Ethics of surveyors - a study of Hong Kong SAR

摘要

This paper investigates ethics amongst surveyors in Hong Kong - in particular, impacts of major situational variables on perceptions of ethics and ethical behaviour. Objectives of the study are to investigate: dominant ethical climate and culture types amongst organizations in Hong Kong which employ surveyors; any relationships between ethical climate and culture types; any effects of the existence of ethical codes. Hong Kong constitutes a unique environment of an overlay of UK-based behaviour and culture on a widespread base of Chinese culture. The empirical work was of survey design and comprised a questionnaire which was devised by adaptation of existing instruments. The data were analysed using principal component factor analysis, correlation and ANOVA. The results yielded a number of factors for each of ethical climate and ethical culture. The strength of factors present differed between organizations with a large number of respondents indicating uncertainty of the presence of ethical codes.