Birrell, George Selbie (1978) The criteria by which construction prime and subcontractors evaluate the management performance of each other. DArch thesis, University of Michigan, USA.
Abstract
[From the introduction] This thesis will attempt to elucidate what it is about the composition and activities of the contemporary construction team--prime contractors and subcontractors--which affects the cost and duration of the construction process. Insofar as there is a gap between the current actual costs of construction and the theoretical potential minimum costs of construction, it will try to clarify the management factors that are responsible. As background there will be presented an outline of the historical evolution of the construction industry. This will be followed by analyses of the nature of the contemporary construction industry, the importance of management in the industry, the current configurations of teams of construction contractors and subcontractors and the process whereby construction teams are formed. This in turn will be followed by the description and analysis of a survey of contractors and subcontractors in order to determine those management factors which affect the cost and duration of construction. Finally, a section will be presented on the origins of the study, its major findings and an outline of how those involved in the construction process could use these results to improve the performance of the industry.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Handler, A Benjamin; Himes, Harold W; Metcalf, Robert C; Miller, Edwin L and Quinn, Robert P |
| Index terms: | configuration, construction process, evolution, subcontractor, construction contractor, actual cost, survey, construction industry, duration, construction team |
| Subjects: | building construction, practitioner, environmental science, project controls, systems engineering, industry analysis, data collection methods, project delivery, financial and cost management |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Cost Management, Research Practice, Site Management, Time Control, Sustainability, Engineering Principles, 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