While Legal and Regulatory Frameworks play a key role in defining how organisations conduct themselves, ethics can enhance these frameworks by guiding the behaviours and decision-making processes of employees that are beyond Legal and Regulatory Control. We are all likely to face ethical situations at work that we might not encounter anywhere else in our lives, and the decisions we take at work might have an impact that goes beyond our work environment, affecting individuals, local communities, society and the environment. Even small decisions may have a significant impact and being able to act and make decisions in an ethical manner is important from the perspective of personal integrity, but it is also of enormous value to the success and good governance of the organisations for which we work. Good ethical decision-making can enhance an organisation’s reputation with customers, regulators, and other important stakeholders. Good ethics also provide a strong foundation for effective Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (now referred to as ESG: Environmental, Social and Governance) and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) practices, at the individual and organisational levels.
In this micro-credential, we will explore ethical challenges that arise in a range of situations, professional environments and institutions. You will be introduced to key notions and views in ethics, such as paternalism and knowledge disparity, as well the basis of good decision-making practices, problem-solving and ethical forms of reasoning. You will develop an in-depth understanding of the responsibility that being a professional or expert involves and how to best implement EDI and ESG practices and policies.