Identification of Prevalent Unethical Practices in the Construction Industry and Their Control Measures

Abstract

Unethical conduct by professionals is one of the primary reasons for cost overruns, delays, and the delivery of poor-quality construction projects. Although several studies have highlighted the adverse outcomes of unethical behavior, few have attempted to control such behavior among construction professionals. In addition, due to a lack of understanding, the narrative is fixed that unethical behavior only means corruption. However, unethical behavior also encompasses other practices, such as bribery, bid rigging, fraud, lobbying, and nepotism. Without in-depth understanding of these practices in the construction sector, control measures cannot be developed for them. Therefore, this study aims to identify (1) the most prominent unethical practices among construction professionals; and (2) the ethical principles that can control them. To achieve this goal, first, unethical practices and ethical principles were identified through a literature review. Prominent unethical practices among construction professionals were subsequently determined using method triangulation with the following three sources: the Scopus database, the Nexis Uni database, and unstructured interviews. Last, the relationship between the prominent unethical practices and ethical principles was established through the electronic brainstorming technique. The study identifies collusion, corruption, fraud, money laundering, and negligence as prominent unethical practices among construction professionals, emphasizing the need for prominent ethical principles such as accountability, awareness, decision-making, leadership, and transparency. This study will be helpful to construction companies in developing training systems for their employees to control their unethical behavior by improving their ethical principles. The construction industry, renowned for its comprehensive nature and complex supply chains, often faces ethical challenges that necessitate robust control mechanisms. This study identifies ethical principles within the construction sector that could greatly aid in mitigating unethical practices. The widespread occurrence of unethical behavior in every aspect of the construction industry necessitates the inculcation of ethical standards. Previous works have presented various strategies and actions to combat unethical practices, but no empirical framework has been established for the construction industry. The present study illustrates the connection between prominent unethical behavior and ethical practices. The model prepared will assist the top management of construction companies in enlightening their employees, through training programs, about the key ethical principles to reduce the most egregious conduct inside their organizations.