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The economic crisis and efficiency change: evidence from the Korean construction industry

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  • Taewoo You
  • Hongmin Zi

Abstract

This article gauges and analyses different types of efficiency in the Korean construction industry for the period 1996 to 2000, which includes the country's economic crisis. We also identify several important factors of the efficiency change and provide some managerial implications for the reason why most Korean construction firms had failed to maintain or enhance efficiency during this period. The results show that efficiency measures decreased significantly during the sample period and that there are large differences over the period before and after the economic crisis. Unlike many other industries, the low level of cost efficiency of the construction industry is mainly due to allocative inefficiency (inappropriate mix of input factors) rather than technical inefficiency. The low level of allocative efficiency, together with the strong relationship between institutional investors and efficiency, implies that the agency problem between managers and owners had prevailed in the Korean construction industry, and that construction firms could increase efficiency by minimizing agency costs. The study also implies that firms having failed in decreasing the leverage ratio, disposing unproductive assets and increasing the receivables overdue turnover could not avoid the efficiency decrease.

Suggested Citation

  • Taewoo You & Hongmin Zi, 2007. "The economic crisis and efficiency change: evidence from the Korean construction industry," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 39(14), pages 1833-1842.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:applec:v:39:y:2007:i:14:p:1833-1842
    DOI: 10.1080/00036840600690199
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    2. Yang, Guo-liang & Fukuyama, Hirofumi & Chen, Kun, 2019. "Investigating the regional sustainable performance of the Chinese real estate industry: A slack-based DEA approach," Omega, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 141-159.
    3. Horta, Isabel M. & Camanho, Ana S., 2015. "A nonparametric methodology for evaluating convergence in a multi-input multi-output setting," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 246(2), pages 554-561.
    4. Pinar Celikkol Geylani & Magdalena Kapelko & Spiro E. Stefanou, 2021. "Dynamic productivity change differences between global and non-global firms: a firm-level application to the U.S. food and beverage industries," Operational Research, Springer, vol. 21(2), pages 901-923, June.
    5. Chol-Jung Park & Soo-Yong Kim & Minh V. Nguyen, 2021. "Fuzzy TOPSIS Application to Rank Determinants of Employee Retention in Construction Companies: South Korean Case," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    6. Kapelko, Magdalena & Oude Lansink, Alfons & Stefanou, Spiro E., 2014. "Assessing dynamic inefficiency of the Spanish construction sector pre- and post-financial crisis," European Journal of Operational Research, Elsevier, vol. 237(1), pages 349-357.
    7. Wei Tong Chen & Adiqa Kausar Kiani & Ming-Tsung Wu & Hew Cameron Merrett & Chih-Hsing Wang, 2023. "Comparison of the Technical Efficiency of Construction Industries—A Case Study of Taiwan and Mainland China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(2), pages 1-23, January.
    8. Procel, Claudette, 2021. "Efficiency analysis of Catalonia’s construction industry pre- and post-financial crisis: a data envelopment analysis (DEA) approach," TEC Empresarial, School of Business, Costa Rica Institute of Technology (ITCR), vol. 15(2), pages 18-32.
    9. Magdalena Kapelko, 2018. "Measuring inefficiency for specific inputs using data envelopment analysis: evidence from construction industry in Spain and Portugal," Central European Journal of Operations Research, Springer;Slovak Society for Operations Research;Hungarian Operational Research Society;Czech Society for Operations Research;Österr. Gesellschaft für Operations Research (ÖGOR);Slovenian Society Informatika - Section for Operational Research;Croatian Operational Research Society, vol. 26(1), pages 43-66, March.
    10. Kapelko, M. & Horta, I.M. & Camanho, A.S. & Oude Lansink, A., 2015. "Measurement of input-specific productivity growth with an application to the construction industry in Spain and Portugal," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 64-71.
    11. Encarna Guillamon-Saorin & Magdalena Kapelko & Spiro E. Stefanou, 2018. "Corporate Social Responsibility and Operational Inefficiency: A Dynamic Approach," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(7), pages 1-26, July.
    12. I. Horta & A. Camanho & Jill Johnes & Geraint Johnes, 2013. "Performance trends in the construction industry worldwide: an overview of the turn of the century," Journal of Productivity Analysis, Springer, vol. 39(1), pages 89-99, February.

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