The Role of Professional Bodies in Enabling the Attainment of Ethical Practice in Different Professions - Case Study Example

Ethics Interview Report Name: Institution: Ethics Interview Report Table of Contents Executive Summary 2 Introduction 2 Discussion 3 The Professional Body 3 The Person in the Profession 5 Conclusion 9 References 9 Appendix 9 Executive Summary This paper examines the role of professional bodies in enabling the attainment of ethical practice in different professions. This is achieved by investigating the manner in which professionals become members of professional organizations, and the manner in which there exist similarities and differences among individuals working in dissimilar professions. It also explains the actual ways in which professionals get information about the professional bodies in which they are members. Introduction This paper presents an interview with Mr. Holmes who is a Management Consultant in Accounting and also a member of the Institute of Management Consultants (IMC) which is based in Australia. The interview was carried out on a face-to-face basis and involved a discussion with Mr. Holmes regarding various aspects of code of ethics required of professionals who are members of the organization. The focus of the interview is to determine the extent to which Mr. Holmes complies with the professional code of conduct or ethics as recommended by the professional body. It also examines the similarities in the manner in which the professional performs his tasks and the requirements of the organization. In addition, the paper investigates the manner in which the professional organization deals with issues such as non-compliance to its recommendations by members, and whether they are provided with continuous education in order to strengthen their compliance to the recommendations of the professional body. Discussion The Professional Body I. Information about IMC During my interview with Mr. Holmes, I enquired about IMC. He explained that this is an organization that promotes the practice of management by establishing the actual manner in which professionals in managerial positions need to conduct themselves in order to promote consulting activities, and ensure particular standards are followed in management. He also explained that the organization is involved in the provision of professional advice and support in the process of management across the national boundaries. Mr. Holmes also explained that the organization performs the duties of attracting accredited practices and accepting membership of other organizations. II. The main professional Codes of ethics required of members of the organization I enquired about the actual code of ethics required by IMC to be complied with among its members. It was established that one of the codes of ethics is that management consultants are required to add value to the enterprises of their clients, whether the enterprise is in the form of a business, a non-profit organization, or a government department. He also explained that it is a requirement for members of IMC to apply integrity, competence, objectivity, and professionalism when serving clients. It was also reported that IMC requires that its members must accept assignments that they have the competence to perform and they should only assign staff or engage colleagues who possess knowledge and expertise in particular projects they are assigned to perform. Furthermore, the IMC requires that consultant professionals should be responsible for charging fees that are reasonable; commensurate with the actual services delivered and value-creation as well as acceptance of risk responsibility. It was also found that IMC requires that members must recognize that the clients’ enterprises have a number of stakeholders with divergent interests and are likely to seek balance and reconcile them in provision of guidance to the client. Furthermore, it states that members have the duty to report any occurrences that are regarded as malfeasance, or dangerous activities in the course of performing their duties. III. Code of Ethics Regarding making of Payments I also investigated the knowledge of Mr. Holmes regarding codes of ethics of IMC with regards to making and receiving payments. He explained that one of the codes of ethics of organization is that members are not allowed to accept commissions, remunerations, or other forms of benefits from third parties with regards to the recommendations to the client without the latter’s consent, and are required to make an advance disclosure of financial interests in goods or services that constitute a part of the recommendations. He also stated that members are not allowed to advertise their services in a manner that is deceptive or likely to cause misrepresentation or denigration of individual management consultants, consulting organizations, and consulting profession. IV. How the information about the Codes of Ethics are communicated to members I also investigated from Mr. Holmes to explain the manner in which members of the organization are required to comply with the codes of ethics in performance of their professional duties. He explained that one of the ways is by providing the registered members with written booklet explaining the code of conducts and the use of other media such as the organization’s web site to enable them learn about the present codes of conduct. In addition, Mr. Holmes explained that compliance to the code of conduct is communicated to members by encouraging them to visit the organization’s offices where they are provided with additional information on the actual codes of ethics they need to observe and the changes that have been implemented. The Person in the Profession I. How they Conduct themselves to Comply with the code of ethics I investigated the views of Mr. Holmes regarding the manner in which he conducts himself to comply with the professional code of conduct in the performance of Management Consultation tasks in his organization so that he does not violate the IMC codes of ethics. He explained that he ensures the tasks he needs to perform is within his capability and also does not commence the performance of consultation prior to consulting with the client. He also stated that he ensures the terms of practice between him and the client are adequately elaborated and a consensus is reached before he commences to perform any consultation task. He also stated that he ensures the client is allowed to make personal contribution to the actual consultation tasks to be performed so that actual outcome is according to his or her interest. II. Legal Ramifications of breach of the Professional Code of Ethics In investigated the knowledge of Mr. Holmes regarding the legal ramifications in case of breach of one of the codes of ethics in consulting activities as required by IMC. He stated that a client, a member of the Institute has the right to report any act of violation of Code of Ethics to the Institute of Management Consultants. If such complaints are received, a disciplinary committee will be formed that performs the role of investigating and recommending the right actions, such as mediation, arbitration, or sanctions against a member involved in the act. For instance, it recommends that IMC may mediate by recommending that the professional conducts the activity in a manner that complies with the recommended codes of ethics. He also stated that the IMC may order the arbitration against the person reported to be involved in the practice of performing a deceptive act such as misrepresentation of a client. The officials of IMC may act as arbitrators in a case involving a member professional consultant and a client in order to reach a resolution to the disagreement. The arbitration is subject to acquiring the consents of the respective parties involved in a consultation with the Management consultant. III. The role of Continuous Education to Comply with the regulations of IMC In the interview with Mr. Holmes on the role of education in enhancing his understanding of the codes of ethics of IMC, he explained that the organization is involved in providing education using different forms. For instance, IMC organizes workshops and seminars where its registered members are provided with the opportunity to learn different methods of complying with the codes of ethics. He explained that during the seminars, members are provided with the opportunity to learn areas of uncertainties in the codes of ethics and also allowed to ask questions regarding the manner in which the organization requires them to conduct consultation tasks. Mr. Holms also explained that he is able to access IMC web site to get a better understanding of particular codes of conduct before providing consultation services to his clients. He also explained that he uses the semi-annual printed information from IMC that are issued to explain the sets of codes of conduct so that he can learn more about the actual guidelines to follow when providing management consultation services. IV. Reflections of the experiences on the similarities and differences in expectations From the interview with Mr. Holmes, I established that there are particular similarities in my expectations of the codes of ethics and the actual codes of ethics used to determine the manner in which they need to provide management consultation services. The codes of conducts are similar to my expectations in terms of their emphasis on integrity, objectivity, and independence in the manner in which management consultation should be provided. It was also my expectation that a code of ethics will exist that promotes the performance of actions in a manner that promotes involvement of the client. For instance, IMC requires that members must seek the consents of different clients before opting to commence a particular consultation task. It is also recommended that they should not set charges for the consultation tasks without seeking the views and opinions of clients. In addition, I expected that there will be cases where the IMC takes disciplinary action against members who violate some of its codes of ethics. This is illustrated in the instance where it was reported that IMC takes actions such as arbitration of a case involving the consultant and the respective client or asks the client to declare the contract with the consultant null. The main difference in my expectations and the actual code of ethics implemented by IMC is that the present code of ethics requires that members must undergo training on their respective professions so that they comply with particular codes of ethics expected of them by the organization. This is contrary to my expectation where I expected that the organization only allows members to access its codes of ethics and does not determine the manner in which they need to comply with them. Another difference in the actual codes of ethics and my expectation is that IMC Codes of ethics requires that a member may withdraw from a consultation activity if the objectivity of the contract is impaired. This is contrary to my expectation because, I expected that members can only withdraw from a consultation if the contract with the client has not been sealed. V. Reflections on its meaning such as professional bodies I will need to join From the Interview with Mr. Holmes, I have established that I will need to apply particular codes of ethics when providing consultation services to clients. Form instance, I will enhance cooperation and professionalism when providing consultation services to clients. I will also enhance the practice of seeking the views and perspectives of the client regarding the actual tasks that need to be performed in the consultation task so that the outcome meets his or her needs. In terms of becoming a member of a professional organization, I will seek the membership of professional organizations that provide codes of ethics in my area of specialty or the actual activity in which I may provide such services in future. After joining the respective professional body, I will enhance the practice of complying with the codes of ethics by consulting the staff of the organization, obtaining information from their web site and implementing their recommendations when providing consultation services to clients. Conclusion This paper provides an interview that explains how one of the members of the IMC complies with its code of conduct in the provision of Management Consultation services. It is established that the main objective of IMC has been to promote the participation of members in consultation services by complying with codes of ethics such as integrity, independence, and seeking the views of their clients. Due to the role of IMC, most management professionals have been able to provide consultation services to clients in a manner that addresses the actual expectations of the tasks performed with few chances of making mistakes or violating ethics in professional practice. Generally, this paper provides an insight to any professional involved in the provision of management consultation services on the actual codes of ethics they need to observe in order to provide their services in a manner that meets customer expectations. References Curnow, B., & Reuvid, J. (Eds.). (2005). International Guide to Management Consultancy: Evolution Practice and Structure. Kogan Page Publishers. Dawson-Shepherd, A., Kellner, K., & Neumann, J. E. (2013). Developing organisational consultancy. Routledge. Doorley, J., & Garcia, H. F. (2011). Reputation management: The key to successful public relations and corporate communication. Routledge. Duska, R., Duska, B. S., & Ragatz, J. A. (2011). Accounting ethics. John Wiley & Sons. Appendix 1. Interview Questions Professional Body Questions 1. What is IMC and what is its main role? 2. Which professional Codes of ethics are required of members of the organization? 3. Are there codes of ethics regarding making of payments? 4. How is the information about the Codes of Ethics communicated to members? Code of Ethics Questions regarding the person in the profession 1. How you Conduct yourself to Comply with the code of ethics? 2. Are there any legal Ramifications of breach of the Professional Code of Ethics? 3. What is the role of Continuous Education to Comply with the regulations of IMC? 4. Read More