A student perspective of ethics in the Zambian construction industry

Zulu, Sambo Lyson; Muleya, Franco

doi:10.1108/jedt-04-2018-0074

Cited by 10 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…The story is not different in Zambia as issues such as fraudulent qualifications, prequalification manipulation, disclosure of lowest quotation, use of poor-quality materials, and increased variation claims are all evident in the country's construction industry. A similar observation was made by Zulu and Muleya (2019), who noted unethical issues such as bribery and corruption.…”

Section: Theoretical Backgroundsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Unfortunately, this is not the case in the industry as despite the extant laws, regulations, guidelines and code of ethics to guide the conduct of construction professionals, unethical practices still abound in the industry (Vee and Skitmore, 2003;Chilipunde and Kaima, 2015). The occurrence of these unethical practices has been reported both in developed countries like Australia and the United Kingdom (Vee and Skitmore, 2003;CIOB, 2013;Brown and Loosemore, 2015) and developing countries such as Malaysia (Adnan, et al, 2012), Saudi Arabia (Shah and Alotaibi, 2017), South Africa (Aigbavboa, Oke and Tyali, 2016), Bostwana (Legae andAdeyemi, 2017), Zambia (Mukumba andMuya, 2013;Zulu and Muleya, 2019) and Kenya (Mathenge, 2012). The situation is no different in Nigeria where the significant occurrence of unethical practices has been observed within the construction industry (Oyewobi, et al, 2011;Adeyemo and Amade, 2016;Ameh, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Measures for Curbing Unethical Practices among Construction Industry Professionals: Quantity Surveyors’ Perspective

Paul

Aghimien

Ibrahim

et al. 2021

CEB

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Unethical practices have been a reoccurring menace in the construction industry globally, with its negative impact reported in existing studies. While several studies have explored issues touching on ethics, ethics compliance and unethical practices within the construction industry, the problems persist especially in developing countries. It is based on this notion that this study assessed the possible measures that could help curb unethical practices in the construction industry with specific reference to Quantity Surveyors (QS). The study adopted a quantitative approach with structured questionnaires used to garner information from registered QS in Nigeria. Data analysis was done using relevant descriptive and multivariate analysis. The reliability of the instrument used was also tested using Cronbach alpha test. The findings revealed that while QS are no strangers to unethical practices, most cases are not reported to the appropriate authorities. The most prevalent of these practices are payment-related and contract-related. To curb these practices, random inspections and development of ethical compliance, ensuring a good reporting and punishment system, and increase ethical awareness through QS organised programmes are needed. The findings of this study would assist the professional bodies and organisations within the industry to effectively enforce ethical conduct among their members and staff.

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Section: Theoretical Backgroundsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Measures for Curbing Unethical Practices among Construction Industry Professionals: Quantity Surveyors’ Perspective

Paul

Aghimien

Ibrahim

et al. 2021

CEB

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“…Furthermore, it may have a negative influence on society, as it is prone to unethical practices, such as bribery and corruption (Sohail and Cavill, 2008). The impact of unethical behaviour in the CI may have significant consequences, such as overpriced construction projects, poor quality, abandoned projects, collapsed buildings and lost opportunities for local communities (Zulu and Muleya, 2019). In addition, working conditions in the CI negatively impact society.…”

Section: Construction Industry: Its Relevance and Non-financial Discl...mentioning

confidence: 99%

What do stakeholders in the construction industry look for in non-financial disclosure and what do they get?

Hadro

Fijałkowska

Daszyńska-Żygadło

et al. 2021

MEDAR

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Purpose This study aims to verify whether non-financial disclosure in the construction industry (CI) responds to stakeholders’ information needs and explores the most frequent topics disclosed in terms of the environmental, social and governance (ESG) pillars. Design/methodology/approach This study uses a bag-of-words method and latent Dirichlet allocation to match stakeholders’ expectations with information disclosed by companies. This paper assesses the publicly available non-financial disclosure of the 46 European CI companies covered by the Refinitiv database with ESG scores. Findings This study provides two main findings. First, it shows the mismatch between stakeholders’ information needs and what they get in non-financial reporting. Despite non-financial information in CI disclosure, the information disclosed by many CI companies does not meet their users’ information needs. CI companies commonly focus on their sustainable products and health policy while omitting other topics of interest – the circular economy, unethical business behaviour, migrant policy and human trafficking. Second, this study indicates the defects of simple disclosure analysis based on keywords and highlights the importance of context in information analysis. Practical implications The proposed novel approach to text analysis offers several practical applications. It is a more effective tool for evaluating companies’ sustainability performance. It may be especially important to ESG rating providers. Additionally, the results may be of interest to companies wishing to improve their communication, and, in particular, to regulators and standard setters in two matters. The first is the need for more pressure to increase awareness among issuers to shift from disclosing large amounts of non-financial information to disclosing good quality non-financial information, which would be appropriate for meeting stakeholders’ expectations. The second is the necessity for deepening issuers’ understanding of the diverse stakeholders’ information needs, considering the substantial differences among industries and improving communication to meet them. Originality/value This study introduces text analysis that, apart from keywords, considers the context of these keywords’ appearances in a report’s narration. It allows a significantly improved understanding of the information disclosed and a more stable grounding for reasoning, leading to better and informed decisions. Moreover, this study verifies how the information disclosed matches stakeholders’ needs. Finally, it enriches the literature on sectoral analysis concerning non-financial disclosure.

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“…Considering the importance of H&S training, Gregory et al (2017) suggested that one of the emphasis in H&S training should be placed on nurturing future H&S leaders. It can therefore be argued that, students, who are the future leaders of the construction industry (Zulu and Muleya, 2018), should be well informed of health and safety practices. Education curriculum should be seen to be relevant to the advancement of H&S promotion in the construction industry.…”

Section: Education and Training For Health And Safetymentioning

confidence: 99%

Students’ awareness and perception of the value of BIM and 4D for site health and safety management

Swallow

Zulu

2019

JEDT

Self Cite

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Purpose The education sector is at the forefront of developing tomorrow’s construction professionals. It is therefore important that with the current rate of change in the construction industry, education curriculum should be seen to be relevant. An area that is revolutionising the construction industry is the use of Building Information Modelling (BIM), including its potential for improving H&S on construction sites. This paper aims to focus on the perception of higher education (HE) students on the potential impact of 4D modelling on the management of site health and safety on construction sites. Design/methodology/approach A quasi-experimental approach was adopted to determine student’s perception of the extent to which 4D modelling and simulation can impact H&S management. Pre-test and post-test students’ perceptions of the value of 4D to management of health and safety were compared. Findings The influence of education was examined by using two main students groups, one group studying BIM modules within their course while the other group did not. Although minimal perception differences regarding key impacts of 4D were highlighted, the awareness differences were significant. The study demonstrated the perception of benefits regarding 4D for H&S being in the planning of site logistics, visualisation, programme accuracy and risk reduction. The study highlights the importance of relevant education, to increase awareness of 4D for Health and Safety. Originality/value While most of the studies reported in academic literature on education and training related to university/tertiary education, this study focused on the higher education level students. It considered this as an equally important cohort as the graduates will also contribute to health and safety management on construction sites. The study also demonstrated the value of including technology based H&S training to mirror developments in the construction industry.

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A student perspective of ethics in the Zambian construction industry

Cited by 10 publications

References 31 publications

Measures for Curbing Unethical Practices among Construction Industry Professionals: Quantity Surveyors’ Perspective

Measures for Curbing Unethical Practices among Construction Industry Professionals: Quantity Surveyors’ Perspective

What do stakeholders in the construction industry look for in non-financial disclosure and what do they get?

Students’ awareness and perception of the value of BIM and 4D for site health and safety management

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