5th August 2009, 04:01 PM
I agree with Oxbeast thanks to Kathryn for posting the summary to BAJR.
However I am not so certain about Oxbeast's diagnosis regarding growth of the larger units and market consolidation. Kathryn states that staff taken on have been 'linked to specific infrastructure projects' and one would expect that it would be the larger units undertaking that kind of work. That is not evidence of market consolidation though. It is evidence that major infrastructure projects will be carried out by larger rather than smaller archaeological units.
I think that evidence of market consolidation would be when one or more of the larger units, lets call them the 'Big Six' for want of a better title, swallows another member of the Big Six. I don't doubt that is going to happen eventually, but it isn't happening yet and I think we should be careful reading trends into this kind of data where at the moment the evidence doesn't support the proposition.
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...
However I am not so certain about Oxbeast's diagnosis regarding growth of the larger units and market consolidation. Kathryn states that staff taken on have been 'linked to specific infrastructure projects' and one would expect that it would be the larger units undertaking that kind of work. That is not evidence of market consolidation though. It is evidence that major infrastructure projects will be carried out by larger rather than smaller archaeological units.
I think that evidence of market consolidation would be when one or more of the larger units, lets call them the 'Big Six' for want of a better title, swallows another member of the Big Six. I don't doubt that is going to happen eventually, but it isn't happening yet and I think we should be careful reading trends into this kind of data where at the moment the evidence doesn't support the proposition.
With peace and consolation hath dismist, And calm of mind all passion spent...