Suchergebnisse

Globalisation of the construction industry has meant that people from different national cultures often work together. This creates many additional challenges for the industry, one of which is forming and maintaining a positive safety culture. This study focuses on a Spanish subcontractor working in the UK on a large construction project (+£500m). Throughout a 9-month period, an ethnographic study was undertaken to explore the safety-related challenges that were created for the principal contractor; the lead researcher was able to spend time on the project as a participant observer to gather data around this phenomenon. Despite some regarding it as suspicious, ethnography has now emerged as another approach for understanding the construction industry. This paper demonstrates that through this qualitative approach, new avenues can be explored to broaden and improve our understanding of the industry. The Spanish subcontractor had a faster but less safe culture than their UK counterparts and found it difficult to change their ways and comply with stricter regulations. During the study period, the Spanish subcontractor was stopped numerous times for safety reasons, and even temporarily removed from site. These failings led to the appointment of a health and safety advisor which did lead to some improvements. The challenges did not only occur when the Spanish subcontractor was not following regulations or revealing a poor safety culture, but also when they appeared to display competence. Under UK legislation, the principle contractor is required to check and monitor the competence of the subcontractor and their systems. However in one scenario the principal contractor did not know anything about the Spanish system the subcontractor were using, so how would it be possible to monitor competence? Findings suggest that whilst the Spanish subcontractor may have been a low-cost option initially, safety risks were increased leading to significant amounts of time, money and resources being required to attempt to control these risks.

Cash-flow is very important to any construction business and its effective management is a key function of quantity surveyors, particularly those working in the contracting sector. Successful cash-flow management is challenging at the best of times, but takes on a heightened importance in times of economic difficulty. Irish contractors and, in particular, subcontractors are currently experiencing unprecedented financial difficulties in the wake of the banking and property market collapse. In an attempt to alleviate these difficulties and improve cash flow within the Industry, Senator Feargal Quinn introduced The Construction Contracts Bill 2010, (The Bill) in the Seanad. This study investigates whether the proposed legislation will improve payment practice and the ease cash-flow pressures among those engaged in the Industry. The study is primarily literature based and considers the importance of cash-flow to the smooth running of construction contracts. It outlines the right to payment under contract law and describes the various methods by which payment is made. It explains the payment procedures of the most widely used standard form of subcontract in Ireland. The study sets out the provisions of the Construction Contracts Bill 2010 and reports the perceptions of legislators and senior industry representatives to what the Bill may achieve and their attitudes towards its introduction. The study also examines the effectiveness of similar legislation in other jurisdictions. This review concludes that the Bill is welcome but needs to be modified to address industry concerns and practical operational issues. Overseas experience has shown that while similar legislative initiatives have delivered benefits, a more critical eye might view the results as disappointing. It is one thing to change the law; changing the culture is another thing entirely.

Examines, through an empirical survey, the nature of the relationships between buyer and subcontractor firms in the clothing industry in Italy. Starting from the identification of three classes of buyer firms (characterized by the different ways in which they relate to the market), develops an interpretive framework of firms' strategies in managing subcontractor relationships. Shows that the buyer‐subcontractor relationship is undergoing a drastic evolution with the strategic importance of an "extended integrated production system" being recognized. Discusses how this ongoing evolutionary process is involving firms in different ways: the shift to an evolved buyer‐supplier relationship (characterized by a logic of integration/co‐operation), seems to concern only one of three classes of firm defined.

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PurposeThe objectives of this paper are: to identify the key defining elements of a subcontractor plant from an operations management perspective and examine whether there are differences between the operational contexts of such plants and original equipment manufacturer (OEM) plants; and to examine whether these differences should translate into different operational practices, addressing the specific case of process quality management practices.Design/methodology/approachThe paper uses a multiple case study involving five plants in the electronics industry representative of the OEM and different subcontractor contexts.FindingsResults suggest that the operational contexts of subcontractor and OEM plants are different and that, as a result, these types of plants should emphasize different sets of process quality management practices.Research limitations/implicationsResults are considered to be generalizable to most discrete goods industries. However, future research should ascertain whether these results replicate in industries other than electronics.Practical implicationsOEMs, who have a critical role in disseminating best practice within the supply chain, must recognize the differences between OEM and subcontractor environments and avoid pushing one‐size‐fits‐all best practice programs along the chain.Originality/valueResearch in outsourcing to date has focused on the outsourcing decision per se and has mainly taken the perspective of the outsourcer firm. This study contributes to a better understanding of the operational implications of outsourcing decisions for subcontractor plants. It also responds to calls for more research linking quality management and supply chain management.

The Reformation has often been seen as a force which diminished the North-South connections. Even though it certainly was a new obstacle, relations not only continued but reached unprecedented levels. When Johan III became the new King of Sweden in 1568, as part of his foreign policy, he approached the Catholic powers of Southern Europe and among other things, he proposed formalizing an alliance with Philip H. This episode has been little studied and consequently, it has never been given the importance it really deserves, especially if we consider the great impact it had at political, military and commercial levels. This article uses little known sources mainly preserved in Simancas and contributes to the improvement our knowledge about the relations existing between the Baltic and the Mediterranean in times of the counter-reformation. As we demonstrate, the huge Spanish naval projects and necessities reached to the outskirts of the continent, stretching as far as Sweden and even to the remote tar-burning villages of Finland. ; Peer reviewed

Purpose
– Buyers assessing bids from suppliers of experience services face both an adverse selection and a potential moral hazard problem. The purpose of this study is to examine the relative importance of various signals of supplier reputation conveying information about unobserved supplier quality, which is important for identifying the best tender; and whether price is contingent on supplier reputation and on buyer's quality sensitiveness in a competitive bidding situation.


Design/methodology/approach
– This study builds on a conjoint experiment where 19 contractors consider alternative scenarios representing tenders from subcontractors of plumbing services. In the scenarios the subcontractors differ on their reputation and price variables, while the contractors differ in their quality sensitiveness. Multiple regressions analyzes the contingent price effects.


Findings
– Although low price is generally important for subcontractor selection, quality-sensitive buyers are willing to pay subcontractors a price premium to prevent quality debasement. On the other hand, despite the combined significance of supplier reputation on choice, buyers are not willing to pay price premiums to suppliers with a quality reputation.


Research limitations/implications
– Conjoint studies produce multiple cases but the underlying sample is limited. Therefore, this study should be regarded as preliminary and a basis for further validation on larger samples.


Practical implications
– In competitive bidding situations, suppliers with strong quality reputations may benefit most by low price offers. Thus, suppliers with a strong reputation should achieve profitability through a volume premium rather than a price premium effect. Suppliers opting for price premiums should target the quality sensitive segment of the market.


Originality/value
– In contrast to previous findings in B2B brand equity studies, but in line with findings in information economics, this study suggests that suppliers with a reputation for quality will not receive price premiums. The results indicate that in bidding contexts in B2B markets, the reputation variables may enhance rather than reduce buyers' price sensitivity, because supplier reputation increases low price credibility.

This study intended to examine the influence subcontractor risk management has on the quality performance of building construction projects. Using a quantitative research method, five hypothesised constructs were tested. The views of 139 Heads of Works for Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) in Ghana were elicited using a structured questionnaire. A confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) based on structural equation model (SEM) was adopted in analysing the data obtained. The findings suggest that the management of four (financial risks, resource risks, technical risks and managerial risks) out of the five categories of risks positively influenced the quality performance of building construction projects. Relationship risks showed no significant influence on construction quality performance. The study showed quantitatively the effects of sub-contractor risks on quality performance. It provides a vivid relationship between the concept of sub-contracting and quality performance. Therefore, failure to properly manage risks sourced from sub-contractors on a building construction project will have a major adverse consequence on the quality performance of the project. This study further advances efforts at understanding the link between sub-contractor management and project performance with a particular focus on the management of risks emanating from the use of subcontractors on building projects.