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Encyclopedia > Professional body

A professional body or professional organization is an organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further a particular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests of professionals. The balance between these two may be a matter of opinion. One the one hand, professional bodies act to protect the public by maintaining and enforcing standards of training and ethics in their profession. On the other hand, they may also act like a cartel or a labor union (trade union) for the members of the profession, though this description is commonly rejected by the body concerned. Membership of a professional body does not necessarily mean that a person possesses qualifications in the subject area, nor that they are legally able to practice their profession - although in some countries and professions, membership of a professional body is required for somebody to legally practice. A non-profit organization (often called non-profit org or simply non-profit or not-for-profit) can be seen as an organization that doesnt have a goal to make a profit. ... A cartel is a group of producers whose goal it is to fix prices, to limit supply and to limit competition. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers...


Many professional bodies also act as learned societies for the academic disciplines underlying their professions. A learned society is a society that exists to promote an academic discipline or group of disciplines. ...

 Legal functions 

In countries where the legal system entitles defendants to a jury by their peers, the general public may not be considered sufficiently knowledgeable in a field of practice to act as a peer in some legal cases. For example, the average person may not be able to determine if a civil engineer took reasonable care to ensure a bridge would not collapse. Therefore, the government may define self-governing professional associations of peers in specific fields. A defendant is any party who is required to answer the complaint of a plaintiff in a civil lawsuit before a court, or any party who has been formally charged or accused of violating a criminal statute. ... This article can be confusing for some readers, and needs to be edited for clarity. ... The term civil engineer refers to an individual who practices civil engineering. ...


As part of their self-governing mandate, professional associations are usually responsible for licensing of practitioners in their field. Furthermore, a person is usually prohibited from advertising as a "professional" unless they are a member in good standing of the relevant professional association.


Medical, engineering, architecture, accounting and legal practitioners are commonly governed by professional associations in most localities. See drugs, medication, and pharmacology for substances that are used to treat patients. ... ... // Scope and intentions According to the very earliest surviving work on the subject, Vitruvius De Architectura, good buildings should have Beauty (Venustas), Firmness (Firmitas) and Utility (Utilitas); architecture can be said to be a balance and coordination among these three elements, with none overpowering the others. ... Accountancy (British English) or accounting (American English) is the process of maintaining, auditing, and processing financial information for business purposes. ... This article is about law in society. ...


Professional associations do not always concern themselves with licensing or the equivalent or government regulations. In the United States, journalist seek to avoid government involvement in their work or "official" definitions.

Contents


Examples of professional associations

Australia

  • Institution of Engineers, Australia

European Union

European Federation of National Engineering Associations (FEANI) is a professional body and currently represents over 2 million professional engineers in 26 European countries. ...

Republic of Ireland

logo incorporates phi, the Greek alphabet letter The Institution of Engineers of Ireland (Irish: Cumann na nInnealtóirí) or the IEI, is the second oldest engineering society in the British Isles established in 1835 and currently representing over 20,000 members, primarily in Ireland, the Institution accepted its current name...

United Kingdom

The British Medical Association (BMA) is the professional body to which the vast majority of British doctors belong. ... The Institutions headquarters Founded on 2 January 1818, the Institution of Civil Engineers (the ICE) is an independent professional association, based in central London, representing civil engineers. ... The Law Society of England and Wales is the professional association that regulates and represents the solicitors profession in England and Wales. ... The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) is a professional body for architects in the United Kingdom. ...

United States

The American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) was founded in 1852 to represent members of the civil engineering profession worldwide. ... The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers or IEEE (pronounced as eye-triple-ee) is an international non-profit, professional organization for the advancement of technology related to electricity. ... The Society of Automotive Engineers is a professional organisation and standards body for the engineering of powered vehicles of all kinds - cars, trucks, boats, aircraft and more. ... The Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (SHPE) was founded in Los Angeles, California, in 1974 by a group of engineers employed by the city of Los Angeles. ...

See also


  Results from FactBites:
 
Professional body - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (365 words)
A professional body or professional organization is an organisation, usually non-profit, that exists to further a particular profession, to protect both the public interest and the interests of professionals.
Membership of a professional body does not necessarily mean that a person possesses qualifications in the subject area, nor that they are legally able to practice their profession - although in some countries and professions, membership of a professional body is required for somebody to legally practice.
In countries where the legal system entitles defendants to a jury by their peers, the general public may not be considered sufficiently knowledgeable in a field of practice to act as a peer in some legal cases.
Careers and Professional Bodies in Ireland - Nightcourses.com Education Articles (739 words)
Professional bodies are most energetic when promoting their respective professions, but many are now starting to establish themselves as life-long learning providers.
Professional bodies are generally organisations that act as an intellectual and professional link between members of a particular profession.
Professional bodies are also involved in the establishment of post-graduate programmes and continuing education programmes.
  More results at FactBites »


 

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