Thilakarathne, N; Rathnasinghe, A P; Kulatunga, U; Thurairajah, N and Weerasinghe, L (2023) An investigation of the conflict management strategies in international construction joint ventures of Sri Lanka. Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction, 28(3), pp. 273-292. ISSN 1366-4387
Abstract
Purpose: Most developing countries, such as Sri Lanka (SL), are now looking for the support of foreign construction companies for large-scale infrastructure projects in return for expertise and resources. Thus, foreign companies may enter into agreements with local contractors through joint ventures (JVs). However, the priorities of construction project stakeholders may differ, which may ultimately end up in conflicts. Therefore, this research aims to investigate the most suitable conflict management strategies for international construction JVs (ICJVs) considering the SL context. Design/methodology/approach: The mixed method was used for the research choice by selecting a questionnaire survey and expert interviews. Completed questionnaires (n = 78) were analysed using statistical techniques. The expert interviews with six industry practitioners were piloted to increase the validity and credibility of survey findings through a triangulation process where the collected data was analysed through content analysis. Findings: The findings confirm that JV parties should first seek collaborative solutions in a conflict and seek legal redress only when those efforts are unsuccessful. Collaborating and compromising were recommended as the most appropriate tactics if an informal approach to conflict management was chosen. Alternative dispute resolution and litigation were identified as formal conflict management strategies. Originality/value: This study, to the best of the authors' knowledge, will be the first of its kind in SL, which will lead to a better understanding of conflict management in IJCVs and will encourage other researchers to extend this study through further work.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | alternative dispute resolution; collaboration; conflict management; international construction joint ventures; Sri Lanka |
| Index terms: | joint venture, mixed method, validity, litigation, Sri Lanka, investigation, international construction, agreements, infrastructure project, developing country, interview, conflict management, construction company, survey, content analysis, strategy, practitioner, questionnaire, methodology, construction project, collaboration, triangulation, local contractor, alternative dispute resolution |
| Subjects: | infrastructure and transport systems, conflict resolution, production management, Geography, development economics, contract management, management, research methods, data analysis and analytics, contract formation, dispute resolution, practitioner, evaluation and assessment methods, data collection methods, strategic management, business, organization, research design and methodology |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Geographical Context, Project Management, Research Practice, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Contract Administration, International Construction, Legal Issues |
| 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