A prolonged period of Conservative government in Britain (1979-1997) has resulted in profound changes in the nature of social welfare, including education. One of the characteristics of this period has been a decrease in the status and autonomy accorded to professions; and a change in the relationship between 'the providers' and 'the consumers' of services. More specifically, the years from 1989 to the mid nineties have been marked by rapid legislative and organisational change in the personal social services. They have also seen significant change in the institutional policies and culture of higher education. Changes in both these sectors have impacted on the arrangements for the education of social workers, responsibility for which is shared between the professional accrediting body, employing agencies and higher education institutions. The starting point for this research was a recognition that, in line with other moves promoting deprofessionalisation and instrumentalism, qualifying training might be relocated outside the higher education system. An initial question, 'can social work survive in higher education?', prompted an exploration of the external influences and internal characteristics which have resulted in this sense of vulnerability. The research utilised interdisciplinary perspectives, grounded in a policy framework, and an inductive approach to collection of empirical data, to examine the view that social work education is open to conflicting policies and values from higher education and the professional field. The possibility that the subject would share similarities with other forms of professional education was also examined. The thesis therefore presents a case study of the epistemology and relationships of a particular form of professional education. Consideration of the literature pertaining to the three contextual factors, social work, higher education and professional education, and of the empirical data derived from social work educators support the concluding argument. This posits that biography, culture and structure interact to produce a discipline with inherent tensions, partly due to its position on a boundary between two systems and partly reflecting the nature of the subject. While its location within higher education is deemed appropriate by social work educators, decisions about its location and form are largely exercised by other interest groups: its survival and development therefore require constant negotiation.

This thesis considers, from a sociological viewpoint, the intellectual movement in Victorian Britain known as scientific naturalism. It argues that the naturalist cosmology needs to be seen as part of the strategy of certain social groups; in particular, naturalism expressed the interests of the newly emerging scientific profession in nineteenth century Britain. The professionalisation of science was part of a larger social development: the appearance of a 'new' professional middle-class. The thesis considers how other new professionals, especially those connected with medicine, deployed naturalistic formulations in their own attempts to secure social recognition and resources. An attempt is made to place naturalism in a broader historical perspective as well as to describe the intellectual background from which it emerged. There are six chapters. The first describes social conditions relevant to an understanding of naturalism; the next four discuss the leading themes of the naturalist world-view; the last considers the wider significance of naturalistic approaches to man and society at the turn of the nineteenth century.

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The thesis makes a distinctive contribution to the field of professional ethics; offering a more nuanced understanding of the role of a profession’s ethos in relation to its ethics. In so doing, it also offers a valuable insight into GP thinking at what proved to be a unique moment in the history of that branch of the medical profession. Using historical and empirical data, the thesis first traces the development of the medical profession’s ethos - Its belief in itself as a noble, superior profession, of special dignity and worth. It then shows the influence of that ethos in areas of professional decision-making that have had a particular impact on the provision of health care within the LJK over the past 50 years. Taking the profession’s ethos as a benchmark, the study explores the nature of the profession’s response to the creation, control and, in recent years, major reform of the NHS which reform introduced a new emphasis on management. The latter provides a case study that relates the theoretical material to an historical situation This includes a number of interviews with GPs that point to the beliefs and values influencing their decisions in relation to the reforms, as they affected general practice. The study concludes that, although a profession dependant on attracting clients may find it necessary to subscribe to a set of ethical principles that draws on outside beliefs and values, it is the ethics derived from its own internal ethos that will take precedence in guiding everyday thinking and practice

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Researchers have identified the complexity of ethical decision making choices and the influences that assorted professional context variables have on one’s ethical frame of reference. To encourage adherence to ethical codes of conduct, professional organizations must recognize the impact that professional context variables have on ethical decision making. The purpose of this study was to examine Human Resource Development professional’s perceptions of the Academy of Human Resource Development’s Standards on Ethics and Integrity specifically regarding applicability, clarity, and importance of statements. Additionally, this study examined whether Hofstede’s Value Survey Module grouped into a three-factor solution. A questionnaire entitled Perceptions of Professionals and Scholars Regarding AHRD’s Standards was adapted from five sources and was piloted to ensure instrument reliability and validity. The main study involved 602 respondents for a response rate of 22% (n = 133). Results of the study indicate that respondents were clear regarding their understanding of the Standards. The highest level of clarity reported was 89.4% and the lowest level of clarity reported was 71.1%. However, respondents were indifferent about their ratings of the application of AHRD’s Standards. The percentages regarding perceived level of application between AHRD’s six statements ranged from 68% (applied) and 28.8% (infrequently applied). Using independent t-test procedures and a series of one-way ANOVAs, differences in levels of agreement were seen in the following groups: educational level, income level, and religious affiliation. Finally, this study examined if participant responses to the items extracted from Hofstede’s Value Survey Module fell into three-factor constructs of individualism/ collectivism, power distance, and uncertainty avoidance. A Principal Component Analysis indicated that the eight statements selected were representative of Hofstede’s three-factor solution of cultural dimensions. Practical implications are discussed regarding these findings, along with explanation for some of the newly developed exploration findings. While the findings of this study were interesting, research related to the influence of professional context variables on ethical decision making needs further examination.

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This thesis investigates professionalism in undergraduate medical students. Professionalism is comprised of values and behaviours that underpin the contract between the public and the medical profession. Medical errors are reported to result in significant morbidity and are in-part related to underdeveloped professionalism. The aim was to determine whether aspects of professionalism were underdeveloped in medical students. A questionnaire with 24 clinical and medical student vignettes was taken by Year 2, 4, and 6 medical students from UNSW Medicine 3801 and their responses where compared to responses from practicing Clinical Academics. Second, fourth and sixth Year medical students' responses differed from Academics in two aspects of professionalism, firstly, high ethical and moral standards and secondly, humanistic values such as integrity and honesty. A second component of this thesis was to determine whether student's responses to professionalism changed as they progressed through the medical program. Year 2 and 4 students had very similar responses except for the aspect responsibility and accountability. Similarly, the Year 2 and 6 students differed in only two of eight aspects of professionalism, that is, high ethical and moral standards and humanistic values and responsibility and accountability. These findings suggest that students' approaches to some aspects of professionalism do change slightly as they progress through a medical course, however there does not appear to be a clear decline or development of professionalism as a whole. Responses from the Year 2, Medicine 3801 and Medicine 3802 (new medical program) medical students were compared and no statistically different responses. This finding would indicate that professional behaviour was very similar between these two groups of students. Certain aspects of professionalism seem to be underdeveloped in medical students compared with Academics. These aspects of professionalism may need to be targeted for teaching and assessment in order that students develop as professionally responsible practitioners. In turn, students with well-developed professionalism may be less involved in medical error, and if involved they may have the personal values which can help them deal with error more honestly and effective.