
All Association members share a devotion to high professional standards
and best practices. This is made concrete by the fact that every
member at every level - from student to CMC - must agree to abide
by this stringent Code of Professional Conduct.
Purpose
The purpose of this Code is to identify those professional obligations
that serve to protect the public in general, and the client in particular.
The Code is also designed to identify clearly the expectations of
members with respect to other members and the profession.
Definitions
"Council" is the Council or Board of any provincial or
regional institute of Certified Management Consultants affiliated
with the Canadian Association of Management Consultants (CAMC).
"Member" is any individual registered and in good standing
with a provincial or regional Institute of Certified Management
Consultants in Canada.
Responsibilities to the Public
Legal: A member shall act in accordance with the applicable
legislation and laws.
Representation: A member shall make representation on behalf
of provincial, regional, or national institute members only when
authorized.
Public Protection: A member shall be liable for suspension
or expulsion from membership where that member has behaved in a
manner unbecoming to the profession, as judged by Council.
Responsibilities to the Profession
Knowledge: A member shall keep informed of the applicable
Code of Professional Conduct and the profession's Common Body of
Knowledge.
A member shall strive to keep current with developments in any area
of the profession where specific expertise is claimed.
Self-Discipline: A member shall recognize that the self disciplinary
nature of the profession is a privilege and that the member has
a responsibility to merit retention of this privilege. Therefore,
a member shall report to Council unbecoming professional conduct
by another member.
Responsibilities For Others: A member shall ensure that other
management consultants carrying out work on the member's behalf
are conversant with, and abide by, the applicable Code of Professional
Conduct.
Image: A member shall behave in a manner that maintains the
good reputation of the profession and its ability to serve the public
interest.
A member shall avoid activities that adversely affect the quality
of that member's professional advice.
A member may not carry on business that clearly detracts from the
member's professional status.
Responsibilities to Other Members
Review of A Member's Work: A member who has been requested
to review critically the work of another member shall inform that
member before undertaking the work.
Responsibilities to the Client
Due Care: A member shall act in the best interest of the
client, providing professional services with integrity, objectivity,
and independence.
A member shall not encourage unrealistic client expectations.
Business Development: A member shall not adopt any method
of obtaining business that detracts from the professional image
of the Institute or its members.
Competence: A member shall accept only those assignments
that the member has the knowledge and skill to perform.
Informed Client: A member shall, before accepting an assignment,
reach a mutual understanding with the client as to the assignment
objectives, scope, workplan, and costs.
Fee Arrangement: A member shall establish fee arrangements
with a client in advance of any substantive work and shall inform
all relevant parties when such arrangements may impair or may be
seen to impair the objectivity or independence of the member.
A member shall not enter into fee arrangements which have the potential
to compromise the member's integrity or the quality of services
rendered.
Conflict: A member shall avoid acting simultaneously for
two or more clients in potentially conflicting situations without
informing all parties in advance and securing their agreement to
the arrangement.
A member shall inform a client of any interest that may impair or
may be seen to impair professional judgment.
A member shall not take advantage of a client relationship by encouraging,
unless by way of an advertisement, an employee of that client to
consider alternate employment without prior discussion with the
client.
Confidentiality: A member shall treat all client information
as confidential.
Objectivity: A member shall refrain from serving a client
under terms or conditions that impair independence and a member
shall reserve the right to withdraw from the assignment if such
becomes the case.
Statements of Interpretation
For some time, the Institutes in Canada have perceived a need to
flesh out the meaning of the Code by providing a companion set of
guidelines to help members interpret each Section of the Code.
The Ontario Institute (ICMCO) launched a lengthy project, beginning
in 1992, to create such guidelines. The extensive work was carried
out under the aegis of its Discipline Committee, chaired by Anne
Patterson, CMC. Interpretations were drafted by Committee members,
by volunteers, or by a panel of selected senior members of our profession.
The drafts were tested with the individual panel members, and reviewed
by the Discipline Committee.
The Statements have now been reviewed by all other Institutes in
Canada. At its October 1994 meeting, the Board of Directors of ICMCC
formally approved the Statements of Interpretation for ratification
and adoption by every Member Institute. Further amendments were
approved by the Board in October 1996.
The Statements of Interpretation furnish guidelines to help CMCs
and Prospective Members understand the requirements of the Code.
The Statements elaborate on, and are more specific than, the related
Section of the Code. They should assist Members in determining how
to apply the Code to particular circumstances - and so to act knowledgeably
in compliance with it.
With the passage of time, the evolution of professional thought
and the gaining of experience with the Code will produce a need
for added or modified Interpretations.
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