Teaching Ethics for Construction Management Majored Students: Standalone or Micro-insert? – Globalization and Sustainability Considerations

ECU Author/Contributor (non-ECU co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)

John S. Buckeridge (Creator)

George Wang (Creator)

Institution

East Carolina University (ECU )

Web Site: http://www.ecu.edu/lib/

Abstract: Ethical decision-making is central to the practice of construction management. This is no more\r\nevident than in the twenty-first century, when the construction industry must function in very\r\ndiverse organizational contexts. While construction companies pursue projects in international\r\nmarkets, many investors are buying or forming joint ventures with domestic companies. New\r\nand varied professional attitudes have recently arrived in western markets because construction\r\ncompanies are increasingly employing managers from developing nations to undertake\r\ncommercial and infrastructure engineering projects. The construction industry, in both\r\ndeveloping and developed countries, is vulnerable to unethical behavior or corruption –\r\nvulnerability in part because of differences in culture and managerial systems across countries\;\r\nand this diversity is manifest in the different perspectives of professional ethics and professional\r\npractice. On the other hand, the incorporation of sustainability principles in natural resources,\r\nenvironmental management, the economy and adoption of a “reduce, reuse and recycle”\r\nphilosophy in construction and constructed facilities are clear imperatives. Our contention is that\r\nconstruction management students must be fully cognizant of these imperatives. However ethics\r\neducation for most construction management students currently lacks global and sustainability\r\ncomponents, and, further, curricula only require “micro-inserts” of ethics teaching without any\r\nsystematic or standalone course for professional education. This is contrast to engineering\r\nprograms, such as civil, environmental, and computer engineering. This paper discusses the\r\nnature of the construction industry, globalized trends, sustainable development and confirms the\r\nnecessity for integrating ethics education into the curriculum – in anticipation that this will\r\nensure the highest level of professionalism when construction management students graduate.

Additional Information

Publication

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Wang, G. C., & Buckeridge, J. S. J. S. (2016, June), Teaching Ethics For Construction Management Majored Students: Standalone Or Micro-Insert? - Globalization and Sustainability Considerations Paper presented at 2016 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, New Orleans, Louisiana. 10.18260/p.27352 © 2016 American Society for Engineering Education

Language: English

Date: 2023

Subjects

Construction management;Education;College students;Ethics;Decision making;Engineering ethics

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