John Mears is the contractor of the project that aims at extending Barwick & Sons that is undergoing reorganization and rationalism. The organization seeks to respond to the difficult market conditions that have been experienced over the last few years. John Mears decides to send a case of wine to Anne Beerford for Christmas. His objective is to keep smooth relations with the project owners should there be any disruptions during the project. Mears’ gesture could have certain implications on the project.
John Mears gesture is an indication of corruption on the project. According to Berggren et al. (2001), corruption is a common malpractice across the globe that faces strong opposition and has greatly affected the construction industry. Research shows that in 2012, corruption moved from 13th to ninth position in the World Economic Forum’s ranking of risks that significantly affect the global supply chains. This has prompted various governments and international organizations to come up with strategies of bringing the malpractice to an end. In this case, corruption might have a number of negative implications on the project and individuals involved. To begin with, apart from the case of wine, John Mears is likely to involve more corrupt deals in the project that might result in criminal prosecution. The fact that Anne Beerford accepted the case of wine means that she is likely to accept money offers from John Mears for other contractual deals. In the long run, John Mears or Anne Beerford may end up being prosecuted. Besides, both may end up being prosecuted for their corrupt actions, and this will significantly affect the project at hand.
Subsequently, John Mears gesture is likely to invite other corrupt deals such as money laundering during the project. Since Anne Beerford accepted John Mears’ offer, there is a good relationship between them, and the former being the owner of the project, could engage in more illegal transactions with the contractor. As mentioned, money laundering is likely to occur as a result of John Mears’ corruption gestures. This is a practice that occurs where a party or individual moves cash or assets that are obtained by criminal activity from one point to another. Frequently, the practice is used to conceal the criminal source of funds. In case money laundering occurs in the project, the risk of financial loss will be witnessed. It is because; funds that could be vital in the development of the project will be pocketed by a few individuals such as the project owner and the contractor (Bickel et al., 1996)
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Another implication that John Mears’ gesture could lead to moral arguments during the project. Other stakeholders who might witness the case of wine sent to Anne Beerford by the contractor may not be pleased with the gesture. They might view it as an act of bribery and hence; arguments are likely to follow thereafter. Other stakeholders may oppose every instruction or opinion during the project. According to Hess (2007), this is likely to make it hard for John Mears to have control over the project. In the end, the project is likely to fail because of the disagreements among stakeholders.
It should also be noted that John Mears’ gesture may have a motive of enticing Anne Beerford to provide more funds and give him the total control over the project. The implication is that Anne Beerford may have total trust on the contactor and fail to monitor the progress of the construction. Winch (2000) opines that the lack of thorough examination of the project may lead to future implications such as the collapse of the building because the building may not meet quality standards. This is a similar situation to that of the current world where collapse of buildings is attributed to corruption.
- Berggren, C., Soderlund, J., & Anderson, C. 2001. Clients, contractors, and consultants: The consequences of organizational fragmentation in contemporary project environments. Project Management Journal, 32(3), 39-48.
- Bickel, J. O., Kuesel, T. R., & King, E. H. 1996. Tunnel Engineering Handbook. Boston, MA, Springer US.
- Hess, S. A. 2007. Design professional and construction manager law. Chicago, Ill, American Bar Association, Forum on the Construction Industry.
- Winch, G. M. 2000. The Management Of Projects As A Generic Business Process. In Projects As Business Constituents And Guiding Motives (pp. 117-130). Springer Us.
