Success factors in an alliancing contract : a case study in Australia

Many studies have been carried out in relation to construction procurement methods. Evidence shows that there needs to be a change of culture and attitude in the construction industry, moving away from traditional adversarial relationship into cooperative and collaborative relationship. At the same time there is also an increasing concern and discussion on alternative procurement methods, drifting away from traditional procurement systems. Relational contracting approaches have become more popular in recent years, and have appeared in common forms such as partnering, alliancing and relationship management contracts. This paper reports the findings of a survey undertaken with a private organisation based on an alliance project during its design stage, identifying the critical factors that influence the success of the alliance project. Legal aspects focusing on dispute resolution in alliancing are also highlighted.

An examination of factors influencing effective and continuous improvement of Indonesian contractors' quality management systems

This paper presents the results of a pilot study examining the factors that impact most on the effective implementation of, and improvement to, Quality Mangement Sytems (QMSs) amongst Indonesian construction companies. Nine critical factors were identified from an extensive literature review, and a survey was conducted of 23 respondents from three specific groups (Quality Managers, Project Managers, and Site Engineers) undertaking work in the Indonesian infrastructure construction sector. The data has been analyzed initially using simple descriptive techniques. This study reveals that different groups within the sector have different opinions of the factors regardless of the degree of importance of each factor. However, the evaluation of construction project success and the incentive schemes for high performance staff, are the two factors that were considered very important by most of the respondents in all three groups. In terms of their assessment of tools for measuring contractor’s performance, additional QMS guidelines, techniques related to QMS practice provided by the Government, and benchmarking, a clear majority in each group regarded their usefulness as ‘of some importance’.

Classification of railway bridges based on criticality and vulnerability factors

Bridges are currently rated individually for maintenance and repair action according to the structural conditions of their elements. Dealing with thousands of bridges and the many factors that cause deterioration, makes this rating process extremely complicated. The current simplified but practical methods are not accurate enough. On the other hand, the sophisticated, more accurate methods are only used for a single or particular bridge type. It is therefore necessary to develop a practical and accurate rating system for a network of bridges. The first most important step in achieving this aim is to classify bridges based on the differences in nature and the unique characteristics of the critical factors and the relationship between them, for a network of bridges. Critical factors and vulnerable elements will be identified and placed in different categories. This classification method will be used to develop a new practical rating method for a network of railway bridges based on criticality and vulnerability analysis. This rating system will be more accurate and economical as well as improve the safety and serviceability of railway bridges.

A new method for quantifying the contribution of different critical agents on railway bridge deterioration

Railway Bridges deteriorate over time due to different critical factors including, flood, wind, earthquake, collision, and environment factors, such as corrosion, wear, termite attack, etc. In current practice, the contributions of the critical factors, towards the deterioration of railway bridges, which show their criticalities, are not appropriately taken into account. In this paper, a new method for quantifying the criticality of these factors will be introduced. The available knowledge as well as risk analyses conducted in different Australian standards and developed for bridge-design will be adopted. The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is utilized for prioritising the factors. The method is used for synthetic rating of railway bridges developed by the authors of this paper. Enhancing the reliability of predicting the vulnerability of railway bridges to the critical factors, will be the significant achievement of this research.

Testing a framework for the quality of process models: A case study

Process modeling can be regarded as the currently most popular form of conceptual modeling. Research evidence illustrates how process modeling is applied across the different information system life cycle phases for a range of different applications, such as configuration of Enterprise Systems, workflow management, or software development. However, a detailed discussion of critical factors of the quality of process models is still missing. This paper proposes a framework consisting of six quality factors, which is derived from a comprehensive literature review. It then presents in a case study, a utility provider, who had designed various business process models for the selection of an Enterprise System. The paper summarizes potential means of conducting a successful process modeling initiative and evaluates the described modeling approach within the Guidelines of Modeling (GoM) framework. An outlook shows the potential lessons learnt, and concludes with insights to the next phases of this study.

Construction projects immediate health check : a CSF & KPI approach

Many factors have the potential to influence human health. These factors need to be monitored to maintain health. As is the case with human health, construction projects have a number of critical factors that can facilitate a broad evaluation of project health. In order to use these factors as an indication of health, they need to be assessed. This assessment can help to achieve desired outcomes for the project. This paper discusses the approach of assessing Critical Success Factors (CSFs) using Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) to ascertain the immediate health of a construction project. This approach is applicable to all phases of construction projects and many construction procurement methods. KPIs have been benchmarked on the basis of industry standards and historical data. The robustness of the KPIs to assess the immediate health of a project has been validated using Australian and international case studies.

Designing participation in agile ridesharing with mobile social software

Growing participation is a key challenge for the viability of sustainability initiatives, many of which require enactment at a local community level in order to be effective. This paper undertakes a review of technology assisted carpooling in order to understand the challenge of designing participation and consider how mobile social software and interface design can be brought to bear. It was found that while persuasive technology and social networking approaches have roles to play, critical factors in the design of carpooling are convenience, ease of use and fit with contingent circumstances, all of which require a use-centred approach to designing a technological system and building participation. Moreover, the reach of technology platform-based global approaches may be limited if they do not cater to local needs. An approach that focuses on iteratively designing technology to support and grow mobile social ridesharing networks in particular locales is proposed. The paper contributes an understanding of HCI approaches in the context of other designing participation approaches.

Population aging in a globalizing labour market: implications for older workers

Against a background of population aging, and with it, warnings about the sustainability of social welfare systems and problems associated with declining labour supply, there is an increasing policy emphasis on extending working lives of older workers among the industrialised nations (Hirsch, 2003; Keese, 2005; Taylor, 2006). However, recent commentaries have tended to focus on the relationship between population aging and the labour market, largely ignoring other critical factors that are affecting older workers’ relationship with the labour market. This contrasts with extensive research undertaken in the 1980s and 1990s when the forces acting upon older workers at that time were thoroughly elucidated (e.g. Kohli et al., 1991). The focus of this paper is on the labour supply challenges for employers and nations arising from demographic trends, in combination with social and technological changes and the wider forces of globalisation, how each is responding, and how these trends are affecting older workers’ trying to secure or maintain footholds in a labour market but facing, as Richard Sennett (2006) puts it, the ‘spectre of uselessness’ as jobs they could do have either migrated to other parts of the world or have been destroyed in the wake of industry failure.

Asset identification : addressing the climate change in public asset management process

Climate change is becoming increasingly apparent that is largely caused by human activities such as asset management processes, from planning to disposal, of property and infrastructure. One essential component of asset management process is asset identification. The aims of the study are to identify the information needed in asset identification and inventory as one of public asset management process in addressing the climate change issue; and to examine its deliverability in developing countries’ local governments. In order to achieve its aims, this study employs a case study in Indonesia. This study only discusses one medium size provincial government in Indonesia. The information is gathered through interviews of the local government representatives in South Sulawesi Province, Indonesia and document analysis provided by interview participants. The study found that for local government, improving the system in managing their assets is one of emerging biggest challenge. Having the right information in the right place and at the right time are critical factors in response to this challenge. Therefore, asset identification as the frontline step in public asset management system is holding an important and critical role. Furthermore, an asset identification system should be developed to support the mainstream of adaptation to climate change vulnerability and to help local government officers to be environmentally sensitive. Finally, findings from this study provide useful input for the policy makers, scholars and asset management practitioners to develop an asset inventory system as a part of public asset management process in addressing the climate change.

Diffusion of business improvement processes in manufacturing companies in India

Manufacturing organisations spend more on Business Process Improvement initiatives to make them more competitive in growing global market. This paper presents a Rapid Improvement Workshop (RIW) framework which companies can used to identify the critical factors regulating the diffusion of business process improvement in their company. The framework can then be used address how process improvement can be efficiently implemented. We use the results from case studies at Caterpillar India. The paper identifies the critical factors that contribute to the successful implementation of process improvement programs in manufacturing organisations. We further identify certain technological and cultural barriers to the implementation of process improvement programs and how Indian manufacturing companies can overcome these barriers to attain competitive advantage in the global markets.

The exemplification of governance principles within state asset management laws and policies : the case of Indonesia

Efficient state asset management is crucial for governments as they facilitate the fulfillment of their public functions, which include the provision of essential services and other public administration support. In recent times economies internationally and particularly in South east Asia, have displayed increased recognition of the importance of efficiencies across state asset management law, policies and practice. This has been exemplified by a surge in notable instances of reform in state asset management. A prominent theme in this phenomenon is the consideration of governance principles within the re-conceptualization of state asset management law and related policy, with many countries recognizing variability in the quality of asset governance and opportunities for profit as being critical factors. This issue is very current in Indonesia where a major reform process in this area has been confirmed by the establishment of a new Directorate of State Asset Management. The incumbent Director-General of State Asset Management has confirmed a re-emphasis on adherence to governance principles within applicable state asset management law and policy reform. This paper reviews aspects of the challenge of reviewing and reforming Indonesian practice within state asset management law and policy specifically related to public housing, public buildings, parklands, and vacant land. A critical issue in beginning this review is how Indonesia currently conceptualizes the notion of asset governance and how this meaning is embodied in recent changes in law and policy and importantly in options for future change. This paper discusses the potential complexities uniquely Indonesian characteristics such as decentralisation and regional autonomy regime, political history, and bureaucratic culture

Development of a performance model for international construction joint venture : a system dynamics approach

The uncertain and dynamic nature of International Construction Joint Venture (ICJV) performance is evolved with many critical factors which lead to make partner relationships more complex in respect of making decisions to maintain a cohesive environment. Addressing to the fact, a generic system dynamics performance model for ICJV is developed by integrating a number variables as to get an overall impact on performance of ICJV and to make effective decisions based on that. In order to formulate and validate the model both structurally and behaviourally, both qualitative and quantitative data are gathered by conducting intensive interviews from two ICJVs in Thailand. After conducting intensive simulations of model, three major problems are identified related to negative value gap, low productivity in construction and high rate of ineffective information sharing of both ICJVs. Several policies are suggested and integrated application of these policies provides a maximum improvement to performance of the ICJV.

The impact of knowledge integration on enterprise system success

Despite promising benefits and advantages, there are reports of failures and low realisation of benefits in Enterprise System (ES) initiatives. Among the research on the factors that influence ES success, there is a dearth of studies on the knowledge implications of multiple end-user groups using the same ES application. An ES facilitates the work of several user groups, ranging from strategic management, management, to operational staff, all using the same system for multiple objectives. Given the fundamental characteristics of ES – integration of modules, business process views, and aspects of information transparency – it is necessary that all frequent end-users share a reasonable amount of common knowledge and integrate their knowledge to yield new knowledge. Recent literature on ES implementation highlights the importance of Knowledge Integration (KI) for implementation success. Unfortunately, the importance of KI is often overlooked and little about the role of KI in ES success is known. Many organisations do not achieve the potential benefits from their ES investment because they do not consider the need or their ability to integrate their employees’ knowledge. This study is designed to improve our understanding of the influence of KI among ES end-users on operational ES success. The three objectives of the study are: (I) to identify and validate the antecedents of KI effectiveness, (II) to investigate the impact of KI effectiveness on the goodness of individuals’ ES-knowledge base, and (III) to examine the impact of the goodness of individuals’ ES-knowledge base on the operational ES success. For this purpose, we employ the KI factors identified by Grant (1996) and an IS-impact measurement model from the work of Gable et al. (2008) to examine ES success. The study derives its findings from data gathered from six Malaysian companies in order to obtain the three-fold goal of this thesis as outlined above. The relationships between the antecedents of KI effectiveness and its consequences are tested using 188 responses to a survey representing the views of management and operational employment cohorts. Using statistical methods, we confirm three antecedents of KI effectiveness and the consequences of the antecedents on ES success are validated. The findings demonstrate a statistically positive impact of KI effectiveness of ES success, with KI effectiveness contributing to almost one-third of ES success. This research makes a number of contributions to the understanding of the influence of KI on ES success. First, based on the empirical work using a complete nomological net model, the role of KI effectiveness on ES success is evidenced. Second, the model provides a theoretical lens for a more comprehensive understanding of the impact of KI on the level of ES success. Third, restructuring the dimensions of the knowledge-based theory to fit the context of ES extends its applicability and generalisability to contemporary Information Systems. Fourth, the study develops and validates measures for the antecedents of KI effectiveness. Fifth, the study demonstrates the statistically significant positive influence of the goodness of KI on ES success. From a practical viewpoint, this study emphasises the importance of KI effectiveness as a direct antecedent of ES success. Practical lessons can be drawn from the work done in this study to empirically identify the critical factors among the antecedents of KI effectiveness that should be given attention.

Smart Measures for Sustainable Outcomes: Integrated Considerations for Sustainable Refurbishment of Office Buildings

The increasing stock of aging office buildings will see a significant growth in retrofitting projects in Australian capital cities. Stakeholders of refitting works will also need to take on the sustainability challenge and realize tangible outcomes through project delivery. Traditionally, decision making for aged buildings, when facing the alternatives, is typically economically driven and on ad hoc basis. This leads to the tendency to either delay refitting for as long as possible thus causing building conditions to deteriorate, or simply demolish and rebuild with unjust financial burden. The technologies involved are often limited to typical strip-clean and repartition with dry walls and office cubicles. Changing business operational patterns, the efficiency of office space, and the demand on improved workplace environment, will need more innovative and intelligent approaches to refurbishing office buildings. For example, such projects may need to respond to political, social, environmental and financial implications. There is a need for the total consideration of buildings structural assessment, modeling of operating and maintenance costs, new architectural and engineering designs that maximise the utility of the existing structure and resulting productivity improvement, specific construction management procedures including procurement methods, work flow and scheduling and occupational health and safety. Recycling potential and conformance to codes may be other major issues. This paper introduces examples of Australian research projects which provided a more holistic approach to the decision making of refurbishing office space, using appropriate building technologies and products, assessment of residual service life, floor space optimisation and project procurement in order to bring about sustainable outcomes. The paper also discusses a specific case study on critical factors that influence key building components for these projects and issues for integrated decision support when dealing with the refurbishment, and indeed the “re-life”, of office buildings.

The implementation of sustainable housing through mutual benefits to key stakeholders

Among the Australian general public, there are increasing concerns about environmental issues. Accordingly, sustainability in the housing industry is also becoming a priority on the development agenda. However, putting the principles of ecological sustainability into practice within social and economic development requires intensive involvement of major stakeholders such as governments, developers, builders, consumers and a range of other professionals. Establishing a sustainable value entails asymmetric life-cycle returns, making it important for major stakeholders to appreciate the benefits of this new agenda not only for the individual businesses but also for other supply chain partners. This context warrants the study to promote collective benefits for key stakeholders by establishing a mutual-benefit framework for sustainable housing implementation. A research was carried out in the hope to establish a mutual-benefit framework by investigating challenges of achieving benefits (CABs) from sustainable housing development in a multi-stakeholder context. In the research work reported in this article, a comparative questionnaire study was first conducted among seven stakeholder groups in the Australian housing industry, to examine the importance and inter-relationships of CABs. In-depth interviews then furthered the survey findings with a focus on stakeholder diversity. The synthesized findings of the survey and interview study lead to the identification of 12 critical mutual-benefit factors and their mutual influence. Based on such a platform, a systematic framework is developed with the aid of Interpretive Structural Modelling (ISM), to identify the patterns of stakeholder benefit materialisation, suggest the priority of critical factors and provide related stakeholder-specific action guide for sustainable housing implementation.