Jia, A Y; Gao, S S and Kvan, T (2017) Markets, professions and firms of the construction industry: The changing roles of architects in response to vertical integration. In: Chan, P W and Neilson, C J (eds.) Proceedings of 33rd Annual ARCOM Conference, 4-6 September 2017, Fitzwilliam College, Cambridge, UK.
Abstract
The roles and contributions of professions in the construction industry in markets globally differ from one another according to the socio-political, cultural and historical contexts they are situated in, reflecting the institutional nature of the markets themselves. The logics of market and profession compete to shape strategies and behaviours of firms and individuals. In this paper we present a comparative case study of six architecture firms in Shanghai, China, including one British firm, one Singapore firm and four Chinese firms. China has shifted from a state-commanded system to a market economy in the late 1970s, embarking on professionalising the architecture profession in the 1980s. This transition occurred concurrently with the emergence of a global market for these services and the vertical integration in the construction industry. With this background in mind, we analyse the diversified roles of architects in their collaboration with developers, planners, surveyors and builders and the competition between the profession and market logics nuanced by a bureaucratic state logic. The study sheds light on the role of professionals as actors and professional values in balancing the market values in the process of vertical integration in the construction industry. In a more general sense, we discussed the changing professional logic of architecture, its impact on the making and outcome of the built environment, and the value it can bring to an evolving structure of inter-professional collaboration in an integrating global industry. The paper ends with a brief discussion on the implications on professional education.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | architect; profession; market; institutional logics; design firms; business model |
| Index terms: | strategy, Shanghai, builder, institutional logic, Singapore, case study, design firm, construction industry, China, markets, emergence, collaboration, profession, architect, business model, built environment, competition, planner, vertical integration |
| Subjects: | systems engineering, industry analysis, infrastructure and transport systems, market analysis, Geography, management, theoretical framing, economic analysis, institututions, practitioner, vertical integration, business, data collection methods, profession |
| Topics: | Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Engineering Principles, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Urban Studies, Supply Chain 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