Abstract
In the professions of today are ethical concerns of no overwhelming importance? Are these concerns less important in certain professions rather than others? Do some practitioners carry a blase attitude regarding ethics within their profession?
This study, sometimes asking “life-blood”, “career-jeopardizing” questions is less interested in electronic data results and more interested in actual respondent replies on dissent and competence.
There is strong evidence that the ethical ethos that has given American society its direction has been damaged; further, it has been the professed professionals who have been the major contributors to the ethical decline.
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Lincoln Steffens, writing at the start of the century, focused his studies of corruption on “the shame of the cities.” A Steffens writing today might take as his theme the shame of the professions.
Max Lerner (1975)
Robert Hauptman is a reference librarian and teacher at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. He holds a Ph.D. in Comparative Literature.
Fred Hill is a reference librarian and teacher at St. Cloud State University, St. Cloud, MN. He holds an Ed.D. in Instructional Systems Technology.
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Hauptman, R., Hill, F. Deride, abide or dissent: On the ethics of professional conduct. J Bus Ethics 10, 37–44 (1991). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383691
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00383691