Final answer:
Codes of ethics are essential principles that guide organizational behavior and decision-making. They incorporate business values and align with legal, societal, and moral expectations, drawing from normative ethics theories like consequentialism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics.
Step-by-step explanation:
Principles Guiding Organizational Decision Making and Behavior
Codes of ethics are vital principles that guide decision making and behavior within an organization. These principles are rooted in normative ethics, which aim to set standards and norms for correct behavior. Businesses, as well as professional organizations, produce these codes to align their operations with societal values, legal requirements, and moral norms. Business values are reflected in these ethical standards, which address a wide range of issues from discrimination and bribery to environmental responsibility and professional conduct in specific fields such as software engineering. The ethical frameworks draw from various philosophical theories, including consequentialism, deontological ethics, and virtue ethics, each offering a different perspective on what constitutes ethical behavior.
Businesses not only aspire to adhere to legal restrictions but also strive to embody the corporate responsibility that reflects the core values of humanity. By systematically studying and committing to these ethical codes, members of an organization ensure that their actions contribute positively to society and the environment, thus maintaining trust and goodwill in the community. This moral guidance is crucial for upholding the integrity and purpose of any organization within the current global context.