Quantity Surveying International Conference.
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4-5 September, 2007 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Quality management is a complex effort that may not be fruitful if only technical aspects arefocused and this has lead to the modern concept of Total Quality Management (TQM) (Tan & Abdul Rahman, 2005). Besterfield et al
(2003) defines TQM as both philosophy and a set of guiding principles that represent the foundation of continuously improving organization. Manytools, methods, and techniques have been developed world wide in order to give substance tothe concept of TQM (Geraedts et al
, 2001; Berawi, 2004). A large number of companies obtainedthe ISO 9000 Standards certificate as a first step towards TQM (Hiyassat, 2000). However, if people are not serious in implementing quality management, no matter how good the system is, itwill fail eventually. There is a strong perception that majority of the quality-related problems arecause by human factor, especially professionalism and ethics.
3.0 PROFESSIONAL ETHICS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Profession is an occupation that requires both advanced study and mastery of a specialized bodyof knowledge and undertaken to promote, ensure or safeguard some matter that significantlyaffects others’ well being (Vee & Skitmore, 2003). Almost every profession has its codes of ethics to provide a framework for arriving at good ethical choices. Therefore, professional ethicsis a system of norms to deal with both the morality and behaviour of professionals in their day-to-day practice, and ascribes moral responsibility not to an individual, but to all professionalspracticing in a particular profession. For the building and designing professions, the incalculablevalue of human life demands nothing less than the highest moral considerations from those whomight risk it otherwise (Mason, 1998, cited in Vee & Skitmore, 2003).The