Professional Ethics in Construction and Engineering

5 Types and Examples of Unethical Conduct and Corruption

The educated citizen has an obligation to uphold the law. This is the obligation of every citizen in a free and peaceful society, but the educated citizen has a special responsibility by the virtue of their greater understanding. For whether they have ever studied history or current evets, ethics or civics, the rules of a profession or the tools of the trade, they know that only a respect for the law makes it possible for free people to dwell together in peace and progress.

John F. Kennedy

5.1 Introduction

The above statement from the former President of the United States of America typifies the degree to which upholding the law and not breaching legal or ethical standards is so important for the societies we live and work.

This chapter of the book will identify the various types of unethical and illegal practices from misuse of power to serious fraud. It will articulate what constitutes each type of unethical and illegal practice and how they can occur in a business context. It will provide a list as part of a toolkit and practical guide for what to do and what not to do for ethical compliance. Furthermore, it will explain how construction professionals can decipher what represents unethical conduct and practices in an attempt to regulate their behaviours and actions and those of others. In this regard, as a practical guide it will offer both hypothetical and real-life examples of situations and scenarios where breaches ...