Perceptions of business performance in medium-sized construction companies in the English Midlands

There is a gap between the performance of the construction company as a business and the performance of its construction projects. The research addresses this gap through how senior managers construct business performance in medium-sized construction companies which are believed to be working at both company and project levels. Existing research identified determinants of business performance as locality, type of work and size of business, as well as management approach. Therefore this research is limited to the English Midlands to ensure commonality in the working conditions of the construction companies investigated and to understand other factors useful in creating business performance. An interpretive research method was chosen because the construction industry operates substantively through the actions and relationships of individuals. A series of in-depth semi-structured interviews was conducted with senior managers in two stages. An analysis based on the content of the interview transcripts was used to develop the understanding of creation of business performance in a construction company. The findings determined that business performance was a fluid concept in practice which is not handled well by ... (continues)