PhD Final Thesis April 2013.pdf - Anglia Ruskin Research Online

Thesis Keith Gale 2013Table 3.4 illustrates the complex arrangements that incentives may form.Effectiveness with incentives depends upon cultural values of recipients. Ganesan(1994) found that short term culture firms react to financial incentives through quickgains - a single highly priced project, for example. Conversely long term relationshipfirms maximise income opportunities through strategic growth over many projects.PART B: OPERATIONAL METHODS AND ECONOMIC DRIVERS3.11 Economic theory related to construction procurementConstruction, as a process, is one of the most fundamental requirements for humanexistence. Design and construction of buildings, monuments and infrastructurerepresent different stages of civilisation defined by boundaries of technologicalcapability through the use of materials. At a basic level, the need for shelter byhumans is secondary only to a requirement for food and drink. The oldest recognisedhuman constructed structure has been dated between 200,000 and 400,000BC atTerra Amata in France (Villa, 1983). Earliest examples of organised constructionactivities involving large numbers of people and extensive resources, comingtogether in a structured way to produce large scale projects for use other than shelterdate to around 3,000BC. The Great Pyramid of Gaza located near the entrance of theNile Delta was constructed as a monument to glorify deceased pharaohs. AlthoughGreek literature suggests that a number of pyramids have been built using forcedcaptive ‘slave’ labour, archaeologists Zahi Hawass and Mark Lehner found evidenceof organised cemeteries and workers camp sites indicating the presence of welfarefacilities. Re-examination of ancient records concluded that design and constructionmethods were highly organised. Labour and other resources were organised to be inthe right place at the right time – an early equivalent of construction programming.Stone, timber and other materials needed acquisition, shaping and transportation.Although some forced labour would be involved for simple manual tasks, skilledartisans and planners could not be engaged in such a fashion. A system of paymentwas needed to reflect commitment to a project. For the pyramids, it is believed thatpayment for skilled operatives was usually ‘in kind’ by gifts of food, clothes oraccommodation rather than an exchange of money or tokens. At a higher level ofimportance, designers and surveyors were offered gifts that included gold and64