Final answer:
The four principles of the Code of Ethics are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice, which are crucial for professional conduct across various fields, like software engineering and sociology, ensuring decisions are fair, respectful, and non-harmful.
Step-by-step explanation:
The four principles of the Code of Ethics are autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. These ethical principles guide professional behavior and decision-making, ensuring that individuals and entities act in ways that are fair, non-harmful, and respectful of others' rights and well-being.
For instance, within the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers Computer Society (IEEE-CS), a software engineer is expected to approve software only if it meets certain specifications, with consideration for safety, privacy, and environmental impact. Similarly, the American Sociological Association (ASA) has crafted a detailed set of ethical principles to safeguard against research studies that may put human participants at risk or threaten human rights.
It's essential for Internal Auditors (IA) and professionals in other fields to strive to comply with these principles to maintain trust, uphold professional standards, and protect the public from harm. Compliance ensures integrity in their work, maintains the public's trust, respects the rights and dignity of individuals, and enforces equitable practices.
Such adherence not only benefits the profession but also significantly contributes to the broader societal good by promoting ethical decision-making across industries and organizations.