ABSTRACT
Professionalism is not an ethereal something understood only by philosophers and advocated only by idealists. It is the intangible, yet very practical cloak of integrity, altruism and culture that shrouds and protects a body of men [sic] whose conscious purpose in life is to serve humanity. (Robinson, quoted in Simpson and Sweeney, 1973)
But, you see, I can believe a thing without understanding it. It’s all a matter of training. (Lord Wimsey, in Sayers, 1931)
The tabloid exposures on unbecoming behaviour by professionals seldom involve land surveyors. After all, the various exploits of dishonest politicians, corporate high-flyers, and other occupations are invariably more newsworthy, for example, the well-publicised rise and demise of Messrs Nixon, Maxwell and Boesky. Perhaps, even, the vocational title itself, and the workplace activities of land surveying, are rather too prosaic for the investigative journalist anyway! Yet, as with most professional institutions, surveyors world-wide do place standards of ethics, and an adherence to a specified code of conduct, high on the list of expected professional practice and behaviour.
