İnşaat Sektöründe Alt Yüklenici Davranışları

Abstract

The present thesis aims to investigate subcontractor behavior in confronting the uncertainties posed by the construction sector. In other words, the aim is to study organizational responses to environmental uncertainty not from a general contractor's, but from a subcontractor's perspective. The thesis is arranged in five parts. The first section, introduces the subject and the content of the study undertaken. The aim of the study is also presented in the first section. The second section is devoted to the problem. First of all, characteristics of the construction industry are outlined. These characteristics may be stated as follows:. The product is stable, while producers are mobile.. Production takes place in the open air, rendering processes prone to climatic conditions.. Each project is unique, requiring different combinations of resources.. Fluctuations in demand create problems of excess capacity in terms of manpower and equipment.. Fluctuations in demand and organization of demand in the form of projects create resource planning problems.. Securing of contracts depends on competitive bidding, which creates further problems of uncertainty. The uncertainties confronted have led to the extensive use of subcontracting by general contractors. Subcontracting serves to,. provide a buffer against fluctuations in demand by easing manpower and equipment planning. reduce the investment needs of the general contractor viu . reduce the possibility of creating excess resource capacity The third section outlines the basic approach of the study, by formulating two hypotheses: Hypothesis 1 : Subcontractors show a tendency to maintain long term relationships with main contractors. The rationale behind this assumption is that just like main contractors, subcontractors are also affected by uncertainties in the construction sector. Maintaining long term (or quasi-firm) relationships with main constractors is a way of coping with fluctuations in the work load. Hypothesis 2 : Subcontractors subcontract work to secondary subcontractors under pressure. Subcontractors' responses to environmental uncertainty is built on the model of main contractor'responses: namely, to subcontract work to secondary subcontractor units undertime pressure and sometimes, for commercial purposes. Research design involves a cross-sectional survey of subcontractors active in Istanbul. Thirtythree subcontractors were selected and questions were directed to the owners of these subcontractor firms. Data collection was carried out between February 1993 - August 1994. The questionnaire items were composed of three parts:. Descriptive questions. Questions measuring main/subcontractor relationships. Questions measuring sub/secondary subcontractor relationships. The statistical analyses used include descriptive statistics and correlation analyses. The fourth section is devoted to the findings of the study. Descriptive statistics The sample consisted of subcontractors active in the following areas. Design services. Earth moving work IX Formwork Steel Concrete work Masonry work Roofing and related work Plaster and stucco work Window and door framing Painting and finishes Glass Interior decoration Building chemistry Mechanical installations Electrical installations General contracting The distribution of firms undertaking one or more of these activities is as follows: The sizes of these firms showed the following distribution: The answers provided by subcontractors to questions pertaining to their relationships with the main contractors led to the following major findings:. All of the subcontractors have at least worked on 5 projects with a main contractor.. Most of the subcontractors have provided support for their main contractors in case the main contractor had a conflict with the client.. Most of the subcontractors have provided free consultancy services to their main contractors when needed.. Subcontractors value their relationships with their main contractors and find their main contractors "important" The answers provided by subcontractors to questions pertaining to their relationships with other subcontractors led to the following major findings:. Most subcontractors accepted the fact that they subcontracted work to secondary subcontractors under time pressure. Most subcontractors accepted the fact that they subcontracted work to her subcontractors with commercial purposes.. Most subcontractors stated that they encountered problems of quality, scheduling, cost and payments with secondary subcontractors. The major findings of the correlation analyses carried out may be summarized as follows:. Subcontractors value long-term relationships with main contractors.. Subcontractors are aware of the fact that long-term relationships may be effectively sustained through solidarity, which they evaluate as a kind of sacrifice.. Subcontractors are aware of the fact that long-term relationships may be sustained through unproblematic cooperation. Therefore they regard coordination problems with secondary subcontractors as potential barriers to long-term relationships with main contractors.. Subcontractors try to control secondary subcontractors in relatively formal ways to ensure the avoidance of problems.. Subcontractors value formal relationships with main contractors.. Subcontractors experience control problems with secondary subcontractors, which they try to overcome by means of periodic controls. XI The fifth section is devoted to the discussion of the findings with reference to the hypotheses formulated. Findings support both hypotheses. The findings are summarized and compared with each other in this section. This section also draws general conclusions and is devoted to avenues of further research. The subcontracting of work to secondary subcontractors brings new problems that need to be- tackled through further research in the area: These are namely:. What is the economic load of further subcontracting to the main contractor and can this load be quantified?. What are the implications of the addition of another ring to the production chain for site management in general? These questions need to be investigated through further empirical research.