Ding, Z; Zuo, J; Wang, J and Zillante, G (2016) Searching for niche market for engineering consultants: Case of regional supervision systems in China. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 23(5), pp. 622-637. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose A growing number of foreign consulting firms have been engaged in the Chinese construction market where the supervision system, as a kind of engineering consultant service has been widely implemented. However, the performance of supervision system varies significantly across regions. Therefore, foreign consulting firms are in desperate need of related performance benchmarking statistics to determine the niche market. A major issue is lack of a quantitative method to objectively evaluate regional supervision systems' performance. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach A new regional construction supervision system benchmarking model was developed via the principal component analysis method. This model is based on key performance indicators drawn from annual official statistics. This list of key indicators was refined by means of a focus group with selected experts. Consequently the performances of all 31 regional supervision systems were calculated and ranked. Findings Results indicate a general gap between coastal and inland regions. The various development trends of top 10 regions are analyzed and the underlying reasons are explored. Furthermore, the regions deserving more attention or currently lacking in development are identified. The supervision industry in China is shifting from a labor-intensive industry to a knowledge-intensive industry. Originality/value The proposed model provides a single quantitative parameter to conveniently benchmark the performance of various regions. The findings are vital for the benchmarking and clarification of future endeavor of the regional supervision systems and for foreign enterprises that are planning to enter the real-estate market in China.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | China; benchmark; principal component analysis; focus group; niche market; supervision system |
| Index terms: | benchmarking, China, quantitative method, methodology, focus group, construction market, supervision, statistics, key indicator, niche market, engineering consultant, principal component analysis, key performance indicator |
| Subjects: | market analysis, statistical analysis, professional, research methods, performance measurement, Geography, project delivery, data analysis and analytics, mathematical modelling, business, data collection methods, control systems |
| Topics: | Quality Management, Project Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Business Strategy, Roles and Professions |
| 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