Confidentiality and disclosure : assessment and intervention issues

This portfolio addresses the moral, ethical and legal issues that impact upon decisions to maintain or disclose confidential communications. The tensions and moral dilemmas that are created when a conflict between these aspects arises are considered. Risk assessment procedures that inform decisions to maintain or disclose confidential information are discussed, as are issues related to the practical implementation of planned interventions. The topic is addressed by firstly reviewing professional codes of conduct and legal requirements to maintain confidentiality. The limits of confidentiality and privileged communication are then reviewed together with legal requirements of “duty to warn” or “duty of care”. These requirements are then related to risk assessment procedures and relevant interventions. Four case studies that illustrate the practical application of assessment techniques in the decision process and planned interventions are presented. They cover such diverse topics as disclosure and suicidal intent, threat of harm to a third party, risk of transmission of the AIDS virus and “duty to warn” and maintenance of a minor’s confidential communications. The ways in which these issues were addressed and the outcome is presented. NOTE: All names and details that have the potential to identify the people whose cases are presented here have been changed to protect their anonymity.

The decline of the notion of soul and the rise of the concept of self

This thesis examines the ethics of genetic engineering from the frame of reference of the human individual.

"We've got a problem!" women and prenatal diagnosis

This feminist qualitative research addresses the lack of women's voices in the ethical debates surrounding prenatal diagnosis (PD). The conclusions reached challenge current ethical debates around PD programmes which, through the exclusion of groups intimately affected by PD, remain partial and inadequate.

Plagiarism, the internet and student learning : improving academic integrity

Written for higher education educators, managers and policy-makers, 'Plagiarism, the Internet and Student Learning' combines theoretical understandings with a practical model of plagiarism and explains why and how plagiarism developed.

Converting potential organ donors : a situational analysis of Australian physicians

This theory-building research suggests that the key to unlocking Australia's potential organ donor pool is to reduce the ethical ambiguity and legal uncertainty plaguing physicians' interepretation of the patients's best interests standard. This may generate a greater acceptance of organ donation as part of end-of-life patient care amongst our physicians.

Public opinion and ethics

The article reports on the complicated relationship between public opinion and ethics and discusses how large a role, if any, public opinion should play in issues related to health care, such as euthanasia. In the article the author offers her opinions on democracy and on the role that public opinion plays in solving ethical issues related to health care.

Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: Increasing Psychologists' Willingness to Assess and Treat Substance-abusing Clients.

The high prevalence of substance abuse in the United States and the low rates of assessment and treatment of these disorders by mental health providers points to a growing need to understand the factors that prevent substance-abusing individuals from receiving adequate services. Psychologists are one group of mental health providers that show little interest in working with this population and receive little research attention on the topic. This paper explores the potential role that education, previous experience, and the impact that holding stigmatizing beliefs towards substance-abusing individuals has on psychologists' willingness to provide clinical services for clients struggling with addiction. Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is explored as a potential intervention for psychologists.

Moving from values inaction to values-in-action : an exploration of how values can be managed intentionally by national sports organizations

The study examined the intentional use of National Sport Organizations' (NSOs) stated values. Positive Organizational Scholarship (POS) was applied to an Appreciative Inquiry (AI) approach of interviewing NSO senior leaders. One intention of this research was to foster a connection between academia and practitioners, and in so doing highlight the gap between values inaction and values-in-action. Data were collected from nine NSOs through multiple-case studies analysis of interview transcripts, websites, and constitutional statements. Results indicated that while the NSOs operated from a Management by Objectives (MBO) approach they were interested in exploring how Management by Values (MBV) might improve their organization's performance. Eleven themes from the case studies analysis contributed to the development of a framework. The 4-1 framework described how an NSO can progress through different stages by becoming more intentional in how they use their values. Another finding included deepening our understanding of how values are experienced within the NSO and then transferred across the entire sport. Participants also spoke about the tension that arises among their NSO' s values as well as the dominant values held by funding agents. This clash of values needs to be addressed before the tension escalates. Finally, participants expressed a desire to learn more about how values can be used more intentionally to further their organization's purpose. As such, strategies for intentionally leveraging values are also suggested. Further research should explore how helpful the 4-1 framework can be to NSOs leaders who are in the process of identifying or renewing their organization's values.

Responsabilitat social i ambiental d’empreses multinacionals tèxtils: observatori ambiental

El treball tracta d’ explicar quines són les conseqüències sobre la societat i el medi ambient dels països que reben els processos productius de les empreses tèxtils deslocalitzades. El treball es divideix en: una part teòrica, on es fa un breu recorregut per la història del tèxtil i una relació entre medi ambient -indústria tèxtil i multinacionals tèxtils-societat. I en una part pràctica, on s’ analitzen les deu empreses amb major índex de vendes de roba a Espanya i també es comfigura un índex d’ ètica d’ empresa en termes socials i ambientals. Aquest treball pretén ser una eina per a futurs treballs d’ educació per al consum, per tal que els consumidors puguin escollir uns o altres productes, tenint en compte variables que vagin més enllà del renom de la marca, el preu o els colors atraients dels envasos que els contenen