Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: http://hdl.handle.net/10397/6673
PIRA download icon_1.1View/Download Full Text
Title: Niche width, competitive positioning and performance of international construction contractors (1992-2009)
Authors: Yang, H
Chan, APC 
Yeung, JFY
Issue Date: 3-Aug-2013
Source: Journal of management in engineering, Aug. 2013, 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000250, 04014040
Abstract: Over the past few decades, the international construction industry has proven a dramatic development. However, the unstable international circumstance has enhanced the risks of this industry, where proper strategies are critical for the survival of international contractors. Based on organizational ecology theories, which initially stemmed from ecology and then introduced to business management and economics field, proper competitive positioning for international construction companies are investigated in this study. Niche width has been introduced as an indicator to reflect the resource utilization of international construction companies while location is defined as the contractors' distance from the market center. Using Engineering News-Record data on top 225 international contractors from 1992 to 2009, the U-shaped relationship between niche width and performance of contractor is proven in both product and geography dimensions, indicating the performance of contractors enhance with the expansion of niche width initially, and then subside. In addition, location shows significant effect on performance of international contractors. The proper location for contractors with narrow niche width is close to the geographic market center and far from the product market center; while the appropriate positions for contractors with wide niche width are opposite to those with narrow niche width. Although this research focuses mainly on top international contractors, the results may reflect the profile of the whole industry. Furthermore, the research method of this study could be replicated in other studies to enhance the understanding of the organizational competitive positioning in a complicated environment.
Keywords: International construction market
International contractors
Competitive positioning
Niche width
Resource partitioning
Publisher: American Society of Civil Engineers
Journal: Journal of management in engineering 
ISSN: 0742-597X
EISSN: 1943-5479
DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)ME.1943-5479.0000250
Rights: © 2014 American Society of Civil Engineers
Appears in Collections:Journal/Magazine Article

Files in This Item:
File Description SizeFormat 
Niche Width Competitive_Chan.pdfPre-published version2.15 MBAdobe PDFView/Open
Open Access Information
Status open access
File Version Final Accepted Manuscript
Access
View full-text via PolyU eLinks SFX Query
Show full item record

Page views

136
Last Week
1
Last month
Citations as of Mar 24, 2024

Downloads

323
Citations as of Mar 24, 2024

SCOPUSTM   
Citations

11
Last Week
0
Last month
0
Citations as of Mar 29, 2024

WEB OF SCIENCETM
Citations

10
Last Week
0
Last month
0
Citations as of Mar 28, 2024

Google ScholarTM

Check

Altmetric


Items in DSpace are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved, unless otherwise indicated.