Exploring Factors for Ethical Decision Making: Views from Construction Professionals
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 135, Issue 2
Abstract
The construction industry has experienced malpractice, which is a significant cause for concern. Does the nature of the industry provide some hint for tracing the underlying reasons of the relatively severe ethical problems in construction? Can one of the most influential stakeholders in the industry, the professionals, improve the situation? This study was conducted in Hong Kong to investigate what kinds of ethical problems are faced by construction professionals, and to explore the factors influencing their ethical decision making. Statistical factor analyses identified six intuitive underlying factors that affect ethical decision making when construction professionals are facing ethical dilemmas in the industry. Four of them influencing decision making are “deontological factor,” “consequential factor—egoism,” “consequential factor—utilitarianism,” and “legal requirement.” Two other factors are “oneself/family” and “stakeholders.” Results show that construction professionals’ ethical behavior is guided by legal requirements. When making ethical decisions, they adopt an egoism approach that prioritizes their self-interest and their families’ interests higher than the public’s interest; they would consciously evaluate the consequences of any unethical behavior.
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Acknowledgments
The writers would like to thank Joanne C. Y. Wan and Carol K. H. Hon who, in their respective roles as research assistants, contributed to the writing of this paper. They also acknowledge The HK Polytechnic University for the research funding for this project under Reference No. Central Research Grant UNSPECIFIEDA-PD35.
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Information & Authors
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Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 135 • Issue 2 • April 2009
Pages: 60 - 69
Copyright
© 2009 ASCE.
History
Received: Nov 27, 2006
Accepted: Feb 16, 2007
Published online: Apr 1, 2009
Published in print: Apr 2009
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