The conundrum of professionalising building surveying in Malaysia
Abstract
Purpose: To track the series of failed attempts by a few like-minded persons since the early 1980s to entrench building surveying as a profession in Malaysia. Design/ methodology/approach: Data were sourced from elite interviews with authoritative individuals who have been championing building surveying as a profession and supplemented by secondary sources. Findings: Established professional bodies became hostile to what they perceived as attempts to encroach into their professional jurisdictions. There was even a move to subjugate building surveyors to auxiliary role. The ultimate aim to obtain statutory ‘ring fence’ around the proposed building surveyeing profession did not find favour with lawmakers. Practical implications: Late-comers face an uphill challenge in negotiating for legitimacy from established professions and lawmakers alike in a situation when no new work demand avails. Building surveyors in Malaysia either wait for external changes which would allow their traditional role to be formally recognised, or take up new specialisations. Originality/ value: New empirical findings were uncovered. The main contribution lies in demonstrating the applicability of the various sociological perspectives for studies on professions in the construction industry.Citation
Abdul-Aziz, A.R., Suresh, S. and Renukappa, S. (2020) The conundrum of professionalising building surveying in Malaysia, International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation, 38 (5), pp. 621-634. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-10-2019-0086Publisher
EmeraldJournal
International Journal of Building Pathology and AdaptationType
Journal articleLanguage
enDescription
This is an accepted manuscript of an article published by Emerald in International Journal of Building Pathology and Adaptation on 03/07/2020. The published version can be accessed here: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBPA-10-2019-0086 The accepted version of the publication may differ from the final published version.ISSN
2398-4708ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1108/IJBPA-10-2019-0086
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Except where otherwise noted, this item's license is described as https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/