Critical Success Factors for Competitiveness of Contractors: China Study |
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Authors: | Weisheng Lu Liyin Shen Michael C H Yam |
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Affiliation: | 1Assistant Professor, Dept. of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong; formerly, Research Fellow, School of Construction Management and Engineering, Univ. of Reading, Whiteknights, P.O. Box 219, Reading RG6 6AW, U.K. E-mail: bswilson@polyu.edu.hk 2Professor, Dept. of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hong Kong. E-mail: bsshen@polyu.edu.hk 3Associate Professor, Dept. of Building and Real Estate, Hong Kong Polytechnic Univ., Hung Hom, Kowloon, Hong Kong. E-mail: bsmyam@polyu.edu.hk
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Abstract: | Gaining or maintaining a “contractor’s” competitive advantage is not easy as it is determined by a large number of factors. Identification of critical success factors (CSFs) allows one to reduce the vast number of factors to some manageable few but vital ones. Based on the CSFs, contractors’ limited resources such as money and manpower can be allocated and aligned appropriately for yielding a maximum outcome of overall competitiveness. This paper describes the CSFs identified from a survey study carried out in Mainland China. The ranking analysis of the survey results shows that 35 factors are rated as critical for determining the competitiveness of a contractor. Factor analysis reveals that the 35 CSFs identified can be grouped into eight clusters, namely, project management skills, organization structure, resources, competitive strategy, relationships, bidding, marketing, and technology. The CSFs in this study provide a vehicle for guiding a contractor in managing its resources in order to improve competitive advantage. The study also provides insights into the management of competitiveness for contractors that are operating in the particular context of the Chinese construction industry. |
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Keywords: | China Construction management Construction companies Contractors Competition |
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