TY - JOUR
T1 - Dispute resolution and litigation in the Dutch construction industry
T2 - Evidence on conflicts and conflict resolution in the Netherlands and Germany
AU - Tazelaar, F.
AU - Snijders, C.C.P.
N1 - Relation: http://www.rug.nl/
Rights: University of Groningen
PY - 2010/12
Y1 - 2010/12
N2 - The constructionindustryisregardedtobeatoughandcompetitivebusinesscharacterizedbyshort-
term andopportunisticrelationsratherthanbeingbasedoncooperativepartnerships.Inparticular,
conflictsandlitigationhavebeenclaimedtoproliferateintheconstructionindustry.Uponcloser
inspectionoftheliterature,itseemsthattheempiricalbasisoftheseclaimsislargelycircumstantial.
Using dataoncontractor–subcontractorrelationsintheconstructionindustryinTheNetherlands,we
considertheextenttowhichlitigationinconstructioniscommon.Thenwecomparetheresultsto
similardatasetsonIT-purchasingbothinTheNetherlandsandGermany,andtoadatasetwithmore
generalbusiness-to-businesstransactionsoflargerDutchandGermanfirms.Wefindsomeevidence
that theconstructionindustryhashigherpercentagesoftransactionsleadingtoeitherarbitration,
suspensionoftherelation,orlegalsteps(1.6%versus1.2,0.4and0.6).Thedifferencesarehowevernot
as extremeasonemightconcludebasedonsuperficialreadingofthepopularandscientificliterature,
and certainlynotbiggerthanthedifferencesbetweentheotherdatasets.
AB - The constructionindustryisregardedtobeatoughandcompetitivebusinesscharacterizedbyshort-
term andopportunisticrelationsratherthanbeingbasedoncooperativepartnerships.Inparticular,
conflictsandlitigationhavebeenclaimedtoproliferateintheconstructionindustry.Uponcloser
inspectionoftheliterature,itseemsthattheempiricalbasisoftheseclaimsislargelycircumstantial.
Using dataoncontractor–subcontractorrelationsintheconstructionindustryinTheNetherlands,we
considertheextenttowhichlitigationinconstructioniscommon.Thenwecomparetheresultsto
similardatasetsonIT-purchasingbothinTheNetherlandsandGermany,andtoadatasetwithmore
generalbusiness-to-businesstransactionsoflargerDutchandGermanfirms.Wefindsomeevidence
that theconstructionindustryhashigherpercentagesoftransactionsleadingtoeitherarbitration,
suspensionoftherelation,orlegalsteps(1.6%versus1.2,0.4and0.6).Thedifferencesarehowevernot
as extremeasonemightconcludebasedonsuperficialreadingofthepopularandscientificliterature,
and certainlynotbiggerthanthedifferencesbetweentheotherdatasets.
KW - Litigation
KW - Conflict resolution
KW - Construction industry
U2 - 10.1016/j.pursup.2010.08.003
DO - 10.1016/j.pursup.2010.08.003
M3 - Article
VL - 16
SP - 221
EP - 229
JO - Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management
JF - Journal of Purchasing and Supply Management
IS - 4
ER -