The way in which a community of practitioners evolves from a trade to a profession is always a long and winding path, and requires a lot of hard work and support from its members. A profession is commonly defined as a community of individuals who possess certain specialised knowledge that is not available to others, and who earn their living by serving customers with such knowledge. Since customers have to rely on their specialised knowledge, the standard of their professional knowledge and the manner of their practice are matters of direct concern to those who engage them. It thus follows that professional communities should be subject to a certain degree of regulation for the safeguard of consumer interest. Generally speaking, someone intending to join a profession is subject to certain restrictions and assessments including licensing, examinations, completion of prescribed courses or some similar requirements. In Hong Kong, some professions are regulated through peer supervision while others are regulated by independent organisations. Regulation by an independent body is usually resented by members of the profession as outside rule may constitute an impediment to autonomy in the management of their own affairs. Self-rule, on the other hand, cannot ensure the trust of the community at large. The general public will have its doubts as to impartiality in the handling of complaints against members of the profession. An absence of views from outside the profession might mean that the check and balance derived from independent opinions are wanting. Furthermore, in some professions where self-rule is practised, controversies have arisen as members have to shoulder high insurance premiums to pay for the malpractice liabilities of a few, which is an unfair burden to the majority of law-abiding members.

行政總裁出席教育人員專業操守議會主辦的「推廣教育專業操守運動」研討會，任主講嘉賓。
The Chief Executive Officer was the keynote speaker at a seminar on professsional ethics for teachers organired by the Council on Professional Conduct in Education.

There are two angles from which we may assess an individual's standard of professionalism, one being professional knowledge and the other, professional ethics. Professional knowledge may be attained through training and standards may be maintained through an examination and licensing system. Professional ethics, however, is a much more complicated matter. It might not be too difficult to define what is unethical or unprofessional, and the imposition of ethical standards may always be effected through educational efforts, but it is very much up to the individual whether to observe such standards. In this issue of the Milestone we feature the interviews with two veteran estate agents who both emphasised that professional integrity was to a large measure the result of self-discipline, rather than rules and regulations alone. Thus Dr Martin Luther King, Junior once said:  "Morality cannot be legislated, but behaviour can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless." And we may conclude that, whether a profession is being regulated through peer or independent supervision, the self-discipline of its members remains the most important factor of professionalism.

Barely a few years ago the trade was still in a state where everyone might claim to be an estate agent, there was no requirement for professional knowledge, and agency practice was not subject to any specific rule. With the introduction of Estate Agents Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation, the industry has taken on a new look. Now we have properly qualified practitioners and rules to govern their practice, a redress system for aggrieved customers, and facilities for agents' further professional development, and all these were achieved within the past three years. Such developments over a short period of time indicate the industry's potential for growth. As the majority of the practitioners are serving their clients competently in a spirit that emphasises both professional knowledge and integrity, the gradual transition of the industry to a self-regulated mode of governance may well be anticipated, as the recognition and trust of the community at large are being earned.

The effective regulation of a profession is more than just creating rules for practitioners to follow. What is of paramount importance is to use educational means to inculcate the correct attitude towards professional practice, and to raise practitioners' sense of self-discipline. This is an area in which the trade associations may play a more positive role. Estate agents are professionals who should be in possession of specialised knowledge and skills. If the trade associations would strengthen training efforts in both professional skills and ethics for their members, then we can expect practitioners' discipline to be much improved and the end result will be a decrease in complaints and a much enhanced image among the general public.