Transaction costs incurred by construction owners

2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (4) ◽  
pp. 444-458 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huimin Li ◽  
David Arditi ◽  
Zhuofu Wang
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
The Body ◽  
Unit Price ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Risk Allocation ◽  
Content Type

Purpose – Transaction costs arise from economic exchange rather than production activities. However, the term “transaction cost” is not consistently defined in the construction industry because the concept of transaction cost is not universally accepted by all stakeholders in construction projects. As a result, empirical studies are few and conflicting because accessing data on transaction costs is problematic, and the interpretation of the data is difficult. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the transaction costs borne by the owner in a construction project from the perspective of transaction cost economics and construction project characteristics. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire survey was administered to construction owners. The factors that impact transaction costs were analyzed in the context of human-related issues (the owner's and the contractor's positions in the transaction), and environment-related issues (the transaction environment, and project management efficiency). Statistical analyses were conducted to compare the transaction costs incurred in the pre- vs post-contract phases of a project relative to the private vs public sector, different project delivery systems, different procurement methods, and different types of contracts. Findings – The owners surveyed believe that transaction costs may be reduced if the owner and the contractor follow some basic guidelines (e.g. experience in similar projects, prompt payment, good relationship with project participants, no irregularities in bidding, and only few material substitutions and claims), if the project is well-run (e.g. technical competency, strong leadership, prompt decision-making, effective communication, and fair/speedy conflict management), and if the transaction environment is favorable (e.g. fair risk allocation, early contractor involvement, and complete design documents). The findings of the survey also indicate that post-contract transaction costs are much higher than pre-contract transaction costs expressed as percent of project value and that transaction costs are affected by the owner (public vs private), the procurement method, the project delivery system, and the type of contract. Originality/value – The primary contribution that this research makes to the body of knowledge is a better understanding of transaction costs incurred by construction owners in the USA. The highest transaction costs are to be expected in the post-contract phase of public projects awarded on a unit price basis, but can be reduced, hence reducing overall project cost.

Analysis of the outcome features of effective monitoring and evaluation in construction project delivery

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (6) ◽  
pp. 1192-1201
Author(s):  
Callistus Tengan ◽  
Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa ◽  
Francis Guribie ◽  
Joseph Annor-Asubonteng
Keyword(s):  
User Satisfaction ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Monitoring And Evaluation ◽  
Project Planning ◽  
The Body ◽  
Project Delivery ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Coordinating Councils ◽  
Evaluation Outcome

Purpose This study aims to analyze the outcome features of effective monitoring and evaluation in construction projects delivery. Design/methodology/approach The study adopted a quantitative research approach. Questionnaire survey was administered to 230 participants who were drawn from metropolitan, municipal, district assemblies and regional coordinating councils in Ghana. Data collected were analyzed to determine the key and underlying monitoring and evaluation outcome features in project delivery. A Cronbach’s α value of 0.953 was achieved based on standardized items, while the Kaiser–Meyer–Olkin measure of sampling adequacy recorded was 0.876. The result of Bartlett’s test of sphericity also revealed a significance level of 0.000 (p < 0.05). Findings The study discovered that value for money, successful project closure, end-user satisfaction, timely completion of projects and fitness for purpose were the top five monitoring and evaluation outcome features. Similarly, three principal monitoring and evaluation outcome features were identified, namely, performance, satisfaction and value outcome. Practical implications The study, thus, seeks to guide project planning and implementation of effective construction project M&E. Originality/value The study contributes to the body of knowledge by establishing top and key success outcomes (KSO) in the implementation of monitoring and evaluation.

A transaction cost explanation of the card-or-cash decision among Vietnamese debit card holders

2020 ◽  
Vol 38 (7) ◽  
pp. 1635-1664
Author(s):  
Dung Phuong Hoang ◽  
Thong Huy Vu
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Environmental Uncertainty ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Debit Card ◽  
Willingness To Use ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Debit Cards ◽  
Adaptation Costs

PurposeThis research provides a new perspective in explaining cardholders' willingness to use debit cards instead of cash by applying the transaction costs economic theory. This study also expands the adaptation of transaction cost economics theory in explaining consumer behaviour by investigating the moderating effects of income and education level on the relationship between perceived transaction costs and willingness to use debit cards.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual framework was developed primarily from the transaction cost economics theory. An in-depth interview method was employed to further support hypothesis development and the development of measurement scales. A structural equation model linking asset specificity, behavioural uncertainty, environmental uncertainty, frequency of payment, perceived monitoring costs, perceived adaptation costs and willingness to use debit cards was tested using data from a sample of 384 Vietnamese debit card holders.FindingsThis study's results support the transaction cost economics theory that asset specificity, uncertainty and frequency of payment all positively contribute to the perceived transaction costs associated with debit card usage. However, only environmental uncertainty and perceived adaptation costs have significant negative impact on willingness to use debit cards, with the relationship between environmental uncertainty and willingness to use debit cards being totally mediated by perceived adaptation costs. Moreover, the relationship between perceived adaptation costs and willingness to use debit cards becomes less negative among richer and better-educated cardholders.Practical implicationsThe research provides insights into the hidden obstacles for developing cashless economies, thereby supporting policy makers in designing more effective and comprehensive strategies to make debit cards more widely used as a true substitute for cash.Originality/valueThis study provides a new lens in explaining customer willingness to use debit cards, while expanding the transaction costs economics theory by incorporating demographic factors as moderators in the relationship between transaction costs and the card-or-cash choice.

From transaction costs to transaction value: Overcoming the frictional paradigm

2020 ◽  
pp. 51-81
Author(s):  
D. P. Frolov
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Path Dependence ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Cost Minimization ◽  
Low Cost ◽  
Coase Theorem ◽  
Transactional Analysis ◽  
Transaction Sector ◽  
Transaction Value

The transaction cost economics has accumulated a mass of dogmatic concepts and assertions that have acquired high stability under the influence of path dependence. These include the dogma about transaction costs as frictions, the dogma about the unproductiveness of transactions as a generator of losses, “Stigler—Coase” theorem and the logic of transaction cost minimization, and also the dogma about the priority of institutions providing low-cost transactions. The listed dogmas underlie the prevailing tradition of transactional analysis the frictional paradigm — which, in turn, is the foundation of neo-institutional theory. Therefore, the community of new institutionalists implicitly blocks attempts of a serious revision of this dogmatics. The purpose of the article is to substantiate a post-institutional (alternative to the dominant neo-institutional discourse) value-oriented perspective for the development of transactional studies based on rethinking and combining forgotten theoretical alternatives. Those are Commons’s theory of transactions, Wallis—North’s theory of transaction sector, theory of transaction benefits (T. Sandler, N. Komesar, T. Eggertsson) and Zajac—Olsen’s theory of transaction value. The article provides arguments and examples in favor of broader explanatory possibilities of value-oriented transactional analysis.

scholarly journals Firms' Choice of Regulatory Instruments to Reduce Pollution: A Transaction Cost Approach

2004 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 1-20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Magali Delmas ◽  
Alfred Marcus
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Command And Control ◽  
Governance Structure ◽  
Governance Structures ◽  
Negotiated Agreements ◽  
Regulatory Instruments ◽  
Market Opportunities ◽  
And Control

This paper compares the economic efficiency of firm-agency governance structures for pollution reduction using transaction costs economics. Two governance structures are analyzed with the transaction costs approach: command and control regulation (CCR) and negotiated agreements (NAs). We propose that the choice of governance structure depends on the strategies firms pursue given the attributes of their transactions and their market opportunities. The application of transaction cost economics analysis leads to different choices of regulatory instruments. Firms in more mature, stable industries are likely to choose command and control, while firms in new, dynamic sectors are more likely to opt for negotiated agreements. Frequency of transactions is a key factor in firm choice.

Broaden the Pathway to Inclusive Entrepreneurship: A Transaction Cost Proposition

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Du ◽  
Jie Lu ◽  
Yanbing Jiang
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Social Exclusion ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Inclusive Growth ◽  
Stage Model ◽  
Base Of The Pyramid ◽  
Resource Base ◽  
Personal Competence

Abstract Since entrepreneurship was conceptualised as a panacea for achieving inclusive growth in the “base of the pyramid” (BoP) regions, various ways have been explored to leverage this powerful tool, such as helping potential entrepreneurs build the resource base and capabilities. However, given the severe resources constraints in the BoP regions, such a goal is difficult to achieve. Besides, due to the high demands on personal competence, only a few people can benefit from this method, which fails to solve the problem of social exclusion in the BoP regions. Therefore, we aim to find a better way to leverage entrepreneurship to tackle the problem of the BoP regions by calling for more attention to the inclusiveness of entrepreneurship. Based on data of inclusive entrepreneurs in Zhejiang, China, we construct a three-stage model for inclusive entrepreneurship. We also apply Transaction Cost Economics to look for determinants that foster inclusive entrepreneurship and validate our main assertion that decreasing transaction cost significantly helps to increase the inclusiveness of entrepreneurship, and different phases of inclusive entrepreneurship (i.e., opportunity inclusiveness, participation inclusiveness, and sharing inclusiveness) are influenced by different sets of determinants of transaction costs.

Transforming the scope of the bank through fintechs: toward a modularized network governance

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Piotr Łasak ◽  
Marta Gancarczyk
Keyword(s):  
Organizational Design ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Theoretical Framework ◽  
Network Governance ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Ict Adoption ◽  
Conceptual Foundations ◽  
Practical Implications

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to develop a theoretical framework of the transformation of the bank's scope driven by fintechs.Design/methodology/approachThe conceptual foundations for a comprehensive transformation of the bank governance through financial technologies (fintechs) are underexplored. In order to develop such foundations, the authors adopt transaction cost economics (TCE), the concepts of external enablers and a modular organizational design, as well as a systematic literature review.FindingsThe results point to three scenarios of the banks' scope, depending on the adopted technological mechanisms and related effects that change the characteristics of organizational activities, justifying new bank boundaries. The most advanced application of fintechs results in a modularized network scenario leading to the emergence of financial ecosystems.Research limitations/implicationsThe proposed micro-perspective of decisional rules in an individual organization is unique in the current literature that predominantly focuses on the banking sector at large. The identified scenarios are valuable for solid theoretical and empirical grounding and can be further exploited in decision simulations and empirical studies.Practical implicationsThe proposed theoretical framework points to the rationales and consequences of adopted technologies for the boundaries of a bank organization.Originality/valueThis paper provides three contributions to the literature on technology-driven transformations of organizations with a focus on banks. First, the authors elaborate a theoretical framework for establishing the bank's boundaries in response to the expansion of financial technologies. Second, the authors add to the knowledge accumulation in the area of organizational transformations based on the ICT adoption, in particular, to the literature on the modular organizational design. Third, the authors contribute to the decision-maker practice by proposing the alternative options of banks' scope transformed through fintechs.

Categorising on-site problems

2017 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-111 ◽  
Author(s):  
Micael Thunberg ◽  
Martin Rudberg ◽  
Tina Karrbom Gustavsson
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Project ◽  
Internal Validity ◽  
Internal Communication ◽  
The Body ◽  
Construction Project Management ◽  
Structured Interviews ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Body Of Knowledge

Purpose This study aims to identify and categorise common on-site problems from a supply chain management (SCM) perspective and to trace the origin of these problems in the construction project process, the supply chain or in the intersection between these processes. This allows for identification of how on-site problems affect SCM in construction projects and how they can be mitigated. Design/methodology/approach A literature review in combination with semi-structured interviews was used to identify on-site problems. This enabled triangulation and strengthened both construct validity and internal validity. Findings On-site problems can be categorised in one of the four following categories: material flows, internal communication, external communication or complexity. The first category has its origin in the supply chain, the second in the construction project process, the third in the supply chain-construction process intersection on site and the fourth in the construction project as a whole. The findings conclude that on-site problems often originate from construction companies’ lack of supply chain orientation. Research limitations/implications It is suggested that supply chain planning (SCP) can facilitate on-site problem mitigation in construction project management. This extends the body of knowledge of SCP in construction project management and supports the development of effective on-site construction project management. Practical implications The results show that SCP can aid construction project management in handling on-site problems earlier in the project process. Originality/value The main value lies in extending the body of knowledge in construction project management research by applying an SCM perspective and by introducing SCP to support more effective construction project management.

Transactional dynamics in European R & D networks: an assessment of Eureka

2015 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 330-354
Author(s):  
Bruno Brandão Fischer ◽  
José Molero
Keyword(s):  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Empirical Support ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Dynamic Interactions ◽  
Firm Level ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Dynamic Framework ◽  
Level Data ◽  
Ex Ante

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to verify the impacts of the transaction costs rationale on economic agents’ innovative results when they engage in European R & D networks, supplying both firms and policymakers with empirical support for improved decision making toward economic competitiveness and construction of the European research area. Furthermore, unlike many transaction cost economics assessments, the authors evaluate the existence of transaction costs following a dynamic framework of analysis (instead of using solely ex ante governance choice as a driver of inter-firm “friction” management), offering a novel perspective on these phenomena. Design/methodology/approach – Data consist of firm-level information from Eureka’s Final Reports (1995-2006) for Spanish, Italian, French, British and German firms. Empirical assessments were performed through a two-step approach of direct and indirect effects of network management and potential sources of disturbances. Ordinal regressions were applied in order to identify transaction costs’ relevance as drivers of firms’ technological and commercial outcomes, as well as on managerial quality of alliances. Statistical controls include microeconomic and project-specific variables. Findings – Results highlight the role played by transactional aspects as drivers of companies’ outcomes and managerial complexity. Furthermore, the authors find robust evidence that formal ex ante governance structures are incapable of satisfactorily addressing dynamic disturbances that take place within R & D networks. Whereas such findings are directly related to existing transaction costs, the authors find no support for the usual variables attributed to increased complexity in international inter-firm relationships. Research limitations/implications – Self-selection issues are inherently related to the research instrument (i.e. Eureka’s Reports), while further firm-level data could not be obtained since confidentiality issues protected companies’ names and sectors. Also, network-level data are not available, allowing the evaluation of individual perceptions only. Originality/value – While literature addresses the issue of transaction costs in R & D networks via theoretical assumptions and rough proxies, this assessment offers an in-depth evaluation of a set of valuable indicators with direct implications for researchers, managers and policymakers. Main contributions concern the identification of dynamic interactions (and their respective disturbances) as a key feature of the overall performance of R & D networks, stressing the non-linearity of economic processes in these hybrid relationships, an issue that has been poorly tackled by previous empirical investigations.

Entrepreneurship in rural hospitality and tourism. A systematic literature review of past achievements and future promises

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Arun Thirumalesh Madanaguli ◽  
Puneet Kaur ◽  
Stefano Bresciani ◽  
Amandeep Dhir
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Systematic Literature Review ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
The Body ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Limited Attention ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Areas ◽  
Hospitality And Tourism

Purpose Entrepreneurship in the rural hospitality and tourism sector (RHT) has received wide attention in the past decade. However, a systematic review on this topic is currently lacking. This study aims to track the progress of the RHT and entrepreneurship literature by examining the various thematic research areas, identifying the research gaps and forecasting avenues of future research on the topic. Design/methodology/approach This paper catalogs and synthesizes the body of literature from the year 2000–2020 using a systematic literature review methodology. After discussing a brief history of RHT and entrepreneurship, the current study presents a review of 101 research articles. Findings The review highlights that RHT and entrepreneurship have received relatively limited attention from entrepreneurship journals. The content analysis revealed different gaps and limitations in the understanding of entrepreneurship in RHT, including a predominance of qualitative studies with limited theoretically-grounded and generalizable empirical studies. Furthermore, a high concentration of studies is from European countries. Six main thematic research areas were identified, namely, barriers and enablers, the roles of an entrepreneur, women in RHT, influencers of firm performance, innovation and value creation and methodological commonalities. The review also advances an RHT entrepreneurship ecosystem framework to summarize the findings. Originality/value Six promising research avenues are outlined based on the six themes identified. The suggested research questions draw from allied literature on small and medium businesses, innovation, women entrepreneurship and institutions to encourage the interdisciplinary cross-pollination of ideas. The findings are summarized in a novel research framework.

How A Social Enterprise Wanes: The Transaction Costs of Credible Commitments at Etsy.com

2021 ◽  
pp. 026010792110382
Author(s):  
Alejandro Agafonow ◽  
Marybel Perez
Keyword(s):  
Political Economy ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Transaction Cost ◽  
Social Enterprise ◽  
Economic Transition ◽  
Transaction Cost Economics ◽  
Credible Commitments ◽  
Social Mission ◽  
Corporate World ◽  
Online Marketplace

This article fathoms how a social enterprise wanes by applying the construct of imperative credible commitments from transaction cost economics to the case of Etsy.com, an online marketplace created to connect artisans and craftwork enthusiasts. In the absence of imperative credible commitments, Etsy’s social mission was bound to change, leaving the company’s major stakeholders without safeguards to protect the perpetuation of the transactions that Etsy was created to serve. The construct of credible commitments has proved to be fertile in understanding issues of political and economic transition, yet its relevance to puzzle out the corporate world has been underestimated. To bridge this gap, we have recourse to the analogy between disabling the discretion of monarchs and executives to prevent them from reneging on commitments. Hence, by building on political economy academics’ attention is drawn to strategies that, despite existing in the corporate world, have rarely been perceived as important by management and economics scholars.

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