An integrated framework to assess financial reward systems in construction projects

Motivation is a major driver of project performance. Despite team member ability to deliver successful project outcomes if they are not positively motivated to pursue joint project goals, then performance will be constrained. One approach to improving the motivation of project organizations is by offering a financial reward for the achievement of set performance standards above a minimum required level. However, little investigation has been undertaken into the features of successful incentive systems as a part of an overall delivery strategy. With input from organizational management literature, and drawing on the literature covering psychological and economic theories of motivation, this paper presents an integrated framework that can be used by project organizations to assess the impact of financial reward systems on motivation in construction projects. The integrated framework offers four motivation indicators which reflect key theoretical concepts across both psychological and economic disciplines. The indicators are: (1) Goal Commitment, (2) Distributive Justice, (3) Procedural Justice, and (4) Reciprocity. The paper also interprets the integrated framework against the results of a successful Australian social infrastructure project case study and identifies key learning’s for project organizations to consider when designing financial reward systems. Case study results suggest that motivation directed towards the achievement of incentive goals is influenced not only by the value placed on the financial reward for commercial benefit, but also driven by the strength of the project initiatives that encourage just and fair dealings, supporting the establishment of trust and positive reciprocal behavior across a project team. The strength of the project relationships was found to be influenced by how attractive the achievement of the goal is to the incentive recipient and how likely they were to push for the achievement of the goal. Interestingly, findings also suggested that contractor motivation is also influenced by the fairness of the performance measurement process and their perception of the trustworthiness and transparency of their client. These findings provide the basis for future research on the impact of financial reward systems on motivation in construction projects. It is anticipated that such research will shed new light on this complex topic and further define how reward systems should be designed to promote project team motivation. Due to the unique nature of construction projects with high levels of task complexity and interdependence, results are expected to vary in comparison to previous studies based on individuals or single-entity organizations.

Social outcomes in the construction industry : the case of the Western Australia ‘Percent for Art’ policy

Social outcomes, in particular intangible social outcomes, are generally difficult to achieve in the construction industry due to the predominantly episodic, fragmented and heavily regulated nature of construction that presupposes a tendency towards mainstream construction processes and design. The Western Australian ‘Percent for Art’ policy is recognized for stimulating social outcomes, by creating richer and more aesthetically pleasing social environments through the incorporation of artwork into public buildings. A case study of four Percent for Art projects highlights the role of the Artwork Selection Committee in incorporating artwork into construction. A total of 20 semi-structured interviews were conducted with committee members and policy officers. Data analysis involved a combination of pattern coding and matrix categorization, and resulted in the identification of the committee’s three key elements of collaborative communication, democratic decision-making and project champions. The findings suggest these key elements foster the interaction, communication and relationships needed to facilitate feedback, enhance relationships, create cross-functional teams and lower project resistance, which are all necessary to overcome constraints to social outcomes in construction. The findings provide greater insight into the mechanisms for achieving social outcomes and a basis for future discussion about the processes for achieving social outcomes in the construction industry.

Ethical review in creative industries and other practice-based research

The processes used in Australian universities for reviewing the ethics of research projects are based on the traditions of research and practice from the medical and health sciences. The national guidelines for ethical conduct in research are heavily based on presumptions that the researcher–participant relationship is similar to a doctor–patient relationship. The National Health and Medical Research Council, Australian Research Council and Australian Vice-Chancellors’ Committee have made a laudable effort to fix this problem by releasing the National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Human Research in 2007, to replace the 1999 National Statement on Ethical Conduct in Research Involving Humans. The new statement better encompasses the needs of the humanities, social sciences and creative industries. However, this paper argues that the revised National Statement and ethical review processes within universities still do not fully encompass the definitions of ‘research’ and the requirements, traditions, codes of practice and standards of the humanities, social sciences and creative industries. The paper argues that scholars within these disciplines often lack the language to articulate their modes of practice and risk management strategies to university-level ethics committees. As a consequence, scholars from these disciplines may find their research is delayed or stymied. The paper focuses on creative industries researchers, and explores the issues that they face in managing the ethical review process, particularly when engaging in practice-based research. Although the focus is on the creative industries, the issues are relevant to most fields in the humanities and social sciences.

Shear in reinforced and unreinforced masonry : response, design and construction

This paper describes the vulnerability of masonry under shear; first the mechanisms of in-plane and out-of-plane shear performance of masonry are reviewed; both the unreinforced and lightly reinforced masonry wall systems are considered. Factors affecting the response of unreinforced and reinforced masonry to shear are described and the effect of the variability of those factors to the failure mode of masonry shear walls is also discussed. Some critique is provided on the existing design provisions in various masonry standards.

Assessment of requirements for establishment of a framework to enhance implementation of quality practices in building projects

Quality, in construction projects should be regarded as the fulfillment of expectation of those contributors involved in such projects. Although a significant amount of quality practices have been introduced within the industry, attainment of reasonable levels of quality in construction projects continues to be an ongoing problem. To date, some research into the introduction and improvement of quality practices and stakeholder management has been undertaken, but so far no major studies have been completed that comprehensively examine how greater consideration of stakeholders’ perspectives of quality can be used to contribute to final project quality outcomes. This paper aims to examine the requirements for development of a framework leading to more effective involvement of stakeholders in quality planning and practices thus ultimately contributing to higher quality outcomes for construction projects. Through an extensive literature review it highlights various perceptions of quality, categorizes quality issues with particular focus on benefits and shortcomings and also examines the viewpoints of major stakeholders on project quality. It proposes a set of criteria to be used as a basis for a quality practice improvement framework, which will provide project managers and owners with the required information and strategic direction to achieve their own and their stakeholders’ targets for implementation of quality practices leading to the achievement of improved quality outcomes on future projects.

The development of a program to assist international nursing students to be prepared for clinical practice in the Australian health care context

Health education in Western Countries has grown considerably in the last decade and this has occurred for a number of reasons. Specifically Universities actively recruit International students as the health workforce becomes global; also it is much easier for students to move and study globally. Internationally there is a health workforce shortage and if students gain a degree in a reputable university their ability to work globally is improved significantly. However, when studying to practice in the health care field the student must undertake clinical practice in an acute or aged care setting. This can be a significant problem for students who are culturally and linguistically diverse in an English speaking country such as Australia. The issues that can arise stem from the language differences where communication, interpretation understanding and reading the cultural norms of the health care setting are major challenges for International students. To assist international students to be successful in their clinical education, an extra curriculum workshop program was developed to provide additional support. The program which runs twice each year includes on-campus interactive workshops that are complemented by targeted support provided for students and clinical staff who are supervising students’ practice experience in the workplace. As this is an English speaking country the workshop is based on practicing reading, writing, listening and speaking, as well as exploring basic health care concepts and cultural differences. This enables students to gain knowledge of and practice interpretation of cultural norms and expectations in a safe environment. This innovative series of interactive workshops in a highly student-centred learning environment combine education with role play and discussion with peers who are supported by culturally aware and competent Educators. Over the years it has been running, the program has been undertaken by an increasing number of students. In 2011, more than 100 students are expected to participate. Student evaluation of the program has confirmed that it has assisted the majority of them to be successful in their clinical studies. Effectiveness of the project is measured throughout the program and in follow up sessions. This ongoing information allows for continuous development of the program that serves to meet individual needs of the International student, the University and Service providers such as the hospitals. This feedback from students regarding their increased comprehension of the Australian colloquial Language, healthcare terminology, critical thinking and clinical skill development and a cultural awareness also enables them to maintain their feelings of self confidence and self esteem.

An integrated knowledge management framework for managing sustainability knowledge in the Australian infrastructure sector

In Australia, it has been increasingly accepted that sustainability needs to be at the top of the agenda when contemplating infrastructure development. In practice however, many companies struggle to find effective ways to embrace sustainable ideas and implement them in real projects beyond minimum compliance. One of the reasons is the lack of underpinning knowledge and evidence to demonstrate and measure the linkage between sustainability implementations and the relevant outcomes. This is compounded by the fact that very often there are no common understandings between the stakeholders on sustainability and there is a big divide between research advancement and real-life applications. Therefore it is both feasible and timely to develop and expand the body of sustainability knowledge on infrastructure development and investigate better ways of communicating with and managing it within the infrastructure sector. Although knowledge management (KM) is a relatively new and emerging discipline, it has shown its value and promise in existing applications in the construction industry. Considering the existing KM mechanisms and tools employed in practice, this research is aimed at establishing a specific KM approach to facilitate sustainability knowledge identification, acquisition, sharing, maintenance and application within the infrastructure sector, and promote integrated decision-making for sustainable infrastructure development. A triangulation of questionnaire survey, semi-structured interviews and case studies was employed in this research to collect required qualitative and quantitative data. The research studied the unique characteristics of the infrastructure sector, the nature of sustainability knowledge, and evaluated and validated the critical elements, key processes, and priority issues of KM for the Australian infrastructure sector. A holistic KM framework was developed to set the overall context for managing sustainability knowledge in the infrastructure sector by outlining (1) the main aims and outcomes of managing sustainability knowledge, (2) the key knowledge activities, (3) effective KM strategies and instruments, and (4) KM enablers. Because of the highly project-oriented nature of the infrastructure sector, knowledge can only add value when it is being used in real projects. Implementation guidelines were developed to help the industry practitioners and project teams to apply sustainability knowledge and implement KM in infrastructure project scenarios. This research provides the Australian infrastructure sector with tools to better understand KM, helps the industry practitioners to prioritize attention on relevant sustainability issues, and recommends effective practices to manage sustainability knowledge, especially in real life implementation of infrastructure projects.

Incremental entrepreneurship : best practice professionalization across generations

This chapter will introduce Australia’s Dennis family – a case of ‘incremental entrepreneurship’ in the business transition from the first to the second generation. Following the second generation’s formal involvement and ownership in the business, Dennis Family Corporation (DFC) undertook a major professionalization process to formalize the family business and ensure its continued success. The members of the second generation have successfully sustained the entrepreneurial spirit of their family business (albeit in a different style), adding value to the firm in an ‘incremental’ manner. Throughout the chapter there will be a strong emphasis on the family element of DFC and the roles that each family member has played. Bert Dennis, as the founder and incumbent leader of the firm, has witnessed major changes to the business he built from the ground up. His children, in particular his son Grant Dennis as the primary next generation issue champion, have seen the changes from another perspective – ensuring the business remains within the family into the second generation and beyond. The professionalization process was sparked by a commitment from the second generation to continue to ‘make a real go’ of the family business rather than simply liquidating and distributing the assets. The dedication of all the family members to this objective has ensured the success of this process, and ultimately, the longevity of the firm. Although DFC has become more ‘professional’, it has not lost its entrepreneurial character; rather, it has improved the ways in which entrepreneurialism is fostered and pursued in the company. In essence, this case outlines how the implementation of appropriate governance and management practices has allowed the Dennis family to overcome the challenges and maximize the opportunities associated with owning and operating a multigenerational family fi rm. From a theoretical perspective, this case uses the concepts of entrepreneurial orientation (EO) (Lumpkin and Dess 1996) and the resource- based view (RBV) (Habbershon and Williams 1999; Barney 1991; Wernerfelt 1984) to demonstrate how the fi rm has leveraged its familiness to foster an enduring spirit of entrepreneurship and to maintain a sustained competitive advantage.

Integration of CENA practice standards for postgraduate emergency nursing assessment

The use of professional competency standards to assess postgraduate nursing student’s clinical performance has been in place since 2004, at the Queensland University of Technology, School of Nursing & Midwifery (SONAM) when the Graduate Certificate in Emergency Nursing degree commenced. Emergency nursing students were assessed in their workplace, using a Clinical Performance Appraisal Tool or CPAT which was based on the Australian College of Critical Care Nurses (ACCCN) Competency Standards. With the subsequent formation of a separate Emergency Nursing Course advisory group in 2007, there was a review of clinical assessment course component. The release of the 2008 CENA revised Practice Standards for the Emergency Nursing Specialist’s, led to the emergency nursing course advisory committee supporting the integration of the CENA practice standards for assessment of emergency nurses in preference to the less relevant ACCCN competency standards. The SONAM emergency nursing study area team commenced the phasing in and progression of the CENA practice standards across the two Graduate Certificate units, and Graduate Diploma and Master of Nursing (emergency) clinical major options in 2009. As some units undertaken in the degree are available to nurses in other disciplines a separate CPAT was devised for the clinical assessments according to speciality context. The team has had to carefully consider how the professional standards are integrated into the teaching and assessment of the unit and not just applied instead of the ACCCN competency standards. Professional standards for the emergency context has also helped tailor course content and learning outcomes to be relevant across a number of emergency nursing contexts in Australia. The assessment of the CPAT is undertaken at the workplace by QUT appointed clinical lecturers. Clinical lecturers need to apply and have suitable postgraduate qualification to undertake the position. The clinical lecturer support role is well established at QUT. The integration of the new CENA practice standards has necessitated a review of the postgraduate assessment of emergency nurses. A clinical lecturer workshop has been organised to review role, scope and how to utilise the new look CENA based CPAT, clinical assessment format.

Relationship management as a strategy for supply chain engagement in the civil engineering construction industry

Many studies into construction procurement methods reveal evidence of a need to change the culture and attitude in the construction industry, transition from traditional adversarial relationships to cooperative and collaborative relationships. At the same time there is also increasing concern and discussion on alternative procurement methods, involving a movement away from traditional procurement systems. Relational contracting approaches, such as partnering and relationship management, are business strategies that align the objectives of clients, commercial participants and stakeholders. It provides a collaborative environment and a framework for all participants to adapt their behaviour to project objectives and allows for engagement of those subcontractors and suppliers down the supply chain. The efficacy of relationship management in the client and contractor groups is proven and well documented. However, the industry has a history of slow implementation of relational contracting down the supply chain. Furthermore, there exists little research on relationship management conducted in the supply chain context. This research aims to explore the association between relational contracting structures and processes and supply chain sustainability in the civil engineering construction industry. It endeavours to shed light on the practices and prerequisites for relationship management implementation success and for supply sustainability to develop. The research methodology is a triangulated approach based on Cheung.s (2006) earlier research where questionnaire survey, interviews and case studies were conducted. This new research includes a face-to-face questionnaire survey that was carried out with 100 professionals from 27 contracting organisations in Queensland from June 2008 to January 2009. A follow-up survey sub-questionnaire, further examining project participants. perspectives was sent to another group of professionals (as identified in the main questionnaire survey). Statistical analysis including multiple regression, correlation, principal component factor analysis and analysis of variance were used to identify the underlying dimensions and test the relationships among variables. Interviews and case studies were conducted to assist in providing a deeper understanding as well as explaining findings of the quantitative study. The qualitative approaches also gave the opportunity to critique and validate the research findings. This research presents the implementation of relationship management from the contractor.s perspective. Findings show that the adaption of relational contracting approach in the supply chain is found to be limited; contractors still prefer to keep the suppliers and subcontractors at arm.s length. This research shows that the degree of match and mismatch between organisational structuring and organisational process has an impact on staff.s commitment level and performance effectiveness. Key issues affecting performance effectiveness and relationship effectiveness include total influence between parties, access to information, personal acquaintance, communication process, risk identification, timely problem solving and commercial framework. Findings also indicate that alliance and Early Contractor Involvement (ECI) projects achieve higher performance effectiveness at both short-term and long-term levels compared to projects with either no or partial relationship management adopted.

Quality management system and construction performance

This paper discusses the level of effectiveness of quality principles and quality management system implementation and the relationship with performance of ISO9000 certified Indonesian contractors. It also discusses the statistical relationship between quality management systems (QMSs) and key performance indicators (KPIs) amongst a large sample of Indonesian construction companies. Data collected is from questionnaire surveys involving Quality Managers, Managers, and Project and Site Engineers representing 77 different companies. Results indicate that even though some contractors have not yet effectively implemented an effective QMS, most of the KPIs of respondent companies are still at the level of high performance. The statistical results show that the relationship between variables of ISO9000 QMS principles and contractors’ KPIs is significant. These results suggest that an increment in the implementation level of QMS principles can increase KPIs, however that much effort is still required for Indonesian contractors to fully effectively implement QMS principles and thus substantially improve performance against KPIs.

Preventing injuries on a state-wide basis : researchers and parliamentary committees are partners in turning injury prevention and safety research into practice and policy

Context: Parliamentary committees established in Westminster parliaments, such as Queensland, provide a cross-party structure that enables them to recommend policy and legislative changes that may otherwise be difficult for one party to recommend. The overall parliamentary committee process tends to be more cooperative and less adversarial than the main chamber of parliament and, as a result, this process permits parliamentary committees to make recommendations more on the available research evidence and less on political or party considerations. Objectives: This paper considers the contributions that parliamentary committees in Queensland have made in the past in the areas of road safety, drug use as well as organ and tissue donation. The paper also discusses the importance of researchers actively engaging with parliamentary committees to ensure the best evidence based policy outcomes. Key messages: In the past, parliamentary committees have successfully facilitated important safety changes with many committee recommendations based on research results. In order to maximise the benefits of the parliamentary committee process it is essential that researchers inform committees about their work and become key stakeholders in the inquiry process. Researchers can keep committees informed by making submissions to their inquiries, responding to requests for information and appearing as witnesses at public hearings. Researchers should emphasise the key findings and implications of their research as well as considering the jurisdictional implications and political consequences. It is important that researchers understand the differences between lobbying and providing informed recommendations when interacting with committees. Discussion and conclusions: Parliamentary committees in Queensland have successfully assisted in the introduction of evidence based policy and legislation. In order to present best practice recommendations, committees rely on the evidence presented to them including the results of researchers. Actively engaging with parliamentary committees will help researchers to turn their results into practice with a corresponding decrease in injuries and fatalities. Developing an understanding of parliamentary committees, and the typical inquiry process used by these committees, will help researchers to present their research results in a manner that will encourage the adoption of their ideas by parliamentary committees, the presentation of these results as recommendations within the report and the subsequent enactment of the committee’s recommendations by the government.

Re-thinking how we plan to address technically complex problems : drawing on planning theory to guide practice in revision of land use plans in coastal high hazard zones

Queensland's new State Planning Policy for Coastal Protection, released in March and approved in April 2011 as part of the Queensland Coastal Plan, stipulates that local governments prepare and implement adaptation strategies for built up areas projected to be subject to coastal hazards between present day and 2100. Urban localities within the delineated coastal high hazard zone (as determined by models incorporating a 0.8 meter rise in sea level and a 10% increase in the maximum cyclone activity) will be required to re-evaluate their plans to accommodate growth, revising land use plans to minimise impacts of anticipated erosion and flooding on developed areas and infrastructure. While implementation of such strategies would aid in avoidance or minimisation of risk exposure, communities are likely to face significant challenges in such implementation, especially as development in Queensland is so intensely focussed upon its coasts with these new policies directing development away from highly desirable waterfront land. This paper examines models of planning theory to understand how we plan when faced with technically complex problems towards formulation of a framework for evaluating and improving practice.

Knowledge-based urban development redefined : from theory to practice knowledge-based development of cities

The concept of knowledge-based urban development has first come to the urban planning and development agenda during the very last years of the 20th century as a promising paradigm to support the transformation process of cities into knowledge cities and their societies into knowledge societies. However, soon after the exponentially rapid advancements experienced, during the first decade of the 21st century, particularly, in the domains of economy, society, management and technology along with the severe impacts of climate change, have made the redefinition of the term a necessity. This paper, first, reports the findings of the review of the relatively short but dynamic history of urbanisation experiences of our cities around the globe. The paper, then, focuses on the 21st century urbanisation context and discusses the conceptual base of the knowledge-based development of cities and how this concept found application ground in many parts of the world. Following this, the paper speculates development of future cities by particularly highlighting potential challenges and opportunities that previously have not been fully considered. This paper, lastly, introduces and elaborates how relevant theories support the better conceptualisation of this relatively new, but rapidly emerging paradigm, and redefines it accordingly.

A way forward to managing the transition to professional practice for beginning teachers

The high attrition rate of beginning teachers in Australia and overseas is well-documented. This trend is easily understood as many beginning teachers enter the profession with little support or mentoring (Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST), 2002; Herrington & Herrington, 2004; Ramsey, 2000). Continual calls for more comprehensive approaches to teacher induction in which universities and employing bodies share the responsibilities of the transition to professional practice (House of Representatives Standing Committee on Education and Vocational Training, 2007) have, to date, largely been ignored. This paper reports on a trial project conducted at a university in south-east Queensland, Australia that addresses these shortfalls. The aim of the project is to facilitate and support the development of high quality teachers and teaching through an extended model of teacher preparation. The model comprises a 1+2 program of formal teacher preparation: a one-year teacher education course (the Graduate Diploma in Education), followed by a comprehensive two year program of workplace induction and ongoing professional learning tailored to meet graduate and employer needs. This paper reports on graduating students’ perceptions of their preparedness to teach as they transition from the Graduate Diploma in Education program to professional practice. The study concludes that innovative programs, including university-linked, ongoing professional learning support for teacher education graduates, may provide the way forward for enhancing the transition to practice for beginning teachers.