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Plant managers' perceptions of plant security systems

R. Carmichael (Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK)
D.J. Edwards (Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK)
G.D. Holt (Department of Civil and Building Engineering, Loughborough University, Loughborough, UK)

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management

ISSN: 0969-9988

Article publication date: 16 January 2007

509

Abstract

Purpose

Plant theft represents a serious and growing problem for the construction sector, with the present value of UK losses estimated to be in excess of £1 million per week. Along with other stakeholders, plant managers play a key role in helping to counteract this problem, for example, by employing plant security systems (PSSs). PSSs use a variety of mechanisms to provide differing levels of protection and represent an equally diverse range of cost alternatives. In view of this diversity, this paper aims to survey a sample of plant managers to obtain their perceived importance of PSS appraisal criteria.

Design/methodology/approach

A structured questionnaire elicited the perceptions of managers regarding the importance of seven generic PSS groupings by reference to six PSS assessment criteria. Data were analysed using (importance and rank) derived weighting indices to develop a PSS importance matrix.

Findings

“Level of deterrent” (offered by a PSS) was consistently considered a key criterion as was “resistant attack time”. Maybe surprisingly, cost was only found to be a superlative criterion for one of the six PSSs considered. The overriding indication is that plant managers afford more importance to “practical” PSS assessment criteria than they do to financial ones.

Originality/value

It is proffered, that PSS manufacturers should be mindful of these observed perceptions concerning the relationship of system functionality versus cost, in striving to deliver into the plant market (and encourage use of) “optimal” security systems.

Keywords

Citation

Carmichael, R., Edwards, D.J. and Holt, G.D. (2007), "Plant managers' perceptions of plant security systems", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 14 No. 1, pp. 65-78. https://doi.org/10.1108/09699980710716981

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2007, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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