Factors Affecting Compliance to Ethical Standards in Public Procurement in Kenya: A Behavioral Model of Ethical and Unethical Decision Making Perspective

Victor Bosire Okemwa,Dr Bonface Matayo Ratemo

doi:10.18535/ijsrm/v9i12.em10

Abstract

The study sought to investigate the factors affecting compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya. The study adopted it is specific objectives from a behavioral model of ethical and unethical decision making that is; professionalism factors, social factors, personality factors, legal framework factors and work environment factors on how they affect compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive research design as the study design, the population of the study was 40 employees and since the population was small the researcher employed census research design where all employees took part in the research. Primary data collection method was used by administering structured questionnaires. Descriptive statistics, correlation and multiple regression analysis were used to analyze the data. The finding of the study revealed that professionalism factors, legal framework factors, and work environment factors had a positive and statistical significant influence on compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya. Personal factors and social factors were found not to have statistical significant influence on compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya. The study recommended that administrative bodies and judiciary should enforce sanction to people who contravenes rules and code of ethics in public procurement. Public organization to invest in training their employees in public procurement code of ethics and rules to avoid the ignorance’s currently observed. This study had implications on knowledge and practices since it did not only investigate factors affecting compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya but also informed that professionalism factors, legal framework factors and work environment factors were the major factors affecting compliance to ethical standards in public procurement in Kenya.

Highlights

Compliance has been around as long as people have been doing business
The study found out that legal framework factors were statistically significant to compliance to ethical standards in public procurement
This implies that a unit increase in legal framework factors will lead to improvement in compliance to ethical standards in public procurement

Summary

Introduction

Compliance has been around as long as people have been doing business. Whenever an employer instructs employees about the law, the employer performs a compliance function. From the findings as shown, 44% of the respondents had the view that the complaints punished by administrative bodies and judiciary once realized in public procurement are within 21%- 40%, 36% of the respondents had the view that they are within 41%-60%, 17% of the respondents had the view that they are within 0%-20% and 3% of the respondents had the view that they are between 61%-80% These finding agrees with those of Public Procurement and Oversight Authority (PPOA, 2007) noncompliance to ethical standards in public procurement involves non-enforcement of law, lack of transparency and accountability, breakdown or erosion of values and norms, weak management systems, procedures and practices, lack of professional integrity, greed and abuse of discretionary power. 5.) environment factors have no significant influence affecting compliance to on compliance to ethical ethical standards in public standards in public P=0.030 hypothesis procurement in Kenya

Findings

DISCUSSION

CONCLUSION