Aconflict of interestarises whena professional’s personal or business interests interfere with their public duty. Full disclosureis essentialin maintaining trust and integrity.

Step-by-Step Breakdown:

1. Why Conflicts of Interest Must Be Disclosed:

Acity council member who owns a business that bids on city contractshasinsider influence.

Not disclosing this conflictisunethical and legally questionable.

2. Real-World Example:

Amunicipal engineersits ona public infrastructure boardand their private firmsubmits a bid for a major road project.

They must disclose the conflict and recuse themselves from decisions affecting their company.

3. Why Option B Is Correct:

Transparency and disclosure are required under professional ethics and law.

4. Why Other Options Are Incorrect:

A (Public safety is paramount)– Important, butconflict of interest is the core issue.

C (Undertake work only when qualified)–Not the main concern here.

D (Fairness & courtesy)– Fairness is important, butdisclosure of conflicts is the primary requirement.