ABSTRACT
In the past, management theory has failed to adequately recognize the qualitative differences between the organization and management of a professional private practice and that of a purely business enterprise. The aim of this chapter is to use the surveying profession as a case study in order to examine the ideology of professionalism. The point under discussion is what do firms believe are the basic characteristics which make them ‘professional’. The supposition is that the ideology of professional firms:
• is different from that of the general firms recognized in traditional management theories; and
• has come under increasing pressure to change (and perhaps change permanently) in the current recession.
