Wilkinson, S; Piri, I S and Chang-Rihcards, Y (2017) Developing resilience in subcontracting organisations during disaster recovery. 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 large-scale reconstruction in Christchurch following the 2010/11 earthquakes as generated a substantial demand for construction employment. Subcontractors play a significant part in recovery and rebuilding. Based on case studies of subcontracting organisations involved in the reconstruction of the Christchurch city, this paper analyses the workforce resourcing strategies adopted in small and medium sized construction businesses. The research findings show that the subcontractors' workforce resourcing is highly vulnerable to the labour market changes and competition in securing projects. Business agility and resiliency have therefore been seen as critical for the survival of subcontracting organisations, especially during recovery operations. The paper examines what it means for subcontractor’s to develop resiliency and develops strategies to assist such organisations to sustain business during volatile periods.
| Item Type: | Conference Paper (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | subcontrator; resilience; disaster |
| Index terms: | case study, subcontractor, survival, employment, subcontracting, disaster recovery, rebuilding, Christchurch, competition, reconstruction, earthquake, recovery, strategy, labour market |
| Subjects: | organization, market analysis, management, practitioner, environmental hazards, data collection methods, Geography, economics, emergency and crisis management, building construction, operations management, environmental science |
| Topics: | Supply Chain Management, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Human Resources, Sustainability, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Project Management, Geographical Context |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCE |
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