A conceptual framework for understanding resilience of construction SMEs to extreme weather events

Abstract

Purpose Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), which form a significant portion in many economies, are some of the most vulnerable to the impact of extreme weather events (EWEs). This is of particular importance to the construction industry, as an overarching majority of construction companies are SMEs who account for the majority of employment and income generation within the industry. In the UK, previous research has identified construction SMEs as some of the worst affected by EWEs. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Given the recent occurrences of EWEs and predictions suggesting increases in both the intensity and frequency of EWEs in the future, improving the resilience of construction SMEs is vital for achieving a resilient construction industry. A conceptual framework is first developed which is then populated and expanded based on empirical evidence. Positioned within a pragmatic research philosophy, case study research strategy was adopted as the overall research strategy in undertaking this investigation. Findings Based on the findings of two in-depth case studies of construction SMEs, a framework was developed to represent EWE resilience of construction SMEs, where resilience was seen as a collective effect of vulnerability, coping strategies, and coping capacities of SMEs, characteristics of the EWE and the wider economic climate. Originality/value The paper provides an original contribution towards the overarching agenda of the resilience of SMEs, and policy making in the area of EWE risk management by presenting a novel conceptual framework depicting the resilience of medium sized construction companies.

Publication DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/BEPAM-06-2015-0023
Divisions: College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > School of Infrastructure and Sustainable Engineering > Engineering Systems and Supply Chain Management
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences > Sustainable environment research group
College of Engineering & Physical Sciences
Uncontrolled Keywords: business continuity,construction,disaster management,extreme weather events,resilience,SMEs,Civil and Structural Engineering,Management Science and Operations Research
Publication ISSN: 2044-1258
Last Modified: 30 Sep 2024 10:50
Date Deposited: 12 May 2016 13:24
Full Text Link:
Related URLs: http://www.scop ... tnerID=8YFLogxK (Scopus URL)
http://www.emer ... AM-06-2015-0023 (Publisher URL)
PURE Output Type: Article
Published Date: 2016-09-05
Published Online Date: 2016-07-21
Accepted Date: 2016-03-06
Authors: Wedawatta, Gayan (ORCID Profile 0000-0002-8600-5077)
Ingirige, Bingunath

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