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The planning function is a central component of management principles, enabling the success of construction project management. Many works have been highlighting the topic of critical success factors within construction organizations, yet the results have rarely covered planning behaviors within public construction work management; these less investigated areas were the aims of this study.

To fulfill this research aim, seven attributes of planning function were first derived through focus group studies, a focused literature review and focal interviews with industry practitioners. Then, a regression analysis design was employed with data collected from 139 professionals who are involved in public construction works management in Vietnam. The structural equation modeling technique with partial least-squares estimation was utilized to analyze the data.

The results revealed seven behavioral dimensions (i.e. Goals planning (PL1), Planning guidance (PL2), Strategic planning (PL3), Financial mobilization (PL4), Action plan (PL5), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7)) to measure planning function management in terms of public construction works. The study also reveals that Goals planning (PL1), Financial mobilization (PL4), Expenditure planning (PL6) and Responsibility assignment (PL7) have significant effects on management effectiveness. At the same time, Goals planning (PL1) acts as the mediator of Planning guidance (PL2) and Strategic planning (PL3); while Action plan (PL5) specifies an indirect influence through the mediator of PL4, PL6 and PL7.

The success of this approach is expected to reinforce the contribution of the planning function and suggest a useful tool for supporting the professionals in managing public construction works.

In Western Europe, works councils are a common form of indirect employee participation in management decision making. Trust is often assumed to play an important role in the nature and outcomes of labour negotiations and in management‐works council consultations. So far, however, the antecedents of trust in management within works councils have not been studied. Using longitudinal data collected among the members of 75 Dutch works councils, the current study tests predictions regarding the relative influence of instrumental vs relational antecedents on the level of trust in management among works council members. An important role of instrumental predictors (e.g. perceived influence of the works council on management decision making) supports a view of trust as a calculative phenomenon. On the other hand, strong effects of relational predictors would lend support to trust as a relational phenomenon. The data show that trust in management among works council members is related to relational rather than instrumental antecedents.

“All things are in a constant state of change”, said Heraclitus of Ephesus. The waters if a river are for ever changing yet the river endures. Every particle of matter is in continual movement. All death is birth in a new form, all birth the death of the previous form. The seasons come and go. The myth of our own John Barleycorn, buried in the ground, yet resurrected in the Spring, has close parallels with the fertility rites of Greece and the Near East such as those of Hyacinthas, Hylas, Adonis and Dionysus, of Osiris the Egyptian deity, and Mondamin the Red Indian maize‐god. Indeed, the ritual and myth of Attis, born of a virgin, killed and resurrected on the third day, undoubtedly had a strong influence on Christianity.

Using data from the 2013 European Company Survey, this chapter operationalizes the representation gap as the desire for greater employee involvement in decision-making expressed by the representative of the leading employee representative body at the workplace. According to this measure, there is evidence of a substantial shortfall in employee involvement in the European Union, not dissimilar to that reported for the United States. The chapter proceeds to investigate how the size of this representation gap varies by type of representative structure, information provided by management, the resource base available to the representatives, and the status of trust between the parties. Perceived deficits are found to be smaller where workplace representation is via works councils rather than union bodies. Furthermore, the desire for greater involvement is reduced where information provided the employee representative on a range of establishment issues is judged satisfactory. A higher frequency of meetings with management also appears to mitigate the expressed desire for greater involvement. Each of these results is robust to estimation over different country clusters. However, unlike the other arguments, the conclusion that shortfalls in employee involvement representation are smaller under works councils than union bodies is nullified where trust in management is lacking.

The paper contributes to the discussion on works councils and teamwork in the German auto industry. General Motors’ Opel plant in Germany has been chosen to study works councils’ participation in the process of introducing teamwork, and the effects of teamwork on workers’ representation on the shopfloor. The paper discusses the “dual structure” of works councils and union representatives, and will examine their role during the introduction of teamwork and relationship to their elected team spokespersons. The two key findings are: first, both levels of workers’ representation have contributed to the successful introduction of workplace changes and second, team spokespersons can be seen as a third level of workers’ representation.

The Chinese civilization is an important part of the history of mankind. The purpose of this paper is to show that there are project management lessons to be learned from Chinese history, including that relating to the management of the building process in ancient China.

Through a review of the literature, this paper discusses the key management and economic practices in the building process of ancient China and highlights these practices from an important document, the Yingzao Fashi or (“Treatise on Architectural Methods”), that was compared with the modern‐day project management framework.

This paper explains the official systems instituted for public projects; the management of labour, design and planning of construction works; quantity surveying practices; the use, control and recycling of building materials; and inspection of building elements in ancient China.

The study suggests that lessons in the principles of construction project management in ancient China bear many similarities with the nine areas of modern‐day project management body of knowledge relating to integration, scope, time, cost, quality, human resource, communications, risk, and procurement management. An area for future research would be to compare the Yingzao Fashi with modern‐day codes of practice for building works to determine which of its “ancient” provisions relating to quality management are still relevant today.

It was found that much emphasis was placed by the ancient Chinese on the quality aspects of prominent building projects. This is one facet from which modern‐day project managers and clients can draw lessons.

It is recognised that upgrading programmes are imperative components of public housing in Singapore. In order to keep pace with the ever‐continuing rise in affluence and hence expectations of the residents, these upgrading programmes need to be carried out with a complete understanding of residents’ needs and perceptions, which may change over time. Good communications between the residents and those managing upgrading projects is therefore important to ensure that what is provided is what the residents need and want. The purpose of this paper is to understand the project management issues involved in upgrading programmes in public housing in Singapore, with particular focus on communications management.

The study included a questionnaire survey of 30 residents of a public housing estate undergoing upgrading works in Singapore. The fieldwork evaluates how these residents perceived the importance of and their satisfaction with various communications issues identified from the literature review.

It was observed that much effort was invested to foster good relationships with the residents, and also to ensure that they are kept informed about the progress of the upgrading works. However, the survey findings revealed that the satisfaction levels of the residents generally still fall short of their expectations, which suggests that communications management of upgrading projects in public housing estates remains an area that needs to be improved and enhanced in the near future.

Upgrading programmes for Singapore's public housing estates was started in 1989 by the Housing and Development Board (HDB) to bridge the gap between the standards of the older estates and that of the newer towns. Today, some two decades later, the upgrading programmes are still in place, but now with increased focus on flexibility and resident consultation. The engagement of residents in decision‐making of matters affecting their immediate neighbourhood can be found in many of the upgrading programmes.

The paper assesses the management of communications during different stages of a typical upgrading project in the HDB estates, and also the various communications channels employed by the relevant authorities to disseminate information to the residents. It is important to note that communication is not simply concerned with the sending of messages, but also with whether the intended recipients receive them as intended.

The internationalisation of enterprises is expected to undermine national systems of employee representation. This paper assesses the extent to which this expectation can be confirmed. Using a survey of Dutch works councils, we compare national, Dutch multinational and foreign multinational firms. Using another survey, we then assess the role of European works councils within Dutch MNEs. The results of the first survey show that the influence of works councils in multinational firms, especially with respect to strategic policy, but also, to a lesser extent, regarding organisational and personnel issues is decreasing. From the second survey, we learn that European works councils have so far not compensated for this decrease in influence. We conclude that the undermining of employee representation at the national level can only be counteracted by a combination of further regulations at the European level, a change in (top) management attitudes in European MNEs and the close co‐operation of employee representatives within the respective countries and at the different levels.

Diminishing local government budgets and the need to reduce highway works activities necessitate cost effective and efficient processes. The purpose of this paper is to investigate streamlining road works administrative processes to enhance coordinated working at Derby City Council.

Case study research of a local authority was undertaken using business process mapping. Specifically, Swimlane analysis enabled re-engineering of business processes from design stage, to works permit issuance. Process improvement recommendations were validated by nine industry experts through a focus group and semi-structured interviews. A logic map was developed for transferability to other councils, identifying key attributes for a successful administrative road works management process.

Research revealed inherent silo working and processes built around fragmented IT systems creating process inefficiency. Validation found numerous practices and management styles were culturally embedded and common across councils. Peer reviewed recommendations are made to improve working practices, including improving IT systems, removing process bottlenecks, and training staff.

Whilst road works management policy is generally under-researched, its strategic and negative impacts are widely acknowledged. This study highlights the day-to-day operational problems which are interconnected to the strategic impact, bridging an important gap in knowledge, as well as adding to business process re-engineering literature.

The research adds to a limited body of road works management policy research, and also presents a high-level logic map for councils to adopt as appropriate.

An article in the last issue of this journal examined the literature on seniority promotion systems, arguing that most personnel management writers had ignored promotion as a topic area, tending to assume implicitly that most appointments are made from the external labour market. And yet many employers preferred internal promotion to external recruitment. It was also possible to identify a number of pressures on management to adopt both an internal labour market and a seniority‐based promotion system. These pressures were thought to be particularly pertinent in the case of white‐collar employees.