Codes that have Impact:
In writing an ethics code the focus is usually on inclusiveness of concepts, legal sufficiency and satisfying critics. These are also usually the wrong elements upon which to focus. Codes that have impact usually begin by asking what the behavioral objectives are, what the organizational objectives are, and what the political objectives are.
Behavioral objectives have to be clear. What behaviors do you want to encourage and which do you want to discourage? Many codes result in unintended consequences because there was no clear vision as to the behavioral impact. In one instance the code prohibited accepting a meal worth more than fifty dollars. A public official accepted 61 meals from the same source, but none cost more than fifty dollars. The agency in charge of enforcement had to fall back on the legal cliché that it violated the spirit of the rules. With sufficient planning, anticipating behaviors is far easier than explaining what the spirit was meant to say.