Cheah, C Y J and Wong, W F (2004) Management studies of the Chinese construction industry: Which field of theories? In: Khosrowshahi, F (ed.) Proceedings of 20th Annual ARCOM Conference, 1-3 September 2004, Edinburgh, UK.
Abstract
Rich development of knowledge within the strategic management regime has provided ample course of contentions among academicians over the merits of disparate schools of thought and theoretical fields. Given the broad aspects of management, it is perhaps more legitimate to assume that no single field stands to dominate. An open mindset would go a long way in matching theories to circumstantial evolvement in the real world. This philosophical construct is even more appropriate in the case of the Chinese construction industry. With China continuing to steal the limelight as a major growth engine and destination for foreign investments, assessment of this issue is timely when researchers embark to develop analytical frameworks related to competition among construction enterprises in China. In this paper, a brief review of the characteristics, strengths and weaknesses of common schools of thought in strategy is first presented. Subsequent examination of the general business and operating environment in China suggests that each theoretical field potentially structures part of the overall corporate strategy of Chinese construction enterprises. The findings bear subtle implications on the focal points that construction management researchers should ruminate in future studies of corporate management issues in China.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | China; construction industry; corporate strategy; strategic management |
| Index terms: | future study, analytical framework, construction industry, China, competition, foreign investment, strategic management, mindset, strategy, corporate strategy, management issue |
| Subjects: | Geography, management, industry analysis, market analysis, health behaviours and lifestyles, business, research design and methodology, data analysis and analytics, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Governance, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Geographical Context, International Construction |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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