5c Professional Ethics

5c Professional Ethics

The evolution of ethics has changed dramatically over the centuries. It guides the actions we take the decisions we make and the things we do. Codes of practice were developed to maintain a standard in the workplace.

Virtue Ethics

Virtue Ethics is an ethical system that focuses on what it is to be virtuous. It focuses on what kind of person you should be rather than how you should act. I am from a Christian upbringing and like Thomas Hobbes (1651) I believe we should adhere to a set of morals not only in our daily lives but professional practice. These morals have a mutual benefit to everyone and ensuring a business to run smoothly. I have been brought up by my parents under the deontology theory who like Immanuel Kent’s (1779) believe that lying is wrong in any circumstance.

Personal Virtues                                                               Professional Virtues

-          Loving                                                                   - Creativity

-          Openness                                                           - Diligence

-          Generosity                                                         - Enthusiasm

-          Honesty                                                               - Friendliness

-          Self-respect                                                       - Dependability

-          Kindness                                                              - Readiness

-          Empathy                                                              - Trustworthy

-          Loyalty                                                                  - Fairness

-          Sharing                                                                 - Helpfulness

-          Self-confident                                                   - Confidence

Many of my personal virtues carry on through to my professional practice. I recall my first professional contract after graduating. For one of the opening numbers it came time to try on the costumes- a white thong with a patent white top that had wings attached to the arms. As self-respect is one of my personal virtues I remember being horrified at the thought of running around onstage with my rear out for the audience to see. I just couldn’t understand why this was necessary for such an already beautiful number and felt this to be tacky. There was no way around it and I had to put my personal morals behind me and wear what I was contracted to wear. Another example is when I was offered a contract for ‘La Novelle Eve’ in Paris. It wasn’t till I got through the audition and offered a contract that we were told some numbers were topless. This had not been advertised or I probably would have not gone. Because of my virtue ethics I turned it down. Here you can see how your personal morals can overlap and affect your professional practice.

There are different ways moral dilemmas can be approached:

Consequentialist- what is morally right is determined by the outcome.

Deontologist- in contrast is not concerned with the outcome more with the correct motivation behind the action.

Virtue Ethicist- considers what a decision says about the character and behavior of that person

There are three theories on ethics which try to explain how we should act on our own or around others:

Meta-ethics- Asks what is good or bad. This is different from ethics in that it seeks to find a analysis of how we use our morals. It is not trying to find out how we should behave in a situation rather find the meaning behind the moral terms.

Normative ethics- This is concerned with what should one do and how we should live and act and concerns what people believe to be right or wrong. It tries to say what it is in order for us to live well. One element of this is virtue ethics as explained above.

Applied ethics- Is finding the solution of a moral problem such as professional ethics or research ethics. 

How does this affect ethics in my inquiry?

Using my current company I work at as research for my inquiry I will have to adhere to good ethical practice. The factor behind my inquiry is to gain insight into the management roles of the company and how performers can make a career transition from onstage to behind the scenes. I feel my inquiry will help benefit many other performers either coming to the end of their performing career or thinking about what to do after. I will need to adhere to my virtue ethics of being honest and respect anyone who takes part of my inquiry by making sure they understand fully what it will be used for. I will need to ensure any surveys done or data collected is accurate and feedback to anyone who took part. The most important part of my inquiry is to ensure any research carried out is truthful and accurate.

What have I learnt from ethics in a professional context?

Ethics applies to all aspects of the way a business conducts itself- the people that work there and the entire organization. Looking at different codes of practice has provided me with a better understanding of professional ethics. People can have many different values- religious values, financial values and learning about these can help understand how professional ethics work. They often start with common sense, then what is legal, then what is specific to a certain company. Code of conducts i.e. ethics in the work place; give guidelines for employees to help solve problems in an acceptable way. However, there will be times when as a professional you may have to make a decision as there is no obvious answer. In this case virtue ethics would come into play. Professional ethics are based on the requirements of your profession and sometimes you may have to separate personal and professional ethics as explained in my example above.