Final answer:
Activities to protect professions include enforcing codes of ethics and providing protection for whistleblowers who report misconduct. This is vital for maintaining public trust and the integrity of various professions, such as law, medicine, and government service.
Step-by-step explanation:
A whole series of activities needed to protect the profession from those who would misuse the appropriate functions of that specialty, such as the requirement that one professional report the misconduct of another, can be referred to under various terms, one of which is professional ethics.
Across various fields, professional organizations have established codes of ethics for their members to follow. These include obligations for professionals, such as software engineers, to uphold certain standards in their work. Similarly, within government bureaucracies and other organizations, there exist systems to enable and protect individuals who report unethical behavior or corruption. This is evident from acts like the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 and the Whistleblower Protection Act of 1989, which provide protection for whistleblowers who report misconduct. The enforcement of these ethical standards is essential to maintain public trust and uphold the integrity of the profession.
In legal terms, such activities may also be connected to criminal law, which establishes punishment for actions that harm or endanger others. The concept of enforcing ethical behavior in professional settings is intertwined with both the professional codes and broader legal frameworks aimed at preventing malpractice and the misuse of power within a profession.