Page 35 - Surveyor 54.3 and 4

Investigation of Ethical Decision Making Towards Ethical Issues in the Construction Industry

Vol.54 No.3 & 4 2019

Fraud has no time or resources to prepare low remuneration, difficulty in
a carefully priced tender for the interpretation of standard method of
Major form of fraud is purposely project. The company therefore measurement, difficulty in carrying
covering up poor workmanship and submits a high offer, which it does out measurement on site and limited
material quality during inspections, not expect to be successful (McHugh time to carry-out measurement. Vee
constructing with materials not and Forster, 2012). An organisation and Skitmore (2003) divided breach
included in their quotations, over may have decent reasons to ask at a of professional responsibility into
ordering material, tampering of spreading cost so that it can present three (3) categories such as conflict
signed documents, altering contract a solid offer, including that: it could of interest, confidentiality and
documents (Vee and Skitmore, be dropped from a delicate downturn propriety information infringements
2003), misinformation, employing if it does not join or if it still needs and breaches of environmental
illegal workers, speeding up for employment capacity for the same ethics.
payment (Berawi et al., 2008). important occupation in the future
(Shah and Alotaibi, 2017).
Bribery Concept of Ethical

Poon (2004) defined bribery as the Lack of Quality Control Decision-Making
briber offering someone money or of Work Ethical thinking involves the intricate
any others material as inducement Types of unethical conduct process used to consider the impact
to the receiver to get benefit from the witnessed or experienced in the of our actions on the individuals
action even though the briber is not industry include “lack of quality” (Vee or institution served (Chmielewski,
entitled. Abdul-Rahman et al. (2009) and Skitmore, 2003). Abdul- Rahman 2004). While most decisions are
stated if the gifts given by payer et al. (2010) added most of quality routine, we can unexpectedly face
influence the decision or action to issues are perceived to be triggered an ethical dilemma when unusual
the receiver, such an act could be by human factors. Unethical situations occur suddenly for
said as bribery but if the action does behaviour by the construction which an immediate response is
not fulfil the conditions above, the industry parties impacts the quality needed (Chmielewski, 2004). Ethical
gift cannot transform to bribery.
of projects (Rahman et al., 2009). conflicts between these participants
can therefore easily arise unless a
Collusive Tendering Improper Practices on Bill of certain degree of alignment of ethical

Collusive tendering is defined Quantities standards and values is established
as illegal agreements between throughout the project (Kang and
tenderers that result in seemingly The major problems identified during Shahary, 2012). Thus, making good
competitive bids, price fixing, pre-contract stage are poor quality ethical decisions requires a trained
or market distribution schemes of drawings, poor specification, sensitivity to ethical issues and a
that circumvent the spirit of free
competition and defraud clients
(Zarkada-Fraser, 2000). Methodology
of tendering is one of the basic
techniques in the construction
industry that addresses moral
issues from expenditure caused by
inadequate tenderers, reasonable
tendering practices and the right of Ethical Legal
disclosure to reveal irreconcilable
situations.

Cover Pricing
The term “cover pricing” refers to a
practice in which a company wants
or believes that it is necessary to
tender for a particular project but
does not want to win the tender or

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