Introduction
Conflict of interest is when a person’s interests are incompatible or clash with their professional responsibilities. For example, an independent auditor should not have any stake or relationship in a firm they are auditing. If the CEO of such an auditing company has shares in the company or is related to any executive in the business being audited, there is a conflict of interest. This conflict of interest interferes with a person’s judgment and decision-making (Rosenbloom, 2018). For instance, if the CEO with shares in the business conducts its audit, he would want to protect the firm and may not reveal their mistakes.
Discussion
A code of ethics differs from a conflict of interest because it is a set of guidelines established to regulate professional conduct. The code of ethics stipulates the values, principles, and standards professionals must follow and the basis for judging their behavior and decisions (Rosenbloom, 2018). It seeks to prevent conflict of interest from harming a business while benefitting individual leaders or professionals. An ethics code requires a person to disclose any relationships or situations that create a conflict of interest in a professional project and step down from such a duty.
Ethics commissions are quasi-independent public agencies that enforce a public’s trust in the ethical processes of a country. Their concerns include campaign spending, financial conflicts of interest, lobbyist reporting, governmental employment, public funds expenditure, and public officials’ gifts (Rosenbloom, 2018). I support the government ethics commission because it provides much-needed oversight over public officials’ conduct.
Conclusion
The commission acts as the representative of public interests in overseeing and implementing a code of ethics. Ethics commissions can be established at local and state levels but their mandate and concerns remain the same.
Reference
Rosenbloom, D. H. (2018). Administrative law for public managers. Routledge.