OVERVIEW: In this assignment, you will write a personal code of ethics. In the code of ethics, you will state your professional goals and the ethics that guide you. This should be about 1-2 pages and at least 300-400 words..
ASSIGNMENT: Perhaps you’ve heard the quote, “If you don’t know what you stand for, you’ll fall for anything.” Your personal code of ethics is your own statement of what you stand for, establishing a set of principles that guide your decision making and behavior. It serves as a moral compass, helping you navigate challenging situations with integrity and purpose. Including a personal code of ethics in a job application package can demonstrate to potential employers a candidate’s commitment to ethical conduct and values alignment.
This assignment can help you during interviews and throughout your professional career, as you are more likely to make ethical decisions that align with your personal values, and it can help prepare you for interview responses.
It stands as a written document of what you believe in, what you are willing to devote your time and energy to, and what you value. In times of conflict and confusion, it can serve as a Touchstone for you to review, grounding you in your own personal code of ethics.
Your personal code of ethics will include:
A personal ethical statement naming three values.
At least 3-4 sentences of support for each value statement.
At least 3-4 sentences aligning each value with your professional goals.
At least three references to academically appropriate articles with appropriate and correct APA citations and references.
In order to foster learning and growth, all essays you submit must be newly written specifically for this course. Any plagiarized or recycled work will result in a Plagiarism Detected alert. Review this tutorial for more about plagiarism and the Plagiarism Detected alert: Touchstones: Academic Integrity Guidelines. For guidance on the use of generative AI technology, review Ethical Standards and Appropriate Use of AI.
A. Directions
Step 1: Prep Your Paper
1. Identify three personal values, reflecting on your beliefs about what is most important in life to you. You want to answer this question to yourself: “What kind of world do I want to live in?” Describing how you want the world to be can lead you to what actions are required to attain it, and what values motivate those actions. Consider what principles guide your decision making and what you prioritize above all else. These will be the main ideas of your paper.
2. Once you have a clear understanding of your values, compose a personal ethical statement. This will become the thesis statement for your paper. For example, if you believe in honesty, integrity, and compassion, you might write, “I value honesty and always strive to speak the truth, act with integrity, and show compassion to others.”
Step 2: Draft Your Paper
1. Write an introduction to your paper that includes the ethical statement you prepared in Step 1. The introduction should engage readers with a compelling hook and communicate the purpose of the statement. For example, if you are seeking a job in finance, you might engage readers with a vision of yourself in five years, working for an investment company that specializes in impact investing.
2. Write 3-4 sentences for each value you described in your ethical statement. Explain why the value is important to you. Be specific and use examples to support your position. You may also use academically appropriate articles to support your positions. (Academically appropriate usually means appearing in a peer-reviewed journal; you may also use non-peer-reviewed articles written by authorities and published in industry standard publications like The Wall Street Journal or The Economist.) For example, if you value honesty, you could cite a study that shows that trust in interpersonal relationships improves worker satisfaction and increases productivity. Use these sources to provide evidence and examples of how your value is important and beneficial. Make sure to properly cite your sources according to the APA citation style, usually with the last name(s) of the author(s) and the year of publication in parentheses.
EXAMPLE Studies show that organizations with lack of trust are less efficient and less profitable (Columbo & Fletcher, 2020).
3. After describing a value, write an additional 3-4 sentences about how your goals align with that value. As above, you may want to use sources for additional information or support. For example, if you value environmental sustainability, you may have a goal to work for a company with eco-friendly practices. You might cite a study that lists the financial companies with the best environmental ratings and name the top three as the ones where you most want to obtain a position.
4. Write a conclusion to your paper that summarizes your main ideas and ends the paper. In this paragraph, you might describe how your goals and values will help build the world you want to live in.
5. Finally, add the references to the articles you cited in the paper. Be sure to use APA format, usually in the format shown below. Make sure any URLs are correct and do not contain any unnecessary code.
EXAMPLE Columbo, F. & Fletcher, J. (2020, March 5). The perils of dishonesty in business. Levinson Institute of Economics. http://levinsoninst.org/perils-of-dishonesty.html
Step 3: Review and Revise Your Paper
Review your personal code of ethics to make sure it reflects your values and your professional goals, and that each point receives complete support and resources correctly referenced. The way these points are introduced and organized is up to you, but your paper should be at least 300-400 words, including:
An introduction that includes your ethical statement, which names three values that are important to you.
3-4 sentences describing why the first value is important to you.
3-4 sentences describing how your professional goals align with this value.
3-4 sentences describing why the second value is important to you.
3-4 sentences describing how your professional goals align with this value.
3-4 sentences describing why the third value is important to you.
3-4 sentences describing how your professional goals align with this value.
A conclusion recapping your main points.
Refer to the checklist below throughout the writing process. Do not submit your Touchstone until it meets these guidelines.
❒ Did you identify at least three values, each supported by 3-4 sentences of evidence and/or examples?
❒ Did you include an additional 3-4 sentences aligning the value with your professional goals?
❒ Did you include a compelling introduction and a conclusion?
❒ Did you provide at least three correct APA citations to support your work, and references at the end?
❒ Is your Touchstone at least 300-400 words long, and 1–2 pages?
❒ Did you review the rubric to make sure you are meeting all of the goals of the assignment?
❒ Did you review your Touchstone to ensure no grammar errors exist? You may also want to use any grammar check tools you have available.
B. Rubric
Advanced Proficient Acceptable Needs Improvement Nonperformance
Values
There are three values clearly identified with at least 3-4 sentences about each. (25%)
At least three values are clearly identified and described with at least 3-4 sentences about each. At least three values are identified and described with at least 3-4 sentences about each. At least three values are identified with at least 2-4 sentences about each; some descriptions may be short and lack detail. Two or three values are identified with at least 1-4 sentences about each; one value is missing or hard to find, or some descriptions have fewer than 3 sentences, or both. At least two values are not identified or so little work is done that no credit can be given.
Professional Goals
Each value described is followed by 3-4 sentences aligning the value with professional goals. (25%)
Each value is followed by 3-4 sentences that identifies one or more professional goals and has a meaningful alignment with the value named. Each value is followed by 3-4 sentences that identifies one or more professional goals and has alignment with the value named. Each value is followed by 3-4 sentences that identifies one or more professional goals, but one or more may lack an alignment with the value identified. Two or three values are followed by 1-4 sentences that identify professional goals, but one value is not followed by the related goals, or some explanations are fewer than 3 sentences, or both. No sentences describing professional goals are present or so little work is done that no credit can be given.
Support, Examples, and Evidence
Main ideas are supported with evidence and examples, including external sources and concepts and terms from the tutorials. (30%)
The touchstone clearly and eloquently explains the main ideas with evidence and examples. Support integrates concepts and terms from the tutorials. The touchstone explains the main ideas with evidence and examples. The touchstone provides some explanation of the main ideas with evidence and/or examples. One or two ideas may be unclear or not well supported. The touchstone provides limited explanation of the main ideas with minimal or no evidence and/or examples. So little support is provided that no credit can be given.
APA References
References are given to appropriate sources in APA format. (10%)
There are at least 3 sources used to support the statement. All materials are academically appropriate and properly cited. The references are listed at the end in appropriate format. 2 sources are used to support the statement. Materials are mostly academically appropriate. There may be a few errors in citation; at least one source is not academically appropriate. The references are listed at the end in appropriate format but may have a few errors. 1 source is used to support the statement. Materials are not academically appropriate. References are provided but are not in APA format or have many errors and inconsistencies. No sources are used to support the statement, or materials are not academically appropriate and are not properly cited. References are not provided or are insufficient. No references are present or so little work is done that no credit can be given.
Conventions
Submission follows conventions for standard written English and meets requirements. (10%)
There are almost no errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization; all length and formatting requirements are met. There are minor errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that do not impede readability; length and formatting requirements are nearly met. There are frequent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that somewhat impede readability; length and formatting requirements are nearly met. There are consistent errors in grammar, punctuation, spelling, and capitalization that significantly impede readability; length and formatting requirements are not met. Submission does not meet the minimum threshold for points to be awarded.
C. Requirements
The following requirements must be met for your submission to be graded:
Use a readable 11- or 12-point font and 1-inch margins.
Composition is double-spaced and uses indented paragraphs with no additional lines of space between paragraphs.
References are single-spaced with a hanging indent and listed alphabetically by the first letter of the entry.
Composition must be original and written for this assignment, and all writing must be appropriate for an academic context.
Plagiarism of any kind is strictly prohibited.
Submission must include your name and the date.
Include all of the assignment components in a single .doc or .docx file.