Differences in Stakeholder Ability in Addressing Unethical Practices: Insights from the Surveying Profession
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 145, Issue 4
Abstract
While several measures have been suggested to address unethical practices within the built environment, it remains unclear whether some stakeholders are more able to influence improvement in unethical practices than others, and if so whether such phenomenon manifests similarly or differently in different national contexts. This study pioneers the exploration of whether different built environment profession stakeholders (i.e., the practitioner/individual professional, the practitioner’s organization/company, and the professional body/association) have different abilities to influence improvement (i.e., positive change) in unethical practices, and subsequently whether such phenomenon manifests differently in different national contexts. The study used cross-sectional surveys of built environment surveying professionals in three countries: Ghana, Nigeria, and Tanzania. The findings revealed that there are significant differences in the abilities of stakeholders to influence improvement in unethical practices like political interference, discrimination, and nepotism. The findings further revealed that differences in stakeholder ability to influence improvement in unethical practices can manifest differently in different national contexts. The implication is that, in different national contexts, specific stakeholders could play a leading role in efforts to address unethical practices in which they are more capable of influencing improvement.
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Acknowledgments
Appreciation is extended to the Commonwealth Association of Surveying and Land Economy for the assistance given in data collection.
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Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 145 • Issue 4 • October 2019
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©2019 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Nov 27, 2018
Accepted: Jun 26, 2019
Published online: Jul 29, 2019
Published in print: Oct 1, 2019
Discussion open until: Dec 29, 2019
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