Smallwood, J J (2003) The image of contractors: A South African case study. In: Greenwood, D J (ed.) Proceedings of 19th Annual ARCOM Conference, 3-5 September 2003, Brighton, UK.
Abstract
Image is important, as it describes how stakeholders and society at large view contractors and the construction industry. Various authors maintain that the construction industry does not have a good image. The poor image is attributed to: poor site conditions; an unacceptably high accident rate; insensitivity to environmental considerations; poor work practices; adversarial relationships; poor productivity; rework; late completion, and cost over-runs. The objective of the research is to assess and benchmark the performance and image of a South African 'best practice' general contractor (GC) cited in the Egan report. Clients and subcontractors (SCs) were surveyed to determine their perceptions with respect to the performance and image of the GC. Generally clients and SCs have a positive image of the GC. Furthermore, based upon previous studies the contractor attained higher ratings than GCs in general. The study amplifies the need for contractors, in particular GCs to assess and benchmark their performance and image.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | clients; contractors; image; performance; South Africa; subcontractors |
| Index terms: | case study, society, rework, general contractor, productivity, work practice, best practice, South Africa, construction industry, subcontractor |
| Subjects: | practitioner, data collection methods, business, operations management, Geography, management, industry analysis, communities and social development |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Project Management, Geographical Context, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTE |
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