FACULTY OF BUSINESS
Code of Ethics and Principles of Professional Conduct for Academics and Administrators
Effective: 1 June 2014
(GEN-001-2014-1)
Contents
1.0
DEFINITIONS ................................................................................................................................ 1
2.0
PREAMBLE ................................................................................................................................... 1
4.0
PRINCIPLE II: Commitment to the Profession ............................................................................. 3
5.0
PRINCIPLE III: Commitment to the Public/Community ............................................................... 4
6.0
CONCLUSION ............................................................................................................................... 4
1.0 DEFINITIONS
Academics are faculty staffs who were appointed as Professors, Associate Professors, Principal
Lecturers, Senior Lecturers, Lecturers, Assistant Lecturers, Foundation Lecturers and
Tutors
Administrators are all executive and non-executive staffs who were appointed to manage the
faculty’s administration, including the Dean, Managers, Assistant Managers,
Administrative Officers, Senior Clerks, Clerks, Senior Technicians and Technicians.
2.0 PREAMBLE
The academics and administrators, believing in the worth and dignity of each human being,
recognise the supreme importance of the pursuit of truth, and devotion to excellence. Essential
to these goals is the protection of freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal
educational opportunity for all. The academics and administrators accept the responsibility to
adhere to the highest ethical standards.
The academics and administrators recognise the magnitude of the responsibility inherent in the
teaching process. The desire for the respect and confidence of one's colleagues, of students, of
parents, and of the members of the community provides the incentive to attain and maintain the
highest possible degree of ethical conduct. This code indicates the aspiration of academics and
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administrators at the Faculty of Business (FOB) and provides standards by which to judge
conduct.
The following are the guiding principles underlying this Codes of Conduct:
1. FOB values the worth and dignity of every person, the pursuit of truth, devotion to
excellence, and acquisition of knowledge. Essential to the achievement of these standards
are the freedom to learn and to teach and the guarantee of equal opportunity for all.
2. The academics’ and administrators’ primary professional concern will always be for the
student and for the development of the student's potential. The academics and
administrators will therefore strive for professional growth and will seek to exercise the
best professional judgment and integrity.
3. The academics and administrators are aware of maintaining the respect and confidence of
one's colleagues, of students, of parents, and of other members of the community and
therefore strive to achieve and sustain the highest degree of ethical conduct.
The following disciplinary rule shall constitute the Principles of Professional Conduct for the
Academics, Executives, and Non-executives in Faculty of Business, Multimedia University.
Violation of any of these principles shall subject the individual to revocation or suspension of
the individual academic's service, or the other penalties as specified by the university. In the
event of any conflict between this code and MMU’s university-wide policies, MMU’s policies
shall prevail.
3.0 PRINCIPLE I: Commitment to the Students
The academics and administrators strive to help each student realise his or her potential as a
worthy and effective member of society. The academics and administrators therefore work to
stimulate the spirit of inquiry, enhance the value of inspiration and bring forward the
thoughtfulness of innovation. Besides the acquisition of knowledge and understanding, students
are to realise worthy goals.
In fulfilment of the obligation to the student, the academics and administrators:
(a) Shall make reasonable effort to protect the student from conditions harmful to learning
and/or to the student's mental and/or physical health and/or safety.
(b) Shall not unreasonably restrain a student from independent action in pursuit of
learning.
(c) Shall not unreasonably deny a student access to diverse points of view.
(d) Shall not intentionally suppress or distort subject matter relevant to a student's
academic program.
(e) Shall not intentionally expose a student to unnecessary embarrassment or
disparagement.
(f) Shall not intentionally violate or deny a student's legal rights.
(g) Shall not harass or discriminate against any student on the basis of race, colour, religion,
sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political beliefs, marital status, handicapping
condition, sexual orientation, or social and family background and shall make
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reasonable effort to assure that each student is protected from harassment or
discrimination, including:
i. Exclude any student from participation in any program
ii. Deny benefits to any student
iii. Grant any advantage to any student.
(h) Shall not exploit a relationship with a student for personal gain or advantage.
(i) Shall keep in confidence personally identifiable information obtained in the course of
professional service, unless disclosure serves professional purposes or is required by
law.
(j) Shall not use professional relationships with students for private advantage.
(k) Shall not disclose information about students obtained in the course of professional
service unless disclosure serves a compelling professional purpose or is required by law.
4.0 PRINCIPLE II: Commitment to the Profession
The education profession is vested by the public with a trust and responsibility requiring the
highest ideals of professional service.
In the belief that the quality of the services of the education profession directly influences the
nation and its citizens, the academics and administrators shall exert every effort to raise
professional standards, to promote a climate that encourages the exercise of professional
judgement, to achieve conditions that attract persons worthy of the trust to careers in
education, and to assist in preventing the practice of the profession by unqualified persons.
In fulfilment of the obligation of the profession, the academics and administrators:
(a) Shall maintain honesty in all professional dealings.
(b) Shall not on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, age, national or ethnic origin, political
beliefs, marital status, handicapping condition if otherwise qualified, or social and family
background deny to a colleague professional benefits or advantages or participation in
any professional organization.
(c) Shall not interfere with a colleague's exercise of political or civil rights and
responsibilities.
(d) Shall not engage in harassment or discriminatory conduct which unreasonably
interferes with an individual's performance of professional or work responsibilities or
with the orderly processes of education or which creates a hostile, intimidating, abusive,
offensive, or oppressive environment; and, further, shall make reasonable effort to
assure that each individual is protected from such harassment or discrimination.
(e) Shall not make malicious or intentionally false statements about a colleague.
(f) Shall not use coercive means or promise special treatment to influence professional
judgments of colleagues.
(g) Shall not misrepresent one's own professional qualifications.
(h) Shall not submit fraudulent information on any document in connection with
professional activities.
(i) Shall not make any fraudulent statement or fail to disclose a material fact in one's own
or another's application for a professional position.
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(j) Shall not withhold information regarding a position from an applicant or misrepresent
an assignment or conditions of employment.
(k) Shall provide upon the request of the certificated individual a written statement of
specific reason for recommendations that lead to the denial of increments, significant
changes in employment, or termination of employment.
5.0 PRINCIPLE III: Commitment to the Public/Community
The academics and administrators have responsibility towards the public, whereby the
academics and administrators must behave ethically and with sensitivity toward social, cultural,
economic and environmental issue. Commitment towards the public helps the faculty have a
positive impact on development, business and society with a positive contribution to the
academia.
In fulfilment of the obligation of the public/community, the academics and administrators:
(a) Shall take reasonable precautions to distinguish between personal views and those of
any educational institution or organization with which the individual is affiliated.
(b) Shall not intentionally distort or misrepresent facts concerning an educational matter in
direct or indirect public expression.
(c) Shall not use institutional privileges for personal gain or advantage.
(d) Shall accept no gratuity, gift, or favour that might influence professional judgement.
(e) Shall offer no gratuity, gift, or favour to obtain special advantages.
6.0 CONCLUSION
The following behaviours are examples of inappropriate and go against the principles outlined
in this Code:
(a) Not responding to inquiries from students and/or colleagues;
(b) Post complaints about students, colleagues, the faculty, and the university on social
networks;
(c) Threaten students;
(d) Show favouritism;
(e) Gossip about students and colleagues;
(f) Engage in sexual harassment, or conduct themselves in a way that could be construed as
such, for example, by using inappropriate language, keeping or posting inappropriate
materials in their work area, or accessing inappropriate materials on their computer;
(g) Acquire any business interest or participating in any other activity outside the faculty
that would, or would appear to:
(i) Create an excessive demand upon their time and attention, thus depriving the
faculty of their best efforts on the job;
(ii) Create a conflict of interest - an obligation, interest, or distraction - that may
interfere with the independent exercise of judgment in the faculty’s best
interest;
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(h) Make or engage in any false record or communication of any kind, whether internal or
external, including but not limited to: false attendance, reports and statements or other
misleading representations.
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