Towards the identification of factors affecting the development of small sized construction contacting organisations

The UK construction industry is characterized by its fragmentation into large numbers of small sized construction contracting organizations. Previous data has indicated a record of failure of such construction based enterprises especially in times of economic recession. A study has been conducted with small sized construction contracting organizations in order to explore the pertinent factors found to affect their survival and/or growth. The participants in the study were selected from the University of Salford’s Leading Enterprise and Development (LEAD) programme, which seeks to promote successful companies in business. The study was conducted from an interpretative perspective using a qualitative approach. Six in-depth semi-structured interviews have been conducted with key players in commercial/residential construction contracting organizations including the owners of two failed businesses. The methodology adopted allowed the generation of