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Ethical behaviour in the South African construction industry

Author

Listed:
  • Paul Bowen
  • Akintola Akintoye
  • Robert Pearl
  • Peter J. Edwards

Abstract

An opinion survey of South African architects, quantity surveyors, engineers and contractors regarding ethical behaviour within the construction industry reveals that South African contractors seem to possess a reputation for unethical conduct. The range of problems encountered includes collusion, bribery, negligence, fraud, dishonesty and unfair practices. While bribery in the form of payments and gifts is prevalent, fraud does not appear to be as serious a problem. Most construction professionals believe that the industry suffers from unfair tendering practices, as well as over-claiming and/or withholding payment for service delivery. Negligence arises mainly from poor documentation and poor workmanship. Incidents of collusive tendering encompass cover pricing and bid cutting by contractors, while the primary form of fraudulent behaviour is deceit and misinformation. The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development's bribery codes conditions could be used to counter unethical behaviour in the construction industry.

Suggested Citation

  • Paul Bowen & Akintola Akintoye & Robert Pearl & Peter J. Edwards, 2007. "Ethical behaviour in the South African construction industry," Construction Management and Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(6), pages 631-648.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:conmgt:v:25:y:2007:i:6:p:631-648
    DOI: 10.1080/01446190701225707
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    Citations

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    Cited by:

    1. Weisheng Lu & Meng Ye & K.W. Chau & Roger Flanagan, 2018. "The paradoxical nexus between corporate social responsibility and sustainable financial performance: Evidence from the international construction business," Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 25(5), pages 844-852, September.
    2. Bag, Surajit & Sabbir Rahman, Muhammad & Choi, Tsan-Ming & Srivastava, Gautam & Kilbourn, Peter & Pisa, Noleen, 2023. "How COVID-19 pandemic has shaped buyer-supplier relationships in engineering companies with ethical perception considerations: A multi-methodological study," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 158(C).
    3. Ceric Anita & Ivic Ivona, 2021. "Network analysis of interconnections between theoretical concepts associated with principal–agent theory concerning construction projects," Organization, Technology and Management in Construction, Sciendo, vol. 13(2), pages 2450-2464, January.
    4. Zhao Zhai & Ming Shan & Amos Darko & Albert P. C. Chan, 2021. "Corruption in Construction Projects: Bibliometric Analysis of Global Research," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(8), pages 1-21, April.
    5. Shobha Ramalingam, 2020. "Subcontractor Selection Process Through Vendor Bids: A Case of An Outsourcing Service in Construction," IIM Kozhikode Society & Management Review, , vol. 9(2), pages 129-142, July.
    6. Bilal Manzoor & Idris Othman & Juan Carlos Pomares, 2021. "Digital Technologies in the Architecture, Engineering and Construction (AEC) Industry—A Bibliometric—Qualitative Literature Review of Research Activities," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-26, June.

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