Chapter 3 The Current State of the F amily and Consumer Sciences Profession
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States, it is considered unethical (and illegal) to
exactly replicate a clothing designer’s work with
the intention of selling a “fake,” (an item that
passes off as the original). In other cultures this
is not considered unethical but instead is shrewd
business, and many exact copies of designer
clothing and accessories are sold at much lower
prices than the originals. It is illegal to sell such
copies in the United States. However, it is an
accepted practice and an important part of the
United States apparel industry to “knock off”
(make close copies of) designer goods. These
knockoffs are sold under a different label and
often use inferior materials or construction tech-
niques. Thus, in the United States, it is not con-
sidered unethical to mimic a designer’s work or
to reproduce it as an inferior product. It is con-
sidered unethical to replicate goods and falsely
use the original designer’s name, trademark, or
logo. Professionals must always be aware that
culture and the specific situation can place a fil-
ter on what is considered ethical behavior.
Ethics in a professional setting concerns con-
duct of behavior and practice when carrying out
professional work. Many professional organi-
zations and businesses have a code of conduct.
These codes or guidelines usually address the
professional’s obligations to the employer, to the
client or customer, and to society as a whole.
They include principles such as honesty, non-
discrimination, confidentiality, competence, and
the avoidance of conflicts of interest or abuses of
power.
• Honesty: Professionals do not misrepresent
their qualifications or the services that they
offer.
• Nondiscrimination: Professionals provide
services without discrimination based on
ethnicity, country of origin, gender, race,
religion, or age.
• Confidentiality: Professionals protect confi-
dential information they obtain in the course
of their work. This is especially important in
health care settings, where violations of con-
fidentiality are not only unethical but also
illegal.
• Competence: As a professional you are
expected to stay up to date in your field to
provide the best possible service to your
employer and clients, customers, patients,
or students. If you are unable to perform
competently due to substance abuse or men-
tal illness, for example, you are obligated to
remove yourself from situations where you
might do harm and to seek help.
• Conflicts of interest: A conflict of interest
is a situation in which you may be tempted
to put your personal interest above that of
your employer or client (patient, student).
Two situations in which conflicts of inter-
est frequently arise are in hiring and pur-
chasing. For example, your responsibilities
may include hiring. Suppose a member of
your family is one of the candidates for the
position. Your evaluation of the candidates
may be biased, and your relative may have
an unfair advantage. In this situation, it is
important to make your employer aware
of the relationship and allow someone
else to make the hiring recommendation.
Purchasing items for your employer from
businesses in which you have a financial
or personal interest is another example of a
conflict of interest. In some situations, it is
also illegal.
• Abuse of power: Sexual harassment is an
example of the abuse of power, but it is not
the only type. Using your position of author-
ity to force employees to perform personal
services that are not part of their job duties
is also an abuse of power. The employer is
not paying your administrative assistant
to address and mail your personal holiday
cards or political campaign flyers. Public
employees have lost their jobs for this kind
of ethical violation.
Professional behavior and, specifically, pro-
fessional ethics are crucial in establishing the
ideals and responsibilities of the family and con-
sumer sciences profession. Professional ethics
serve to protect the professional and his or her
clients, motivate and inspire high performance