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Adjei, E A (2015) Multi-objective optimisation of building design variables and its impact on office building performance: a case for Ghana, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Al-Jibouri, S H (1985) Cost models for construction, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Alzahrani, A (2017) The social value of urban design in mixed use developments in London, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Awad, A M (2005) The interaction between project finance of a large-scale construction project and macroeconomic indicators and policies, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Bailey, D (2016) A performance evaluation of mainstream timber framed and traditional masonry housing in the UK, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham.

Bordalo Faustino, P (2017) Public procurement award criteria in the EU member states: a comparative study of the discretionary powers of contracting authorities, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Law, University of Nottingham.

Bresnen, M J (1986) A study of forms of project organisation and matrix management: case studies from the construction industry, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Business School, University of Nottingham.

Brown, J D (2012) Corporate responsibility in the UK construction industry: a study of activities and reporting, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Calvert, G S (2021) A multiple defect approach to bridge life cycle modelling, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Capra, M (2010) Collaborative mixed reality environments: an application for civil engineering, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Chen, C (2019) Heterogeneous integration of BIM with low-cost indoor mobile laser scanning method for building fabric maintenance in China, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham.

Colley, J G (2011) An exploration of competitive advantage in the plasterboard industry, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Business School, University of Nottingham.

  • Type: Thesis
  • Keywords: competition; competitive advantage; Europe; investment; leadership; learning; manufacturing; materials; time series; UK
  • ISBN/ISSN:
  • URL: https://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.546582
  • Abstract:
    There is a widespread presumption in the strategy literature that firms enjoying a competitive advantage in commodity-producing industries do so as a result of following cost leadership strategies. This thesis as monograph re-evaluates that presumption by a detailed exploration of the bases for competitive advantage in the plasterboard industry, one of the most important materials used by the construction industry. It explores price and non-price based methods of competition, plant scale economies, and the influence of order of entry on firm performance. The thesis draws upon detailed industry-, firm- and plant level data collected by the author. These data include time series price, demand and capacity figures for the US and UK, plant factor usage data for 50 plants covering four years, and data relating to 56 attempted entries to the European plasterboard industry. Analytical methods include time series regression methods with ADF and Engle Granger tests. Panel data methods include OLS regression with fixed and variable models. Dummy variable methods are also employed with these approaches. The nature of the relationship between price and supply and demand is used to indicate the character of competition. Price would be expected to reflect the relationship between supply and demand. The study finds that this does occur in the USA where non-price based methods of competition are rarely applied. The UK Industry makes extensive use of bundling methods which result in no discernible relationship between price and supply and demand. The influence of the respective competitive environments is also considered. The study also finds that prices are upwards sticky in the USA, which has implications for the theories of Means (1935) and Sweezy (1939). A novel theoretical analysis is provided to explain this finding. The study identifies Edgeworth (Maskin and Tirolle, 1988) price cycle behaviour in the UK plasterboard industry. Novel conclusions are drawn regarding the sources and environment which instigate this behaviour. The findings are important as previous empirical work has been confined to the gasoline industry. Panel data methods are used with a uniquely detailed database to identify and quantify manufacturing plant scale economies in labour and energy by functional use. This level of detail has not previously been available to researchers. Evidence of management diseconomies of scale is identified, and also learning effects for new plants. Initial investment costs are examined and found to yield scale economies in both equipment and civil engineering categories of expenditure. These are discussed in the context of scale economy sources. Finally, historical methods (Golder, 2000) are used to study the 56 attempted entries to the 21 industries which comprise the European plasterboard industry. A model is devised to predict the prospect of entry success in relation to factors including order of entry, country regime, resource endowment and demand. A link between order of entry and long-term market share advantage is identified. Evidence is identified to support the proposition that second movers select a cost base to compete with the first mover. The relevance of resource endowment is discussed and the concept of 'dominant process' emerges as important factors in the likelihood of entry success.

Dawson, P J (1997) A hierarchical approach to the management of construction project risk, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Dickens, G (2002) Teamworking, perceptions and communication within construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Fadoul, A (2020) A BIM-based model for constructability assessment of buildings design, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Fahdah, I (2008) Distributed IT for integration and communication of engineering information for collaborative building design, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Hassan, H (2020) Psychosocial risks among migrant workers in the Middle East construction sector, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.

Hernandez Delgado, O A (1998) Decision-making for the selection of investment projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , The University of Nottingham.

Jaly Zada, A J (2016) Versioning of IFC-based information models for collaborative design, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Jones, C (2014) Assessing safety culture and safety performance in a high hazard industry, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.

Langdon, M (2021) Towards a shift of values in rail infrastructure project evaluation, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Long, G (2010) A detailed investigation of the applicability and utility of simulation and gaming in the teaching of civil engineering students, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Mohammad Shamsudin, N A (2021) Perceptions of critical success factors in the management of dilapidated schools' reconstruction projects using Industrialised Building System method in rural areas in Sarawak, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Morgan, D C (1986) Site layout and construction planning, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Nicholson, M P (1995) Architectural management: From Higgin to Latham, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Nunes, M C M (1997) Enabling the use of alternative materials in road construction, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Osorio-Sandoval, C A (2021) BIM-based construction simulation modelling, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Oti, A H (2014) Building information modelling for sustainability appraisal of conceptual design of steel-framed buildings, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Oussadou, A (1988) Residential satisfaction in the new urban housing projects in Algeria: a case study of Ain-Allah, Algiers, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Planning, University of Nottingham.

Pachnou, D (2003) The effectiveness of bidder remedies for enforcing the EC public procurement rules: a case study of the public works sector in the United Kingdom and Greece, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Law, University of Nottingham.

Pantouvakis, J-P (1990) Declarative - configurable estimating systems for the construction industry, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Patterson, D E (1997) Earthworks planning for linear construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Roshani, D (2005) Integrated collaborative building design using internet technology, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Siebert, M (2019) Concrete and the barriers to innovation in UK housebuilding, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Stiles, S (2019) Investigation of safety leadership within infrastructure engineering construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Telles, P (2011) Competitive dialogue in Portugal and Spain, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Tene Nengou, C B (2019) Framework for the effective implementation of building regulations and policies: The case of Sub-Sahara African countries, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Wang, D (2013) Exploring factors associated with workers' safety rule violations in the Chinese construction industry: a multimethod investigation, Unpublished PhD Thesis, School of Medicine, University of Nottingham.

Wantanakorn, D (2000) Effects of management errors on construction projects, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Wei, Y (2019) Data-driven approaches for analysis of building energy consumption and indoor occupancy behavior, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Nottingham.

Zhang, L (2021) Artificial neural network intelligent technique and multiple nonlinear regression for prediction and optimization of the transmittance of lightpipes and implementation in BIM, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Zhang, P (2018) Mapping buried utilities in difficult environments, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Department of Civil Engineering, University of Nottingham.

Zhang, S (2022) The development of a low carbon prefabricated house, Unpublished PhD Thesis, , University of Nottingham.

Zhou, S (2017) Project learning, knowledge transfer and the adoption of innovation in project-based organizations, Unpublished PhD Thesis, Business School China, University of Nottingham.