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Codes of Ethics* Resources for Biotechnology Industry Ethics Consultation+
(*For the purposes of this study, “codes of ethics” refers to any statement of ethical guidance, regardless of the format.)
+The content and design of this section owes much to the research and creative insights of James R. Howard, MBE, who at the time of his work on this project was a graduate student in bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania.
I. Purpose
II. Methodology
III. Codes of Ethics
IV. Categories of Information
V. Code Language Related to Consulting
VI. Web-based code resources
I. Purpose
- To compile a list of codes of ethics for fields and disciplines that could offer guidance relevant to the activity of ethics consultation for the biotechnology industry
- To extract and categorize the general types of information that these codes prescribe, relevant to ethics consultation for bioindustry
- To present examples of how particular codes guide consulting relationships
- To provide links to code development resources and code databases on the Web.
II. Methodology
A. The search and selection of relevant codes of ethics
Using the internet search engine Google, as well as several databases of codes of ethics on the Web –Illinois Institute of Technology, the Institute of Business Ethics, and Online Business Ethics.org– forty relevant codes of ethics were identified for inclusion in our study. Codes were selected based on their relevance to ethics consultation for bioindustry, with four main nodes of pertinence considered:
- Functional purpose of the group/association/ membership – i.e., consulting
- Subject matter of home occupation/field of the membership – i.e., academics, sociology, anthropology, medicine, technology
- Type of work performed – i.e. research, investigation
- Responsibilities to relevant parties – public, science, field
B. Categorization of Information
Categories were developed based on two main factors:
1. Categories that already exist in current codes and published literature covering the development of codes of ethics.
Codes of ethics are organized according to certain themes. Furthermore, literature on the development of codes of ethics teaches toward code organization in terms of particular themes. The common themes as they exist in these codes and literature were considered in organizing the categories in this resource.
2. Distinctions between various elements and responsibilities in consulting relationships, distinguished according to functional concept as well as according to the timeline of a consulting relationship.
For example, confidentiality and compensation are two important and distinct conceptual elements of a consulting relationship. Furthermore, considerations of advertising and initiation of consulting relationships take place before or at the outset of consulting agreements, transparency considers activities throughout a relationship, deliverables relates to activity at the conclusion of a relationship.
Elements of the selected codes identified by this process were then sorted into the different categories.
III. Codes of Ethics Relevant to Bioindustry Ethics Consultation
A. Consulting Associations
Canadian Institute of Management Consultants (CIMC)
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/CIMC-CoE.html
Canadian Telecommunications Consultants Association (CTCA)
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/CTCA-CoE.html
Clinical Consultation Services
http://www.medicalethics.com/AboutMission.asp
Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) (division of Council for Consulting Organizations)
http://www.imcusa.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=category§ionid=8&id=26&Itemid=53
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/Institute_of_Management_Consultants02.html
Association of Management Consulting Firms (AMCF)
http://www.amcf.org/memEthics.asp
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/amce72.html
B. Consulting Companies
Steris
http://www.steris.com/ccbn/cg_ethics.cfm
Goldman Sachs
http://www.gs.com/our_firm/investor_relations/corporate_governance/articles/corporate_governance_030224195742.html
Princeton Consultants
http://www.princeton.com/about/codeofethics.htm
- Association of Management Consulting Firms
THG Consulting Partners
http://hermangroup.com/thgconsultingpartners/code_of_ethics.html
-Institute of Management Consultants
Strategic Growth Consultants
http://stratgrowth.com/ethics.htm
-Institute of Management Consultants
Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CAMC)
http://www.camc.com/index.cfm?PID=12506&PIDLIST=12506
National Association of Healthcare Consultants (NAHC)
http://www.healthcon.org/general.html
Professional and Technical Consultants Association
http://www.patca.org/html/ethics.htm
Rochester Professional Consultants Network
http://www.rochesterconsultants.org/RPCN_ethics.htm
C. Fields/ Associations/ Academies
Academe General
American Association of University Professors (AAUP)
http://www.aaup.org/statements/Redbook/Rbethics.htm
http://www.aaup.org/statements/Redbook/repcorf.htm
http://www.aaup.org/statements/Redbook/Freedom&Responsibility.pdf
Medicine/Physical Sciences
American Council of Engineering Companies
http://www.acec.org/about/ethics.cfm
National Society of Genetic Counselors (NSGC)
http://www.nsgc.org/about/code_of_ethics.asp
American College of Ethical Physicians
http://www.ethicalphysicians.org/code__of__ethics.htm
American College of Physicians (ACP)
http://www.acponline.org/ethics/ethicman5th.htm
American Academy of Pharmaceutical Physicians
http://appinet.org/ethics.php
American Nursing Association (ANA)
http://nursingworld.org/mods/mod580/code.pdf
Association of Clinical Research Professionals (ACRP)
http://www.acrpnet.org/about/ethics.html
American Medical Association (AMA)
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2512.html
Australian Medical Association
http://www.ama.com.au/web.nsf/doc/WEEN-5WW5YY/$file/090304%20Code%20of%20Ethics%202004%20(final,%20March%202004).pdf
American Academy of Neurology (AAN)
http://www.aan.com/about/ethics/code.cfm
Social Sciences/ Law
The International Organization Development Code of Ethics
http://members.aol.com/odinst/ethics.htm
The American Sociological Association (ASA)
http://www.asanet.org/page.ww?section=Ethics&name=Ethics
http://www.asanet.org/galleries/default-file/Code%20of%20Ethics.pdf
The International Sociological Association (ISA)
http://www.ucm.es/info/isa/about/isa_code_of_ethics.htm
American Anthropological Association (AAA)
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethrpt.htm
American Bar Association (ABA)
http://www.abanet.org/cpr/mrpc/rule_1_8_comm.html
Regulatory Affairs Professional Society (RAPS)
http://www.raps.org/s_raps/sec.asp?TRACKID=&CID=80&DID=142
American Philosophical Association (statements/guidelines) (APA)
http://www.apa.udel.edu/apa/governance/statements/index.html
Society of Professional Journalism (SPJ)
http://www.spj.org/ethics.asp
Management/ Business
The Academy Of Management
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/amdmc-a.html
http://www.iit.edu/departments/csep/codes/coe/amdmc-b.html
American Association of Finance and Accounting (AAFA)
http://www.aafa.com/ethics.html
American College of Healthcare Executives (ACHE)
http://www.ache.org/ABT_ACHE/code.cfm
Society of Corporate Compliance and Ethics
http://www.corporatecompliance.org/resources/prfCode.htm
International Business Ethics Institute
http://www.business-ethics.org/code.html
Ethics Officer Association (EOA)
http://www.eoa.org/Standards.asp
IV. Categories
Initiation
The protocol for processes at origination of consulting relationship.
Solicitation and advertisement of consultation services.
Transparency and Communication
Clear understanding of purposes and scope of work
Clarity of the terms of the consulting contract
Processes of information sharing
Levels of access
Continuity of communication
Dispute resolution
Confidentiality
The treatment and management of proprietary information
Contract clauses– restrictive covenants, publish with permission
Respect of intellectual property
Integrity
Incorruptibility of consultant
Right to withdrawal from relationship
Effects of relationship on consultant, and consultant’s primary field
Fulfillment of obligations and responsibilities to contractual and non-contractual parties (self, client, public, profession, discipline, students, colleagues)
Management of conflicts of interest
Professional Competence
Compensation
Rates of pay
Terms of payment
Conflicting Fees
Deliverables and Public Disclosure
Delivery of products, reports, advice
Consultant’s expectations of clients
Influencing clients’ proper use of products
Disclosure of relationship to public, employers
V. Code Language Related to Consulting
To view the spreadsheet listed by category click here.
To view the spreadsheet listed by source click here.
To view the spreadsheet listed by source type click here.
VI. Web-based Code Resources
Links to web-based code of ethics resources, including information on: the purposes for having a code of ethics; how to write a code of ethics; bibliographies of available articles in print on the topic of codes of ethics; and web-based databases of codes of ethics.
Illinois Institute of Technology
http://ethics.iit.edu/codes/
Institute of Business Ethics
http://www.ibe.org.uk/codesofconduct.html
Onlineethics.org
http://onlineethics.org/codes/
Chris Macdonald
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/codes/
http://www.bioethics.ca/draftcode.pdf
http://www.biotechethics.ca/tools/biotech_guide_1_0.pdf
http://www.ethicsweb.ca/resources/
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development
http://www.biosecuritycodes.org/
Biological Weapons and Codes of Conduct
http://www.projects.ex.ac.uk/codesofconduct/