Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Introduction To Professional Ethics
Introduction To Professional Ethics
PROFESSIONAL ETHICS
Occupation vs Profession?
Occupation vs Profession?
Occupation is simply a way to make a living, however,
a profession has some or all the following
characteristics:
1. Extensive training
2. Vital knowledge and skills
3. Control of services
4. Autonomy in workplace
5. Claim to ethical guidelines
Characteristics of profession
1- Extensive training
It means apprenticeship and practical skills
Formal education from academic institute teach theoretical
bases of these skills (Bachelors or Masters).
The requirement of university training serves as a barrier to
limit the number of professionals and thus to provide them
with an economic advantage.
Characteristics of profession
2- Vital knowledge and skills:
Professionals have “expert power” i.e., people are dependent on
the knowledge and research of engineers for the safety in an
airplane.
Since professional services are vital to the general welfare, so
citizens are willing to pay any price to get them.
Characteristics of profession
3- Control of services:
Professions usually have a monopoly on the provision of
professional services in their area.
There is a licensing system for those who want to enter the
profession
E.g., PEC in Pakistan
Characteristics of profession
4- Autonomy in the workplace:
Professional has sufficient knowledge to determine the appropriate
professional services in a given situation
E.g., physicians must determine the most appropriate type of
medical treatment for their patients
Higher level of autonomy may lead to promotion of self interest,
and unethical practices. E.g., a physician might order more tests
than necessary because they are performed by a firm in which she
has a financial interest
Characteristics of profession
5- Claim to ethical regulation:
There are chances for misuse and abuse of power
Most professions attempt to limit these abuses by regulating
themselves for the public benefit. E.g., code of ethics, and code of
conduct are provided by PEC in Pakistan
These regulatory agencies are controlled by professionals
themselves, and so the claim to genuine ethical regulation is
sometimes seen to be suspicious.
To what extent does engineering qualify as
profession?