Cmp Study Cards: Professionalism

Front 1

Define professionalism.

Back 1

Encompasses both your conduct and how you present yourself; meeting the expectations for the region where you are conducting business as well as the expectations for similar behaviors in your normal place of business.

Front 2

What 4 behaviors are included in professionalism in the meetings industry?

Back 2

1. Having superior knowledge in one or more aspects of the industry

2. Treating people and business opportunities fairly

3. Maintaining high standards for professional behavior

4. Being a lifelong learner in, and contributor to, the industry

Front 3

What are the results of exhibiting professionalism as a meeting planner?

Back 3

1. Help define and protect your reputation as an events professional

2. Enhance the overall image of the profession

Front 4

Name some resources available to help define expectations for professional conduct.

Back 4

- Websites that discuss professional conduct in general

- Standards of behavior that are prepared by the organization for which you work

- Standards of behavior prepared by the organizations your best customers work for

Front 5

List the topics that standards of behavior may address.

Back 5

- Integrity (disclosing conflicts of interest, fulfilling commitments fully and on time)

- Teamwork (respecting diversity, treating others with fairness/equality)

- Client and supplier relations (appreciation/respect for clients, even when they are expressing frustration)

- Self-management (maintaining a positive image, time and stress management)

- Communication (appropriate etiquette)

- Professional presentation (following expectations for attire, hygiene, alcohol consumption, etc)

- Appropriate use of technology (ie. personal use of equipment)

- Ownership/accountability (owning problems when they occur)

- Responsible financial management (making sound decisions that ensure the financial viability of the event)

- Respecting local customs (researching expectations for conduct and protocols and communicating them to all who need to know)

Front 6

What are the 5 common values that people all over the world agree upon, as defined by the Institute for Global Ethics? Give examples of each.

Back 6

1. Honesty (ie. being truthful about future business opps prior to accepting invites to FAM trips, disclosing incentives to employers, maintaining confidentiality)

2. Responsibility (ie. Taking responsibility for the impact of your actions on your stakeholders, fulfilling verbal and written commitments)

3. Respect (ie. valuing diversity, avoiding aggressive behavior)

4. Fairness (ie. using equitable negotiation practices, ensuring fair labor practices, not requesting special favors from suppliers)

5. Compassion (speaking out against bullying/mistreatment, supporting the local community through service projects)

Front 7

What are ethics?

Back 7

Not causing harm, avoiding illegal behavior, as well as doing good/demonstrating care for communities and the environment; making choices between two values (ie. choosing between loyalty to a longtime supplier and an open bidding process)

Front 8

How can professionalism be demonstrated when it comes to negotiations?

Back 8

- Ensure the best possible value for the organization

- Treat every negotiation as an honorable business deal, not a battle to be won

- Treat the person with whom you're negotiating with respect and use language that respects the opinions of others and does not threaten or belittle

Front 9

What is a familiarization trip and how can an event professional demonstrate non-ethical behavior in regards to these trips?

Back 9

A familiarization trip allows event professionals to experience a destination, hotel or other venue and become familiar with the resources available; goal is to help make business decisions more effective on behalf of the professional's organization or client.

Non-ethical behavior could take place if the event professional wants to include others on the trip who have no bearing on the decision-making process (ie. co-workers, family or friends) or if the professional uses the trip as a free vacation or reward for staff.

Front 10

What questions should an event professional consider before offering or accepting a gift, in order to determine that its ethical?

Back 10

- What is the purpose of the gift?

- Is the gift for a group to share of for an individual?

- Does the gift imply an expectation of a return response and is this response appropriate?

- Is the cost of the gift appropriate to the situation?

- Is the nature of the gift appropriate to the situation?

- Is the gift in keeping with the giver's and receiver's organizations ethics (ie. a "green" gift)?

Front 11

When does a gift become a bribe?

Back 11

When it is given with expectations of a return favor or decision

Front 12

What is PII and how can it be used in a non-ethical manner?

Back 12

PII (personally identifiable information) includes anything that may identify an individual, such as a passport number, national ID number or credit or debit car number.

PII should be kept secure and confidential - a breach of this data is both non-ethical and can have severe legal implications. make sure to get permission from individuals before sharing data with sponsors or exhibitors.

Front 13

What is suitcasing and what can trade show managers do to prevent it?

Back 13

Suitcasing is the act of soliciting business in the aisles during an exhibition or in other public spaces, including another company's booth, or in a hotel lobby or convention center space.

Trade show managers should develop a clear policy against it and enforce the policy on-site.

Front 14

What is outboarding and what can meeting planners do to prevent it?

Back 14

Outboarding is the practice of conducting an event related to an existing meeting but not approved by the event's host organization - prospective participants in the original meeting are invited to the unsanctioned event, resulting in a decrease in event attendance and affecting the host organization's reputation.

Event planners should create a policy regarding outboarding and disseminate the policy to potential exhibitors, sponsors and partners. If outboarding occurs, the planner should meet with representatives of the organization that has infringed on the event to help curtail future episodes.

Front 15

What is a code of conduct?

Back 15

Guidelines, processes, policies and procedures developed by an organization to minimize risk and provide a framework that is easily understood and to which employees can and should adhere (should be very specific).

Front 16

What are some best practices for developing an organizational code of conduct?

Back 16

1. Involve senior management to ensure alignment with the vision and strategy

2. Create a diversified advisory group to increase effectiveness and relevance

3. Set the objectives (should be tied to the expected outcomes by which the code's effectiveness will be measured)

4. Tailor the code to the needs and values of the organization (includes understanding the types of risks posed to the organization with respect to behaviors)

5. validate the draft code with employees

Optional:

6. Identify written industry standards of conduct and be aware of regulations and laws

7. Encourage everyone to be accountable for their own behavior and for helping co-workers maintain accountability

8. Create a system for employees to report violations to the code

Front 17

List some methods for ensuring that an organization's code of conduct becomes a part of its culture.

Back 17

- Make the ethics policy a part of training for all staff and volunteers with they first start

- Include ethical behavior as part of the criteria for performance reviews

- Review the ethics policy in regular training and staff meetings, discussing particular concerns

- Assign a review committee to examine the policy on an annual basis

- Allow people to submit specific questions/reports anonymously

- Provide easy guidelines with a list of FAQs about ethical challenges

- Participate in outside training on ethics to keep up to date with best practices

- Provide the internal code of conduct to vendors/suppliers

- Specify and carry through on disciplinary procedures

Front 18

What must a CMP pledge to, as part of the CMP Code of Ethics?

Back 18

- Maintain exemplary standards of professional conduct at all times

- Actively model and encourage the integration of ethics into all aspects of the performance of my duties

- Perform my responsibilities in accordance with the laws and regulations of the government

- Maintain confidentiality of all privileged info, including the personal info of other CMP candidates and the contents of the CMP exam

- Never use my position for undue personal gain and promptly disclose all conflicts of interest

- Communicate all relevant info to my employer in a truthful and accurate manner in order to facilitate the execution of my fiduciary responsibilities

- Not use the CMP designation in any way other than that which is authorized and immediately cease using the designation should I fail to maintain the requirements of the CMP certification

- To abide by all policies and procedures of the CMP program

- To be truthful in all info provided to the CIC in all applications and recertification applications