Page 39 - Surveyor 54.3 and 4

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

Vol.54 No.3 & 4 2019

Table 1: The mean index and standard deviation of ethical decision making with regards to ethical issues in the
construction industry

Standard
Item Ethical Issues Mean Deviation Rank

B1.1 Unfair conduct 3.58 0.55 3
B1.2 Conflict of interest 3.79 0.69 2

B1.3 Collusive tendering 3.67 0.61 10

B1.4 Bribery and corruption 3.54 0.51 15

B1.5 High level of professional dishonesty 3.63 0.56 12

B1.6 Practice of cover pricing 3.75 0.62 3
B1.7 Poor in demonstrating good understanding of ethics 3.58 0.78 14

B1.8 Illegal collaboration with other firms to detest statutory and procedural 3.42 0.50 19
standards

B1.9 Misrepresentation of financial status or records 3.71 0.63 8
B1.10 Favouritism, discrimination and harassment 3.75 0.72 5

B1.11 Improper bidding practices 3.71 0.63 7

B1.12 Improper Bill of Quantities practices 3.75 0.63 4

B1.13 Compromising personal principles to favour organisation’s expectation 3.71 0.60 6

B1.14 Conspiring/collaborating to cover indecent practices of self, colleagues 3.67 0.58 9
and superiors

B1.15 Lack of quality control of work 3.96 0.82 1

B1.16 Outright denial of fault 3.50 0.69 16

B1.17 Professional negligence 3.67 0.66 11
B1.18 Conspiratorial with external forces to defraud the client 3.46 0.57 18

B1.19 Failure to practice whistle-blowing 3.46 0.51 17

B1.20 Mishandle sensitive information 3.42 0.51 20

with greedy contractors to cheat One of the quantity surveyor’s roles that there were some common
others. It was maybe such an act of is to prepare bills of quantities mistakes that can be made in the Bill
tendering an excessively high price and other contract documents of Quantities and sometimes may be
for a contract, on the assumption relating to the project. However, the considered as unethical behaviour of
that the tender will not be accepted. accurateness of the information a quantity surveyor and thus become
Thus, this could be considered as in the Bill of Quantities has always as ethical issues to the project.
unethical conduct by a professional been criticised with the improper
which cause consequence to the preparation of Bill of Quantities by Last but not least, favouritism,
ethical issues. the quantity surveyor. It can be seen discrimination and harassment

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