If a manager shares confidential customer information without permission, which professional principle is affected?

Correct answer: Confidentiality and ethics

The governing concept is confidentiality as an element of ethical professional conduct. Customers provide personal or business information with the reasonable expectation that it will be used only for authorised purposes and protected from unnecessary disclosure. Sharing it without permission violates that trust, may expose the customer to harm, and can damage the organisation’s reputation or create legal consequences. Therefore option A, confidentiality and ethics, is correct. Division of work concerns allocation of tasks and does not address unauthorised disclosure. Building maintenance and training time are operational matters unrelated to information protection. A professional manager should restrict access, follow privacy procedures, disclose information only with authority or a lawful basis, and accept responsibility for safeguarding stakeholder information.