Swarnadhipathi, A K C (2009) Perceptions of business performance in medium-sized construction companies in the English Midlands. PhD thesis, Birmingham City University, UK.
Abstract
There is a gap between the performance of the construction company as a business and the performance of its construction projects. The research addresses this gap through how senior managers construct business performance in medium-sized construction companies which are believed to be working at both company and project levels. Existing research identified determinants of business performance as locality, type of work and size of business, as well as management approach. Therefore this research is limited to the English Midlands to ensure commonality in the working conditions of the construction companies investigated and to understand other factors useful in creating business performance. An interpretive research method was chosen because the construction industry operates substantively through the actions and relationships of individuals. A series of in-depth semi-structured interviews was conducted with senior managers in two stages. An analysis based on the content of the interview transcripts was used to develop the understanding of creation of business performance in a construction company. The findings determined that business performance was a fluid concept in practice which is not handled well by ... (continues)
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Index terms: | construction industry, determinant, working conditions, construction project, business performance, construction company, manager, interview |
| Subjects: | industry analysis, performance measurement, employment law, production management, risk assessment, data collection methods, organization, practitioner |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Quality Management, Legal Issues, Risk Management, Project Management |
| 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