Competition intensity: An institutional perspective on sustainable construction

Abstract

Sustainable construction has been gaining much academic attention in recent years. Achieving sustainability through market operation presents an institutional perspective on sustainable construction, and it has been gradually accepted as a key component of sustainable construction. While increasing attention has been paid to the subject of sustainable construction, the nexus between the intensity of competition, a useful proxy for reflecting market operation, and the sustainability performance of construction industry, has not been explored explicitly. Using the method of case study, this study addresses a novel notion of sustainable construction from the perspective of institution. A number of empirical cases were collected from China's construction industry to demonstrate the impacts of business competition on the sustainability of construction project. The research findings indicate those aspects that construction business competition can determine the potential of sustainable construction. It is implied that industrial policies and measures be formulated to oversee the operation of construction market to ascertain sustainable construction. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2014.