Ethics in Inter-Firm Cooperation

Particular interest in ethics has appeared in the business community recently. The interest centers on individual honesty in business. Because of the size and scope of the many engineering and planning studies these days, consulting firms frequently have occasion to cooperate or collaborate on projects. Such cooperative ventures unavoidably create ethical hazards not present in individual ventures. Most codes of ethics do not deal specifically with such collaborative ventures. Professionals involved in these situations must be careful to observe ordinary rules of fair play, and to act in such a way as to strengthen the honor, dignity, and integrity of their profession.