Sampath, D; De Silva, N and Withanage, K T (2020) Entrepreneurial potentials in Sri Lankan quantity surveyors. International Journal of Construction Management, 23(1), pp. 48-57. ISSN 1562-3599
Abstract
In marching towards a rapid economic expansion after the end of 30 years' civil war, Sri Lanka is in enormous needs of entrepreneurs to generate new wealth for the country. Accounting for the majority of total investments of the country, Sri Lankan construction industry possesses the highest need of new entrepreneurial blood. This study focuses to explore gaps in entrepreneurial skills, traits and knowledge in quantity surveying education to foster entrepreneurial quantity surveyors (QS) to the industry. A questionnaire survey was conducted with quantity surveying entrepreneurs and graduates with a strong intention of an entrepreneurial career, passed out with a bachelor’s degree in quantity surveying which resulting in 15 duly completed responses with 100% respond rate, through convenient sampling method. Importance Performance Analysis (IPA) matrix was constructed to identify shortages in skills, traits and knowledge offered by the degree programme to produce entrepreneurial QSs. Seven skills/traits and three knowledge areas were identified as under-developed areas in the undergraduate education. The findings of the research will create an impact to revisit educational needs to cater the industry’s demand for entrepreneurs. Further industry can convert the over qualified areas into opportunities to take immediate advantages towards the profession.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | constructions education; entrepreneurship; quantity surveying education; skills traits and knowledge |
| Index terms: | construction industry, constructions education, Sri Lanka, entrepreneurship, sampling, undergraduate, profession, performance analysis, war, quantity surveying, shortages, accounting, questionnaire, career, survey, programme, surveying |
| Subjects: | business, profession, data collection methods, institututions, curriculum design, health monitoring assessment and metrics, economic analysis, data analysis and analytics, curriculum development, professional development, Geography, conflict and crisis studies, project controls, industry analysis |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Business Strategy, Information Management, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Roles and Professions, Legal Issues, Education, Time Control |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here