“The moral sense of conscience is the most noble of all the attributes of man.” –Charles Darwin
Ethics are like social norms. Do you ever wonder where we get some of our social norms? Like standing in line for a bathroom stall? Or how no one talks to strangers in the elevator with them? These are silly questions but are things that everyone does because it’s become innate. We learn from childhood that social norms are what people expect of us and if you don’t follow them, bad things happen. Ever seen someone cut a line? Precisely.
Ethics are the same way. They aren’t laws that people have to follow but more like guidelines that people expect others to follow. They are guidelines to make sure people do the right thing. From childhood we learn what is right and what isn’t right. The problem is ethics is subjective. It means different things to different people.
Even with it being subjective, ethics keeps everyone on the same page in business. This is why ethics are so important. Having such guidelines keep businesses from doing the wrong thing because, when they do perform an unethical situation, they usually never recover. An example of this is Enron.
Ethics are extremely important in business. They help companies build good reputations. As PR practitioners, our job is to build an ethical and honorable relationship with our organization and the public. We have a duty to our organization and the public to perform ethically in all situations. PR is already seen as a “lying and spinning” business and so we have to work extra hard to make sure we are reputable.
Imagine what the world would be like without social norms. There would be chaos. Now imagine business without ethics. Get the picture?
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