Ju C, R S (2013) Institutional determinants of construction safety management strategies of contractors in Hong Kong. In: Smith, S D and Ahiaga-Dagbui, D D (eds.) Proceedings of 29th Annual ARCOM Conference, 2-4 September 2013, Reading, UK.
Abstract
From an institutional perspective, organisations are not only a production system; but also a social and cultural system. The external institutional environment in which organisations are embedded plays a critical role in shaping organisational structures and practices. Organisations as active agencies respond strategically to the institutional pressures and expectations in a variety of ways, such as conformity, compromise and avoidance. Building on the conceptual framework established by Oliver (1991), this study explores how contractors respond to institutional demands in terms of compliance with construction health and safety requirements, involvement in voluntary safety initiatives and safety campaigns, and commitment to zero accidents in the context of the Hong Kong construction industry. A case study was conducted to collect empirical evidence of contractors' strategic responses. The results indicate that the contractor prefers to adopt compromise and avoidance strategies in the face of the client’s stringent safety requirements and tight project progress demands. This study contributes to the knowledge of safety management by offering an institutional explanation of contractors' safety management strategies.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | safety; institution; management; strategy; Hong Kong |
| Index terms: | construction safety, strategy, case study, institutional pressure, production system, Hong Kong, agency, organizational structure, determinant, conceptual framework, health and safety, face, evidence, commitment, safety management, compliance, construction industry, management strategy |
| Subjects: | sociology, Geography, industry analysis, occupational health and safety management, data collection methods, theoretical framing, health safety and environment, environmental health, management, risk assessment, evaluation and assessment methods, psychology, manufacturing engineering |
| Topics: | Geographical Context, Business Strategy, Organizational Design, Research Practice, Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Sustainability, Risk 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