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1 – 10 of over 17000
Article
Publication date: 1 May 2001

ADEKUNLE SABITU OYEGOKE

This study provides a framework for comparing construction management contracts in the UK and the US construction practices. It starts by reviewing previous studies on UK and US…

1682

Abstract

This study provides a framework for comparing construction management contracts in the UK and the US construction practices. It starts by reviewing previous studies on UK and US contracting practices and explores the main delivery methods, inform of comparison with construction management contracting systems. It examines construction management contracting types, processes and procedures and interaction between the construction manager and other stakeholders. This study was based on a literature review and the result shows the similarities and differences between the American and British CM systems within each practice and between both practices; the distribution of responsibilities and risks both in pre‐construction and during the construction stages; and allocation of responsibility in both practices.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 8 no. 5/6
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 April 2021

Hang Yin, Dan Wang, Yilin Yin, Henry Liu and Binchao Deng

This study aims to examine the impacts of formal and informal hierarchical governances (HGs) on the performance of mega-projects and the mediating role of contractor behavior…

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine the impacts of formal and informal hierarchical governances (HGs) on the performance of mega-projects and the mediating role of contractor behavior (i.e. perfunctory and consummate behaviors) in these relationships.

Design/methodology/approach

A total of 375 valid data entries from managers representing 375 mega-projects were analyzed through path analysis.

Findings

Both formal and informal HGs exert positive effects on the performance of mega-projects. While formal HG positively affects contractor perfunctory behavior and contractor consummate behavior, informal HG affects contractor perfunctory behavior only. Contractor behavior mediates the relationship between formal HG and project performance.

Research limitations/implications

The impacts of potential moderators (e.g. institutional arrangement and complexity) on the relationship between HG and contractor behavior have not been considered in this study.

Practical implications

This study is useful for owners to enhance formal HG to improve contractor perfunctory and consummate behaviors, which in turn can enhance the performance of mega-projects.

Originality/value

This study expands the knowledge of mega-project performance management from the perspective of HG. It also contributes to the literature of contractor behavior within the context of mega-projects.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2020

Marc van den Berg, Hans Voordijk and Arjen Adriaanse

The purpose of this study is to explore how demolition contractors coordinate project activities for buildings at their end-of-life. The organizations are thereby conceptualized…

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to explore how demolition contractors coordinate project activities for buildings at their end-of-life. The organizations are thereby conceptualized as information processing systems facing uncertainty.

Design/methodology/approach

A multiple-case study methodology was selected to gain in-depth insights from three projects with different end-of-life strategies: a faculty building (material recycling), a nursing home (component reuse) and a psychiatric hospital (element reuse). Using a theory elaboration approach, the authors sought to explain how and why demolition contractors process information for end-of-life coordination.

Findings

End-of-life strategies differ in the degree of building, workflow and environmental uncertainty posed to the demolition contractor. Whether or not a strategy is effective depends on the (mis)match between the specific levels of uncertainty and the adopted coordination mechanisms.

Research limitations/implications

The explanatory account on end-of-life coordination refines information processing theory for the context of (selective) demolition projects.

Practical implications

The detailed case descriptions and information processing perspective enable practitioners to select, implement and reflect on coordination mechanisms for demolition/deconstruction projects at hand.

Originality/value

Reflecting its dual conceptual-empirical and inductive-deductive focus, this study contributes with new opportunities to explain building end-of-life coordination with a refined theory.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 20 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 29 May 2007

Rosanna Duncan, Julianne Mortimer and Jane Hallas

The UK Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a statutory duty on all public authorities to promote race equality throughout all their functions. The purpose of this paper is…

Abstract

Purpose

The UK Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000 places a statutory duty on all public authorities to promote race equality throughout all their functions. The purpose of this paper is to discuss steps being taken by social landlords in Wales and contractors and consultants to promote race equality within the construction procurement process.

Design/methodology/approach

The principle methods of data collection were focus groups with social landlords and postal questionnaires and semi structured telephone interviews with construction contractors and consultants.

Findings

Little action is being taken by social landlords in Wales to promote race equality within the construction procurement process. Furthermore, construction contractors and consultants that undertake work on behalf of social landlords are doing little to ensure race equality within their own organisations.

Research limitations/implications

A relatively small sample of construction contractors and consultants took part in the research.

Practical implications

In order to meet their obligations under current legislation social landlords need to ensure that they promote race equality within the procurement process. Construction companies including maintenance and minor works contractors that aspire to be engaged by social landlords will need to demonstrate that they are committed to race equality and its implementation and have the appropriate policies and procedures in place to ensure this.

Originality/value

This research is the first to evaluate the procurement practices of social landlords in Wales and how these practices may impact on race equality within the procurement process. The research also examined the steps being taken to promote equality by construction contractors and consultants operating within the social housing sector in Wales.

Details

Facilities, vol. 25 no. 7/8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0263-2772

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 14 January 2021

Quangdung Tran and Dechun Huang

This study focused on investigation of the critical challenges the general contractors are facing in executing green building (GB) projects in Vietnam.

2066

Abstract

Purpose

This study focused on investigation of the critical challenges the general contractors are facing in executing green building (GB) projects in Vietnam.

Design/methodology/approach

The study conducted a literature review and three in-depth interviews to define 31 potential challenges hindering success of GB projects. Data was collected from 163 respondents through the questionnaire survey and was analyzed by the mean ranking technique, EFA and PLS-SEM.

Findings

The result found general contractors in Vietnam are facing the four components of challenges, namely “Planning activities-related challenges”, “Organizational activities-related challenges”, “Onsite management and control activities-related challenges” and “Green supply chain-related challenges”; and all of them have statistically significant effects on success of GB projects in Vietnam. Furthermore, the most dominant component was related to the non-readiness of external GB supply chain.

Practical implications

The findings suggest for practical measures to enhance success of GB projects in Vietnam, including (1) completing the system of legal regulations and technical codes, standards, guidelines on GB, (2) providing incentive policies to promote the R&D activities on GB and (3) providing educational programs to improve the awareness and capacity on GB in domestic construction organizations, especially medium and small subcontractors.

Originality/value

This study seeks to gain a better understanding on critical challenges hindering success of green building projects under the view point of general contractors with reference to the context of Vietnam – a developing economy. This study is the first study to identify potential challenges and evaluate the impact of the key components of challenges on success of GB projects.

Details

Journal of Economics and Development, vol. 24 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1859-0020

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 March 2021

Hongjuan Wu, Queena K. Qian, Ad Straub and Henk J. Visscher

The recent promotion of prefabricated housing (PH) in China has resulted in a prosperous period for its implementation. However, transaction costs (TCs) cause low economic…

1956

Abstract

Purpose

The recent promotion of prefabricated housing (PH) in China has resulted in a prosperous period for its implementation. However, transaction costs (TCs) cause low economic efficiency to stakeholders and hinder the further promotion of PH. No relevant study has yet been made to investigate the TCs and their causes in the PH field. This paper identifies critical TCs and explores the influencing factors from the developers' perspective.

Design/methodology/approach

Semi-structured interviews and a questionnaire survey were used to collect data about TCs and influencing factors. The most influential factors are identified with their impacts on particular TCs, yielded from correlation analysis and logistic regression.

Findings

From the developers' perspective in China's PH market, this study identified that the most concerning sources of TCs are: hidden costs arising from disputes, extra workloads from design changes, learning costs, intensive communication and coordination in assembly and unexpected information costs in decision-making. The use of an ordered logistic regression approach indicates that the four most influential factors are: qualification of the general contractor, mandatory local policies, owner type and competitiveness of the developer.

Practical implications

To reduce the TCs, experiencing learning and ensuring the design scheme's complicity are recommended to save information searching and exchanging costs. The implications for the PH developers are for them to: (1) professionalize their own organization and (2) procure high-qualified general contractors. For the policymakers, this means they should improve the clarity of the mandatory local policies for PH step-by-step.

Originality/value

By applying the TCs economic theory, this study explores factors that influence TCs in the PH industry. It sheds light on the influencing mechanism behind the TCs in the context of prefabricated housing.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 29 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 29 March 2021

Rita Lavikka, Krishna Chauhan, Antti Peltokorpi and Olli Seppänen

Systemic innovations emerge and create value in an inter-organisational context. However, innovation studies rarely investigate the role of value creation and value capture among…

2282

Abstract

Purpose

Systemic innovations emerge and create value in an inter-organisational context. However, innovation studies rarely investigate the role of value creation and value capture among multiple organisations in successful innovation implementation. This paper aims to understand the role of value creation and value capture in the implementation of systemic innovations in construction which is by nature, an inter-organisational context.

Design/methodology/approach

The empirical research focused on the barriers, enablers and opportunities for value creation and value capture of the Finnish construction project parties when trying to implement mechanical, electrical and plumbing (MEP) prefabrication, which is a systemic innovation. Data were collected through interviews, observations and action workshops.

Findings

The empirical study identified interaction patterns on how social, political, technical and economic barriers lead to uneven value capturing, lack of value-based procurement and unclear value creation between MEP design and installation. They hinder the implementation of MEP prefabrication. The results point to enablers leading to fairly shared value to all parties, procurement of value and collaborative value creation, thus increasing the usage of MEP prefabrication, a systemic innovation.

Originality/value

The study adds new knowledge by demonstrating that the identification of barriers and their interaction with enablers and opportunities for value creation and capture lay a baseline for suggestions on how to implement a systemic innovation. This study stresses the importance of enabling value creation and capture for all construction project parties when implementing a systemic innovation.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 21 no. 4
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 1 February 2021

B.A.K.S. Perera and Kaveesha Gihani Dewagoda

Delayed payments have been long standing, pressing issue in construction projects, especially in Government-funded construction projects. The root causes and the consequences of…

Abstract

Purpose

Delayed payments have been long standing, pressing issue in construction projects, especially in Government-funded construction projects. The root causes and the consequences of delayed payments must be identified before implementing strategies to mitigate the consequences of such delayed payments. However, these causes and consequences and the parties responsible for managing the delayed payments have not been identified so far. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the management of payment delays in Government-funded construction projects.

Design/methodology/approach

The study used a mixed approach comprising four case studies and a questionnaire survey. The empirical data collected from the case studies and the questionnaire survey were analysed using manual content analysis and mean rating, respectively.

Findings

The study identified the most significant causes and the most significant consequences of delayed payments that occur in Government-funded construction projects. It also revealed the strategies that clients, consultants, contractors and other parties can adopt to mitigate the adverse consequences of such delayed payments.

Originality/value

This study identified the most significant causes of delayed payments in Government-funded construction projects, the most significant consequences of such delayed payments and the most suitable strategies the clients, consultants and contractors can adopt to mitigate the consequences of such delayed payments. Thus, this study supports streamlining the management of payment delays in Government construction projects and identifies the roles that different parties must play in managing payment delays in Government building projects, which is an under-researched area.

Details

Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction , vol. 26 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1366-4387

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Construction Industry Advance and Change: Progress in Eight Asian Economies Since 1995
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80043-504-9

Article
Publication date: 16 November 2012

Motiar Rahman and Aminu Alhassan

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perception of a contractor on early contractor involvement (ECI) type of construction project delivery approach in terms of its…

2793

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the perception of a contractor on early contractor involvement (ECI) type of construction project delivery approach in terms of its benefits and drawbacks.

Design/methodology/approach

A questionnaire survey was conducted on various professionals of a contractor, who had extensive experience of working in ECI.

Findings

The ECI approach increases the opportunity for better relationships among the parties, which assist the design process from contractor's input and eventually lead to successful delivery of the project. On the other hand, unequal commitment and lack of win‐win attitude between the parties are seen as the most important drawbacks that hinder integration in ECI approach. It is also observed that benefits from ECI are likely to outweigh the drawbacks.

Originality/value

Construction projects are different, requiring adjustments, even within generic procurement or delivery approaches, in order to build a harmonious team, to allow project participants to work together and deliver an improved project. This study contributes to devising and demonstrating such a strategy, focusing on ECI approach.

Details

Built Environment Project and Asset Management, vol. 2 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2044-124X

Keywords

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