Marques, C P (2004) Selected issues in business and contractual relationships in private construction projects in Canada/China deals. PhD thesis, University of Calgary, Canada.
Abstract
The thesis provides an exploratory investigation into business and contractual relationships within the construction industry in China. The scope of the thesis is limited to private construction and excludes large scale government contracts or contracts that involve financing by the World Bank. The research is qualitative in nature and has been based on interviews and surveys conducted with managers, engineers and contractors within the construction industry in selected provinces in China. The responses obtained provided a basis for understanding how business relationships can be initiated and maintained within the industry. The research also provides an understanding of the contractual framework including laws, governance, enforcement and dispute resolution. The findings of the research indicate that business relationships are vital for Canadian firms venturing into the Chinese construction market. The relationships are based on trust and have to be developed over time. A model for building and sustaining business relationships within the construction industry has been presented. In the contractual framework, different factors are important at different stages of the framework, but ultimately cost and the willingness to negotiate beyond the contract become dominant factors. Included in the thesis are suggested guidelines for Canadian corporations contemplating participation in the Chinese construction market. A model for this participation has also been presented.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Jergeas, G |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | market; trust; dispute resolution; financing; governance; government; participation; China; construction project; interview |
| Index terms: | China, financing, contractual relationship, construction project, survey, manager, interview, construction industry, resolution, enforcement, construction market, investigation, engineer, dispute, World Bank, Canada, business relationship, governance |
| Subjects: | institutional frameworks, economic analysis, dispute resolution, practitioner, business, contractual relationship, data collection methods, profession, strategic management, industry analysis, conflict resolution, market analysis, production management, Geography, health safety and environment |
| Topics: | Legal Issues, Geographical Context, Project Management, Health and Safety, Contract Administration, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Governance, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management |
| 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