Final answer:
Ethical codes are more common today due to increased corporate social responsibility, advances in technology, public demand for transparency, and the challenges of emerging technologies like AI. Professional organizations and industries alike have created codes of ethics to ensure proper conduct, addressing moral responsibilities in a globally connected, technologically advanced society.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks why ethical codes are more common today than they were 50 years ago. The correct answer is d) All of the above, encompassing increased awareness and emphasis on corporate social responsibility, advances in technology and global communication, and greater public scrutiny and demand for transparency. Today, ethical codes are not just for businesses, but also for professional organizations, such as those in nursing and teaching, and specific fields like science and technology. As corporate responsibility extends to social, economic, and environmental problems, evaluating these ethical codes becomes challenging, especially with the rise of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence.
For example, the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS) adopted the Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice to define ethical obligations for engineers, addressing concerns like software safety and privacy. Such codes tie into larger societal debates on morality and normative moral theories, reflecting a transition in ethics due to cultural shifts from literate to electronic societies.
As businesses and technologies develop, ethical questions persist regarding the balance of corporate rights and responsibilities, leading to increased attention to the development of ethical codes to guide corporate conduct. An understanding of these codes helps evaluate how much responsibility corporations should assume for various societal issues and how to establish ethical practices in a rapidly advancing technological age.