Opoku, A; Poshyanand, M; Elmualim, A; Kavishe, N; Mushtaha, E S N and Abdalla, S B (2022) Corruption in the construction industry: An insight from the Thai construction sector. In: Tutesigensi, A and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 38th Annual ARCOM Conference, 5-7 September 2022, Glasgow Caledonian University, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
The construction industry in Thailand has significant impact upon the nation’s economic growth. However, the industry has been threatened by corruption which is a major cause of Thailand’s middle-income trap. The aim of this research is to explore the nature of corrupt practices in the Thailand construction industry by examining the causes and strategies for preventing corruption through the lens of the principal-agent framework. The study adopts qualitative research approach through semi-structured interview with 12 professionals from the construction industry. The result of the study shows that corruption in the Thai construction industry is caused by factors such as personal behaviour, red-tape and conflicts of laws, organisational culture etc. Improving organisational system, decentralisation, ethical training, promoting ethical culture etc. are some of the measures that could be used in fighting corruption in the Thai construction industry. The study contributes to a body of knowledge that could help mitigate the detrimental consequences of corruption.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | principal-agent theory, corruption, causes and prevention, construction industry, Thailand |
| Index terms: | body of knowledge, prevention, agent, construction industry, economic growth, construction sector, organizational culture, qualitative research, income, corruption, Thailand, strategy, interview, decentralization |
| Subjects: | sociology, political science, professional ethics, industry analysis, economic development, management, financial risk, Geography, economic analysis, knowledge management, research design and methodology, data collection methods, practitioner |
| Topics: | Business Strategy, Cost Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Information Management, Roles and Professions, Sustainability, Governance, Legal Issues, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here