Comparative Study on Perception of Causes for Construction Task Delay in China and the United States
Publication: Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147, Issue 3
Abstract
Rapidly growing construction markets in China and the United States have provided opportunities for contractors to venture into foreign industries. To help project managers understand the fundamental difference in culture and the way projects are managed, it is useful and critical to reveal and compare the causes of delay and construction management practices in China and the US. The research is aimed at identifying and comparing the most prevalent reasons for task-level delay between the two countries, as perceived by various levels of management, and understanding how the culture and tradition influence management practice and performance. A questionnaire survey for public projects contracted to civilian construction companies was administered to contractors, 150 usable responses from China were collected, and the results were compared to the results from a similar survey in the US. The contributions are quantitatively examining the essential constituents causing task delay, discovering the root causes and key differences in construction management culture between the two countries, and developing strategies to help contractors minimize possible task delay when working in different culture and environments. The findings will help construction managers learn the essential differences in culture and their impact on the ways of project operation so that they can take proactive actions to interact with project managers from different counties to minimize delays.
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Data Availability Statement
The survey response data can be accessed when requested.
Acknowledgments
This work was sponsored by the National Nature Science Foundation of China (No. 71671098).
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Published In
Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
Volume 147 • Issue 3 • March 2021
Copyright
© 2020 American Society of Civil Engineers.
History
Received: Mar 10, 2020
Accepted: Sep 1, 2020
Published online: Dec 16, 2020
Published in print: Mar 1, 2021
Discussion open until: May 16, 2021
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