Title: Exploring the ethical decision-making practice among Malaysian consultant quantity surveyors: a qualitative study

Authors: Nor Atikah Hashim; Ismi Arif Ismail; Khairuddin Idris; Seyedali Ahrari; Zoharah Omar; Zeinab Zaremohzzabieh

Addresses: Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia ' Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia ' Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia ' Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia ' Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia ' Faculty of Educational Studies, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang, Malaysia

Abstract: The Malaysian Government has worked tirelessly to develop a comprehensive set of tactics aimed at fighting corruption. One of the sectors that have problems with corruption is the construction industry especially among consultant quantity surveyors (CQS) due to the nature of their work. Many unethical behaviours are being practiced in the construction industry. The goal of this research is to explore the ethical decision-making practice among CQS in Malaysia. Researchers described the results of a qualitative research study involving CQS. Purposive sampling was used to choose interviews. The eight selected respondents were from three main quantity surveyors' institutions. This study employed semi-structured interviews for data gathering. Following the data analysis, seven key themes emerged: 'upbringing', 'skill and training', 'experience and intuitions', 'social interaction', 'adherence to the duty of care', 'company policy' and 'compliance with the ethics code'. Identifying these elements behind ethical decision-making will help the consultant's quantity surveyors to perform their duty well.

Keywords: ethical decision-making; EDM; consultant quantity surveyor; CQS; knowledge acquisition; learning.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAOM.2022.127875

International Journal of Advanced Operations Management, 2022 Vol.14 No.4, pp.388 - 406

Received: 14 Nov 2021
Accepted: 27 Jul 2022
Published online: 20 Dec 2022 *

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