Global Corruption Foes Gaining Ground Civil engineers push design and construction leaders to say ‘no’ to bribery, kickbacks, payoffs
"In developing countries, often the engineer has the highest status," said Henry, marketing manager for Schaaf & Wheeler Consulting Civil Engineers, Seattle, during a forum on global ethics at ASCEs 2005 Annual Civil Engineering Conference, in Los Angeles, Oct. 27-29. ASCE hopes to use that status to help rid construction projects of bribery, kickbacks and payoffs.
The goal is to create a critical mass of engineering and construction societies and companies that refuse to engage in corrupt practices, often viewed as business-as-usual in many societies. A single company is powerless to change the culture, but Henry and others believe there is strength in numbers.