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02 Profethics Introduction

The document discusses the concept of a profession, emphasizing the distinction between occupations and professions, with a focus on professional ethics and the moral conduct of professionals. It outlines key features of professions, such as extensive training, ethical codes, and the importance of serving the public interest. Additionally, it highlights the significance of self-regulation and the potential consequences of improper practices within professions.

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5 views

02 Profethics Introduction

The document discusses the concept of a profession, emphasizing the distinction between occupations and professions, with a focus on professional ethics and the moral conduct of professionals. It outlines key features of professions, such as extensive training, ethical codes, and the importance of serving the public interest. Additionally, it highlights the significance of self-regulation and the potential consequences of improper practices within professions.

Uploaded by

f20221103
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 15

Concept of a Profession

Prof. Kumar Neeraj Sachdev


Baiju P. A.
Dept. of Humanities and Social Sciences
Introductory Issues
• Ethics, Applied Ethics and Professional Ethics
• Concept of a Profession
• Ethics and Professions

04/17/25 2
Definition of Professional Ethics

Professional ethics is a study of the moral


conduct of professionals in a workplace, for
example, protest against corruption or
mismanagement [that is discussed in a listed
topic of whistle blowing].

04/17/25 3
Distinctiveness of Profession
• Every profession is an occupation but every
occupation is not a profession. For example,
bricklayers, barbers, shopkeepers are not
professionals.
• Doctors, teachers, engineers, lawyers, accountants,
nurses and architects are professionals because they
provide expert advice or service rather things that is
vital to the organized functioning of a society.
• Some features may be taken as central or necessary
for an occupation to be a profession.

04/17/25 4
Distinctiveness of Profession(Cntd)
• Differences between occupation and
profession
• Occupation any type of work a person does to
earn a living.
• Profession: Specialized occupation that
requires advanced education, training,
expertise & ethical codes.
• Professionalization: Developing standards of
performance and training.
04/17/25 5
Features of Profession
• Extensive training
• Intellectual component

• Important service in society


• Credentialing – certification or/and licensing
• Organization of members
• Autonomy in professional’s work

04/17/25 6
Normative Feature
• Professionals are primarily devoted to providing service to the
needy, keeping in mind the public interest, and only
secondarily to making money.
• There is another view regarding this normative feature:
– Services should be provided to all who need them.
– Services should be provided in the best way to promote the public
interest.
– The profession itself should be the sole judge to achieve the first and
the second, as mentioned above.

04/17/25 7
Additional Features
Three additional features, namely
• Helping people to realize values (next slide)
• Legal Monopoly (privileged activity created by
the state) and
• Self-regulation (control over membership and
disciplining of members)
further help in understanding the practice of
professions.

04/17/25 8
Monopoly and Self-regulaiton
(cntd)
• Improper exercise of both detrimental to
society & Quality of human of life.
• Principles must favour the clients.
• Societal values should not be threatened.
• Importance of conduct, ethical principle &
enforcement.
• Monopolies for the society, if it doesn’t serve
the society not justified.
04/17/25 9
Professionals for Values
The services of professionals are important for people to
realize values in their lives such as:
• Information
• Knowledge
• Health
• Wealth
• Legal justice
• Comfort
• Safety
• Efficiency

04/17/25 10
Concept of a Profession
A profession is a regulated practical
application of specialized knowledge and skill
in a formal setup for the benefit of mankind
and on a broad scale the planet earth.

04/17/25 11
“No generally accepted definition of the term
profession exists, yet a working concept is
needed for our study of professional ethics.”
Michael D. Bayles
In the paper: What is a Profession?, p. 56
In the edited book: Rowan, John, and Zinaich, Jr.,
Ethics for the Professions, Wadsworth, 2003

04/17/25 12
Case Study

Jim sells stereo equipment, and he is good at it. He prides himself in his
technical knowledge of stereos and his excellent reputation. Selling the
right equipment to meet the needs of his customers is important to him.
Sometimes, Jim feels guilty when he sells a product he knows has certain
flaws or problems or is just inferior. Nevertheless, he bites his lip and lets
the customer decide, refraining from sharing his knowledge about the
issues. His supervisor requires him to do this. Initially, he brought this
point up at a sales meeting. His supervisor responded by pointing out that
it is permissible to withhold this kind of information because anyone can
find out which product has problems by reading Consumer Reports. Jim
understands this point, but it leaves a bitter taste.

04/17/25 13
Case Study Evaluaiton (cntd)
• Evaluating the case study with the notions of
- Roles & responsibility
- Respect for the other professionals
- Be accountable for own action
- Self-regulation
- Upholding professional integrity.

04/17/25 14
Thank you.

04/17/25 15

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