The notion of conflict of interest is more relevant today than ever. Ethical sensitivities about the relationship between professionals and those they serve is a source of constant debate. This book sets a new standard for work on this perennial topic, collecting a set of practical essays by top applied ethicists on a wide variety of professions and occupations. Some conflicts of interest arise because a profession takes on many roles while serving one goal; others take on one role but serve multiple goals. Some conflicts are internal to the profession; others (such as family or business connections) are external. The essays in this volume address such diverse conflicts in a comprehensive way, in an attempt to make useful comparisons across professions. Containing fifteen original chapters by noted scholars of applied ethics, this volume systematically explores professions including law, medicine, journalism, engineering, financial services, anthropology, film, physical therapy, and literary criticism. An introductory chapter surveys and contextualizes work on the topic, while the concluding chapter offers us a new way to compare conflicts of interest across professions and occupations. Conflict of Interest in the Professions will be of great practical interest to scholars of applied ethics and law, as well as to professionals in the fields discussed

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Michael Davis is at Illinois Institute of Technology. Andrew Stark is at University of Toronto.

"The fundamental idea behind the bookis that examining how conflincts of interest arise and are dealt with in divers professions yields insight into their underlying structure. The execution of the idea is often informative, sometimes brilliant...taken as a whole, Conflict of Interest in the Professions provides insights into the structure of conflicts, how and why they are dangerous- and when they are not- and the best ways to escape or manage them. The book deepens our understanding of conflicts of interest and clearly lays out the choices we face."--New England Journal of Medicine