Week-9

Ethics and Codes of Professional

Conduct
The need for professional ethics
 What is a Profession
• A profession is an occupation that
requires extensive training and the study
and mastery of specialized knowledge,
and usually has a professional
association, ethical code and process of
certification or licensing.
• Examples are: librarianship, accounting,
law, teaching, architecture, medicine,
finance, the military and engineering.
 What are Professional Ethics?
• Professional ethics are a code of conduct
that govern how members of a profession
deal with each other and with third parties.
 Need of Professional Code of
Ethics or for professional ethics
• A Professional Code of Ethics serves
several functions:
– Symbolizes (represents) the professionalism
of the group.
– Defines and promotes a standard for external
relations with clients and employers.
– Protects the group’s interests.
– Codifies members’ rights.
– Expresses ideals (ethics) to aspire (desire).
 Professional or Profession
Characteristics and Responsibilities
• Engineers are expected to possess a given level
of knowledge and skills in an engineering
specialty that exceed those of the general public.
• Engineers must have a sense of responsibility
and service to society, employers and clients.
• Engineers are expected to follow established
codes of ethics for their profession and to
guard their professional integrity and ideals and
those of their profession.
 Honesty & Integrity
Honesty
• I must not knowingly mislead a client or potential
client as to the suitability of a product or service.
• I must not misrepresent my skills or knowledge.
• I must give opinions which are as far as possible
unbiased (neutral, fair) and objective.
• I must give realistic estimates for projects under
my control.
• I must qualify professional opinions which I know
are based on limited knowledge or experience.
• I must give credit for work done by others where
credit is due (unpaid).
 Integrity (reliability)
• Do not breach (violate) public trust in the
profession or the specific trust of your clients and
employers.
• Observance (performance) of utmost (extreme,
maximum) honesty and integrity must underlie (lie
behind) all your professional decisions and
actions.
• Circumstances will undoubtedly arise during the
course of your professional career where it may
appear to be beneficial for you to deceive your
client in some way.
• The resultant short term gain from this type of
behavior is not acceptable professional practice,
nor is it worth eroding (wear away) the confidence
and trust that is built up over the longer term.
 Professional development
• I must increase my awareness of issues affecting
the information technology profession and its
relationship with the community.
• I must encourage my colleagues, employees and
students to continue their own professional
development.
• Maintain and develop their professional
competence (capability).
• Participate in and contribute to continuing
education and their own and colleagues'
professional and scientific growth.
• Keep themselves up to date with relevant
knowledge, skills, research methods, and
techniques, through the reading of relevant
literature, peer consultations, and continuing
education activities, in order that their service or
research activities and conclusions shall benefit and
not harm others.
• Perform their teaching duties on the basis of careful
preparation, so that their instruction shall be current
and scholarly.
 THE RULES FOR PROFESSIONAL
CONDUCT (Professional skills comply
with law)
• All members shall discharge their professional
duties with integrity and shall not undertake
work that they are not competent to do.
• All members shall have full regard for the
public interest, particularly in relation to
matters of health and safety, and in relation to
the well-being of future generations.
• All members shall show due regard for the
environment and for the sustainable
management of natural resources.
• All members shall update and broaden their
professional knowledge and skills on a
continuing basis and shall give all reasonable
assistance to further the education, training
and continuing professional development of
other members and prospective members of
the profession.
• All members shall notify the Institute if
convicted of a criminal offence or upon
becoming bankrupt or disqualified as a
Company Director.
Public interest & Public awareness
• Members shall in their professional practice
safeguard public health and safety and have
regard to protection of the environment.
• Members shall have due regard to the
legitimate rights of third parties.
• Members shall ensure that within their chosen
fields they have knowledge and understanding
of relevant legislation, regulations and
standards and those they comply with such
requirements.
• Members shall in their professional
practice have regard to basic human
rights and shall avoid any actions that
adversely affect such rights.
• You shall reject any offer of bribery
(corruption) or inducement.
 Contribution towards
advancement of human welfare
• See the ms-word file for that topic