What is My Reason for Behaving Ethically?

What Is My Reason For Behaving Ethically?
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 Ethics is the series of principles established to guide practice and ethical conduct. Morals are closely linked with ethics, where ethical conduct requires observing morality. For instance, all professionals are expected to keep moral integrity intact in their professional practice, which means that an individual must be honest at all times in their work. When there is integrity, people have a moral conscience and focus on justice in decision-making. Adam Smith, the classical economist, proposed a moral philosophy based on his understanding of human nature and decision-making. Accountants, like other professionals, need to behave ethically to ensure the profession’s integrity and avoid unethical decisions. 
   The different ethical decision-making methods emphasize the need to behave ethically, and even as there are differences in the role of moral duties and outcomes of actions. Mintz & Morris (2019) pointed out that there are different ethical reasoning methods for making ethical judgments with different propositions on how to act and consider in decision-making. For instance, egotism, which is part of teleology, considers the “right” behavior based on the consequences for the decision-maker (Mintz & Morris, 2019). Ethics reflect the duties, rights, obligations and professional conduct, and Smith focused on both rules and virtues in his thoughts on morality and ethics in decision-making
Adam Smith, one of the zealous supporters of open markets, was also a moralist and an admirer of Stoicism. Smith’s The Theory of Moral Sentiments (TSM) synthesizes the moral and political philosophy of the Greeks, the Renaissance, and the virtues of the Enlightenment eras. Smith argued that people are sympathetic towards others and have self-love, which is not selfish and makes it possible for self-interested individuals to live together in a just, harmonious, prosperous, and free society. Smith’s moral doctrine is also linked to the idea of the imperfect functioning of the natural order, but order guarantees alignment of individual interest with community interest. 
Under the TSM, a sympathy system is associated with a mutual agreement (approval) or disagreement. This is beneficial in regulating the feelings and behavior of human beings in a society. Smith supported being guided by the morals of good people where morality is prioritized at the individual and societal levels (Mintz & Morris, 201...