Psilander, K (2012) Managing production costs of small and large developers in Sweden: A case study on multi-family construction. International Journal of Construction Education and Research, 8(1), pp. 47-62. ISSN 1557-8771
Abstract
This article demonstrates that small developers can outcompete larger developers in terms of cost efficiency when the physical scale of a building project is not to large and that this efficiency can be achieved through a market of specialized subcontractors. In Sweden, small developers have trouble obtaining financing, acquiring land from municipalities and obtaining approval for land use plans. If attention is focused on facilitating market entry for small developers, markets could become more cost efficient. An exploratory case study of two developers, based on visits to two worksites to obtain information on construction processes, documentation, construction costs and the type of problems that arise during construction, is presented. One of the two developers was small, while the other was one of the four largest developers in Sweden and had international operations. Although housing production costs have received a considerable amount of attention, to the best of the author's knowledge, no studies on the competitiveness of small versus large developers have been conducted in Sweden or elsewhere.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | case study; cost efficiency; multi family construction; project management; small and large developer |
| Index terms: | housing, market entry, cost efficiency, land use, project management, efficiency, construction process, land, competitiveness, Sweden, case study, production cost, approval, municipality, documentation, markets, subcontractor, construction cost, financing |
| Subjects: | professional development, contractual role, project management theory and practice, performance management, Geography, building construction, financial and cost management, economics, business, administrative law, practitioner, real estate economics, data collection methods, construction type, manufacturing engineering, market analysis, economic analysis |
| Topics: | Project Management, Roles and Professions, Research Practice, Urban Studies, Information Management, Legal Issues, Cost Management, Geographical Context, Contract Administration, Construction Technology, Quality Management, Engineering Principles, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Site Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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