Code of Ethics

Morality and ethics guide people to the correct or best acceptable course of action. This is true of one’s personal dealings as well as self conduct in business. It is therefore important to understand what these concepts mean. Morality is the culturally based rules for right and wrong behavior, which has evolved over time. According to Joseph Migga Kizza (2011), “Morality is a set of rules of right conduct, a system used to modify and regulate behavior. It is a quality system by which we judge human acts right or wrong, good or bad” (p.12). Ethics deals with the reasoning behind morals, or the underlying logic which leads to morality. Joseph Migga Kizza (2011) describes ethics as, “…a theoretical examination of morality or ‘theory of morals’” (p.18). Ethics, morality, and law are the typical foundation for the code of ethics or the code of conduct for an organization. The following will analyze the code of conduct for Microsoft and Google.

Microsoft’s Standards of Business Conduct

Microsoft’s Standards of Business document uses morality, and ethics, as well as law to formulate their code. The document begins with a statement of values in which there are the moral concepts of honesty, integrity, respect and accountability. Also in the opening section is the ethical concept, willingness to take on big challenges, which empowers the employee to make decisions based on what will be best for the company, which is in line with utilitarian philosophy. Utilitarian philosophy states that the best action is the one that creates the most good for everyone. In the last section of the document, there are a number of legal obligations outlined for employees, such as seeking guidance for business practice compliance, reporting of violations o...

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... code, employees are offered guidance in making the right decision. The two companies use different reasoning to accomplish similar goals, and that goal is to guide employees to make decisions which are in agreement with the ethos of the company.

References

Google. (2012). Code of Conduct. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from http://investor.google.com/corporate/code-of-conduct.html

Hakimi, H. (2013). Google’s ‘Don’t Be Evil’ Slogan Is a Load of Hooey—or Is It. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from http://www.truthdig.com/eartotheground/item/googles_dont_be_evil_slogan_is_a_load_of_hooey_or_is_it_20131015

Kizza, J. (2011). Computer network security and cyber ethics. (3rd ed.). Jefferson: McFarland & Company Inc.

Microsoft. (2010). Microsoft Standards of Business Conduct. Retrieved February 16, 2014 from https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/compliance/Buscond/default.aspx