DCIT 65 | Midterms | Lecture 2 Flashcards
a trade, a business, or an occupation of which one professes to have extensive knowledge acquired through long years of experience and formal education and the autonomy of and responsibility to make independent decisions in carrying out the duties of the profession
profession
was the person who has professed the commitment
professional
four themes cover all the activities of a professional life:
- evolution of professions
- the making of an ethical professional
- the professional decision-making process
- professionalism and ethical responsibilities
describe the characteristics of professionals, and discuss how these characteristics are supported by commitment, integrity, responsibility, and accountability
evolution of professions
we then describe the ways professionals are made through both formal education and informal unstructured in- service
the making of an ethical professional
when professionals enter the workforce, their duties involve decision-making. We therefore look at the process of decision-making, the problems involved, and the guilt felt about what are perceived as wrong decisions and how to avoid them
the professional decision-making process
professionals in their working environment encounter problems everyday that require them to check in with their moral code. We focus on professionalism and ethical responsibilities as one of those areas that requires continual consultation with individual morality and discuss how these affect professions
professionalism and ethical responsibilities
the term profession and its requirements for membership evolved into two categories:
- learned professions
- common professions
required individuals with a deep knowledge of the profession acquired through years of formal education
learned professions
required the individuals to be noblemen who in theory did not really need to work for a living
common professions
skills must be backed up by a very well-developed knowledge base acquired through long years of formal schooling
set of highly developed skills and deep knowledge of the domain
because professionals provide either products or services, there is always a relationship between the provider of the service and the receiver of the service or the provider of the product and the receiver of the product
autonomy
a working professional usually observes these four types of codes:
- professional code
- personal code
- institutional code
- community code
set of guidelines provided to the professional by the profession spelling out what a professional ought to do and not do. This code protects both the image of the profession and that of the individual members. Thus, it is a requirement for the profession that members adhere to the code
professional code
set of individual moral guidelines on which professionals operate. In many ways, these guidelines are acquired by professionals from the cultural environment in which they grow up or live in and the religious beliefs they may practice. Whatever the case, it supplements the professional code significantly
personal code
a code imposed by the institution for which the professional is working. This code is meant to build and maintain the public’s confidence in the institution and its employee
institutional code
it developed over a period of time based on either the religion or culture of the indigenous people in the area. It may be imposed by law or the culture of the community in which the professional works
community code
professionalism is supported by four pillars:
- commitment
- integrity
- responsibility
- accountability
means a state of undivided loyalty to self -belief. It is honesty, uncompromising self-value, and incorruptible
integrity
three maxims of integrity:
- vision
- love
- commitment
capacity to anticipate and make a plan of action that will avoid obstacles and maximize benefits. a sign of good leadership, and professionals who have the initiative, the autonomy, and the authority in the provider–client relationship exemplify leadership
vision
numerous studies have shown that people who love what they do, do it better than those who do it because they have to. In school, children who have a love for a subject perform far better than those who do it because it is a requirement
love
vision and love applied to the work bonds the individual to whatever he or she is doing until it is done
commitment
deals with roles, tasks, and actions and their ensuing consequences
responsibility
three major types of responsibilities:
a. service responsibilities
b. product responsibilities
c. consequential responsibilities
in order for a professional to provide a service to a client, there must be a contract binding the professional and the client. In this contract, as in any other contract, the professional has specific responsibilities regarding the time of delivery of the service, the quality of the service, and the consequences after the service has been rendered
service responsibilities
if the contract between the provider and the client involves a product, the provider has the responsibility to deliver the product agreed upon on time, in good shape and of quality, and to provide documentation for safe use of the product
product responsibilities
one expects liabilities for the service or product, and the professional must accept those consequential responsibilities
consequential responsibilities
the obligation to answer for the execution of one’s assigned responsibilities. This process involves a cycle of setting measurable outcomes and achievable goals, planning what needs to be done to meet those goals, reporting progress toward goals, evaluating the reports, and using that feedback to make improvements
accountability
three items that encourage, maintain, and improve that higher ethical standard:
- formal education
- licensing
- professional codes of conduct
to be effective in teaching and enforcing the pillars of professionalism, it must be targeted and incremental
formal education
grants individuals formal or legal permission to practice their profession, which tips the balance of power in the giver –receiver equation in favor of the giver
licensing
promote the public image of the profession by specifying and enforcing the ethical behavior expected from its members
professional codes of conduct
professional codes consist of standards, norms, and rules of conduct that address the following areas:
- moral and legal standards
- professional–client relationship
- client advocacy
- professional–public relationships
- sanction mechanics
- confidentiality
- assessment
- compliance
- competence
experience and studies have shown that professions with enforceable codes have fewer discipline problems among their members than those with no codes or those with codes but without enforcement mechanisms
enforcement
two main reporting procedures:
- typical organizational route
- short-circuit procedure
which a complaint is reported first to the local chapters if it exists. The complaint then makes its way to the top, usually to the national ethics committee
typical organization route
which reporting can be done at any level, and then from there a complaint is forwarded all the way to the top
short-circuit procedure
the committee may decide to recommend any one or a combination of the following (sanctions):
- probation
- revocation of certification
- request for resignation
- suspension from the profession at the member’s expense
process on the books for the sanctioned professional who is not satisfied with either the ruling of the committee or the penalty imposed
appeal
quite common in the everyday activities of a professional. The process of decision making resembles a mapping with input parameters and an output decision. are caused by questioning the values attached to one’s premises as inputs to the decision being made
dilemmas in decision-making
in an ethical decision-making process, decisions are made based on, and reflect, consequences, individual liberties, and justice. To achieve this, individuals can use any other ethical theories to frame or make ethical choices that reflect the selected
criteria
three criteria:
- utilitarian criterion
- rights criterion
- justice criterion
where decisions are made solely on the basis of their intended outcomes or consequences
utilitarian criterion
where decisions are made based on the set of liberties the society enforces such as the Magna Carta
rights criterion
which reflect justice. Decisions are made so that they are fair, impartial, and equitable to all
justice criterion
our natural internal judgment system, punishing ourselves based on our moral standards or the group’s standards. plays a crucial part in ethical decision making
guilt
professionalism and ethical responsibilities:
- whistleblowing
- harassment and discrimination
calling to public attention, including especially to that of a higher authority such as a government, what is considered an illegal or mismanaged act
whistleblower
gives the impression of an act of seeking public attention
whistleblowing
to verbally or physically create an environment that is hostile, intimidating, offensive, severe, pervasive, or abusive based on a number of parameters including one’s race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, citizenship, or physical appearance
harassment
a process of making decisions that negatively affect an individual, such as denial of a service, based wholly, or partly, upon the real or perceived facts of one’s race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation, marital status, or physical appearance
discrimination
different whistle-blowing methods have been used for years:
- computer aided methods
- traditional methods
situations can complicate whistleblowing:
- fear of reprisals
- suspicion surrounding whistleblowing
- membership in organizational channels
steps needed in fight against harassment and discrimination:
- awareness
- prevention
there are no clear signs of harassment, but in most cases, harassment is manifested in the following signs: unhappiness, anxiety, discomfort, stress, and lifestyle changes. If some or all of these signs start to appear in the environment where an individual is, then there is harassment. Discrimination is even harder to detect than harassment. However, there is discrimination if the decisions made are based upon the discriminatory factors above
awareness
the main tool for the prevention of harassment and discrimination is for an organization to have a clear and simple written policy framework setting out the procedures that must be taken if harassment and discrimination occur. The procedures must include the following: awareness/education, complaint process, sanctions, and redress
prevention
