Showing papers on "Professional ethics published in 2005"

Marketization and the Recasting of the Professional Self: The Rhetoric and Ethics of Personal Branding

Abstract: Within the personal branding movement, people and their careers are marketed as brands complete with promises of performance, specialized designs, and tag lines for success. Because personal brandi...

Practical Ethics for Psychologists: A Positive Approach

Abstract: On a daily basis, psychologists confront ethical issues. "Practical Ethics for Psychologists: A Positive Approach" helps psychologists clarify what they value, consider how they should behave, and determine what constitutes proper professional conduct. This book is unique in stressing the importance of positive ethics - that is, ways in which psychologists can reach their highest ethical ideals, rather than just avoiding breaking rules. Using the newly revised "2002 APA Code of Ethics" as a guide, the authors lay out a five-step model for resolving ethical dilemmas, illustrating the discussion with thumbnail sketches of both ethical and questionable behaviors. Throughout, they stress the importance of self-care, which involves self-regulation, emotional competence, and an understanding of the unique occupational challenges of being a psychologist. Readers will find themselves consulting the book over and over again for guidance on dealing with ethically complex issues like competence, multiple relationships, informed consent, confidentiality (including confidentiality with life endangering patients), fees and financial issues, public statements, and risk management. Individual chapters are devoted to special issues for psychologists working in forensics, teaching, business, assessment, therapy, and supervision and training. This book is ideal for classroom use or self-study.

Training ethical psychologists: an acculturation model.

Abstract: This article presents an approach to graduate (and professional) training that views becoming an ethical psychologist as an acculturation process. J.W. Berry's (1980, 2003) model of acculturation strategies is used as a framework for understanding ethical acculturation, a developmental process during which students can use several types of adaptation strategies. Students enter training with their own moral value traditions and concepts but are confronted with new ethical principles and rules, some of which may be inconsistent with their ethics of origin. The article explores several applications of the framework to ethics courses, practicum supervision, and other areas of training.

Partner or guardian? HR's challenge in balancing value and values

Abstract: Will HR professionals continue on their journey to be business leaders, with full sway and equal influence in organizational decision making, or will they take the shortcut by sacrificing professional ethics and values for a “seat at the table”? The first challenge refers to value creation. Creating value in a global economy requires HR executives to clearly understand the confluence of economic, social, and technological forces that drive industry competition. The second challenge, value delivery, deals with the pressing need for HR to demonstrate its tangible impact by aligning with and driving the issues critical to the business. Finally, living values asks us to rediscover that we are the guardians of our organizations. We guard and preserve strategic capability, people, and values. These challenges are examined and a model is provided for understanding how the competing demands placed on HR create both organizational and professional conflict. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Why we need an “ecological ethics”

Abstract: Research ecologists and biodiversity managers frequently have to contend with difficult ethical questions during the course of their work. Yet there is no established approach or field within professional or practical ethics devoted to helping researchers and managers identify and reason through these complex ethical and philosophical issues. Unlike biomedical scientists and clinicians, ecologists and biodiversity managers lack an explicit scholarly forum such as bioethics, that can help them to analyze the complicated ethical situations they encounter in the field, the laboratory, or the conservation facility. Here we present a series of real world cases to illustrate some of the current ethical challenges faced by research ecologists and managers. We call for a new integrated and interdisciplinary field of concrete ethical inquiry – “ecological ethics” – that will fill an important gap in the practical and professional ethics literature, as well as provide ecological researchers and managers with a crit...

Nine Ethical Values of Master Therapists

Abstract: This study employed the Consensual Qualitative Research method (Hill, Thompson, & Williams, 1997) to reanalyze interview data from a previous qualitative study of the personal characteristics of ma...

The Hippocratic Oath and Contemporary Medicine: Dialectic Between Past Ideals and Present Reality?

Abstract: The Hippocratic Oath, the Hippocratic tradition, and Hippocratic ethics are widely invoked in the popular medical culture as conveying a direction to medical practice and the medical profession. This study critically addresses these invocations of Hippocratic guideposts, noting that reliance on the Hippocratic ethos and the Oath requires establishing (1) what the Oath meant to its author, its original community of reception, and generally for ancient medicine (2) what relationships contemporary invocations of the Oath and the tradition have to the original meaning of the Oath and its original reception (3) what continuity exists and under what circumstances over the last two-and-a-half millenniums of medical-moral reflections (4) what continuity there is in the meaning of professionalism from the time of Hippocrates to the 21st century, and (5) what social factors in particular have transformed the medical profession in particular countries. This article argues that the resources for a better understanding of medical professionalism lie not in the Hippocratic Oath, tradition, or ethos in and of themselves. Rather, it must be found in a philosophy of medicine that explores the values internal to medicine, thus providing a medical-moral philosophy so as to be able to resist the deformation of medical professionalism by bioethics, biopolitics, and governmental regulation. The Oath, as well as Stephen H. Miles' recent monograph, The Hippocratic Oath and the Ethics of Medicine, are employed as heuristics, so as to throw into better light the extent to which the Hippocratic Oath, tradition, and ethics can provide guidance and direction, as well as to show the necessity of taking seriously the need for a substantive philosophy of medicine.

Ethics, Governance and Accountability: A Professional Perspective

Abstract: Introduction Understanding ethics and moral judgement Professional ethics and self--regulation Ethical Decision Making Corporate Governance Fraud and forensic accounting Creative Accounting Social Responsibility Accounting

A draft model aggregated code of ethics for bioethicists.

Abstract: Bioethicists function in an environment in which their peers--healthcare executives, lawyers, nurses, physicians--assert the integrity of their fields through codes of professional ethics. Is it time for bioethics to assert its integrity by developing a code of ethics? Answering in the affirmative, this paper lays out a case by reviewing the historical nature and function of professional codes of ethics. Arguing that professional codes are aggregative enterprises growing in response to a field's historical experiences, it asserts that bioethics now needs to assert its integrity and independence and has already developed a body of formal statements that could be aggregated to create a comprehensive code of ethics for bioethics. A Draft Model Aggregated Code of Ethics for Bioethicists is offered in the hope that analysis and criticism of this draft code will promote further discussion of the nature and content of a code of ethics for bioethicists.

Ethical Dilemmas Reported by Fourth-Year Dental Students

Abstract: Ethics education in dentistry is a requirement for accreditation. Despite universal adoption of ethics courses, there is ongoing discussion about the appropriate content of these courses and about methods to engage students. Faculty who teach ethics must select a limited set of topics from the broad fields of professional ethics, bioethics, and the humanities. The purpose of this article is to describe the ethical issues reported by fourth-year dental students during community-based extramural clinical experiences. Senior dental students (n=123) wrote essays describing an ethical issue they encountered during one of two extramural rotations. Ethical issues were categorized and coded by consensus between two faculty authors. Students most often reported perceived dilemmas related to patients' limited resources (25 percent), conflict between professionals (19 percent), clinic policy or procedures (15 percent), and decision making by patients' surrogates (13 percent). One student (<1 percent) reported encountering no ethical issues. Students' perceptions of ethical issues in clinical practice offer faculty a foundation for designing a dental ethics curriculum that is practical and immediately relevant to the experience of a dental student. Students' reports may also yield a method for systematic assessment of students' abilities to apply classroom ethics instruction to clinical practice.

Examining the personal-professional distinction: ethics codes and the difficulty of drawing a boundary.

Abstract: The Ethics Code of the American Psychological Association (APA) applies to the professional role behaviors of members and not to their personal behavior. This article discusses some of the difficulties inherent in drawing distinctions between the personal and the professional. Consideration is given to the importance of clarifying public statements. Four ethics codes other than the APA Ethics Code are examined for how they treat the personal-professional distinction. A number of questions are posed to assist in determining the tilt a behavior takes. A concluding recommendation suggests that APA Ethical Standards be applied only to professional role behaviors, whereas aspirational principles might be applied to personal behavior.

Between professional ethics and bureaucratic rationality: the challenging ethical position of social workers who are faced with implementing a workfare policy Mellom profesjonsetikk og byråkratisk rasjonalitet: Sosialarbeideres utfordrende etiske posisjon ved iverksetting av arbeidslinjen

Abstract: This article is based upon an empirical, qualitative study of social workers implementing the workfare policy in five municipal social welfare offices in Oslo, the capital of Norway. The concern of the study has been to investigate the conditions for the social workers’ practice in this bureaucratic context where clients who apply for social and economic assistance will primarily be motivated to choose work rather than social insurance. Particular tasks and roles for social workers are defined in employment contracts and in job descriptions, but professional judgement and professional discretion are influenced by the individual appropriation of professional values and practices and how these are amalgamated to the individual's personal experiences in the practice of social work. The social worker can exercise authority in a very concrete and clear manner when implementing workfare. The law allows for considerable discretion, but internal rules and policies within municipalities can have a great impact upo...

Ethical Practice in Small Communities: Challenges And Rewards for Psychologists

Abstract: Psychologists who practice in small and contained communities share special circumstances that both complicate and enhance their professional lives. Such settings include rural, military, law enforcement, or faith-based environments; communities of color; gay, lesbian, bisexual, or transgender clients; and students at small colleges. While these communities vary considerably, the psychologists who serve them encounter similar ethical challenges in their daily work. In these close-knit groups, psychologists' professional and personal lives often overlap with those of their clients. Clients' and co-workers' expectations may run counter to psychologists' ethical standards, and issues associated with dual relationships, treatment boundaries, limits of competence, and multiple roles arise regularly. This book explores how the life of a small-community psychologist differs from that of a colleague in a large urban center who is not part of a small community, highlighting common problems and concerns. Using the provisions of the APA 2002 Ethics Code as a reference point, the authors analyze dilemmas and advantages in small-community practice and suggest ways in which psychologists can evaluate their actions and make wise decisions. In this way, they can protect and serve both themselves and their clients. This thought-provoking book provides reassuring guidance for any mental health professional who serves a small community.

Competency Training in Ethics Education and Practice.

Abstract: This article provides an overview of issues, including identification of core competencies and strategies for training and assessment, related to ethics education and training for psychologists. It summarizes the productsemerging from the ethics working group at the November 2002 Competencies Conference: Future Directions in Education and Credentialing in Professional Psychology, held in Scottsdale, Arizona.

Professional ethics and collective professional autonomy: a conceptual analysis.

Abstract: In the first section, it is argued that a professional activity involves systematic knowledge and proficiency, a form of continuous improvement of the related bodies of knowledge and proficiency, as well as two levels of understanding: a local one, which is the ability to justify and explain professional acts, and a global one, which involves a conception of the whole profession and its ethical principles. The second section is devoted to a conceptual analysis of professional ethics. It is argued that it consists of a general conception of professionality, a particular conception of the profession under consideration, and a conception of the normative requirements made by the societal envelope of the professional activity, in particular basic norms of democracy. The third section draws conclusions with respect to the nature and limits of professional autonomy. It is shown that such autonomy is much more restricted than its apparent extent. Examples from engineering and other professions are provided.

Enhancing Ethical Behavior: Views of Students, Administrators, and Faculty

Abstract: In an article published in the April 2004 issue of the Journal of Dental Education , Dr. Charles Bertolami proposed that our ethics curricula don’t work due to the limitations of didactic education. He suggested that ethics should be taught as a “precurriculum” course prior to entering dental school and that the dental school ethics course should be elective and consist of small groups of students who are guided to introspection to understand their true self-interest. He argued that “enlightened” self-interest is the best means to motivate students to behave ethically. Our article was stimulated by Bertolami’s contentions. Six essays are presented that offer perspectives on the issue of professional ethics and ethics instruction from the viewpoints of students, administrators, and faculty at one dental school. The student essays support the difference between teaching about ethics and changing behavior and discuss the pressures to cheat in dental school. Bertolami’s proposition regarding the role of self-interest in ethical decision making is examined. The final essays discuss the ways that ethics curricula and dental schools can encourage students to internalize the values of dentistry. They conclude that while some of Bertolami’s propositions may have merit, many do not seem to accomplish the desired goals of inculcating ethics or enhancing ethical behavior in dental students, and they encourage further discussion of ethical instruction.

Similarities in Business and IT Professional Ethics: The Need for and Development of A Comprehensive Code of Ethics

Abstract: The study of business ethics has led to the development of various principles that are the foundation of good and ethical business practices. A corresponding study of Information Technology (IT) professionals’ ethics has led to the conclusion that good ethics in the development and uses of information technology correspond to the basic business principle that good ethics is good business. Ergo, good business ethics practiced by IT professionals is good IT ethics and vice versa. IT professionals are professionals in businesses; a difficulty presented to these professionals, however, is the number and diversity of codes of ethics to which they may be held. Considering the existence of several formalized codes of ethics prepared by various IT professionals’ associations, a more harmonized approach seems more reasonable. This paper attempts to present a review of the purpose of codes of ethics, the persons who should be covered by such codes and to organize codes of ethics for business in general and IT professionals in particular and to make the argument that, once again, good ethics is good business practice, regardless of the profession or occupation concerned

Online Therapy: A Therapist's Guide to Expanding Your Practice

Abstract: If we go beneath its many varieties, schools, and theories, therapy is a rich form of interpersonal communication. As the tools of communication become more sophisticated to meet the demands of the twenty-first century, so does the therapeutic process. The premise of this book is that therapists can be dramatically empowered by embracing the Internet as a medium of communication with their patients and taking their practices online. By learning to utilize Webbased tools such as message boards, chat rooms, audio and video conferencing, and e-mail, therapists are able to reach scores of new clients and better treat the clients they already serve. Unlike discussions in professional journals and elsewhere, this book does not debate the merits and pitfalls of using the Internet in therapy, but moves directly to implementation. After all, online therapy is already here! Therapists all over the world now recognize it as a means to reach such underserved client populations as patients who live in rural areas, patients housebound by physical disabilities, and younger patients who are uncomfortable in face-to-face sessions. Online therapy also serves as a positive counter to HMOs that may severely limit the number of face-to-face sessions a patient is entitled to and pressure therapists to transition clients to medication at the earliest opportunity. This book is divided into two parts. Part I provides an overview of the modes of therapy that work best online and discusses issues of ethics, privacy, and confidentiality. Part II covers the nuts and bolts of setting up an online practice, either by creating an individual Web site or by joining an e-clinic, and discusses such practical issues as telemedical law, advertising and pricing of online services, billing, payment for referral, and legislation relevant to managing HIPAA. Four helpful appendices outline the software needed for online practice, reference existing online therapy sites, and provide guidelines published by major psychiatric organizations such as APA. An invaluable guide to a communication tool that is quickly changing the way we think about mental health care of the twenty-first century, Online Therapy is sure to persuade even the most technology-resistant therapist to explore this vast new world of options.

Approaches to the teaching of bioethics and professional ethics in undergraduate courses

Abstract: The role of ethics in bioscience undergraduate degrees is now widely accepted, but how ethics should be taught, who should teach it and what the curriculum should include are matters for debate. This article discusses teaching strategies: specialist options, or embed ethics in other courses, or both; use of professional philosophers, or bioscientists with ethics teaching training, or both. Experience from a bioethics programme at the University of Glasgow is discussed, including the need or not to teach technical philosophical terminology; the aims of ethics teaching (with a strong distinction made between professional ethics in science and more personal issues like animal experimentation); strategies for sustainability in staffing; and teaching and assessment methods.

Information Ethics for 21st Century Library Professionals

Abstract: Purpose: To provide an introduction to concepts and resources that will be useful to library professionals learning about information ethicsMethodology: This paper argues for the importance of information ethics to 21st century library professionals It describes what various authors have said about how information ethics can be applied to the ethical dilemmas faced by library professionals Findings: In order to deal effectively with their ethical dilemmas, library professionals must have a good working knowledge of information ethics Codes of professional ethics can help to provide such knowledge, but they are not sufficient Courses on information ethics must be part of the education of information professionals Such courses should provide library professionals with an understanding of ethical theories and how they apply to concrete practical cases Such courses should also make explicit the connection between information ethics and the mission of the library professional Research limitations: This paper is not intended to provide an exhaustive list of publications on the topic of information ethics and library professionals Value: This paper provides library professionals with a concise introduction to information ethics

Commentary: toward a unified theory of personal and professional ethics

Abstract: In response to Dr. Ezra Griffith’s essay, we support the view that forensic practice cannot be cleanly divided from its ethics foundation in medical and general psychiatric practice. Personal and professional values cannot be separated in formulating a unified theory of ethics for professionalism in forensic practice. We support Dr. Griffith’s narrative perspective and offer a delineation of how narratives may be considered in forensic work. We would like readers to focus on both the duties and the moral ideals that ultimately define professional ethics. By honoring personal and professional narratives together, forensic professionals can advocate and reshape a system that devalues non-dominant cultures. They can also recognize more easily the influences that affect their forensic work. This kind of forensic practice, informed by narrative ethics while respecting fundamental principles, can be an essential part of what we aspire to as forensic professionals. As we argued in an earlier work, a robust professionalism for forensic psychiatry cannot ignore our physician background or our diverse personal histories. Dr. Griffith’s essay contributes forcefully to the development of such a view.

Care in the community: Professional Ethics and the paradox of pro bono

Abstract: This study is primarily concerned with accounting's claim to be a profession and aims to stimulate further discussion on the kind of education that one would imagine should be commensurate with this claim. In particular, the study reports on a seminar that was designed to introduce students to the concept of a profession. The study describes a visit to one of Glasgow's toughest housing estates. The visit concluded at Ruchill Unemployment and Community Centre where the managing director of a local development agency discussed how some local accounting practices occasionally provided pro bono services in the area. The study picks up on some of the issues discussed during this seminar in order to explore the potential of pro bono publico and Service Learning as ways of educating accounting professionals in the wider concept of public interest. The study concludes by considering the critical educational potential of service learning in undergraduate education and pro bono publico within the area of c...

Towards interactive professional ethics

Abstract: over ethics of development in relation to David Mosse s book on pp 17-19 of this issue. Ethics as defendable process Recent years have seen an upsurge of concern about ethics and ethical discourses. Anthropology, too, has developed an 'ethical anxiety' (Faubion 2003) and writings have proliferated around ethics in the discipline (Strathern 2000a, Caplan 2003a, Fluehr-Lobban 2004a, Meskell and Pels 2005), and ethics as more broadly conceived (Ong and Collier 2005). This broader concern has also been reflected in the concerns the Association of Social Anthropology (ASA) has with the development of the organization's own ethical guidelines, written as a professional code of conduct for the research process (see www.theasa.org). While most anthropological organizations are similarly concerned with ethical issues, here we focus specifically on the rationale behind the ASA's proposal to broaden the base from which its members relate to and engage with the ethical.

Emotional Engagement in Professional Ethics

Abstract: Recent results from two different studies show evidence of strong emotional engagement in moral dilemmas that require personal involvement or ethical problems that involve significant inter-personal issues. This empirical evidence for a connection between emotional engagement and moral or ethical choices is interesting because it is related to a fundamental survival mechanism rooted in human evolution. The results lead one to question when and how emotional engagement might occur in a professional ethical situation. However, the studies employed static dilemmas or problems that offered only two choices whose outcome was certain or nearly so, whereas actual problems in professional ethics are dynamic and typically involve considerable uncertainty. The circumstances of three example cases suggest that increasing personal involvement and uncertainty could have been perceived as changes, threats, or opportunities and could therefore have elicited an emotional response as a way to ensure the reputation, integrity or success of oneself or a group to which one belongs. Such emotional engagement is only suggested and more studies and experiments are required to better characterize the role of emotional engagement in professional ethics.

A Professional Ethics Code for Economists

Abstract: Perhaps economists would not need a professional ethics code if they knew with certainty what the outcomes of their policies would be. But they do not, and therefore they should abide by a higher standard of conduct.