted by the sight of food being chewed, or doesn’t care what people think. Either way, that lack of self-awareness can lead to behaviours that will ruin their reputation, as well as that of the company they represent. The University of Kansas presents a handy Dining Etiquette (School of Business, 2001) for starters.

10.2.2.2: Dressing Appropriately for the Workplace

When we hear the word uniform , we often think of a very specific style such as what a police officer or nurse wears. In a general sense, however, we all wear uniforms of various styles in whatever professional or institutional environment we participate in. Dressing appropriately in those situations and in the workplace specifically has everything to do with meeting expectations. In an office environment, clients, coworkers, and managers expect to see employees in either suits or a business-casual style of dress depending on the workplace. In such situations, conformity is the order of the day, and breaking the dress code can be a serious infraction.

Though some infractions are becoming less serious in many places because the general culture is becoming more accepting of tattoos, piercings, and dyed hair as more and more people use these to express themselves, you might need to be careful. Consider the following points:

  • Tattoos: Though a significant proportion of the population has tattoos and therefore they are more acceptable across the board, overly conspicuous tattoos are still considered taboo. Tattoos on the face, neck, or hands, for instance, are considered risky because of their association with prison and gang branding. Tattoos that can be covered by a long-sleeved shirt with a collar and slacks are a safe bet. However, if you have tattoos on your forearms depicting scenes of explicit sex or violence, consider either getting them removed or never rolling up your sleeves if you want to get hired and keep your job.
  • Piercings: Of course, earrings are de rigueur for women and acceptable on men as well. However, earlobe stretching and piercings on the nasal septum or lips are still generally frowned upon in professional settings. Any serious body modification along these lines is acceptable in certain subcultures, but not in most workplaces.
  • Dyed hair: As with tattoos and piercings, hair dye is becoming more acceptable generally, but extreme expression is inadvisable in any traditional workplace. Where customer expectations are rigid (e.g., in a medical office), seeing someone with bright pink hair will give the impression of an amateur operation rather than a legitimate health care facility.

Because conformity is the determining factor of acceptability in proper attire in any particular workplace, the best guide for how to dress when you aren’t given a specific uniform is what everyone else wears. Observe closely their style and build a wardrobe along those lines. If the fashion is slacks with a belt that matches the colour of your shoes and a long-sleeve, button-up, collared shirt for men and a full-length skirt and blouse for women, do the same (Feloni, Lee, & Cain, 2018) .

Most of what we’ve been saying in this chapter and throughout this guide focuses on how we should behave to be effective, respected professionals in our respective workplaces. Unfortunately, this isn’t what we always see in actual workplaces. Misbehaviour is rampant and is especially harmful when it’s harassment of a sexual nature. The broader culture took a hopeful step forward toward more respectful workplaces in 2017-2018 with the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements.

Though initially a response to high-profile sexual assault cases in the entertainment industry where perpetrators often went unpunished for decades, #MeToo activists successfully brought the movement to the broader culture via social media. After the outrage of the former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi’s acquittal for sexual assault charges (Gollom, 2016) , Canada was ripe for a cultural shift against its own issues with rape culture generally and toleration of sexual harassment in the workplace. Encouraged by a series of public accusations, firings, and resignations of prominent men in the entertainment, media, and political arenas throughout North America, women everywhere were encouraged to challenge widespread toleration of common sexual harassment and assault by reporting incidents to their employers and speaking out to shame everyday offenders in social media. For those who were unaware, it revealed the troubling extent of sexual harassment even in supposedly “nice” Canadian workplaces.

10.2.3.1: The Prevalence of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace

Infographic showing the prevelence of sexual harrassment in the workplace

10.2.3.2: What Is Sexual Harassment?

Infographic showing the prevelence of sexual harrassment in the workplace

sexual harassment means any conduct, comment, gesture or contact of a sexual nature that is likely to cause offence or humiliation to any employee, or that might, on reasonable grounds, be perceived by that employee as placing a condition of a sexual nature on employment or on any opportunity for training or promotion. (Government of Canada, 1985, p. 214)

The Code clarifies that all employees have a right to conduct their work without being harassed (241.2), but what does that look like in practice?

For help with understanding what specific behaviours constitute sexual harassment, the City of Toronto’s Human Rights Office’s 2017 “Sexual Harassment in the Workplace” guide lists the following 21 examples of offenses that have had their day in court:

  • Making unnecessary physical contact, including unwanted touching (e.g., stroking hair, demanding hugs, or rubbing a person’s back)
  • Invading personal space
  • Using language that puts someone down because of their sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression
  • Using sex-specific derogatory names, homophobic or transphobic epithets, slurs, or jokes
  • Leering or inappropriate staring
  • Gender related comments about a person’s physical characteristics or mannerisms, comments that police or reinforce traditional heterosexual gender norms
  • Targeting someone for not following sex-role stereotypes (e.g., comments made to a female for being in a position of authority)
  • Showing or sending pornography, sexual images, etc. (e.g., pinning up an image of a naked man in the bathroom)
  • Making sexual jokes, including forwarding sexual jokes by email
  • Rough or vulgar language related to gender (e.g., “locker-room talk”)
  • Spreading sexual rumours, “outing” or threatening to out someone who is LGBTQ2S (e.g., sending an email to colleagues about an affair between a supervisor and another employee)
  • Making suggestive or offensive comments about members of a specific gender
  • Sexually propositioning a person
  • Bragging about sexual prowess
  • Asking questions about sexual preferences, fantasies, or activities
  • Demanding dates or sexual favours
  • Verbally abusing, threatening, or taunting someone based on gender
  • Threatening to penalize or punish a person who refuses to comply with sexual advances
  • Intrusive comments, questions or insults about a person’s body, physical characteristics, gender-related medical procedures, clothing, mannerisms, or other forms of gender expression
  • Refusing to refer to a person by their self-identified name or proper personal pronoun, or requiring a person to prove their gender
  • Circulating or posting of homophobic, transphobic, derogatory or offensive signs, caricatures, graffiti, pictures, or other materials

The guide explains that any such behaviours involving professional colleagues in the physical or online workspace, as well as offsite outside of normal hours (e.g., work parties or community events), should be reported without fear of reprisal (City of Toronto, 2017, pp. 2-3) .

10.2.3.3: How to Make the Workplace More Respectful

Though the Canada Labour Code places the responsibility of ensuring a harassment-free workplace squarely on the employer (Provision 247.3), all employees must do their part to uphold one another’s right to work free of harassment. At the very least, everyone should avoid any of the 21 specific examples of sexual harassment listed above, even in the context of lighthearted banter. Employees everywhere should be held to a higher standard, however, which the HRPA advocates in the following recommendations:

  • All companies must have a stand-alone sexual harassment and assault policy, as required by the Labour Code .
  • All employees must familiarize themselves with their company’s sexual harassment policy, which should include guidance on how to report instances of harassment.
  • All companies must conduct training sessions on their sexual harassment policy, including instruction on what to do when harassed or witnessing harassment, and all employees must participate.

Of course, experiencing harassment places the victim in a difficult position with regard to their job security, as does witnessing it and the duty to report. The situation is even more complicated if the perpetrator has the power to promote, demote, or terminate the victim’s or witness’s employment. If you find yourself in such a situation, seeking the confidential advice of an ombudsperson or person in a similar counselling role should be your first recourse. Absent these internal protections, consider seeking legal counsel.

If you witness sexual or other types of harassment, what should you do? The following guide may help:

  • If it’s safe for you to do so, try recording video the incident on your smartphone. The mere presence of the phone may act as a deterrent to further harassment. If not, however, a record of the incident will be valuable in the post-incident pursuit of justice.
  • If you can play any additional role in stopping the harassment before it continues, try to get the attention of the person being harassed and ask them if they want support and what exactly you can do.
  • If it’s welcome from the victim and safe for both you and them, try to place yourself between them and the attacker. If the victim is handling the attack in their own way, respect their choice.
  • If the harassment continues, try to de-escalate the situation non-violently by explaining to the offender that the one being harassed has a right to work in peace. Only resort to violence if it’s defensive.
  • After a safe resolution, follow up with the person being harassed about what you can do for them (American Friends Service Committee, 2016) .

Of course, every harassment situation is different and requires quick-thinking action that maintains the safety of all involved. The important thing, however, is to be act as an ally to the person being harassed. The biggest takeaway from the development of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements is that a workplace culture that permits sexual harassment will only end if we all do our part to ensure that offenses no longer go unreported and unpunished.

When we discussed persuasive messages earlier (see §8.4 ), we focused on best practices without veering much into what’s considered offside in the art of persuasion. When we consider ethical behaviour in the workplace, it’s worth revisiting the topic of persuasion so that we can address how not to persuade. In other words, how can we avoid manipulating someone in professional situations so that they don’t later feel like they were taken advantage of.

In the context of communication, manipulation is the management of facts, ideas or points of view to play upon people’s insecurities or to use emotional appeals to one’s own advantage. Though emotional appeals were part of the rhetorical triangle discussed earlier in §8.4.1 , they cross the line into manipulation when motivated by an attempt to do something against the best interests of the audience, which expects that you treat them with respect. Deliberately manipulating them by inciting fear or guilt is unethical. Likewise, deception is unethical because it uses lies, partial truths, or the omission of relevant information to deceive. No one likes to be lied to or led to believe something that isn’t true. Deception can involve intentional bias or the selection of information to support your position while negatively framing any information that might challenge your audience’s belief.

Other unethical behaviours with respect to an audience such as a workplace team include coercion and bribery. Coercion is the use of power to make someone do something they would not choose to do freely. It usually involves threats of punishment, which get results at least while the “stick” is present, but results in hatred towards the coercing person or group and hence a toxic work environment. Bribery , which is offering something in return for an expected favour, is similarly unethical because it sidesteps normal, fair protocol for personal gain at the audience’s expense. When the rest of the team finds out that they lost out on opportunities because someone received favours for favours, an atmosphere of mistrust and animosity—hallmarks of a toxic work environment—hangs over the workplace.

10.2.4.1: Eleven Unethical Persuasive Techniques

Though you may be tempted to do anything to achieve the result of convincing someone to act in a way that benefits you and your company or organization, certain techniques are inherently unethical. The danger in using them is that they will be seen for what they are—dishonest manipulation—and you’ll lose all credibility rather than achieve your goal. Just as we have a set of DOs for how to convince someone effectively in a decent way, we also have a set of DON’Ts for what not to do.

In Ethics in Human Communication , Richard Johannesen (1996) offers eleven points to consider when speaking persuasively. Do not :

  • Use false, fabricated, misrepresented, distorted or irrelevant evidence to support arguments or claims
  • Intentionally use unsupported, misleading, or illogical reasoning
  • Represent yourself as an “expert” (or even informed) on a subject when you’re not, as in the case of “ mansplaining ” (McClintock, 2016)
  • Use irrelevant appeals to divert attention from the issue at hand
  • Ask your audience to link your idea or proposal to emotion-driven values, motives, or goals to which it is unrelated
  • Deceive your audience by concealing your real purpose, your self-interest, the group you represent, or your position as an advocate of a viewpoint
  • Distort, hide, or misrepresent the number, scope, intensity, or undesirable features of consequences or effects
  • Use “emotional appeals” that lack a supporting basis of evidence or reasoning
  • Oversimplify complex, multi-layered, nuanced situations into simplistic, two-valued, either/or, polar views or choices
  • Pretend certainty where tentativeness and degrees of probability would be more accurate
  • Advocate for something that you yourself do not believe in

If you tried any of the above tricks and were found out by a critical-thinking audience, you risk irreparable damage to your reputation personally and that of your company.

Though you might think that the above guidelines wipe out most of a marketer’s available techniques, in fact they leave plenty of room for creative argument following the model for persuasive argument outlined in §8.4 above. After all, the goal of any such argument in a professional situation is to achieve a mutually beneficial result, one where both you and your audience benefit by getting something you both want or need in a free and honest exchange. Your audience will appreciate your fair dealing as you build your credibility (or ethos in the rhetorical triangle terminology introduced in §8.4.1 ).

10.2.4.2: Avoiding Fallacies

Logicians (experts on logic) have long pointed out a set of rhetorical tricks, called fallacies, that charlatans use to convince others of an argument that has no merit on its own. Though these fallacies are typically deceptive in nature, they still manage to convince many people in ways that undermine their own interests. Whenever you see anyone resorting to these tricks, you should probably be suspicious of what they’re selling or getting you to support. To be ethical in the way you present arguments in professional situations and steer clear of being held under suspicion by a critical audience yourself, avoid the eight fallacies explored below in Table 10.2.4.2.

Table 10.2.4.2: Logical Fallacies to Avoid

Fallacy Definition Example
1. Red Herring Any diversion intended to distract attention from the main issue, particularly by relating the issue to a common fear So-called “safe” injection sites in our neighbourhood will mean that more dealers will set up shop, too, leading to more crime.
2. Straw Man A weak argument set up to be easily refuted, distracting attention from stronger arguments Safe injection sites will increase illegal drug use because it’ll make those drugs easier to access, defeating the purpose of “harm reduction.”
3. Begging the Question Claiming the truth of the very matter in question, as if it were already an obvious conclusion Safe injection sites won’t save anybody because addicts will continue to overdose with or without them.
4. Circular Argument A proposition is used to prove itself, assuming the very thing it aims to prove (related to begging the question) Once a junkie, always a junkie. No “harm reduction” approach will solve the opioid crisis.
5. Bandwagon (a.k.a. Ad Populum) Appeals to a common belief of some people, often prejudicial, and states everyone holds this belief No one wants a safe injection site in their neighbourhood because they don’t care that much about the welfare of junkie criminals.
6. Ad Hominem Stating that someone’s argument is wrong solely because of something about them rather than about the argument itself The safe injection site advocate is a junkie himself. How can we trust him on issues of safety when every junkie lies as a matter of habit?
7. Non Sequitur The conclusion does not follow from the premises Since this whole obsession with being politically correct began 30 years ago, people now think that even addicts are worthy of respect.
8. Post Hoc Ergo Propter Hoc Establish a cause-and-effect relationship where only a correlation exists The rise of liberal attitudes since the 1960s has led to higher rates of incarceration across the country.

( Business Communication for Success , 2015, 14.6)

Avoiding such false logic helps strengthen your own argument by compelling you to stay within the bounds of sound argumentative strategies such as those covered above in §8.4 .

Key Takeaway

key icon

2. Deliver a short presentation on dining etiquette or how to dress for success in the workplace with clear recommendations for how your audience should conduct themselves (follow Ch. 12 on presentations beforehand).

3. Have you ever experienced or witnesses sexual harassment in a workplace or institution (e.g., at school) according to the definition and examples given in §10.2.3.2 ? What happened and what did you do about it? Would you do anything differently in hindsight?

4. Find an example of advertising that is unethical because it relies on logical fallacies and other deceptive techniques explored in §10.2.4 . Identify the fallacies or techniques and speculate on why the advertiser used them. Outline a more honest—yet still effective—advertisement for the same product or service.

American Friends Service Committee. (2016, December 2). Do’s and Don’ts for bystander intervention. Retrieved from https://www.afsc.org/resource/dos-and-donts-bystander-intervention

Barnes, E. (2018, January 20). Marchers in Baltimore. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=65692582

City of Toronto. (2017, October). Sexual harassment in the workplace. Retrieved from https://www.toronto.ca/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/8eaa-workplace-sexual-harassment.pdf

Ekman, P. (2017, August 5). Micro expressions. Retrieved from https://www.paulekman.com/resources/micro-expressions/

Feloni, R., Lee, S., & Cain, Á. (2018, May 16). How to dress your best in any work environment, from a casual office to the boardroom. Business Insider . Retrieved from https://www.businessinsider.com/how-to-dress-for-work-business-attire-2014-8

The Gandalf Group. (2017, December 12). The 49th quarterly C-suite survey. Retrieved from http://www.gandalfgroup.ca/downloads/2017/C-Suite%20Report%20Q4%20December%202017%20tc2.pdf

Gollom, M. (2016, March 24). Jian Ghomeshi found not guilty on choking and all sex assault charges. CBC News . Retrieved from https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/jian-ghomeshi-sexual-assault-trial-ruling-1.3505446

The Government of Canada. (1985). Canada labour code . Retrieved from http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/PDF/L-2.pdf

Hale, T. (2015, April 2). Changing the culture of reporting sexual harassment and sexual assault. Retrieved from https://www.army.mil/e2/c/images/2015/04/02/388160/original.jpg

HRPA. (2018a). Doing our duty: Preventing sexual harassment in the workplace . Retrieved from https://www.hrpa.ca/Documents/Public/Thought-Leadership/Doing-Our-Duty.PDF

HRPA. (2018b). Sexual harassment infographic. Retrieved from https://www.hrpa.ca/Documents/Public/Thought-Leadership/Sexual-Assault-Harassment-Infographic.pdf

McClintock, E. A. (2016, March 31). The psychology of mansplaining. Psychology Today . Retrieved from https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/blog/it-s-man-s-and-woman-s-world/201603/the-psychology-mansplaining

Navigator. (2018, March 7). Sexual harassment survey results. Retrieved from http://www.navltd.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/03/Report-on-Publics-Perspective-of-Sexual-Harassment-in-the-Workplace.pdf

Neal, A., Yeo, G., Koy, A., & Xiao, T. (2011, January 26). Predicting the form and direction of work role performance from the Big 5 model of personality traits. Journal of Organizational Behavior , 33(2), pp. 175-192. Retrieved from https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/job.742

School of Business. (2001, February 1). Dining etiquette. The University of Kansas. Retrieved from https://business.ku.edu/dining-etiquette

Spurk, D., & Abele, A. E. (2010, June 16). Who earns more and why? A multiple mediation model from personality to salary. Journal of Business and Psychology , 26(1), pp. 87-103. Retrieved from https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs10869-010-9184-3

Communication at Work Copyright © 2019 by Jordan Smith is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Ethics and Professionalism Business Studies Grade 12 Notes, Questions and Answers

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Find all Ethics and Professionalism Notes, Examination Guide Scope, Lessons, Activities and Questions and Answers for Business Studies Grade 12 . Learners will be able to learn, as well as practicing answering common exam questions through interactive content, including questions and answers (quizzes).

Topics under Ethics and Professionalism

  • Professional, Responsible, Ethical and Effective Business Practices
  • The King Code
  • Issues Challenging Ethical and Professional Behaviour
  • Strategies for Addressing Ethical and Professional Issues
  • Professionalism
  • Codes of Conduct and Codes of Ethics
Business ethics  refers to the moral principles and values that guide the behavior of individuals and organizations in the business world. It involves making decisions and taking actions that are consistent with moral and ethical values and that promote fairness, justice, and respect for others.

What is Considered Ethical Behavior in Business?

In business, ethical behavior involves  treating others fairly, being honest and transparent, and acting with integrity.  Ethical behavior also involves being responsible and accountable for one’s actions, respecting the rights of others, and avoiding actions that cause harm or exploitation.

Examples of Ethical and Unethical Business Practices

The following table provides examples of ethical and unethical business practices:

Ethical PracticesUnethical Practices
Respecting the rights and dignity of employeesDiscrimination or harassment of employees
Providing safe and healthy working conditionsIgnoring health and safety regulations
Being honest and transparent in business dealingsDeception or fraud in business dealings
Acting with integrityConflicts of interest or corruption
Protecting the environmentEnvironmental degradation or pollution
Treating customers fairly and respectfullyExploiting customers or engaging in price gouging
Paying fair wages and benefitsExploiting workers or paying inadequate wages

Business ethics is an important aspect of responsible and sustainable business practices. Ethical behavior involves making decisions and taking actions that are consistent with moral and ethical values and that promote fairness, justice, and respect for others. Understanding the importance of ethical behavior in business is essential for individuals and organizations to maintain a positive reputation and to contribute to a responsible and sustainable business environment.

How Businesses Can Apply King Code Principles

The King Code is a set of principles and guidelines that promote responsible corporate governance in South Africa. The King Code is comprised of two codes, King Code I and King Code II, which provide guidance on ethical and responsible business practices.

King Code Principles

  • King Code I:  This code was first published in 1994 and focuses on the responsibilities of boards of directors and their role in promoting responsible corporate governance.
  • King Code II:  This code was published in 2002 and expands on the principles outlined in King Code I. It provides a comprehensive framework for responsible corporate governance and covers a wide range of issues, including ethics, transparency, and accountability.

The following table outlines the key principles of the King Code and how businesses can apply them:

King Code PrincipleHow Businesses Can Apply This Principle
Implementing policies and procedures to ensure ethical behavior and to promote transparency and accountability.
Providing clear and accurate information about the business, its operations, and its performance.
Ensuring that the business operates independently, without undue influence from outside parties.
Being accountable for the actions and decisions of the business and ensuring that the business is transparent and open to scrutiny.
Taking responsibility for the impact of the business on society and the environment, and working to promote sustainable business practices.
Treating all stakeholders fairly, including employees, customers, suppliers, and shareholders.
Contributing to the well-being of society and promoting responsible business practices that benefit the wider community.
The King Code provides a comprehensive framework for responsible corporate governance and promotes ethical and responsible business practices. By applying the principles of the King Code, businesses can enhance their reputation, contribute to a responsible business environment, and promote sustainable business practices.

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The Link Between Professionalism and Ethics Essay

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Professionalism and ethics are key factors in a job setting. These two aspects work hand in hand. Engineering is no different case. Ethics seeks to evaluate deeply on moral aspects. It entails the practices that the staff carries out in an establishment. It incorporates; good value, code of conduct, moral value, principles and virtues. The ethics enable one to outlay professionalism in undertaking his engineering career.

Professional ethics helps a lot in proficiency and comprehending problems encountered in this field. Ethics assists one to know the good and bad sides of a person in a work setting. Engineering ethics are the codes of standard applied in the field of engineering. These ethics portray good conducts in professional engineers.

In accordance with the innovation in science and technology one needs to uphold high moral standard in terms of principle and practices. It concentrates on doing the right action with out inconveniencing other parties. In engineering one needs guidelines that propel him or her to success in this field. The guidelines are set values that give the ability to make correct choices, decisions and action. Not all values are equal.

It all depends with the perception of a person and his/her experience. One can modify and create beliefs that define his identity. Thus he may hold characters such as social skills, peace among co-workers, truth and honesty. Perseverance, discernment and accuracy are also values that one needs to have in order to relay services professionally. This boosts his moral behavior and upholds professional skills.

In addition to values and morals a professional needs work ethics. These ethics ought to be principled and easy to interpret. Employing attitudes of work value will need a lot of motivation in order to succeed. This goes along way to increase the productivity and overall performance in engineering.

In the work place the relationship among co-workers and employees in the organization, depends heavily on the ethics. The engineers tactfully apply the code of ethics to tackle problems encountered in the field. The engineer should offer high standard of service to the client. He should work towards achieving set objectives as part of strengthening his skills in the profession (Naagarazan 41).

Moral issues may arise at certain times in an organization. This will require one to apply professionalism to tackle such issues. Issues such as resource crouch may lead one to be manipulated and unethical termination of projects. Another issue is applying double standards in making decisions and selection of projects.

The management may seek to fulfill their interest more than the employees. The employees may develop poor attitude to providing services to the consumers.

These issues can be sorted through normative inquiry where norms are used to guide the employees and the management to run the organization. The management should come in strongly to offer a neutral field for implementation of these norms.

Another way of curbing moral issues is by conceptual inquiry where all the employees are directed and informed of the concepts and principles. Factual or descriptive inquiry is another way to solve the moral issues arising in an organization. This inquiry provides information about practices and effectiveness of the system.

When one upholds professionalism he or she expects to be loyal to the organization, have high level of integrity, be knowledgeable and applies tact in undertaking tasks of the organization. He should be a social catalyst and serve the management and other employees without biasness.

The professional conduct helps to gain trust in the public and improve professional development (Naagarazan 39). Professionalism in the public domain determines how resources and other activities are carried out. A professional will bear responsibility of his work in the sense that he becomes liable and accountable for action he takes in the organization. By carrying out his duty well, he gets appraisal from the management due to his success.

A competent professional will strive to meet the requirement of the client. It is highly recommended that clients confidentiality to be observed. This is also part of professionalism since the client builds trust in the employee.

Other attributes of a competent professional is to respect the management and other employees as well as the client. Courtesy when communicating to client will boost confidence in the engineer from the client perspective. They should also be ready to offer services to a diverse population.

The employee should avoid fraud and misuse of resources at all times. Above all discipline is very important. In a sum up professionalism is the equality of being honest and faithful to the profession. Always honor the law and observe rules and regulation of the State.

Professionalism may be hindered by a number of factors such as poverty levels and high level for illiteracy in the society. Most engineers may take advantage of these situations in the society and offer substantial services to them. To curb this situation the engineers should be given adequate remuneration to refrain them from exploiting the less fortunate (Philip 74). Professionalism and ethics work hand in hand.

For one to be a successful professional he or she needs to have all the ethics values and virtues. Successful engineers are as a result of the moral behaviors and work ethics they endorse in their day to day undertaking. If these ethics are advocated world wide then the world will absolutely have more engineers who are professionally fit.

Naagarazan, Ramayan. Textbook on Professional Ethics and Human Values. New Delhi: New Age International, 2006. Print.

Philip, Sadler. Management consultancy: a handbook for best practice. London: Kogan Page Publishers, 2002. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2018, May 25). The Link Between Professionalism and Ethics. https://ivypanda.com/essays/professionalism-and-ethics/

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CAPS Business Studies 11

Caps bs 11 term 2 week 6 professionalism and ethics, topic – professionalism and ethics.

• The theories and principles of professionalism and ethics; explore how they relate to the business environment • Application of the principles and skills of professional, responsible, ethical and effective business practice –The definitions of and differences between professionalism and ethics –The theories and principles of professionalism and ethics; explore how they relate to the business environment –The difference between good and bad decisions –The principles and skills of professional, responsible, ethical and effective business practice The concept of ethics and different perspectives on ethics, as well as ethical business ventures

Applied and Professional Ethics MA

Year of entry 2024, masters subject talks.

Explore our recorded Masters subject talks to discover how you can take your knowledge to the next level. Find out more

Course overview

Students in tutorial

Explore the ethical issues raised by different professional contexts, and discover how ethical principles can be applied to help us navigate our increasingly complex working environments.

This online course allows you to examine current issues, debates, and theories around the application of ethics in professional settings.

Using a blend of theory and real-life case studies, you’ll gain a critical understanding of issues such as trust, integrity, privacy, consent and professional responsibility.

Throughout, you’ll benefit from teaching that blends insights from industry professionals with the latest in ethical research. With the expert guidance of your tutors, you’ll use the theoretical understanding you gain to respond to social, technological, and political developments as they occur.

Our diverse community includes people from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds, with many opportunities to network and connect with our online community throughout your time studying with us, including various events and activities we run as an active and thriving applied ethics research centre. Many of our students have achieved the publication of a paper as a result of their time studying with us and some of them have been interviewed on our podcast. Whether you’re looking for career progression, a change of direction, or knowledge of a new subject area, you’ll receive all the support you need to succeed.

This course is taught online and can also be studied at PGDip level. Both of these options are available both full time and part time.

Specialist support

We have extensive experience in providing high quality online learning, having run this course for over a decade. You’ll study at the times and pace that suit you, whether taking the course full time or part time, sharing insights with other students as you learn. Throughout, you’ll receive expert support as well as opportunities for live discussions with your module leaders, and your Academic Personal Tutor.

The IDEA Centre is an interdisciplinary specialist unit for teaching, research, training and consultancy in applied ethics, and we consult with practitioners and professional bodies to ensure that our work reflects the latest social, technological, and political developments worldwide. Our expert tutors work in partnership across the University with many disciplines and subjects and bring this experience and knowledge to your course.

Extensive resources

You’ll study using course materials that have been specially designed for online distance learning, including reading, supplements and exercises. You can easily access these at any time using the University’s virtual learning environment, Minerva.

The IDEA Centre is an active and thriving centre of research and learning, with regular research seminars, podcasts, and annual events such as our Medical Ethics Evening and Ilkley Colloquium all available for you to take part in. We maintain close ties with our alumni and external professionals who often share their insights and expertise at our events.

Leeds University Library is one of the UK’s major academic research libraries, and has extensive holdings to support your studies. You can access a wide range of books, journals and other items online, as well as webinars on academic skills.

Scholarships

The University offers a range of Postgraduate funding opportunities to help support you during your time studying with us.

Across our Faculty, we also have a number of generous awards and scholarships .

Course details

You’ll study modules designed to give you a solid base of theoretical knowledge and high level research skills.

As you progress through your studies, you’ll apply what you’ve learned in an independent research project on a topic of your choice.

If you choose to study part-time, you’ll study over a longer period and take fewer modules in each year.

The list shown below represents typical modules/components studied and may change from time to time. Read more in our terms and conditions .

Most courses consist of compulsory and optional modules. There may be some optional modules omitted below. This is because they are currently being refreshed to make sure students have the best possible experience. Before you enter each year, full details of all modules for that year will be provided.

For more information and a list of typical modules available on this course, please read MA Applied and Professional Ethics (Online) in the course catalogue.

Year 1 compulsory modules

Module Name Credits
Introduction to Ethics: Reasons, Motivation, Obligations and Happiness 15
Professional Ethics: Key Concepts 15
Agents and Professional Responsibility 15
Dissertation 60
Justice: Fairness, Equality and Diversity 15

Year 1 optional modules (selection of typical options shown below)

Module Name Credits
Professional Issues 3: Consent and Contracts 15
Global Environmental Ethics 15
Business Ethics 15
Professional Ethics Project 15
Artificial Intelligence & Data Ethics 15

Learning and teaching

This course is taught entirely online, so there are no lectures or seminars. You won’t have to attend Leeds at any point during the course, although if you can travel there may be chances to meet other students.

Instead, you’ll used specially designed interactive teaching materials and participate in structured collaborative activities. You’ll contribute to discussion groups in Minerva, our Virtual Learning Environment, so you can share experiences and perspectives with students from different backgrounds worldwide. Our tutors respond to queries by email as well as contributing to the online discussion groups and holding live webinars for each module.

Watch our Applied, Professional and Biomedical Ethics subject talk to get a flavour of what it’s like to study at Leeds.

On this course you’ll be taught by our expert academics, from lecturers through to professors. You may also be taught by industry professionals with years of experience, as well as trained postgraduate researchers, connecting you to some of the brightest minds on campus.

Because you study online, you won’t have to take any exams during this course. Instead, most of the time you’ll be assessed using essays and coursework assignments. You’ll receive support from our tutors and be able to discuss your work with them before you submit it. Group projects, presentations and regular contributions to discussion forums may also be used to assess your progress in some modules.

Entry requirements

A bachelor degree. Professional experience may also be considered. If you want to apply for this MA course but don't have a degree, you could begin your studies by completing the PGDip before applying for the MA.

We look for your willingness and ability to think clearly and independently, as well as good writing skills, a basic understanding of philosophical ethics and any relevant experiences of ethical issues in practice

We accept a range of international equivalent qualifications. Contact the Admissions Office for more information.

English language requirements

IELTS 6.5 overall, with no less than 6.0 in all components.. For other English qualifications, read English language equivalent qualifications .

Improve your English

International students who do not meet the English language requirements for this programme may be able to study our postgraduate pre-sessional English course, to help improve your English language level.

This pre-sessional course is designed with a progression route to your degree programme and you’ll learn academic English in the context of your subject area. To find out more, read Language for Arts and Humanities (6 weeks) and Language for Social Science and Arts: Arts and Humanities (10 weeks) .

We also offer online pre-sessionals alongside our on-campus pre-sessionals.  Find out more about our six week online pre-sessional .

You can also study pre-sessionals for longer periods – read about our postgraduate pre-sessional English courses .

How to apply

Documents to include.

Your degree certificate and transcripts of all relevant qualifications, or a partial transcript if you’re still studying.

CV (optional).

Details of two academic referees whom we can contact if needed.

Evidence of your English language test scores, if English isn’t your first language.

A personal statement in response to the questions asked in the supporting statement section of the application form. There's no word limit but you should include:

Why you want to study your chosen course at Leeds

What role ethics play in your professional life (if relevant)

What knowledge and understanding you currently have of ethics (if relevant)

How studying ethics will contribute to your academic and/or professional development

Application essay: this will be used to assess your ability to construct arguments and defend a coherent ethical position. It should be 1000-1500 words long and address a topic relevant to your chosen course. You can choose from the questions below, or contact us about an alternative:

Can personal integrity and professional integrity ever conflict? If so, which should win out?

What is trust, and why is it so important in professional life?

Is a system of bonus pay compatible with a fair system of rewards?

What is Corporate (Social) Responsibility and to whom is such responsibility owed?

Does justice require equal pay for equal work?

Can deception in the workplace or in professional life ever be justified?

Can deception in research ever be justified?

When, if ever, would a professional be justified in breaching a client's confidentiality?

Application deadlines

Please see our How to Apply page for information about application deadlines.

If we're interested in making you an offer to study with us, we'll invite you to an interview, which will usually be conducted online.

The Faculty of Arts, Humanities and Cultures receives very large numbers of high-quality applications and regrets that it cannot make offers to all of its applicants. Some particularly popular schools may have to reject many that hold the necessary academic qualifications.

The ‘Apply’ link at the top of this page takes you to information on applying for taught programmes and to the University's online application system.

If you're unsure about the application process, contact the admissions team for help.

Read about visas, immigration and other information in International students . We recommend that international students apply as early as possible to ensure that they have time to apply for their visa.

Admissions policy

University of Leeds Admissions Policy 2025

This course is taught by

Inter-Disciplinary Ethics Applied Centre

Admissions Team

Email: [email protected] Telephone:

UK: £11,500 (Total)

International: £11,500 (Total)

For fees information for international taught postgraduate students, read Masters fees .

Read more about paying fees and charges .

Part-time fees Fees for part-time courses are normally calculated based on the number of credits you study in a year compared to the equivalent full-time course. For example, if you study half the course credits in a year, you will pay half the full-time course fees for that year.

Additional cost information

There may be additional costs related to your course or programme of study, or related to being a student at the University of Leeds. Read more on our living costs and budgeting page .

Scholarships and financial support

If you have the talent and drive, we want you to be able to study with us, whatever your financial circumstances. There may be help for students in the form of loans and non-repayable grants from the University and from the government.  Find out more at Masters funding overview .

We offer a number of scholarships to help support you while you're studying with us, and will consider flexible fee payment options if you're studying part-time or through online learning.

Find out more about our applied and professional ethics scholarships .

Career opportunities

Studying applied ethics will allow you to develop transferable skills in research, critical thinking and communication. It will also give you more confidence to handle situations with ethical implications in the workplace.

All of this is good preparation for a range of careers, while it could also benefit you in your current role. In particular, this course gives you scope to develop your career in growing areas such as compliance and corporate social responsibility.

Careers support

We encourage you to prepare for your career from day one. That’s one of the reasons Leeds graduates are so sought after by employers.

The Careers Centre and staff in your faculty provide a range of help and advice to help you plan your career and make well-informed decisions along the way, even after you graduate. Find out more about Careers support .

Related courses

Biomedical and healthcare ethics ma, philosophy of religion and ethics ma, applied and professional ethics pgdip, student profile: evidence nyamadzawo.

My future is bright. I’ve given international conference presentations based on my dissertation and helped the societies I am affiliated with to institutionalise professional ethics. This course has increased my influence. Evidence Nyamadzawo, MA Applied and Professional Ethics (Online Learning)

Staff profile: Graham Bex-Priestley

I’m very proud to lead such a unique and important course, which has been running for over a decade and has had students from over 40 countries. Graham Bex-Priestley, Course director

Student profile: Kevin Layne

In my professional life, I am now able to give seminars and lectures on ethics in the workplace because of the knowledge gained on the course. Kevin Layne, MA Applied and Professional Ethics (Distance Learning)

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  2. PDF Grade 12 Term One Chapter 3 Notes on Ethics and Professionalism 2019

    PROFESSIONALISM & ETHICS CHAPTER 3. 3. Meaning of ethical behaviour. • Refers to acting in ways consistent with what society and individuals think are good values. • Ethical behaviour is expected from every employee in the business. • It means that the highest legal and moral standards are upheld whendealing with stakeholders.

  3. Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

    Professionalism, on the other hand, is the conduct, behavior, and attitude of an individual in a work or business environment. It involves maintaining a level of etiquette, exhibiting a positive attitude, showing respect to others, and demonstrating a high level of competence and efficiency. ... 500 Words Essay on Work Ethics and Professionalism

  4. 10.2: Professionalism, Etiquette, and Ethical Behaviour

    Learning Objectives. 1. Define professional behaviour according to employer, customer, coworker, and other stakeholder expectations. 2. Explain the importance of ethics as part of the persuasion process. 3. Define and provide examples of sexual harassment in the workplace, as well as strategies for how to eliminate it. 4.

  5. Ethics and Professionalism Business Studies Grade 12 Notes, Questions

    Find all Ethics and Professionalism Notes, Examination Guide Scope, Lessons, Activities and Questions and Answers for Business Studies Grade 12. Learners will be able to learn, as well as practicing answering common exam questions through interactive content, including questions and answers (quizzes). Topics under Ethics and Professionalism.

  6. T1 W4 Gr 12 Business Studies Lesson: Professionalism & Ethics

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