Personal Code of Ethics - Essay Example

Personal of ethics Introduction Personal of ethics is an important guiding framework for an individual with certain goals and visions inlife. This is most especially because the formulation of Personal code of ethics helps an individual in articulating exactly what are the present and future expectations of oneself (). Therefore, it is not by simply understanding what an individual believes in or sets to achieve in life, but also in writing that down as a framework that guides the individual’s actions on a daily basis, that the Personal code of ethics becomes actualized. Therefore, reducing the individual believes and values into a written document is the most important thing that an individual can do for him/herself. The written document with the values, beliefs and philosophies of life, as held by an individual, serves the essence of guiding an individual’s life. This allows individuals to state clearly their goals in life and how they are set to achieve them, while also backing them up with reasons indicating why they believe in them (). Thus, it can simply be concluded that a Personal code of ethics is a document that does not only serve as a reminder of what an individual believes in when they look at the document every day, but also serves as an encouragement for the individual to keep carrying on with the defined daily walk. Further, the development of a personal code of ethics is important in helping an individual to keep focused on certain goals and targets in life, while also allowing an individual to take the stock of past life, understand their achievements and failures, and set on the correct pathways to avoid future failures (). Personal Ethics/Ethos Statement Therefore, as a result of this background, the following serves as a statement regarding why I am developing this personal code of ethics; As a public relations professional seeking to become a television programs editor, called upon by the strict moral duty to enhance the dissemination of meaningful, moral and positive information to the wider public, I dedicate myself to a life of integrity and courage. I commit myself to live a life that entails always being sincere, honest and dependable, while manifesting a high level of courage through standing by what I believe in. this way, I endeavor that my service may be positively influential and beneficial to the entire television viewership, and my life remain a witness to the world, that the media can shape and build a positive and moral society. 2. My actual ethic codes Integrity Integrity is core to shaping my behavior, temperament and character. As a communication professional, nothing would be rewarding than disclosing the relevant, complete and timely information that can be meaningful and useful to the society. Therefore, I will be honest in everything I do. I commit myself to be always sincere, forthright and open to addressing the truth. Through honesty and integrity, I will seek to become reliable and dependable both to my profession and to the entire television viewership community. I endeavor to prevent anything or anyone from interfering from my fair and just judgment, and inhibit any attempt to corrupt my personal character through satisfying selfish interests. Truthfulness’s the basic tenet for a clean and untainted conscious. However, truth can also be uncomfortable or even hurtful at times. While being honest and sincere will be core to my life, I will also seek to be truthful in every aspect, while also ensuring to present the truth in a manner that does not offend or hurt others. Courage Courage is the essence defining what I stand for. I will not change what I am for others, and I will strive to stand for my beliefs, when they may appear to be unpopular. If I lack confidence in what I believe in and what I stand for, then I do not expect others to respect or even support what I stand for too. I endeavor to be courageous to stand with what I believe is right, that I may earn the respect of others and that the others may also believe in me. Despite the fact that standing by the unpopular belief or decision may be uncomfortable for me, I will still endeavor to experience the discomfort, but ultimately achieve what is right. This is consistent with my commitment to respecting human dignity and human rights regardless of the consequences. Courtesy Courtesy is the fundamental of my interpersonal relationship, that will enable me get from others what I give to them. The golden rule of human interaction provides that we treat others as we would expect or endeavor them to treat us. Therefore, I will always be civil, decent and courteous while interacting with others, regardless of the emotional flare-ups triggers. Simply because I may be in a bad mood does not give me a right to cause others a bad day. It is no doubt that sometimes frustrations will occur my way, as I strive to achieve what is right both for myself and for the wider society. Nevertheless, even then, I still hold no right to let out my frustration on the others. It is my commitment to try and brighten other people’s day and lighten their moods, since the law of reversibility dictates that it will also be done unto me. Respect I will respect the right to dignity for every human. I endeavor not to engage in any act that might cause harm to any human being. I hold the right to determine how to live my life, without being interrupted by others regarding my choice. Similarly, I recognize that everybody else has the right to make their own choice, based on their preferences in life, and it is not my duty to interfere with their choices. I will treat all people with respect, dignity and honor, regardless of the people’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, intellectual level, social background or economic status. My commitment is therefore to avoid any form of verbal, emotional or physical abuse or trespass to personal rights. My actions must always be consistent with the need to see all humanity rising above want, ignorance and suffering, to a life of dignity. It is my wish to treat humans ends themselves, as opposed to means through which I can realize my individualized goals. Excellence I endeavor to be the very best that I can manage to be every single day. This is in recognition of the fact that mediocrity is not a preserve of anyone, but a matter of habitual tolerance of less than optimal. Whether in personal relationships or work responsibilities, I commit to trying the hardest to achieving the best. I will not seek to be a perfectionist, rest I give up before I have managed to improve the lives of those who would need my dedicated service. Achieving excellence is not about achieving the best results, but about the means by which I achieve the goals, and the adherence to the rules and best standards of the process. Thus, while I seek to dedicate the best of my time and efforts in the achievement of excellence in my work, I also endeavor to strike a balance between work and personal life, that I may not be an excellent worker but an unhappy person. I desire to maintain a health work-life balance. I will therefore commit myself to doing the best in my work, while pursuing personal health balance, through positive activities such as exercising and motivational reading. 3. Ethical Frameworks My personal code of ethics is largely aligned towards Virtue Ethics theoretical framework. According to virtue ethics, the rightness or wrongness of an action require being assessed on a case-by-case basis, as opposed to applying a blanket generalization in judging situations (). The core of virtue ethics lays in the personal character and moral behavior as demonstrated by an individual in addressing a situation, moist especially as related to intention of the individual. The rightness or wrongness of an action under virtue ethics is therefore judged on whether the action is undertaken for the sake of personal or individual benefit, as well as whether the action is benevolent or malevolent (). Personally, I am a truthful person, and I intend to keep this way without changing for anyone, for the sake of ensuring that the wider society would benefit from my honest services as a television programs editor. However, understanding that truth can sometimes be very hurtful or even offending based on the manner in which it is told, I intend to assess every situation and circumstance on a case-by-case basis, such that I will be able to apply the right channel of conveying the truth in a manner that is not hurtful or offending. In addition, as part of courageousness which is a core principle of my personal ethics, I endeavor to stand for who I am without changing that for others, so that I can become reliable and dependable, while earning respect from others for being able to stand for something. Nevertheless, virtue ethics provides that it is only fir, just and right to act as a virtuous person would act in any situation (). Further, virtue ethics provides that instead of an individual applying rules to handle certain difficult decision-making situations, it is better for such an individual to develop a character that is based on virtues and morality, which can then easily help an individual to deal with the situation (). In this respect, virtue ethics helps me develop the right virtuous and moral character, such that I do not need to develop certain rules of dealing with situations, but rather apply the virtuous judgment to make the appropriate decisions. Thus, despite committing myself to courageousness and refusal to change myself for anyone or anything, I can be flexible to adapt the appropriate decisions under different circumstances, for as long as such decisions are the most virtuous and moral decisions that will have benevolent outcomes. Virtue ethics as an ethical framework offers that morality derives from the application of intrinsic virtues that are inherent to an individual’s personal character (). Therefore, according to virtue ethics theory, virtue is an end by itself that needs to be sought by an individual, as opposed to being a means through which the individual can achieve a moral end (). My most valued ethical code is respect for human dignity. This ethical code derives from the application of virtue ethics, where the virtue of valuing humanity as an end by itself, as opposed to be a means through which I can achieve my own interest ends is an intrinsic virtue within me. Therefore, through understanding that all human beings deserve to be treated with respect and dignity as an end by itself, I am committed to respect the individual differences displayed by others, which might be based on their gender, race, religion, social or economic status and/or sexual orientation. In doing this, I will be applying the golden rule that requires that I shall treat others with respect and dignity, since I would also expect me to treat me the same. Virtue ethics theory further provides that the functioning of virtues as an end by itself as opposed to a means to an end serves to safeguard human relationships and consequently develop authentic friendships (). Further, the virtue ethics theory provides that the cultivation and nurturing of intrinsic virtues is beneficial to an individual. This is because intrinsic virtues serve to build on positive and friendly human interactions, which are not based on rules of interaction and without which the quest for happiness is frustrated (). I am naturally a courteous person, and believe that what one gives away is what is given back by others, as provided for under the law of reversibility. Therefore, I endeavor to treat others with civility and decency, while committing to lighten the moods of others ion a daily basis, as a means to pursue happiness both for myself and for others. This way, my quest for happiness will not be frustrated. 4. How Public Relation career connect to your code of ethics. Public relations, is a profession that requires that the employees or the individuals working within the organization will advocate on behalf of the organizational or societal course (). In this respect, my personal ethical codes are in line with this nature of profession, owing to the fact that the ethical codes include integrity, courtesy, courage, respect and excellence. The personal ethical codes of courage and excellence are well aligned with the public relations profession, since it seeks to ensure that I am always committed to give the best effort in information dissemination to the public through virtuous television programs editing. This will ensure that the public is reached by ethical and moral information that has the capacity to influence the society positively. Public relations is a profession that entails disseminating information to the public, and it can be contentious at times, due to the need for compromises and ethical considerations into what information to disseminate to the public and how to disseminate such information (). The nature of compromises and ethical considerations involved in the public relations profession may require that the information dissemination to the public is weakened, to suit the interest of the parties associated with the reported information (). Through courage, I will venture into the most avoided areas of television programming and divulge information to the society, which the less courageous can avoid to disseminate, for example reporting on political issues and scandals that might be avoided by the editing fraternity for the fear of political repercussions. Through integrity as a core personal ethical code, my television programs editing will ensure to give the television viewership the most genuine and truthful information, which will not be distorted through malevolent editing. The personal ethical codes of respect and courtesy will ensure that I will treat my colleagues at work with dignity, respect and honor, while also addressing the contentious issues with the management of the organization with the appropriate level of civility (). 5. Personal Balance The achievement of a healthy work-life balance is one of my core objectives as presented under the personal ethical code of excellence. Maintaining a healthy balance between work life and personal life is essential, since it ensures that excellence in the workplace is sustained, while also ensuring that the individual still remains happy at a personal level of his/her life (). Consequently, while committing myself to commit the best of time and effort to achieve workplace excellence, I have also taken the caution of avoiding setting goals of a perfectionist, which might lender my life unhappy. In this respect, under the personal ethical code of excellence, one of the objectives that were set is maintaining a health work-life balance through committing time for exercising and also motivational reading. The objective of setting apart time for exercising is meant to ensure that I will maintain a healthy body both physically and emotionally, considering the fact that exercising is a major way through which the physical and emotional health is attained. Through maintain both physical and emotional health, I will not only be happy at a personal level, but will also be more productive at the workplace. Additionally, through motivational reading, I will be promoting both intellectual and psychological growth. This will in turn impact positively on my personal happiness and workplace positive interactions. 6. Public Specifics Television programs editing s a public relations profession career that entails the transformation of the raw footage films of television programs into the final and polished product that is finally aired for the television viewership to watch (). Nevertheless, the television programs editing job entails more than cutting and putting raw film shots together into a single piece for people to watch. Television programs’ editing is both the final and the most important phase of television programs airing, which determines whether the program is finally made to conform to the desired vision, as well as determining whether it communicates the desired message in the desired manner(). In this respect, a television programs’ editor requires being an ethical person who can genuinely and truthfully communicate information to the society. Thus, my personal ethical codes of integrity, respect, courage, excellence and courtesy are all attributable to the persona and character of a successful television programs’ editor. This is because, with courage and integrity, the communication of truthful information is enhanced, while with courtesy, excellence and respect, the provision of moral and positively influential television programs is motivated. 7. Conclusion Personal ethical codes are important tolls for enhancing both personal and professional focused development for an individual. Most importantly, the development of a personal code of conduct for public relations professionals is essential, since it goes a long way in enhancing the combination of personal ethical objectives with the professional public communication tasks associated with public relations. Integrity and courage are essential for enhancing truthful information communication to the public, while respect, courtesy and excellence are relevant to sustain a healthy workplace-to-personal life balance. This keeps the professional both productive at happy. Thus, with the development of these personal ethical codes, I look forward to becoming a productive and successful television program’s editor, while also maintaining a healthy and happy life at a personal level. 8. Evaluation section The virtuous ethical framework provides for the cultivation and nurturing of intrinsic virtues an end to be sought, as opposed to a means to achieving an end. Through intrinsic values, happiness is attainable, since there is no longer a need to apply rules n determining the appropriateness of a decision made under different situations. Intrinsic virtues simply enable individuals to make the most virtuous decision under different circumstances. In this respect, my personal ethical codes are integrity, respect, courtesy, courage and excellence. All these ethical codes are intrinsic virtues that need to be cultivated and nurtured from within personal behavior and character, as ends themselves, as opposed to being a means to an end. Therefore, through intrinsically nurturing these personal ethical codes, I will simply develop to be a virtuous person, capable of making the most virtuous decision under different circumstances, even without the need to adhere to any ethical rules or guidelines. For this reason, I rate myself as average, having simply attained half of the nurturing I need to do to fully develop these intrinsic virtues. Bibliography Inman, Roger, and Greg Smith. Television Production Handbook: Editing and Program Continuity, 2009. Available at: http://www.tv-handbook.com/Editing%20and%20Program%20Continuity.html (Accessed March 29, 2015). Pojman, Louis and James Fieser. Virtue Theory (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 2009) 146-169. Statman, Daniel. Virtue Ethics (Cambridge: Edinburgh University Press, 1997) Parsons, Patrick. Ethics in public relations: A guide to best practice (2nd ed.). (Philadelphia, PA: Kogan Page Limited, 2008). Public Relations Society of America. PRSA member code of ethics. (New York, NY: Author, 2000). Gower, Karla K. Doing the right thing. In Legal and ethical considerations for public relations (pp. 1-23). (Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press, Inc, 2008). Read More