Ethics management

Ethics is a living field, and its various components are constantly evolving and changing. The ethics and ethical behavior of today are different from the ethics and ethical behavior of yesterday, and the ethics and ethical behavior of tomorrow will probably be different from those of today.

For many years now, the term "ethics" has flourished and invaded the world of the media, business, etc.; but the word has too often been overused, and its meaning is hardly in symbiosis with its original meaning. These days, everything is ethical: from business ethics to ethical cooking to the ethics of professional footballers! But how do we define ethics?

The Larousse dictionary provides three definitions, two relating to the feminine noun and a third relating to the adjective, namely:

• "Part of philosophy that considers the fundamentals of morality;

• "A set of moral principles that underlie one's behaviour;

• and, as an adjective: "Concerning morality".

These definitions call for a double reflection, the first on the relationship between morality and ethics, and the second on the expression "ethical behavior". To clarify the link between morality and ethics, Jacques Igalens and Michel Joras explain that :

"Morality answers the question "what should I do"; it is imperative and absolute. Backed by a moral code (secular or religious), it says what must be, distinguishing good from evil; it is the domain of faith (fides), intimate conviction, emotion, ideology, etc. Whatever the origins of an individual, we often refer to his morals, his environment, his living environment. Whatever an individual's origins, we will often refer to his morals, his environment, his living environment."

"Ethics, the object of moral philosophy, answers the twofold question of "how to live a situation, an event, an action" and "what decision to take when faced with an alternative, a dilemma". It is the domain of reason (ratio). Applied to situations that can be complex, it implies a detour through reasoning."

Ethics is the search for a permanent balance between values and behaviors.

Clause 2.7 of ISO 26000:2010 on social responsibility introduces the concept of ethical behavior, i.e. "behavior that conforms to...