Saturday, January 25, 2020
Estate Management Essays Professional Codes Of Conduct
Estate Management Essays Professional Codes Of Conduct Critically discuss the contribution which codes of conduct issued by professional bodies such as RICS can make to the behaviour and conduct of their members who are either employees in privatepractice or employees in organisations. Individually and,in association, collectively, the professions strike a bargain with societyin which they exchange competence and integrity against the trust of client andcommunity, relative freedom from lay supervision and interference, protectionagainst unqualified competition as well as substantial remuneration and highersocial status. Professional codes of conduct, when rigorouslycommunicated and enforced, contribute substantially to the proper behaviour andconduct of members of the organisations which issue them. Rueschemeyers introductoryreference (1983, cited in Eraut, 1994) to the bargain that professional organisationsstrike with society furnishes a context for critically evaluating the conceptof professional codes of conduct which can be considered to at least partiallyformalize the bargain with society as well as the effects of these codes onthe behaviour and conduct of members of professional organisations who areengaged in private practice or who are employees of other organisations. To establish afoundation for the analysis, the professional organisation will be compared andcontrasted with other types of organisations, and the concept of codes ofconduct will be explored. The focus will then shift to a discussion of theeffects of codes of conduct issued by professional organisations on memberbehaviour. Finally, conclusions will be presented. The Professional Organisation: Comparisonand Contrast with Other Organisations Robbins(1998) defines an organisation as: A consciously coordinated socialunit, composed of two or more people, that functions on a relatively continuousbasis to achieve a common goal or set of goals. Daft (1998) describes organisations as (1) social entities that (2) are goal directed, (3) aredesigned as deliberately structured and coordinated activity systems, and (4)are linked to the external environment. Organisations are formed for a varietyof reasons including those that are started for public and private purposes,for pursuing business and social goals, and for profit or non-profit results. A professionalbody meets the criteria for an organisation as identified by Robbins andDaft. The professional body is a specific type of organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further aparticular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests ofprofessionals (LaborLawTalk.com, n.d.). The ASEP Newsletter (1998) claimsthat professional organisations are formed and exist for the purpose ofrepresenting the profession, adding that this type of organisation consistssolely of members who are, or intend to be, working in the profession, or havebeen allowed special membership status. A fuller description of these types of organisations is offered by the Canadian Security Administrators (2004), which states in this quoted extract that a professional body: .                    admits members primarily on the basis of their educationalqualifications; .                    requires its members to comply with the professional standards ofcompetence and ethics prescribed by the organisation; and .                    has disciplinary powers, including the power to suspend or expel amember. Theconcept of profession is important to the understanding of professionalorganisations. A profession can be described in terms of its features whichinclude representation by a professional organisation, adherence toprofessional ethics and standards, and self-regulation of such functions aseducation, training, and certification or licensure in the profession. (ASEPNewsletter, 1998). Professions are generally identified by occupationalgroup (e.g. doctors, attorneys, surveyors, nurses, consultants, writers, lawenforcement officers). Membership in a professional organisation is often arequirement to legally practice in the profession (LaborLawTalk.com, n.d.). Aprofessional body differs from other types of organisations in that most othersare comprised of members from a variety of professions. These memberscoordinate their individual competencies to achieve an organisations ends. Asingle organisation may have as its members people from such diverseprofessions as doctors, lawyers, clerks, labourers, and engineers. Thisarrangement is certainly necessary, but it has one drawback. A typical organisation is very insular with regard to specific professions. For example, engineers may only interact with other engineers within the organisation. They have little opportunity to exchange knowledge about their profession with engineers in other organisations. On the other hand, a typical professional body, through its focus on a single profession, provides a forum for this type of exchange. One ofthe many professional bodies is the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors(RICS) which promotes itself as the largest organisation for professionals inproperty, land, construction, and related environmental issues worldwide withthe purpose of promoting best practices, regulation and consumer protection tothe public and to businesses. RICS, which claims 110,000 members worldwide, isthe leading source of property related knowledge, providing independent,impartial advice to governments and global organisations. (RICS Rules ofConduct, 2004) Codes of Conduct: The Concept Codes of conduct in professional organisationsprovide a type of social control of expertise, according to Eraut (1994). Thesecodes help to protect clients against incompetence, carelessness, andexploitation. Eraut traces codes of conduct to nineteenth century Britain andthe United States where, at the time, government control was not adequatelyprotecting clients. He claims that experts agreed that a measure of controlmust be vested in the professionals themselves to be effective and, thus, theprofessional organisation was born. A Code ofConduct is a written guide that says how people should behave. It setsstandards of behaviour it says what you should do and should not do. (Crime andMisconduct Commission, n.d.) Organisations establish codes of conduct tocorrect errors of personal equation, according to Miner (2002). Shafritz(1998) describes the term code of conduct through its component words: code,which he defines as laws, regulations, rules, standards, statutes, and conduct,which he defines as bearing, behaviour, demeaneor, and deportment. His fulldefinition for code of conduct is a: specifically identified list of behaviorsthat [has] been deemed appropriate or inappropriate enough to have beenincorporated into either laws or regulations or policy statements. He addsthat a code of conduct narrowly defines what one is to do in a given positionor set of circumstances. The term code of conduct isfrequently used interchangeably with the term code of ethics, but thetwo have different meanings according to Shafritz (1998). Codes of conductoffer specific directions on behaviours expected under various conditions;codes of ethics furnish a set of aspirational standards by which to live andwork. Codes of ethics are designed to inspire. Codes of conduct are designedto require. Organisations that have instituted codes of conduct include for-profit businesses, industry groups, unions, special interest groups, government agencies, schools and universities, and professional bodies. Not unexpectedly, a code of conduct for a professional body outlines the acceptable or desirable behaviours and practices of a particular profession such as doctors, pharmacists, lawyers, and ethicists (EthicsScan Canada Ltd., n.d.). Steadman et al. (1994, cited inEraut, 1994), identified four sets of values affecting conduct: legal values,values of the profession, values of individual professionals, and (foremployees of organisations) values of the employing organisations. The firm Deloitteand Touche (2003) offers comprehensive guidance for developing codes ofconduct. In stating that there is no pre-packaged verbiage for a code ofconduct, the firm suggests that it be written in positive, rather than negativeterms, to help promote positive reception by the intended audience and thus amore like positive outcome in terms of conduct. The code of conduct should: .                    employ simple language, be concise, and be readily understood; .                    not be written in legalistic terms but, rather, in terms ofexpected behaviours; .                    apply to everyone in the organisation; and .                    be revised as needed to reflect changes. Deloitte Touche recommends more than fifty topics that may be included in codes ofconduct. Some of these that may particularly applicable to codes of conduct forprofessional organisations include client service, confidentiality, compliancewith professional standards, independence, conflicts of interest, licensure,fraud, personal conduct, and privacy. In addition, and importantly, the firmrecommends that, in addition to stating expected behaviours, codes of conductshould include enforcement and implementation mechanisms that address thenotion of accountability and discipline for unacceptable behaviour. The RICS,which was highlighted earlier, has a comprehensive, 56-page code of conductcontaining many of the topics recommended by Deloitte Touche withsections focused on personal and professional standards, conduct ofprofessional activities and business, practice details and co-operation,conflicts of interest, impartiality, and independence (Royal Institution ofChartered Surveyors Rules of Conduct, 2004). In addition, and as suggested by Deloitte Touche, the RICS has issued a 28-page supplement to the code of conduct specifying disciplinary rules. These rules state the constitution of disciplinary bodies, possible contraventions (initial processes, rights, and powers), and powers of disciplinary bodies. (Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, Disciplinary Rules, 2004). Professional Codes of Conduct: Effects onMember Behaviour and Conduct Lindsay, Irvine, and Lindsay (1996, citedin Messick, 1999) write: failure to seriouslymonitor, measure and reward (punish) the performance of individuals on theethical plane will leave codes of conduct operating in a vacuum, of littleuse in actually promoting ethical behavior. But what mechanisms take place in shaping thedesired behaviours of members of professional organisations? Operantconditioning and social learning theories help to explain how codes of conductcan help in encouraging desired behaviours. Operantconditioning, which contends that behaviour is a function of theconsequences of the behaviour, suggests that desired voluntary behaviour leadsto a reward or prevents a punishment; in social learning peoplelearnthrough observation and direct experience (Robbins, 1998). Codes of conduct,by specifying the desired behaviours as well as associated rewards andpunishment, guide those affected into behaving as desired (operant conditioning).The enforcement of the code of conduct against those who violate its rules, andthe publicity of the consequences, serves as a model to others on properbehaviour (social learning). Reinforcement is essential to obtainingdesired behaviours. There are four reinforcement methods available to shapedesired behaviours through reinforcement: positive reinforcement, negativereinforcement, punishment, and extinction (Robbins, 1998): .                    positive reinforcement involves following abehaviour with something positive; .                    negative reinforcement involves terminatingor withdrawing something unpleasant; .                    punishment involves creating anunpleasant condition to eliminate an undesirable behaviour; and .                    extinction involves eliminating areinforcement that maintains a behaviour. These reinforcementmethods can be applied by professional bodies in encouraging desired behavioursamong their members. For instance, an organisation could offer annualrecognition to those members who have exhibited highly-desirable behaviours(positive reinforcement). The organisation could impose, then later withdraw, asanction against a member who violated a minor rule (negative reinforcement).The organisation could expel a member who flagrantly violated a major rule(punishment). And, finally, a professional organisation could cease referringpotential clients to members who have violated conduct rules (extinction). In addition to enforcement, a code ofconduct must be rigorously promoted to be effective lest it becomes justanother dust-collecting document on the shelves of those for whom thebehavioural messages are directed. Over time, if conduct rules are not rigorouslypromoted, the expected behaviours can become less and less important in makingdaily decisions on proper behaviour. EthicsScan Canada Ltd. (n.d.) recommendsthat codes of conduct be promoted continuously. For example, members should be required to acknowledge annually, in writing, that they have read and understand the code of conduct. A suggested method for promoting a code of conduct involves discussing it as part of annual performance appraisals or scheduled meetings. These meetings might include introducing case studies followed by discussions of proper behaviour and problems that might occur. Members of professional bodies can beself-employed or employees of other organisations. Whilst codes of conduct mayserve as the sole behavioural guidance for self-employed professionals inprivate practice, employees of other organisations may be subject to two setsof conduct codes one presented by the professional body and one by theiremploying organisations. When the conduct specified in these codes is aligned,employees typically will not experience conflict; however, when the employeesexpected conduct as required by their employers differs from that expected bytheir professional bodies, a conflict exists and employees face potentialdilemmas. For instance, in some cases, professional organisations sanction members who do not adhere to their professional codes of ethics, yet the same members face disciplinary action from their employers if they should disclose information about a breach of public interest (Guy, 1990, citing Dozier and Miceli 1985; Archer, 1986). This dilemma could result in an employee deciding to violate either the rules of his or her employer or those of the professional body. To aid employees facing this type of dilemma, both the employer and professional body should have experts available for consultation. Conclusion Properly written, promoted, and enforced,codes of conduct can be powerful tools in helping to ensure desired behavioursfrom members of professional bodies. Nevertheless, whilst beneficial, codes ofconduct cannot be viewed as a total solution for ensuring the proper behaviourof members of professional organisations. Shafritz (1998) writes: Codes of conductdo not represent professional assurancesabout high moral standards. Rather, they provide direction to those whoseconduct they govern. Codes of conduct are minimalistic prohibitions againstunquestionably subversive or criminal acts. The primary benefit of codes ofconduct lies in augmenting government laws and regulations in promoting desiredbehaviours in the professions. In closing, it may be that professional organisationsare in the fore among organisations in terms of success with codes of conduct.According to Miner (2002), [b]usiness can well learnfrom the professions when it comes to maintaining standards. Professionalbodies seem to take quite seriously the role they serve in ensuring thatclients of professional bodies are protected against incompetence,carelessness, and exploitation. References Archer,Lawrence (1986) The moral minority. Canadian Business 59:56-59, 1986.Cited in Guy, 1990. ASEPNewsletter (1998)What is a profession? March 1998. CanadianSecurities Administrators (2004) Acceptance ofcertain foreign professional boards as a professional organisation, January 19, 2004. Crime andMisconduct Commission (n.d.) Developing a code of conduct. Availablefrom: http://www.cmc.qld.gov.au/OTRT8.html[Accessed: August 5, 2005]. Daft,Richard L. (1998) Organisation theory and design. Cincinnati, Ohio:South-Western College Publishing, 1998. Deloitte Touche (2003) Guidelines for writing a code of ethics/conduct.Deloitte Touche Corporate Governance Services, 2003. Dozier,Janelle Brinker and Miceli, Marcia P. (1985) Potential predictors ofwhistle-blowing: A prosocial behavior perspective. Academy of ManagementReview 10:823-36. Cited in Guy, 1990. Eraut, Michael(1994) Developing professional knowledge and competence. London: FalmerPress, 1994. EthicsScanCanada Ltd. (n.d.) What is a code of professionalconduct? Available from: http://www.ethicscan.ca/resource_centre/faqs/page05.html[Accessed: August 5, 2005]. Guy,Mary E. (1990) Ethical decision making in everyday work situations.Westport, Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1990. LaborLawTalk.com(n.d.) Professional body or professional organisation. Available from: http://encyclopedia.laborlawtalk.com/professional_organisation[Accessed: August 4, 2005]. Lindsay, R. M., Irvine, V. B., and Lindsay, L. M. (1996)Instilling ethical behavior in organisations: A survey ofCanadian companies. Journal of Business Ethics, 15: 393-407, 1996.Cited in Messick, 1999. Messick,David M. (1999) Sanctioning systems, decision frames, and cooperation. AdministrativeScience Quarterly, December 1, 1999. Miner, JohnB. (2002) Organisational behaviour: Foundations, theories, and analyses.New York: Oxford University Press, 2002. Robbins,Stephen P. (1998) Organisational behavior: concepts, controversies,applications. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall International,Inc., 1998. RoyalInstitution of Chartered Surveyors (2004) Disciplinary rules. London:RICS, 2004. RoyalInstitution of Chartered Surveyors (2004) Rules of conduct. London:RICS, 2004. Rueschemeyer,D. (1983) Professional autonomy and the social control of expertise, inDingwall, R. and Lewis, P., eds. The Sociology of the Professions: Lawyers,Doctors and Others. London: Macmillan, 1983. Cited in Eraut, 1994. Shafritz,Jay M. (1998) International encyclopedia of publicpolicy and administration: A-C. Volume 1.Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1998. Steadman,S. et al. (1994) Ethics in occupational standards and S/NVQs. Researchand Development Report. Sheffield: Employment Department, Methods StrategyUnit, 1994. Cited in Eraut, 1994.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Unique Challenges of International Staffing
HR managers are responsible for staffing operations globally. There are three main ways of staffing internationally. First, the company can send people from its home country. These employees are often referred to as expatriates, or home-country nationals. Second, it can hire host-country nationals, natives of the host country, to do the managing. Third, it can hire third-country nationals, natives of a country other than the home country or the host country. Expatriates cost companies, on average, $1 million over a three year period. This can be three to five times what a domestic assignment cost.This is very costly for the company and a disadvantage for a company. There has been a trend with companies in the recent years to send expatriates for only two – twelve months. There are three main advantages to this: 1. Hiring local citizens is generally less costly than relocating expatriates. 2. Since local governments usually want good jobs for their citizens, foreign employers m ay be required to hire locally. 3. Most customers want to do business with companies (and people) they perceive to be local versus foreign. HR departments must also be aware of cultural, political, and legal environments when recruiting internationally.Also, HR manager’s need to make sure that work permits and visas are applied for early in the relocation process. There are so many aspects of hiring abroad that it is nearly impossible to be perfect at making all the arrangements, especially the language barrier to overcome. Also, finding ones with core skills for the assignments is very hard. Training ones to have these skills can take a longer time than it should at times. Hiring local citizens with certain qualifications could be very difficult especially if it is in a poor country that is not used to working with certain qualifications.
Thursday, January 9, 2020
Were The Whitewater Hearings A Persecution By Republicans...
Argument Were the Whitewater Hearings a persecution by Republicans or a justified inquiry? Abstract I did not have sexual relations with that woman. was one of Bill Clinton’s famous political one-liners. In the past decade, many people have made it their mission to prosecute Democratic President William Jefferson â€Å"Bill†Clinton for committing real estate fraud known as the Whitewater scandal and his involvement in numerous illicit sex scandals like the Paula Jones lawsuit and the Monica Lewinsky lawsuit to name a few. The significance of the Whitewater trials and the impeachment of the president is that it served as an example for future presidents and assured the people that the president is subjected to the law, not above it. If he†¦show more content†¦Paragraph one The Whitewater Scandal was a fraudulent land scheme involving the former Governor of Arkansas, William Jefferson Bill Clinton and his wife Hilary Rodham Clinton who partner with Susan and Jim McDougal to purchased land worth $203,000 with the intention of building vacation homes. It was called the Whitewater Development Corp. In 1982, their venture unfortunately failed and Clinton brought a small saving and loans association: Madison Guaranty. This eventually raised suspicions, which led federal regulators to question Madison Guaranty’s financial stability and lending practices. It is important to remember the alleged wrongdoing all occurred before Clinton was elected president in 1992, but the investigation continued into the presidents’ second term in office in 1996. Even though the Whitewater Development failed financially, neither President Clinton nor Hilary Clinton were able to pocket any profit. Once Bill Clinton announced that he was running for president, the n ational media began investigating Clinton (Gormley, Ken). The national media discovered that the Whitewater Development associated the Clintons in dealings that were questionable to the extent of corruption through illegal loans. Further investigation revealed that Clinton was also abusing his powers in the office by pressuring women to interact in sexual activities with him. From the Republicans perspective, the impeachment of Clinton exacerbated the
Wednesday, January 1, 2020
Consequentialist and Non-consequentialist Theories
We have learned about different kinds of theories, consequentialist and non-consequentialist we are going to see if these theories are accountable for its principles in terms of the standard ethical principles such as truth telling, generosity, misconduct, keeping promises, not offending people, etc. To me not all these theories are not 100% perfect and does not fully account for its principles. Consequentialist: Focuses on the result of an action. The act is considered a good act if the result is good, likewise and act is considered bad if the result produced is bad. Under the consequentialist theory, we have Egoism and Utilitarianism. Egoism: is a theory of ethics that focuses on achieving goals that benefit or brings pleasure or greatest good to oneself. In other words it focuses on self-interest, however egoism is opposite to Altruism, which is not strictly based on self-interest, but also includes the interest of others. There are two kinds of Egoism; Ethical Egoism, Psychological Egoism. Ethical Egoism is a normative claim; it believes that individuals should always in their best interest. Another view of ethical egoism is that a person should act according to his own self-interest even if it goes against the values and beliefs of others. Psychological Egoism is a descriptive claim that humans by nature are selfish and their actions are motivated by some kind of selfish desire (Kay, 1997) . I believe Egoism does not account for its principles because it focusesShow MoreRelatedEssay on Immanuel Kant’s Non- consequentialist Ethical Theory 1369 Words  | 6 Pagesconsideration and not be based upon the effects of what such actions may produce such as the case in the consequentialist theory of cause. In this essay Kant’s ethical non-consequentialist theory will be briefly investigated and a comparison drawn between the two different theories in order to establish merit in employment thereof in practice. 2. Kantian Morality Central to Kant’s morality theory is his claim that: â€Å"It is impossible to conceive anything at all in the world, or even out of it, whichRead MoreImpact Of Human Decisions On The Social Responsibility899 Words  | 4 Pagesmorality can be traced to the traditional ethical theories attributed to ethical decision making especially among business personnel. These theories can be classified as either non-consequentialist or consequentialist theories. Consequentialist theories often base moral judgements on the results of engaging in a particular action and are often based on intended outcomes, the aims or the goals of the undertaken action. Non-consequentialist theories on the other hand base their moral judgements on theRead MoreThe Ethics Of The Integrity Objection1336 Words  | 6 PagesObjection is a counter-argument to consequentialism first proposed by Bernard Williams in 1973. It problematizes consequentialist moral philosophy on the grounds that it forces an ag ent to forfeit their ‘integrity’ – their character and personal values – in order to follow an impartial moral calculus. When an agent performs an action which is morally correct according to a consequentialist calculation, they may experience guilt, sadness, or other negative emotions despite the moral rightness of whatRead MoreEthical Theories Which Teachers Should Be Aware Of When Determining The Course Of Action Regarding Discipline1397 Words  | 6 Pages There are two major ethical theories which teachers should be aware of when determining the course of action regarding discipline, and other student affairs. There is the consequentialist theory, and the non-consequentialist. These ethical theories have been put to the test in the case study involving Ms. Jones (the teacher), Johnnie (the student) and, Mr. Pugnacious (Johnnie’s father). In the scenario described, Ms. Jones is having an ethical dilemma. She has witnessed Johnnie starting a f ightRead MoreAre Sophisticated Consequentialism A Alternative Consequentialist? Essay931 Words  | 4 Pages As per its author of Alienation, Consequentialism, and Society, Railton’s opinion of what a sophisticated consequentialist is: â€Å"as someone who has a standing commitment to leading an objectively consequentialist life, but who need not set special stock in any particular form of decision making and therefore does not necessarily seek to lead a subjectively consequentialist life.†Sophisticated consequentialism is a hybrid, as it adopts the ideological tenants of both modalities of consequentialismRead MoreOn Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics 1681 Words  | 7 Pages1. Introduction There is little doubt that Utilitarianism and Kantian Ethics are by far the two most important ethical theories throughout contemporary philosophy. Though both attempt to answer questions about morality and behavior, the two theories have many fundamental differences: one evaluates actions in terms of the utility they produce whereas the other considers whether actions fulfill duty; one emphasizes consequence where the other highlights intentions; one sees desire as essential whileRead MoreThe Consequentialist Theory Of Monsters952 Words  | 4 PagesNext we look at the Consequentialist theory and how it is applied in Monsters Inc. The Consequentialism-utilitarianism method looks at determining if act is right or wrong. It is determined consequential because it does not look at characteristics of how the act was performed but only on the final product. Act utility determines that if an act is ethically right if it maximizes utility. Consequentialism-Utilitarianism is signified in this movie because of what is at stake for the monsters. In Consequentialism-UtilitarianismRead MoreSexist vs Misanthrope1018 Words  | 5 PagesExecutive Summary The following journal will express how ethics theories take place into people personalities and thoughts. It focuses in a social dilemma about a misanthrope and a sexiest living their normal lives, and how they are influenced by their judgments in the decision making process. First of all, Harold, as a misanthrope person dislike people in general, no mattering gender, age, race, social preferences, etc. He does not treat people differently, therefore he does not discriminateRead MoreEssay on Ethical Dilemmas and Normative Theories1358 Words  | 6 PagesEssay Questions: How does the situation facing John constitute an ethical dilemma? Using two normative theories of ethics comment on the ethical aspects of the situation. Business is an organisation or economic system where products and services are traded for money, a product or services. Businesses need investment or customers to make a profit and survive. In business, ethical issues may arise for example false advertising, misleading the public, exaggerations and disclaimers. In this caseRead MoreEthical Dilemmas : What Should Jean Do? Essay1551 Words  | 7 Pagesmade more serious by her austere life pressure if Jean does not follow Wright’s hypocritical technology. This essay states a clear analysis of ethical dilemma that Jean is facing and two ethical theories: Kant’s ethics and ethical egoism. The scenario in the case will be well applied to both ethical theories. According to the case provided, it is easy to see an ethical dilemma was implied incisively and vividly. The term ethic has been defined by (Taylor, 1975) as â€Å"inquiry into the nature and grounds
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)