This paper addresses a research question on why construction companies fail in their business. Starting with the concept of growth and capacity underinvestment archetype, a new and operational systems thinking model i...This paper addresses a research question on why construction companies fail in their business. Starting with the concept of growth and capacity underinvestment archetype, a new and operational systems thinking model is developed. The conceptual systems thinking model includes a set of causal structure that can explain various modes(including the growth and failure modes) of business performance of small and medium construction companies. Mainly the three components – projects,finance and capacity – and the understanding of their nexus(or causal inter-relationships) are found to be sufficient to reveal different performance modes in construction business. Further, the three operational aspects, namely, the business growth or decline process;the situation of financial and other capacity resource consumption; and the management of projects, finance and other capacity resources have been identified as the interrelated core and integral aspects of construction business.The three inter-related core aspects could actually include and explain different possible range of business situations,policies and practices in a construction company.展开更多
文摘This paper addresses a research question on why construction companies fail in their business. Starting with the concept of growth and capacity underinvestment archetype, a new and operational systems thinking model is developed. The conceptual systems thinking model includes a set of causal structure that can explain various modes(including the growth and failure modes) of business performance of small and medium construction companies. Mainly the three components – projects,finance and capacity – and the understanding of their nexus(or causal inter-relationships) are found to be sufficient to reveal different performance modes in construction business. Further, the three operational aspects, namely, the business growth or decline process;the situation of financial and other capacity resource consumption; and the management of projects, finance and other capacity resources have been identified as the interrelated core and integral aspects of construction business.The three inter-related core aspects could actually include and explain different possible range of business situations,policies and practices in a construction company.