Selecting client's project control strategies in person-to-organization transactions

Abstract Selection of inter-personal and inter-organizational control strategies has been widely examined. However, it is not known whether the findings could be generalized to the person-to-organization relationship setting. Taking dwelling fit-out projects as the empirical setting, this study aims to investigate client's project control strategy selection in person-to-organization transactions. A questionnaire-survey of clients who had completed a dwelling fit-out project before was carried out in China. This study re-affirms that project quality ambiguity would decrease outcome control; project-related knowledge facilitates behavior control. Additional insights are obtained that perceived legal enforceability has positive impacts, whereas quality performance ambiguity has negative impacts, on social controls. Perceived legal enforceability is positively associated with outcome and behavior controls. This study contributes to the literature of project control strategy selection by adding a new antecedent of perceived legal enforceability and extends the findings to the person-to-organization transactions. Implications for project controls are provided in the end.

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