Professions develop ethical standards and codes for a number of reasons. First, ethical standards help reassure the public, particularly law-makers, that the field can regulate itself and does not need others outside of the profession to make laws to govern the practice of that profession in order to protect the public's interests. Ethical standards offer the public reassurance in general that a profession is standardized and that they can expect to be treated ethically according to set criteria. This improves people's perception of and trust in the profession and consequently increases business. To put it simply, ethical standards increase the professionalism of the profession.
