What is ethics actually about?

The key to ethics is that it is about answering the very practical question, “What ought I to do?”. Whenever you ask yourself that question, you are dealing in the ethical dimension.

Learn more about ethics in our 'What is Ethics?' section, as well as by reading ethics-related articles, news stories, ethical dilemmas and more in our About Ethics section.

Also visit our Ethics Links, where you will find links to websites which specialise in information about philosophy and ethics.

I've got an ethical dilemma - what should I do?

The Ethics Centre provides practical assistance to anyone facing the uncertainty and discomfort of an ethical dilemma, whether personal or work-related. Our free and confidential 'good decision line' service can assist you.

The issues our Ethics Counselling service assists people with are often very complex, where the choices may involve ‘right’ versus ‘right’, or ‘wrong’ versus ‘wrong’. These are situations where there are no easy answers.

Learn more about our Ethics Counselling service or call 1800 672 303 (Australian free call number) to make arrangements to speak with one of our specially trained Ethics Counsellors.

You can also learn more about the principles of ethical decision-making, including about some suggested ethical decision-making 'tools'.

How can I report unethical behaviour of an individual or organisation?

An independent, non-government organisation the Ethics Centre has no formal power to conduct investigations into allegations of unethical conduct or ethical failings. Given this we are unable to pursue individual cases - whatever their merits may be.

However, one of the Ethics Centre's principal roles is to offer guidance to people wishing to explore issues of ethical concern. We seek to help people explore the options available to them for the effective resolution of their concerns. Learn more about our free and confidential 'good decision line' Ethics Counselling service and how it can assist you.

The Ethics Centre also provides an Ethics Consulting service which works with organisations seeking to establish ethical processes in keeping with their own values and principles. If you feel this service may be of assistance to an organisation, please feel free to recommend us.

If you do wish to have an allegation of unethical behaviour formally investigated, you will need to contact the relevant authorities which have the ability to make such an investigation, such as industry or professional bodies, ombudsmen services or even the police where appropriate.

Where do I find information relating to ethics for a particular field or business area?

The Ethics Centre doesn't necessarily keep records of or undertake research into what is taking place in a particular industry or field, as our aim is not to be a research organisation, but rather to provide a secure and non-judgemental forum for the practical exploration of ethics.

However, we have a large number of ethics-related articles, many of which have been written with specific fields in mind or which are relevent across a wide array of fields. We also have a collection of ethics-related links to websites with information about ethics in particular fields or subject areas.

If your organisation is seeking ethics-related consulting or training, or perhaps wishes to develop an appropriate ethical framework, such as a Code of Ethics or Conduct, you can learn more in our Ethics Consulting and Training area.

You can also learn more generally about developing codes of ethics and conduct.

Where can I find recommendations of ethical investment organisations?

St James Ethics Centre's aim not to determine what may or may not constitute an ethical organisation, indivdidual or investment, but rather the Centre works to encourage people and organisations to determine their own unique values and principles so that that they can then make their own ethical decisions.

If you do have an idea of what would constitute an ethical investment for yourself, we can suggest you have a look at the following sources of information for ethical investors, particularly in Australia:

• Ethical Investment Association
• Sustainable Investment Research Unit

If you would like assistance in making ethical decisions which fit your own unique values and principles, then learn more about Ethi-Call - the good decision line, our free and confidential Ethics Counselling service.

As an educator or parent, where can I find resources for teaching children about ethics?

Although the Ethics Centre doesn't have resources or even lists of resources regarding material which is specifically designed for use by for young children, we can suggest some places which will hopefully be of assistance to you.

You can also visit our About Ethics section to look for resources you may be able to modify for use with children. We also suggest you have a look at our Ethics Links section for other organisations which may be of assistance.

There are a number of philosophy in schools associations in Australia and around the world which may be of assistance. Some links to such organisations are found at: www.vaps.vic.edu.au/links.htm.

You may be interested in learning more about the Ethics Centre's two education-related projects - Educating for a Good Society and a suggested ethics-based complement to scripture in schools

How do I find information for my ethics-related school/university assignment?

As a very small not-for-profit organisation, the Ethics Centre unfortunately does not have the resources to assist individual students with their ethics-related studies. However, you may find some useful information in our About Ethics section, particularly our Ethics Articles, which cover a very diverse array of topics.

Also, given the practical nature of the organisation, we don't generally have information available about the very theoretical aspects of ethics and philosophy which may be encountered when studying ethics. However, you will find links to sites with much more detailed theoretical information about ethics in our Ethics Links section, particularly websites relating to philosophy and ethics.

I would like to study ethics. Can you give me a list of institutions offering courses in ethics?

The Ethics Centre does not keep records of institutions which provide ethics-related courses, nor are we able to recommend one organisation over another.

You can also view a list of Australian Universities. You may also find that some of the Management Schools offer courses which deal specifically with business ethics. In Australia, state governments provide more comprehensive listings of higher education courses offered at at various Australian institutions. Links to various state governments in Australia can be found at www.gov.au.

You can learn more about our Ethics Training programs - which are generally open to organisations.

Where can I find sample or 'off-the-shelf' codes of ethics and conduct?

St James Ethics Centre does not provide sample or 'off-the-shelf' codes of ethics or conduct. This is because we believe that such codes very rarely - if ever - help organisations to function within their stated ethical framework.

Learn more about the process of developing codes of ethics and conduct. You can also read about Why codes fail and Some thoughts about how to make codes of ethics work.

Developing codes of ethics is a complex task. The Ethics Centre can help organisations to build their own ethical frameworks - such as code of ethics or conduct - which work best for them given the unique values and guiding principles that inform themselves or their organisations.

If you would like to learn more about how St James Ethics Centre can help your organisation to develop a functional code of ethics, visit our Ethics Consulting and Training area, including our ethical frameworks product sheet.

What's the difference between a Code of Ethics and a Code of Conduct?

A Code of Ethics expresses fundamental principles that provide guidance in cases where no specific rule is in place or where matters are genuinely unclear.

A well drafted Code of Conduct will be consistent with the primary Code of Ethics, however, it will provide much more specific guidance.

Learn more about codes of ethics and conduct. Also find out how our Ethics Consulting team can help your organisation to develop ethical frameworks, such as codes.