bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Trade performance of the UK building materials and components industries
Authors: FLANAGAN ROGER , NORMAN GEORGE , WORRALL HEATHER
Published: January 2010

This paper looks at the trade performance of the UK building materials and components industries. In particular it analyses recent trade performance and trends from 1980 to 1993. The recession has caused many UK manufacturers and suppliers of building materials and components to go out of business. Faced with the present slow recovery, the remaining UK companies must consider their competitiveness and ability to meet the growing demands of the domestic and overseas markets. Import penetration has left the construction materials and components industries with small capacity, less able to invest in the research and development necessary to compete effectively in the world market and to provide for increasing demand as growth in the economy picks up. The balance of trade in these goods is likely to worsen with a consequent detrimental effect on the UK balance of payments.
The New Engineering Contract: principles of design and risk allocation
Authors: PERRY JOHN G.
Published: January 2010

The paper begins with a brief history of the New Engineering Contract (NEC) and outlines the response by the NEC Panel to the proposals made in the Latham Report. The main principles adopted for the design of the contract are described and the main procedures which are used to implement the design principles are outlined. Emphasis is given to the way in which the procedures are intended to stimulate good management of contracts. The final section of the paper deals with risk allocation and management in NEC. The way in which the choice of contract strategy influences risk allocation is considered first and this is followed by a discussion of the principles used for the detailed allocation of risks in NEC. Risks which are carried by the employer are described and assessed through a novel procedure in NEC.
Environments of construction
Authors: HAMMARLUND YNGVE
Published: January 2010

Development of strategies and long‐term decision making play important roles in construction due to the considerable service length of its products. In construction firms long‐term decision making is normally accomplished within formal, rational processes. A considerable trust is thereby paid to public macro‐economic forecasts. A different way of handling strategy formation and long‐term decision making is to treat them as emergent phenomena in which organizational learning plays a key role. Effective learning requires a deep understanding of the nature of the environment of the organization. This paper presents the nature of development of construction in Sweden during this century. The presentation constitutes the basis of the ‘general environment’ model of construction. This model is aimed to facilitate the understanding of environmental aspects of construction.
A GIS‐based pipeline planning system
Authors: FENIS SAEED M. , DIEKMANN JAMES E. , HUANG PEI‐YU
Published: January 2010

This paper describes a research and development effort on a GIS‐based pipeline planning system (GIS‐based PPS). Research was first conducted to identify the aspects of pipeline planning and pipeline network design that could benefit from a computer assisted approach, and the recent advancements in information technology. This paper describes a cohesive computer environment that integrates the hydraulic analysis and geographic information processing with a graphic user interface (GUI), in order to improve the effectiveness of pipeline design functions. An interactive system prototype was implemented and is currently being applied in real‐world pipeline network planning and design for municipal and industrial water conveyance.
Pioneering the NEC system of documents
Authors: BAIRD ANDREW
Published: January 2010

This paper explains why Eskom, a large electrical utility, has decided to adopt the New Engineering Contract system of documents and assist the owners of the NEC with its further development. It describes the effect this decision is having on Eskom's ‘culture’, the benefits the introduction is providing through the opportunity to retrain all its contract practitioners and the response from South African industry. Types of project to which NEC has been applied are discussed. Examples of problems and successes with the introduction phase are given, with particular reference to the settlement of disputes. The paper concludes with a reference to the South African Government's Procurement Reform Initiative which is seeking standardization of conditions of contract used throughout the Republic.
The Adjudicator under NEC 2nd Edition: a new approach to disputes
Authors: CAPPER PHILLIP N.
Published: January 2010

Disputes under the New Engineering Contract (NEC) 2nd Edition involve a new approach to the role of Adjudicator. Clauses 90–93 have been radically revised. They reflect the recommendations of Latham's Report Constructing the Team, and growing international practice (e.g. the Channel Tunnel Disputes Panel). Also clarified are some questions over the 1 st Edition. The independent Adjudicator provides a mandatory third‐party neutral settlement process. The decision is final and binding, unless and until revised by the eventual tribunal (court or arbitration) after completion of the works, or termination. Legal drafting is achieved in the NEC style of plain English and present tense. Latham's objectives are reminiscent of traditional decisions of an independent Engineer, or of modern short form arbitration; but the new substantive approach is distinguished from both. The Adjudicator's decision determines the parties' rights and obligations. It does not depend on the Project Manager's implementation, but the latter is free to choose in accordance with the decision, e.g. by changing the Works Information as a compensation event. Distinctive of the NEC is the openness of procedure for the Adjudicator, and even‐handedness between the parties as to the continuing works while the Adjudicator is acting. The parties, by contract, given the independent Adjudicator jurisdiction to settle by its decision all disputes arising under or in connection with the contract. This is neither expert determination nor arbitration. The Adjudicator is to act fairly, not judicially. Some jurisdictional issues may remain, and are explored. There must be a proper substantive characterization of the new role, according to its true context and the parties' expressed intentions. NEC 2nd edition has clarified and enhanced the definition of the first third‐party stage fully to meet Latham's objectives, and to encourage by rapid but effective early resolution of disputes, within the overall NEC philosophy, a substantial reduction in the incidence of disputes.
The Maquette, the model and the computer: organizational futures for design and construction
Authors: DAY ALAN
Published: January 2010

The introduction and use of computer‐aided design (CAD) systems in a number of settings in the UK building industry is discussed with particular reference to the relationship between organizational design and computer implementation. A series of case studies are presented which illustrate that computers are currently having a limited impact on project communications and, in most instances, are supporting existing patterns of fragmentation within the industry. The paper concludes with a speculation about how the industry might be organized to make more appropriate use of new technology.
Tendering procedures, contractual arrangements and Latham: the contractors' view
Authors: HOLT GARY D. , OLOMOLAIYE PAUL O. , HARRIS FRANK C.
Published: January 2010

The procedural and administrative aspects of UK tendering have remained largely unaltered for decades but this may soon change in light of the recent review of the construction sector, headed by Sir Michael Latham. This paper presents findings of a nationwide survey of UK construction contractors assessing their opinion of the Latham procurement recommendations, along with their opinion of the authors' proposals for alternative selection procedure. Contractor usage/opinion of current tendering methods, tendering documentation and contractual arrangements are also identified. Analysis techniques primarily involve the derivation of contractor preference, agreement and importance indices (Pri, Agi and Imi respectively). Results show that clients are attempting to cut costs by increased use of open tendering coupled with plan and specification tender documentation, but that savings are offset by clients ultimately paying for contractors' costs associated with their achieving contract award for only 1 in 5 bids. Generally, contractors are in tune with the ideals of the Latham review and characteristics pertaining to the HOLT (Highlight Optimum Legitimate Tender) selection technique.
Competitive strategy for quantity surveying practices: the importance of information technology
Authors: JENNINGS MARTIN J. , BETTS MARTIN
Published: January 2010

Strategic planning in pursuit of competitive advantage has become a wide‐spread modern business objective. The construction industry shows some evidence of strategic planning implementation; however such concepts are mainly adopted by large contracting companies that have the resources to identify and develop competitive weapons such as information systems/technology (IS/IT). For professional service firms in construction, the nature of the service, the form of client‐customer relations and thus the style of competition are quite different from those followed by contractors. The relevance of competitive strategy and the competitive use of weapons such as IS/IT for professional service firms in construction has not, as yet, been quantifiably tested. Therefore this paper aims to address this imbalance in construction organization research by identifying the competitive strategies used by quantity surveyors based in the UK and assessing the support that IS/IT provides to the competitive strategies of members of this profession. A survey of quantity surveying practices questioned which competitive strategies are followed, how these strategies are implemented and the extent to which IS/IT is being used in each strategy's implementation. The results of this survey, in association with existing competitive strategy and IT literature, are used to derive a new model which proposes specific strategies that UK quantity surveyors can and are using to influence their competitive positioning.
An intelligent approach to the engineering management of subsidence cases
Authors: SCOTT DARREN , ANUMBA CHIMAY J.
Published: January 2010

The engineering management of housing subsidence cases is an important field of work for many UK engineers, and remains of enduring interest to householders, insurers and other parties involved in the construction and maintenance of residential buildings. There are often difficulties in the diagnosis and repair of buildings subject to subsidence damage due to several factors, including the complex interaction between the various causative agents, the lack of a systematic investigation procedure, and the large number of available courses of remedial action. In many cases, inaccurate diagnosis of the subsidence problem has resulted in expensive remedial measures which are either unnecessary or inappropriate (and fail to arrest the movement). This paper reviews the management of subsidence cases and describes the development of a knowledge‐based system intended to improve existing procedures by ensuring greater accuracy, consistency and effectiveness of the management regime adopted by engineers. The system addresses three key aspects of the management procedure: initial diagnosis, choice of an appropriate course of investigations, and the specification of effective remedial measures. The benefits of the knowledge‐based system are contained in the concluding section of the paper.
Environmental sustainability in the delivery of affordable housing in South Africa
Authors: DALGLIESH C.D. , BOWEN P.A. , HILL R.C.
Published: January 2010

Housing delivery systems have been classified as developmentally‐orientated or conventionally‐orientated. It has been claimed that a developmentally‐orientated approach to building procurement would encompass the parameters of community empowerment and participation in design, job creation via the development process, and economically and environmentally‐sustainable procurement (Taylor & Norval 1995). New building procurement systems display an increasing awareness of sustainability, but concentrate on economic and social sustainability, as opposed to environmental sustainability. The purpose of this paper is to document and evaluate the extent to which issues of environmental sustainability have been incorporated in the delivery of affordable housing in South Africa. The paper elaborates on a range of relevant principles for sustainable construction, which incorporate: minimisation of resource use; maximisation of reuse of resources; maximisation of use of renewable and recycled resources; use of non‐toxic materials; protection of nature; achievement of quality criteria; and promotion of labour intensive methods, skills training and capacity enhancement of local people. The authors examine the extent to which the principles of environmental sustainability have been applied, both in practice and in the formulation of South African housing policy. Finally, recommendations are made for the application of criteria for environmental sustainability in the delivery process of affordable housing in South Africa.
PFI in the NHS
Authors: GRIMSEY DARRIN , GRAHAM RICHARD
Published: January 2010

The National Health Service (NHS) hospitals in Britain are currently in a state of decay following many years of underinvestment in the estate. The NHS urgently requires billions of pounds of investment ranging from total hospital new builds to small refurbishment of existing facilities. The previous Conservative government put forward the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) as the procurement mechanism to address this problem. The new Labour government currently appear to be committing themselves to the same approach. PFI project sponsors have spent upwards of £30m bidding for around 30 major PFI schemes. Despite this, by the time of the UK election in May 1997 not one scheme had reached financial close and many sponsors were expressing their disillusionment with the process. Unlike PFI on other Government infrastructure and service schemes, each PFI hospital is tendered by a separate Trust with their own limited budgets. Many Trusts have demanded schemes without realising that they cannot afford them and whilst these schemes may work out cheaper than publicly financed hospitals over 30 years or more, charges are higher in the early years. This is primarily due to the market for loans, the conditions attached to these loans in terms of repayment periods and cover ratios, and the requirement of the sponsors to generate a reasonable return on their investment. This paper discusses the major issues and analyses some of the technical financial problems surrounding the PFI in the NHS. The authors draw on practical experience of financial structuring and modelling hospital projects to build a generic model to analyse NHS PFI economics.
Expert judgment in forecasting construction project completion
Authors: AL‐TABTABAI HASHEM , KARTAM NABIL , FLOOD IAN , ALEX ALEX P.
Published: January 2010

Construction projects are susceptible to cost and time overruns. Variations from planned schedule and cost estimates can result in huge losses for owners and contractors. In extreme cases, the viability of the project itself is jeopardised as a result of variations from baseline plans. Hence new methods and techniques which assist project managers in forecasting the expected variance in schedule and cost should be developed. This paper proposes a judgment‐based forecasting approach which will identify schedule variances from a baseline plan for typical construction projects. The proposed forecasting approach adopts multiple regression techniques and further utilises neural networks to capture the decision‐making procedure of project experts involved in schedule monitoring and prediction. The models developed were applied to a multistorey building project under construction and were found feasible for use in similar construction projects. The advantages and limitations of these two modelling process for prediction of schedule variance are discussed. The developed models were integrated with existing project management computer systems for the convenient and realistic generation of revised schedules at appropriate junctures during the progress of the project.
GATT, GATS and the global construction industry
Authors: ABDUL‐AZIZ ABDUL‐RASHID , CHWEE NGOH TAN AMY
Published: January 2010

On 15 December 1993, the most ambitious trade liberalisation package in history was concluded, marking the end of multilateral trade negotiations under the aegis of the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT). Among the landmark achievements of that round was the addressing of the services sector for the first time in such a setting. This paper analyses the key provisions of the General Agreement of Trade in Services (GATS) in the context of the construction industry. Despite the fact that GATS is presently a framework which requires further negotiation, there are already certain matters that corporate strategists should be conversant with in preparation for the time when full trade surveillance is imposed on the industry. Specific reference is also made to the Government Procurement Agreement towards the end of this paper because of its galvanising force on future GATS negotiations.
The implications of the difference in the growth rates of the prices of building resources and outputs in Hong Kong
Authors: CHAU K.W.
Published: January 2010

The prices of construction resources (construction cost) have been increasing faster than construction output prices (construction price) in Hong Kong since the mid‐1970s, giving rise to a long‐term divergence between the two price trends. As the difference has existed for quite a long time, it cannot be adequately explained by a short‐term change in supply and demand conditions. The present paper introduces the major indices that reflect the trends of the prices of construction resources and outputs in Hong Kong. It also attempts to explain, from an economic point of view, the major factors which contributed to the divergence between the long‐term trends of the prices of construction resources and outputs. One of the conclusions is that, for the past 25 years, the productive efficiency of the Hong Kong building industry has benefited from and been greatly upgraded by imported construction technologies, as well as by a burgeoning quality of human resources. The data and examples quoted in the present paper are sided towards building construction. Therefore, the scope of investigation of this paper, strictly speaking, is confined to the building industry, and does not include the building services and civil engineering subsectors. However, because of the higher degree of mechanization and faster technological progress in the civil engineering and building services subsectors, the present author believes that the results and conclusions should also be applicable to the whole construction industry.
Analysis of the accuracy of standard/average value curves using food retail building projects as case studies
Authors: EVANS R.C. , KAKA A.P.
Published: January 2010

Several cash flow forecasting models have been developed for use by the contractor at the tendering stage. The majority of these models have been based on the standard S‐curve. The accuracy of these models depends on the accuracy of the standard S‐curve used. Many researchers have attempted to develop standard S‐curves using past projects. These projects were primarily classified in terms of broad‐based categories (e.g. commercial buildings). The results of past research have demonstrated that cumulative value/cost curves vary significantly. In the present paper, a more specific type of building was selected (food retail stores). Historical data for 20 projects was collected and analysed for the feasibility of developing a more accurate standard S‐curve. The results demonstrate that an accurate standard S‐curve was not achieved even when projects were further classified into more detailed groups (i.e. different sizes of superstores).
Worker motivation on selected construction sites in Bangkok, Thailand
Authors: OGUNLANA STEPHEN O. , PIEN CHANG WEI
Published: January 2010

The groundbreaking works of Maslow and Herzberg have been used by many researchers on construction worker motivation. These two classical theorists were used as the basis for a survey of needs, motivators and demotivators on high‐rise building construction sites in Bangkok, Thailand. The needs and felt motivators of construction workers in Bangkok are low on the Maslow hierarchy. The agreement between workers and supervisors regarding needs is strong. However, the agreement on motivators and demotivators is rather weak. This may lead to the use of inappropriate methods for motivating workers. A comparison of the results of the present survey with other studies showed that attempts to motivate workers should take cognizance of the cultural context in order to achieve good results.
Implementing an integrative approach to project schedule compression
Authors: LAUFER ALEXANDER , SHAPIRA AVIAD , GOREN ITZHAK
Published: January 2010

The need to provide immediate housing solutions for hundreds of thousands of people in the early 1990's faced the Israeli construction industry with an unprecedented challenge: to multiply overnight its output and drastically cut construction time. It also created a unique opportunity to observe a national‐level experiment of great magnitude aimed at meeting that challenge. The present paper reports on a study that examined how construction companies managed to cut housing construction time to half of what had been accepted earlier as a normal pace. This was achieved by implementing an approach that concurrently and integratively treats environment, technology and management determinants, creating a synergetic effect. The present paper introduces and demonstrates the integrative approach to schedule compression, and highlights the role of the environment.
The Health and Safety Expert System (HASES): an expert system framework for building inspections
Authors: GOWRI KRISHNAN , DEPANNI SEBASTIANO
Published: January 2010

In order to ensure the health and safety of occupants, buildings must be inspected to check their compliance to current regulatory requirements prompted by occupancy changes, renovations and building code revisions. Recent inspections conducted by Public Works Canada have identified about 1700 occurrences of code violations in 19 buildings. There is an enormous amount of information that can be extracted from the study mentioned above to implement a knowledge‐based expert system to assist in future building inspections. The philosophy of this expert system is to integrate both knowledge‐based and hypertext representation techniques to enable building inspectors to quickly identify code violations, refer to the code text and provide case study information that can assist in resolving a problem. The present paper describes the development framework and details of a prototype implementation known as the Health and Safety Expert System (HASES). The HASES currently addresses the requirements of ‘Section 3.4: Requirements for Exits’ of the 1990 National Building Code of Canada. The software architecture consists of an external database of building details, an object hierarchy and a rule‐base representing the code requirements, hypertext user‐interface for code text and case study information. The ultimate objective is to make this system available for field inspections using notepad computers.
Strategy formation in construction firms
Authors: JUNNONEN J.‐M.
Published: January 2010

The aim of the present paper was to examine strategy formation in construction firms. Strategic thinking has become increasingly important because the environment of construction has changed dramatically in recent years. An organizational strategy is the result of a formation process over time and an organization uses strategy when dealing with a changing environment. Therefore, strategies are formed in an iterative process of social interactions involving various activities. The basic unit of analysis strategy must be a distinct business and corporate entity. Corporate strategy should grow out of a deep understanding of how construction firms prosper in individual business areas, i.e. ‘the parenting advantage’. Parenting advantage is a criterion for guiding corporate strategy formation. Business strategy is formed by accepted common thinking and on the basis of business strategy in general. Business strategy and competitive advantage is based on the competencies and resources of firms.
Industry expectations for engineering graduates
Authors: EDWARD BACK W. , SANDERS STEVE R.
Published: January 2010

Engineering employers are discovering that their workforce requires certain skills which seem to be in short supply. Rapid technological change, participative management and employee empowerment, global competition, and other workplace innovations have created a demand for a higher skill level for engineering graduates. Identifying industry expectations for engineering graduates are an important step in developing university curricula which are responsive to the needs of the profession. The present study identifies specific industry expectations for new engineering graduates and provides practical recommendations for strategically aligning engineering curricula with the professional community. By identifying specific skills requisite for career success, universities can provide an improved service for their graduates and the engineering industry.
The need for education in alternative dispute resolution (ADR) in the construction industry
Authors: EZULIKE EKENE I. , HOARE DAVID J.
Published: January 2010

The relative merits of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) over conventional methods of dispute resolution, namely litigation and arbitration, is well documented, but as yet, the various ADR procedures currently available are not being extensively utilized within the construction industry in the UK. The purpose of the present paper was to discover from UK experts in dispute resolution why ADR has not become a more frequently used technique for resolving disputes in the UK construction industry, and to suggest ways in which this problem can be overcome. The findings indicate that there is a lack of understanding of the principles behind ADR and a lack of experience in dispute resolution in general. The findings strongly suggest that the lack of understanding and experience in ADR can best be overcome by educating and training. This should be carried out early on in the working lives of professionals by universities, professional institutions and specialist bodies such as the CEDR.
Factors affecting construction quality in Egypt: identification and relative importance
Authors: ABDEL‐RAZEK REFAAT H.
Published: January 2010

The present paper explains the details of a study that was carried out in Egypt. The study involved the participation of 159 construction professionals representing traditional sectors of the construction industry, i.e. clients, consultants, and contractors, in addition to university professors. The Delphi technique was employed to obtain a consensus conclusion on the factors required to improve construction quality in Egypt, together with their relative importance. The respondents generated 16 factors and the relative importance of each factor was determined. For example, the first factor in order of priority was the improvement of the design and planning in the pre‐construction stage, with a relative importance of 16.67%; the third factor was the improvement of the financial level and standard of living of employees, with 9.20%; and the sixteenth and last factor was the encouragement of innovation for simpler and more accurate work methods, with 2.14%. The analysis of the results showed that only five factors represented more than 50% of the total weight of all the factors. Improvement in the aspects of work specified in these factors should make it possible to improve construction quality progressively in Egypt.
SITE EXPERT: a prototype knowledge‐based expert system
Authors: ALKOC EDIZ , ERBATUR FUAT
Published: January 2010

The present paper reports on the development of SITE EXPERT: a prototype knowledge‐based expert system. It is an advisory system. SITE EXPERT is intended to be used for productivity improvement in construction and provides advice on: (1) the productivity of three basic operations of construction, i.e. pouring and placing of concrete, erection and removal of formwork, and fixing reinforcement; and (2) human resources and site layout as productivity factors. The system uses information from construction experts, text books, data recorded at construction sites and the engineer's own knowledge, as well as knowledge obtained by running simulation models. In the present paper, the development, operation and evaluation of the prototype system is described. The results of this prototype system development demonstrate that artificial intelligence methodologies provide powerful facilities for capturing information about construction processes and advising the practitioners of construction on productivity improvement within a computer format close to human reasoning.
Mergers and acquisitions: the impact on information systems and information technology
Authors: CARRILLO P.M.
Published: January 2010

Recently, there have been significant corporate changes within the major contracting organizations in the UK. Mergers and acquisitions are creating large, pan‐European contractors. Such changes have a fundamental impact on the way these contractors operate. The reasons behind the increased mergers and acquisitions activities, and how these corporate changes affect information systems and information technology (IS/IT) are examined. The present paper illustrates these IS/IT changes using the acquisition of two British contractors as case studies. The results show that issues such as leadership, communications and culture have a significant impact on how organizational changes are implemented.
The methodological challenges posed by the confrontational nature of the construction industry
Authors: LOOSEMORE M.
Published: January 2010

The confrontational nature of the construction industry is as much a threat to effective research as it is to effective construction management. In methodological terms, it presents particular challenges of emotion, sensitivity, tension, stress, pressure and uncertainty which a researcher has to address. The present paper discusses the methodological challenges of conducting research within a confrontational environment and presents a model of solutions developed to meet these problems. This model will be of value to all researchers involved within construction projects, but particularly those interested in construction conflict.
Social network analysis: using a quantitative tool within an interpretative context to explore the management of construction crises
Authors: LOOSEMORE M.
Published: January 2010

There is growing dissatisfaction with the static, reductionist, socially insensitive and unimaginative methods used in construction management research. The present paper challenges the emerging view that methods are strictly associated with philosophies, and in particular, that quantitative methods are at odds with interpretative aspirations. It does so by providing a practical example of social network analysis, a quantitative method which is sympathetic to these aspirations. The example is set within a crisis management context, and illustrates the dangers of using qualitative or quantitative methods in isolation. The present paper concludes by questioning the association of quantitative methods with causality and the production of universal models, and argues that both quantitative and qualitative methods have a role to play in understanding the complexity of people's changing social roles, positions and behaviours within construction organizations.
The technocratic totalitarianism of construction process improvement: a critical perspective
Authors: GREEN S.D.
Published: January 2010

The current research agenda for construction process improvement is heavily influenced by the rhetoric of business process re‐engineering (BPR). In contrast to the wider literature on BPR, there is little evidence of critical thought within the construction management research community. A postmodernist interpretation is advocated whereby the reality of management practice is defined by the dominant management discourse. The persuasiveness of BPR rhetoric is analysed with particular reference to the way in which it plays on the insecurity of modern managers. Despite the lip service given to ‘empowerment’ and ‘teamwork’, the dominant theme of the re‐engineering movement is that of technocratic totalitarianism. From a critical perspective, it is suggested that BPR is imposed on construction organizations to ensure continued control by the industry's dominant power groups. Whilst industry leaders are fond of calling for ‘attitudinal and cultural improvement’, the language of the accepted research agenda continually reinforces the industry's dominant culture of ‘control and command’. Therefore, current research directions in process improvement perpetuate existing attitudes rather than facilitating cultural change. The concept of lean construction is seen to be the latest manifestation of this phenomenon.
The eLSEwise initiative
Authors: GARAS FIKRY , HUNTER IAN
Published: January 2010

Recognition of the importance of Large Scale Engineering (LSE) construction in the economics of Europe has resulted in the European Commission supporting the proposal for the eLSEwise project (Esprit 20876). eLSEwise is the European LSE Wide Integration Support Effort, which commenced in 1996 as part of the family of the ‘User Reference Group’ projects established by the European Commission to define the needs of the busiess users of ICT within several industrial areas. This paper describes the eLSEwise initiative and the approach adopted in identifying the LSE construction needs and the business processes that come together to allow an LSE project to evolve through the various phases of a project life cycle.
Trends in world markets and the LSE industry
Authors: MALE STEVEN , MITROVIC DRAGANA
Published: January 2010

The Large Scale Engineering (LSE) industry operates in a global market place and during recent years it has been the scene of major political and economic changes resulting in increasing market pressures. The paper outlines findings from Workpackage 1 of the European Union funded Esprit eLSEwise project. The eLSEwise project has an objective of contributing to improving the competitiveness of the European LSE industry. The paper focuses principally on trends in the LSE global industry market place and the challenges facing European LSE contractors in adapting to these changes. The paper outlines the research methodology; world market trends and LSE industry structure; critical success factors and enablers for LSE projects; the forces shaping the LSE industry and the necessary contractors' core competencies and competitive advantages for continued success.
The eLSEwise vision, development routes and recommendations
Authors: HUNTER IAN , MITROVIC DRAGANA , HASSAN TAREK M. , GAYOSO ANGEL , GARAS FIKRY
Published: January 2010

eLSEwise is the acronym of ESPRIT project 20876 which investigated the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) needs of Large Scale Engineering (LSE) construction over the next 10 years. eLSEwise investigated the business needs related to market and client demands for change in the future delivery processes of LSE construction projects and how the constructors perceive their roles changing in response. It also undertook a state‐of‐the‐art review of the existing and emergent technologies. From these investigations eLSEwise then postulated a vision how LSE construction projects may be delivered in the future, fully utilizing the benefits of emergent technology to satisfy the business needs. The project also considered how companies may progress from their present condition towards this future view, leading to basic development strategy. This paper presents the eLSEwise views of such a future. These findings are presented in three parts: the eLSEwise vision, development routes and recommendations.
A research model of project complexity and goal commitment effects on project outcome
Authors: LIU ANITA M.M.
Published: January 2010

Essentially, performance evaluation is a human behavioural phenomenon involving a cognitive perceptual process. Project performance has two attributes, at least: (1) the individual's expected performance (manifested as assigned goals); and (2) the individual's perceived actual performance. Evaluation comprises the comparison of these two attributes. The present paper develops a research model for project outcome evaluation designed to examine the effects of the two moderators, goal commitment and project complexity, on the perceived project performance of project participants. It is postulated that: (1) there is a positive monotonic relationship between goal difficulty and performance, but that this is moderated by project complexity; (2) difficult goals lead to higher performance, but that this will happen only when the project participant is committed to the goal; and (3) the transferability of critical success factors to enhance/improve the performance of subsequent projects has to be examined and applied in the light of the effects of these two moderators on project performance.
Breakwater construction: an effective method for industrial waste utilization
Authors: ABRAHAM DULCY M. , JOANNE YEH M.H.
Published: January 2010

The Environmental Protection Bureau of Taiwan established the South Star Project in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, as a solution to two problems facing the city—the urgent need to dispose of industrial wastes and the need to increase land for the city. To embank land from the sea, breakwaters were constructed. The material used to construct breakwaters was a mixture of furnace slag (waste from the steel industry) and fly ash (waste from power plants). After constructing the breakwaters, the ‘reclaimed land’ was used as a landfill for construction and public waste. In the future, these reclaimed lands will be used for the development of a deepwater port or sea airport. Construction of breakwaters is a very repetitive process, and any improvements made would help contractors reduce the duration of the operation, improve efficiency in the process and thereby reduce costs. This paper discusses the process of breakwater construction and the utilization of industrial wastes for the concrete work on the project. Data collected from the first stage of the South Star Project is used in the modelling, simulation and analysis of the process, in order to examine the interaction between different resources.
Decision‐makers' perceptions in the formulation of prequalification criteria
Authors: THOMAS NG S. , MARTIN SKITMORE R. , SMITH NIGEL J.
Published: January 2010

Contractor prequalification involves the establishment of a standard for measuring and assessing the capabilities of potential tenderers. The required standard is based on a set of prequalification criteria (PQC) that is intended to reflect the objectives of the client and the requirements of the project. However, many pre‐qualifiers compile a set of PQC according to their own idiosyncratic perceptions of the importance of individual PQC. As a result, sets of PQC, and hence prequalification standards, vary between prequalifiers. This paper reports on an investigation of the nature of the divergencies of the perceived importance of individual PQC by different groups of prequalifiers via a large‐scale empirical survey conducted in the UK. The results support the conclusion that there are significant systematic differences between groups of prequalifiers, with the individual PQC that contribute most to the differences being the method of procurement, size of project, standard of quality, financial stability, project complexity, claim and contractual dispute and length of time in business.
The relationship between construction project management theory and transaction cost economics
Authors: WALKER ANTHONY , KWONG WING CHAU
Published: January 2010

The process of managing the design and construction of a project on behalf of a client may be analysed using project management theory based on a contingency approach. The analysis provided by this approach, whilst useful for understanding the interaction of the parts of the system, the functions of project management and the effectiveness of the organization structure, may be limited by not incorporating an economic explanation of how a project organization structure is chosen. The transaction cost approach to the study of economic organization may provide a theoretical basis for such an explanation. This approach holds that an understanding of transaction cost economizing is central to the study of organizations as it determines whether functions are provided by the market or by hierarchy. This paper seeks to explore the relationship between these two powerful approaches in explaining the structuring and management of project organizations on behalf of clients and to explain the benefits of combining these approaches in furthering construction project management theory.
Integrated models for construction planning: object flow and relationship
Authors: ALSHAWI M. , HASSAN Z.
Published: January 2010

Sharing and exchanging information between project participants are basic requirements for developing construction plans. An isolated construction planning knowledge‐based system is no more useful and beneficial than any another ‘island of automation’ unless the integration with other construction applications are addressed. This paper proposes conceptual data and process models for a construction planning system, CONPLAN (Intelligent CONstruction PLANning), which works within a fully Integrated Construction Environment (ICE). An object oriented methodology (James Martin) has been used to establish generic construction models within which other construction applications can be integrated. This paper also introduces briefly the modularized approach that has been adopted to integrate the various construction applications over the project life cycle.
Risk management trends in the Hong Kong construction industry: a comparison of contractors and owners perceptions
Authors: AHMED SYED M. , AHMAD RIAZ , DARSHI DE SARAM D.
Published: January 2010

This paper reports a study carried out to compare the attitudes and perceptions of Hong Kong construction contractors and owners on the importance of various construction risks and also how the risks should be allocated between the parties to the contract. Data were collected by a questionnaire survey on industry professionals representing contractors and owners. Both the owners and the contractors have attached high importance to risk factors such as safety, quality and financial failures. Results also indicate a readiness on the part of the contractors to allocate a greater portion of risks to themselves.
The development of a benchmark model that uses historical data for monitoring the progress of current construction projects
Authors: KAKA A.P.
Published: January 2010

Conventional methods of project duration control primarily rely on comparing contracts programs with actual progress. Detailed barcharts are often produced and progress is measured and recorded for monitoring by site based practitioners. Head office managers that are responsible for a group or groups of contracts running simultaneously depend on the reports generated on site for their control mechanism. There are many drawbacks in relying solely on site based reports, including concerns about accuracy, misrepresentation of facts, competence of site based staff, time taken to interpret these reports, etc. This paper develops and proposes the use of a new system that can be used as an additional tool whereby significant discrepancies in projects' progress performance can be highlighted. The system is based on stochastic models developed to simulate the cost commitment curves of traditional construction projects. The paper describes how the system is developed and how it can be used. The system has been developed as part of a pilot study to validate its usefulness in principle. Hence the factors used to distinguish projects characteristics were only based on broad terms. It is hoped that an improved model would be developed when more variables are considered and incorporated.
The implications of environmental issues on UK construction management
Authors: PASQUIRE CHRISTINE
Published: January 2010

The paper identifies the broad environmental issues and legislation affecting the construction industry in the UK and goes on to place the environment firmly on the construction agenda, highlighting the major issues for concern. This paper summarizes work undertaken in five pilot studies. The work reveals that the consideration of environmental issues within a framework related to the construction process facilitates the allocation of management responsibility within the construction team. The illustrative representation of this framework forms a prototype decision‐making strategy for use in construction procurement and methods for incorporating environmental issues into every day construction management are proposed.
Evaluation of factors affecting time and cost performance in Hong Kong building projects
Authors: DISSANAYAKA SUNIL M. , KUMARASWAMY MOHAN M.
Published: January 2010

Time and cost are usually critical to construction clients. Given the many contributory factors, improved quantitative models of time and cost may help clients to predict project outcomes at the outset, and also at different stages of the project life span. These can also help to compare deviations in significant contributory factors, and to suggest corrective actions. Multiple linear regression (MLR) and artificial neural networks (ANN) were applied in developing such quantitative models in a research project based in Hong Kong. A comparative study indicated that ANN had better prediction capabilities than MLR by itself. Significant factors identified through quantitative models developed, indicated that time over‐run levels were mainly governed by non‐procurement related factors (e.g. project characteristics and client/client representative characteristics), while cost over‐run levels were significantly influenced by both procurement and non‐procurement related factors (e.g. project characteristics, client/client representative characteristics and contractual payment modalities). A parallel approach yielded interesting comparisons of the variations of mean time and cost over‐runs, when comparing groups of projects using different procurement sub‐systems, from the Hong Kong sample.