Costantino, N; Pietroforte, R and Hamill, P (2001) Subcontracting in commercial and residential construction: An empirical investigation. Construction Management and Economics, 19(4), pp. 439-447. ISSN 01446193
Abstract
Some twenty years ago Robert Eccles argued for the theoretical existence of the quasifirm, a semi-integrated form of production in the construction industry, following a field study of home building firms in the USA. The study was aimed at substantiating some aspects of Williamson's transaction cost theory. The present work has similar intents, and illustrates the results of two recent field studies of homebuilders and commercial contractors, and the specific features of their subcontracting practice. Given the difficulty of an effective measurement of transaction costs in construction, Williamson's concept of atmosphere is suggested to explain the different approaches observed in subcontracting.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | construction market; general constractors; homebuilders; quasifirm; subcontracting; transaction costs |
| Index terms: | field study, transaction cost, subcontracting, residential construction, investigation, home building, construction industry, construction market |
| Subjects: | organization, data collection methods, construction type, financial analysis, industry analysis, market analysis, research methods, construction integration |
| Topics: | Supply Chain Management, Research Practice, Cost Management, Business Strategy, Construction Technology |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCTA |
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