Xiao, H; Proverbs, D G; Shaw, T and Holt, G D (2000) A new approach to comparing the performance of contractors internationally. In: Akintoye, A (ed.) Proceedings of 16th Annual ARCOM Conference, 6-8 September 2000, Glasgow, UK.
Abstract
Contractor performance has long been recognised to vary. International benchmarking offers contractors the opportunity to learn from each other and benchmark their own performance with that of their counterparts in other countries. Comparing international performance has never been an easy task, but this is compounded in construction because of the uniqueness of the industry and its products. Methods previously employed to conduct such comparisons have been categorised into one of three approaches, namely pricing studies, macroeconomic studies and case studies. Each approach has its own advantages and limitations, mainly in terms of representativeness and comparability. This paper presents a new approach towards comparing international construction performance that combines the characteristics of pricing studies and case studies. The method is based on a hypothetical project, whereby data is collected via a semi-structured international questionnaire survey of construction managers. The novelty of the method is derived from the nature of data collected and in the degree of flexibility afforded to respondents. It is argued that by using this new approach, a robust international benchmark of contractor performance can be obtained.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | benchmarking; contractor performance; international comparison |
| Index terms: | survey, contractor performance, case study, pricing, international comparison, benchmarking, construction manager, international construction, questionnaire |
| Subjects: | performance measurement, contract management, data analysis and analytics, economic analysis, strategic management, profession, data collection methods |
| Topics: | International Construction, Quality Management, Contract Administration, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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