Code of Ethics

Kay Munoz posted Apr 21, 2022 9:09 PM

Select a code of ethics. For example, "The American Society for Public Administration (ASPA) exists to advance the science, processes, and art of public administration. The Society affirms its responsibility to develop the spirit of professionalism within its membership, and to increase public awareness of ethical principles in public service by its example." You can read their specific code of ethics on this website. (https://www.aspanet.org/ASPA/Code-of-Ethics/Code-of-Ethics.aspx)

Additionally, the Olsson Center for Applied Ethics has information about public sector and government ethics generally, including examples. It also offers training for public employees.

Why are codes of ethics important? Include examples of ethical issues or concerns from your local area.

Hello everyone,  

I work within the realm within in the field of advocacy and organizing for emergency homeless shelters in the state of Connecticut. Thus, I chose to use the Connecticut Coordinated Access Network’s (CAN) Ethical Data Sharing Values and Principles. Connecticut’s CAN shares data that assists folks, like myself, or anyone who is interested in learning about homelessness (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). Under their ethical framework users or developers are to promote the maximum benefit to consumers and the homelessness system overall (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). The Connecticut CAN’s data information sharing can be interactive and is updated on a as needed basis. (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). The community values are openness, benefit, fairness, and reliability.  

Code of ethics are essential because they lay out the policies for behavior and includes the groundwork for preemptive warning (Hayes, 2022). An ethical concern when utilizing the Connecticut CAN’s data is not disclosing the caveats and limitations of the information that is being shared (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). Another example would be disrespecting the needs of other organizations or stakeholders as it is related to privacy and data ownership (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). This also includes using another organization’s data to make the organization that is being represented appear to perform better (Ethical data sharing values & principles 2018). Overall, the Connecticut CAN wants users to utilize the data provided responsibly and to provide transparency to communities in addition to any advocacy work communities are doing.  

References: 

Ethical data sharing values & principles. CT CAN Data. (2018, September 24). Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://ctcandata.org/about/ethics/ 

Hayes, A. (2022, February 8). Codes of ethics: : Types and examples. Investopedia. Retrieved April 20, 2022, from https://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/code-of-ethics.asp#:~:text=A%20code%20of%20ethics%20is%20important%20because%20it%20clearly%20lays,characterize%20a%20business%20to%20stakeholders. 

**** In response to your classmates, engage in a respectful debate about the importance of codes of ethics.

For your initial post, do the following: 

Write a post of 1 to 2 paragraphs.

Demonstrate more depth and thought than saying things like “I agree” or “You are wrong.” Guidance is provided for you in the discussion prompt. 

Consider content from other parts of the course where appropriate. Use proper citation methods for your discipline when referencing scholarly or popular sources. ****