John Ladd's Criticism Of Code Of Ethics

John Ladd offers numerous criticism of codes of ethics, of which I find the public relations utility of particular interest. I believe this is the most plausible criticism, because to some degree companies have code of ethics widely available to the public and the public likes to see corporate responsibility. The utility of having a code of ethics publicly available is that, it promotes the image of the company/industry/profession; it allows consumers to expect a certain level of morals and responsibility. A company that finds itself out of the frying pan and into the fire, tends to take huge public relations damage control steps; typically including adjustments to code of ethics. In which, Ladd is in a sense correct, codes of ethics may derive