General Professional Ethics and Conduct 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A manager asks an employee to falsify a report to meet a deadline. The employee should:
- Comply to keep their job
- Refuse and document the request (Correct answer)
- Falsify only minor details
- Ask a coworker to do it instead
Correct answer: Refuse and document the request
Falsifying records is unethical and often illegal; the request itself should be documented.
Question 2: What is the purpose of a professional code of ethics?
- To replace legal regulations
- To set standards of conduct that guide professional behavior and protect the public (Correct answer)
- To limit competition among professionals
- To guarantee employment for licensed practitioners
Correct answer: To set standards of conduct that guide professional behavior and protect the public
Codes of ethics define expected behavior and protect clients, the public, and the profession's integrity.
Question 3: A professional realizes mid-project that the task exceeds their expertise. The ethical action is to:
- Proceed and hope for the best
- Disclose limitations and seek qualified assistance or refer the client (Correct answer)
- Charge less and continue
- Conceal the gap to protect their reputation
Correct answer: Disclose limitations and seek qualified assistance or refer the client
Recognizing and disclosing competence limits protects clients and maintains professional integrity.
Question 4: Which action best demonstrates accountability in a professional setting?
- Blaming a team member when a project fails
- Acknowledging your own mistakes and taking steps to correct them (Correct answer)
- Avoiding tasks that carry risk of failure
- Delegating decisions to reduce personal responsibility
Correct answer: Acknowledging your own mistakes and taking steps to correct them
Accountability means owning your actions and working to fix errors rather than deflecting blame.
Question 5: A professional is asked to provide a reference for a former colleague they know performed poorly. They should:
- Provide a glowing reference to be kind
- Decline to give a reference or provide an honest, factual assessment (Correct answer)
- Exaggerate accomplishments slightly
- Share only positive details and omit negatives
Correct answer: Decline to give a reference or provide an honest, factual assessment
Providing a misleading reference harms future employers and violates the duty of honesty.
Question 6: What does 'pro bono' work reflect in terms of professional ethics?
- A way to avoid taxes
- A commitment to public service by providing professional services for free or reduced cost (Correct answer)
- Marketing to attract paying clients
- Compliance with mandatory licensing requirements
Correct answer: A commitment to public service by providing professional services for free or reduced cost
Pro bono work reflects a professional's duty to serve the public good beyond personal financial interest.
Question 7: Which scenario is an example of 'misrepresentation' in professional conduct?
- Admitting uncertainty about a project outcome
- Claiming credentials or experience you do not actually have (Correct answer)
- Declining work outside your specialty
- Charging market-rate fees for services
Correct answer: Claiming credentials or experience you do not actually have
Misrepresentation involves stating false information about qualifications or facts to gain an unfair advantage.
General Professional Ethics and Conduct 3
A manager asks an employee to falsify a report to meet a deadline.
The employee should: