Design Engineer/Contractor Bankruptcy: Considerations for Debtor and Creditors
The bankruptcy rate within the American construction industry has been increasing in recent years. Despite its increasing frequency, many construction industry professionals remain unaware of what a bankruptcy proceeding entails. This lack of awareness is cause for concern to both debtors and creditors. This paper, therefore, is designed to, on an overview level, lay out the factors construction debtors and creditors must consider when deciding whether to file for bankruptcy. Assuming that the decision to file for bankruptcy has been made, the paper presents an analytical overview of the bankruptcy code in terms of its operative chapters, under which a construction‐related debtor might seek relief from creditors. Since the decision to file for bankruptcy fundamentally changes business relationships, models of both Chapter 7 and 11 proceedings are included to illustrate common occurrences. It is hoped that this paper will prepare construction‐related debtors and creditors for dealing with the possibility o...
Growth-survival tradeoffs of Queensland licensed homebuilders 1986-1996: An event history study
This thesis focuses on the survival rates of licensed homebuilders in the state of Queensland. Homebuilders are interesting in that traditionally, they have been very small firms, achieving much of their production through mutually beneficial relationships with teams of subcontractors. This offers some protection against the vagaries of volatile demand by providing the flexibility to expand and contract productive capacity relatively quickly. The research is justified on several grounds. While the nature of homebuilder / subcontractor relationships is well documented, the survival implications of these relationships for homebuilders are not. The research not only provides an opportunity to measure survival rates specific to homebuilders, but also, to compare them with those in more conventional settings where subcontracting is not substantially relied upon. Homebuilder failure creates significant economic, social and political problems. A systematic, longitudinal analysis of influences on survival potentially informs homebuilding industry regulatory policy and homebuilder warranty insurance practices. As to theory, the thesis provides a platform to apply both the strategic management and ecological perspectives of the firm to an operating environment with particular defining conditions. Accordingly, the research question studied in the thesis is: How do the strategies pursued by licensed homebuilders in Queensland from 1986 through to 1996 influence their growth and survival prospects? A quantitative event history methodology is used. Within the limitations of the data, cumulative survival rates are calculated for all licensed homebuilders operating during the study period, controlling for strategy, size, temporary exit, and age. The research
Did the metamorphosis from Export Processing Zones to Special Economic Zones improve the efficiency of trade enclaves in India?
In this paper, the efficiency of seven conventional Special Economic Zones in India is analyzed, by adopting a stochastic production frontier technique, for the period between 1986–1987 and 2007–2008.Results indicate that although the efficiency scores of these enclaves have improved over the years, specifically with the introduction of the SEZ policy (2000–2001), it is far below the threshold level as identified in the literature. Besides, one can also observe a discrepancy emerging between better export earning zones and efficient zones. On the determinants side, policy intervention and large geographical area, accompanied by clustering of units, are found to have impacted the efficiency scores of these enclaves positively.