Ethic (noun)

1. A system of moral principles.
2. The branch of knowledge that deals with moral principles.

Origin:

Late middle english: via old french from latin ethice, from greek ēthikē (tekhnē) "moral philosophy", from ēthos "custom, character".

Examples:

1. It is important for a company to have a strong ethic of corporate responsibility.
2. The ethic of nonviolence has been central to the civil rights movement.
3. The work is focused on the applied ethics of computer technology.
4. The ethic of the organization is to always put the customer first.
5. He was criticized for his lack of professional ethic.