Role Of Professional Bodies Research Articles

The international education association of Australia’s first 20 years: strengthening public diplomacy and social licence through professional development, advocacy and research

PurposeThe article examines the ways in which professional associations representing those working in international education are able to shape national systems and thereby change the ways in which the country engages internationally. This is particularly significant for Australia, which has one of the world’s most internationalised higher education systems.Design/methodology/approachThis paper presents a case study of the International Education Association of Australia, which since 2004 has played a central role in shaping international education policy and practice. It provides an insider account of three authors who have held senior roles in the Association, drawing on first-hand knowledge of institutional history.FindingsThe case study illustrates the ways in which the Association’s professional development, research and policy advocacy activities have helped to broaden Australia’s engagement in international education from a narrow commercial focus. The resulting deeper engagement with a broad range of issues associated with international engagement, including student welfare, outbound mobility, curriculum, migration and transnational education, has transformed policy and practice in Australia.Originality/valueAlthough international education is coming to play an increasingly significant role in many systems, little has been written about the role of professional bodies in influencing the character and quality of international engagement. This paper makes a valuable contribution by demonstrating the practical measures that can be employed by international education professional bodies to strengthen public diplomacy and the social licence for global engagement.

Navigating the integration of knowledge and research evidence in clinical practice for children's foot health: A multi-professional survey.

Access to clinical services for children with foot and ankle problems are important, but unravelling the complexity of practice and service delivery can be challenging. The pursuit and implementation of research evidence is critical for driving positive change in practice, but little is understood about the approaches to knowledge and research acquisition in children foot health. The aim of the study was to: (1) explore multi-professional habits of knowledge and research evidence acquisition in children's foot health; and (2) understand how clinicians integrate information for children and their families into their practice. This was a descriptive, cross-sectional online survey. Participants were included if they worked in the UK and had experience of working within paediatric services. There were complete responses from 247 health professionals, representing physiotherapists (n=160), podiatrists (n=50), orthotists (n=25), nurses and specialists in community public health nurses (health visitors) (n=12). Three main themes were generated from the data: (1) Factors that influence knowledge and inform clinical practice. (2) The role of Professional Bodies in informing professional knowledge. (3) Health Professionals' views on managing health information for parents and caregivers. This work advances understanding of the value health professionals' place in the development of materials for informing professional knowledge, as well as highlighting some of the challenges with translation of knowledge into clinical practice. The findings offer a national perspective of health professionals working on children's foot health and have highlighted that some of the most valued influences on clinical practice come from peer-to-peer networking.

Role of Professional bodies in the era of globalization.

Role of Professional bodies in the era of globalization.

‘Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’. A qualitative study of ethical PR practice in the United Kingdom

The dynamics of ethical behaviour has long been a preoccupation of the Public Relations (PR) field, yet in the United Kingdom, there are few empirical studies of ethical practice to date. In this article – through interviews with 22 UK Public Relations practitioners (PRPs) in small and medium-sized enterprises – we address this empirical gap. We examine three dimensions of ethical practice: societal responsibilities, truth-telling and the role of professional bodies. In the literature, the PRP is often positioned as the ethical conscience of the corporation, but in Shakespeare’s words, ‘uneasy lies the head that wears a crown’. Our findings reveal a range of ethical standards, some of which would make professional bodies blush. Many PRPs aspire towards an ethical counsel role but lack agency in the face of commercial and organisational forces. Rather than challenge such forces and the system they are part of, participants talked of coping strategies. At the same time, practitioners flow between ethical identities, painting a fluid, complex and occasionally contradictory picture of ethical practice that does not fall neatly into ethical metanarratives. While deontological ethical frameworks (typically expressed through codes of conduct) have dominated the professional field, our findings suggest that for many practitioners, such codes remain distant. Findings are discussed within ongoing debates around professionalisation, professional identity and the political economy of PR work.

Professional Bodies and Quality Assurance of Higher Education Programmes in South Africa: Towards an Appropriate Framework

Collaboration between universities and professional bodies is neither new nor unique to South Africa. It occurs in many higher education systems and revolves around the role that professional bodies play in the quality assurance and accreditation of the relevant higher education programmes. In South Africa, this relationship has become increasingly problematic over the recent past due to a number of factors. This article begins by exploring those factors before highlighting the legal framework governing the role of professional bodies in University programmes. A critique of the said role is then undertaken against the backdrop of views and opinions from academics involved in professional programmes in some South African universities, including the thorny issue of who should meet the costs of accreditation. The article concludes with suggestions on the principles that should underpin a revised framework, under the custodianship of the Council on Higher Education, to govern the relationship between universities and professional bodies.

Role of Professional Bodies in the Development of Library and Information Science Profession in Nigeria

The Librarians’ Registration Council of Nigeria (LRCN) and the Nigerian Library Association (NLA) are the leading professional bodies for librarians, information specialists, knowledge managers, record managers, archivists and experts in the field of publishing in Nigeria. They are saddled with the responsibilities among others to regulate and improve the practice of librarianship in Nigeria. This study surveys the role of professional bodies in the development of library and information science profession in Nigeria. The papers rely heavily on the evidence from literature. The study found that Librarianship is a professional association based on its attributes. Evolution of NLA and LRCN was looked intoand various contributions of NLA and LRCN to the development of Librarianship in Nigeria were also highlighted. The paper concludes that much is still expected from both the LRCN and NLA. A few recommendations were given, such as provision of research grants award and research paper competition, most especially among doctoral students within the association

The Role of Professional Associations in the South African Education and Training System

The National Qualifications Framework Act (NQF Act 67) changed the landscape of professional bodies in the South African (SA) education and training system substantially by mandating the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA) to recognise professional bodies and to register their designations on the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This study endeavoured to critically look at the roles and responsibilities of professional bodies as dictated by SAQA, against existing literature on the role of professional bodies, to determine what should be the role of professional bodies in the new SA education and training system. The research approach was quantitative and non-probability sampling, consisting of convenience and judgemental sampling techniquewas used to collect data using online questionnaires. The findings reveal that the impact of the implementation of the NQF Act had been very positive, and professions and professional bodies enjoy increased status and recognition, and that there is also a minimum standard for professions and professionals. Further, professional bodies will continue to play the traditional role in the new NQF landscape. Many professional bodies now have a formal constitution and their focus on life-long learning through continuous professional development (CPD) has increased, as has the award of professional designations.

The service context for clinical guidelines: Supporting guideline implementation by assuring and improving the quality of service in which clinicians work

This paper argues that accreditation schemes and quality networks promote good contexts for the implementation of clinical guidelines. It raises questions about how organizational standards should be developed, structured and focused, how clinical guidelines and organizational standards should connect, how to practically increase the number of such schemes and their scope, and the role of professional bodies in this. There is a considerable amount of administration involved in running an accreditation scheme or quality network and there are risks involved in starting in new areas. One way forward is for professional bodies to partner to share risks and to build a common operating platform for the administration of the work across the professional bodies. This platform could be guided by topic experts within the bodies.

Gate-keeper, supervisor or mentor? The role of professional bodies in the regulation and professional development of solicitors and family mediators undertaking divorce matters in England and Wales

This article sets out findings from a grounded theory analysis of the professional training and accreditation requirements for solicitors, accredited specialist family law solicitors and family mediators in England and Wales as set by their professional bodies: the Law Society of England and Wales and the then UK College of Family Mediators.1 It examines the roles that the professional bodies ascribe to themselves with respect to their profession and their members, considering the extent to which professional regulation fulfils gate-keeping, supervisory or mentoring roles. In conclusion it suggests that in the light of the cues transmitted by the professional bodies in England and Wales in respect of divorce cases and clients, the very nature of professional practice as a family law solicitor and as a family mediator is being transformed into a form of hybrid practice that draws upon two radically different epistemological traditions, with important consequences for solicitors, family mediators and their clients.2 Thus, it challenges the largely accepted dichotomy of adversarial divorce practice on the part of solicitors in opposition to the consensus-based approach practised by family mediators.

Research capacity development in podiatry: the contribution of the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists

The development of a research culture within the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists, and the research capacity building within the profession that must underpin this, is an essential element of both the ‘learn’ and ‘achieve’ themes of the conference. The role of professional bodies in developing professional practice and the maintenance of standards is unquestioned and is the main focus for the work of these bodies. However, research evidence is required to provide the evidence base for that professional practice. This need for evidence is becoming more urgent as, for example, funders of health-care services and fee-paying patients are increasingly requiring evidence of efficacy and effectiveness of interventions. In the UK, the move to commissioning of services for the National Health Service is accelerating this trend. Professional bodies should therefore have a role in developing that evidence base as a core part of their business. However, particularly for the smaller allied health professions, scarce resources and other competing priorities mitigate against this. This poster will look at how the Society of Chiropodists and Podiatrists have begun to tackle this problem and will illustrate how, in less than five years, they have moved from research being a special interest of a few, to it being a core part of the organisation, with major successes for podiatrists in prestigious, competitive national research schemes

Human Resource Development from a Holistic Perspective

The problem and the solution. In an increasing complex world, a holistic perspective on HRD examines the inter-relatedness of the global and local; economic and social; individual and community and considers the role of professional bodies, the development of ethical approaches, and the need to guard and enhance notions of identity.

The development of occupational standards in the practice of diagnostic ultrasound: Part 1, background

This, the first of two papers considers the development of occupational standards in the practice of diagnostic ultrasound, giving an overview of the background to the project which was commissioned by the NHS Executive South and West and the College of Radiographers. The paper provides a review of the literature related to occupational standards with key themes, such as the role of professional bodies in monitoring practice and practitioners and the derivation and definition of occupational standards. Other models and projects which have developed methods of standards design in areas of radiography and diagnostic ultrasound (such as the development of competency based standards for medical radiation science professions) are also considered. The paper concludes with a reflection on the need for continual evaluation of occupational standards and their use in practice.

The role of professional bodies in occupational and environmental health in the Asia‐Pacific region

Acknowledges that professional associations and colleges and similar bodies have played a major part in the development of occupational and environmental health. Some notable bodies exist at both the national and regional levels.

Child Care Services -- the role of professional bodies

Child Care Services — the role of professional bodies Journal of Tropical Pediatrics, Volume 23, Issue 2, April 1977, Pages 59–60, https://doi.org/10.1093/tropej/23.2.59 Published: 01 April 1977