Codes of ethics and conduct in information systems: towards a unified framework

Abstract Information Systems professionals frequently deal with ethical dilemmas. Given the importance of ethical behavior for management and society, the development of codes of ethics and conduct for communities of professionals is essential to prevent unethical situations caused by a lack of full awareness of them. Since the creation of the first code of ethics in 1972 in the field of computing, many codes have been published worldwide by the initiative of societies, organizations, and associations. The high number and diversity of codes currently available provide a rich perspective on ethical concerns. However, it also makes it difficult to perceive, broadly and coherently, ethically acceptable behaviors and attitudes. Moreover, there is a noticeable lack of balance between codes concerning content and detail. To tackle this problem, we propose a unified framework for codes of ethics and conduct, resulting from the review and content analysis of the more prominent codes published in the last two decades. The results provide an innovative benchmark for evaluating and improving existing codes and creating new ones.