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Introduction
Ethics and professionalism
Ethics is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as comprising the moral principles by which a person is guided. In the context of the behaviour of professionals, the same source expands its definition to include the duties owed to the public, to each other, and to themselves in regard to the exercise of their profession. This could be described as "doing the right thing" and, in a construction context, ethical behaviour might be measured by the degree of trustworthiness and integrity with which companies and individuals conduct their business.
The core of professionalism has been described (Greenhalgh, 1997) as the possession and autonomous control of a body of specialised knowledge which, when combined with honorific status, confers power upon its holders. The exercise of this control by the respective professional bodies is often manifested in the promotion and enforcement of an ethical code. There are many examples of this within the construction industry, typified by the approach contained within the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors' (2007) Rules of Conduct for Members . There has been much debate on whether some professionals are "more ethical" than others (Fan et al. , 2001). The analysis suggests that the closer a professional is to the harsh realities of business, as indicated by their position in the supply chain, the harder it is to maintain ethical standards.
This last point rests on the assumption that ethics has a role to play in general business practice. The mere term "business ethics" has been called an oxymoron (Ferguson, 1994). In recent times, there appears to be a greater consensus on this issue and it is now commonly recognised that the general concepts of ethics are applicable to business. This has been justified on the grounds that business exists not solely to suit certain individuals, but because business serves society and, in addition, meets collective and social needs (Cohen and Grace, 1998). In other words, the spirit of any genuine profession cannot be achieved without an ethics component (Bowie, 1991). The most recent expression of this altruistic/social agenda has been evident in the promotion and regulation of sustainability and environmental aspects of the construction industry's activities.
Aim of the paper
There are conflicting opinions as to whether or...