Ethik, Ökonomie und faire Preise – Eine explorative Analyse der Wirkungszusammenhänge im Schweizer Baugewerbe

This thesis examines the extent to which ethics in the form of an Ethics Management System (EMS) can support construction economics in fair pricing. A critical review of the literature on ethics, economics, and pricing management in the Swiss construction industry reveals that the economic market mechanism is unable to ensure fair pricing due to legal circumstances. Addressing this failure, this thesis focuses on how an EMS could secure price fairness between builders, construction service providers, and planners.
This focus is achieved by addressing the current knowledge gap regarding causal links of an EMS on fair pricing from the perspective of public infrastructure construction projects carried out according to strict legal requirements. The research takes the form of an exploratory analysis, focusing on stakeholders of the aforementioned industry, using a qualitative methodology that involves face-to-face, semi-structured interviews with 26 construction industry experts in the German-speaking part of Switzerland and southern Germany between November 2019 and March 2020. However, to obtain a holistic view of the current situation, this exploratory analysis includes four other stakeholder groups such as the legal sector, education, building associations, and the media, in addition to the main players such as builders, construction service providers, and planners. This research project investigates what problems and difficulties these stakeholders perceive, how they define a fair price, and whether they comprehend the pricing process as fair. Furthermore, how ethics are sensed and how ethics are experienced and lived in everyday life.
The evaluation revealed a uniform definition of price fairness among all experts. However, builders postulate the insufficient quality and costly claim management. Contractors and planners, on the other hand, complain about the low-price level and deadline pressure. Other stakeholder groups criticise the lack of empathy and the one-sided technical-process-oriented training of the construction service providers.
The thesis presents a new understanding of how an EMS could unite the interests of these stakeholder groups and bring about price fairness beyond the market mechanism, to achieve the greatest possible profit for all parties involved.