Unethical behaviour in construction industry- the South African construction professionals’ views

Abstract

Ethics is an important issue in any profession and business organisations. Due to its importance, many organisations and professional bodies’ usually have ethical guidelines and principles available in the form of a code of conduct to guide key stakeholders within their organisations and professions to operate with integrity, fairness and accountability. Notwithstanding these provisions, previous studies have shown that the South African construction industry professionals possess “a reputation for unethical practice." This unethical conduct has become a cause for serious concern in the industry and has negatively impacted the industry image, integrity, and reputation. Consequently, this study investigates factors facilitating unethical practices and effective disciplinary measures to curb unethical behaviour for better performance and productivity of the construction industry. A quantitative research approach was adopted using a well-designed questionnaire. The target population were various experienced construction professionals in the South African construction industry. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed, out of which fifty completed questionnaire were received and found to be useful. There were six disciplinary actions against unethical practices, which were presented and rated by respondents. The data obtained were analysed using SPSS. Mean item score was derived for each disciplinary measure. From the analysis, the most rated measure among all the identified disciplinary measures was the dismissal of an individual caught in any unethical acts. Other measures include termination of contracts by clients and disqualification of tender. Adopting these measures will help reduce unethical practices in the industry and promote transparency and accountability within the construction industry in South Africa.