An input-output table perspective on measuring construction productivity

In the field of construction economics, input-output analysis based studies' have attracted a lot of interest from the academics and researchers. The wide efforts are to carry out analyses and comparisons of economic indicators in construction sectors across countries and years. There has been little research modelling the construction productivity using input-output tables. This research takes advantage of the input-output analysis to develop a perspective for determining the productivity of an industrial sector. The developed quantitative formulas are fully based on the economic indicators generated from an input-output table. Using the newly published OECD input-output database, historical analyses and comparisons are carried out to indicate the differences of prod uctivi ties of the construction sectors in Australia and Japan.

Using the Big Mac index for comparing construction costs internationally

This paper explores the use of purchasing power parity (PPP) in the comparison of construction costs between different countries, and whether the development of construction-specific indices will improve reliability.

The approach adopted is to compare the construction cost of a typical five star international hotel per square metre in each of ten major cities using a range of PPP methods and to comment on their variability. In particular, this paper looks at whether an index based on the price of a McDonalds Big Mac3 hamburger is a viable alternative when compared against the mainstream methods. The recent publication of construction-specific indices as part of the Eurostat-OECD joint PPP program is also compared against generic indices and the discrepancy is calculated.

The paper concludes with reflections about which approach is preferable when attempting to assess global construction relativities and what further research is needed.

Modeling and analyses of the retirement of deteriorated structures

With the increasing stock of aging structures, the strategy to model and analyse the retirement of deteriorated structures is becoming a challenging research field. As the converse of construction of new projects, the retirement of constructed facilities puts forward some new management and economics themes as well as environmental issues or adds some new contents even though the same issues are faced in construction. This research aims to model and analyse the maintenance and demolition activities of constructed facilities from economic and environmental perspectives. Both cost and carbon dioxide of maintenance and demolition activities are formulated based on those of construction activities and applied to an empirical study on deteriorated bridges. Further modelling and analysis is investigated to elaborate the demolition stage of a structure. The developed modelling and analysis methodology may enable the decision maker to determine the retirement strategy for a deteriorated structure.

Kristeva and an archaeology of sources and translation

Pinder examines Julia Kristeva's essay "Stabat Mater," a focus of psychoanalytical, historical and cultural concepts which require very careful consideration. In order to illustrate the complexity of these linguistic and cultural interrelationships, she looks first at Kristeva's own original essay in French to see what light her method of construction may throw on her particular ideas, then examines some translations of the essay into English to see if there is anything lost by attrition or gained by accretion.

Exploring intersectoral linkages between real estate and construction

Even though linkages have attracted a lot of research interest, few researchers focus on the intersectoral linkages between two specific sectors. This research therefore proposes an indirect intersectoral linkage measure model to explore linkages between the real estate and construction sectors using the Hypothetical Extraction Method (HEM). Using the OECD input-output tables, the direct, total intersectoral linkages and the proposed indirect intersectoral linkages are explored and tested respectively for seven OECD countries over twenty years. The findings describe that the intersectoral linkages from construction to real estate are larger than those from real estate to construction. The statistical testing results imply that the proposed indirect intersectoral linkage measure method seems to be appropriate to analyse the intersectoral linkage between the construction and real estate sectors.

An industrial organisation economic supply chain approach for the construction industry : a review

Understanding industries in terms of the concepts of chains, clusters and networks is becoming increasingly important in economies around the world. Supply chain management for an individual organization is an
emerging field of research in the construction management discipline, but less attention has been devoted to investigating the nature of the construction supply chains and their industrial organizational economic environment. This selected review of construction and mainstream management supply chain literature is organized around four themes; distribution, production, strategic procurement management and industrial
organization economics, and highlights the need to develop an industrial organization economic supply chain framework for construction. The merging of the supply chain concept with the industrial organization model
as a methodology for understanding firm conduct and industry structure and performance is an important contribution to both construction supply chain and construction economic theory. Much of the industrial organization supply chain literature has tended to focus upon manufacturing industries, where typically firms are permanent organizations. This raises issues as to the differences between industries founded upon temporary compared with permanent organizations. There is potential for the development of an industrial organization methodology applicable to the project based industry. Ultimately industrial organization research seeks to have direct implications for industry performance and government policies.

The development of 'soft' strategic indicators for international client satisfaction

Despite the increasing significance of the construction industry as an emerging sector of the Australian economy, there is inadequate research performed on construction design firms in terms of theoretical and empirical foundations. Although past research has identified the barriers and success factors for firm market entry, evidence suggests that to date no research has explicitly explored the sustainability of construction design firms in international markets. SMEs and their approach to firm internationalisation differ significantly from large manufacturing firms and a vast majority of construction design firms operate as SMEs. This paper develops a sustainable business model for construction design SMEs, which rely upon the development of clear Client Following (CF) versus Market Seeking (MS) strategies to support internal firm strategic and operational management. The understanding of these strategies is vital as the application of either will shape the design management approach of firms, which would in turn impact on the sustainability of these firms in foreign markets. Long-term sustainability of firms in international markets relies heavily upon client satisfaction. Client and project team participants’ communication during various design processes has often been problematic and the added difficulty of communicating across international boundaries further compounds the problem of capturing and maintaining client’s requirements. Therefore this paper develops a model for business sustainability of Australian construction design firms working in international markets by exploring factors that affect client satisfaction across international boundaries, through the development of business performance indicators. These include not only the critical financial capital but also other ‘softer’ indicators, namely: social, cultural and intellectual capital. These act as a firm’s measure of success and the acquisition of this type of capital will provide significant advantages to firms’ success, hence sustainability in international markets.

The employers' perspective of the impact of RICS education reform on building surveying

Purpose: This paper seeks to present the second part of research funded by the RICS Education Trust to investigate the impact of the 2001 education reforms on Building Surveying. The first part of the research involved the collection of data from university course leaders.

Design/methodology/approach: This research involved the collection of data from large national, mainly London-based, employers of building surveyors at a focus group meeting.

Findings: The paper finds that issues of concern to these employers include the extent of construction technology knowledge of graduates, the delivery of contract administration, the placement year, post-graduate conversion courses and the high referral rate for the Assessment of Professional Competence (APC). Recommendations include advice to universities on the design of building surveying undergraduate and conversion courses, a call for further research on the high APC referral rate, and greater liaison between industry and universities.

Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of the research is that the employers from whom data were collected were mainly large, national firms. Further research would be required to elicit the views of smaller regional organisations.

Practical implications: Both parts of this RICS Education Trust funded research provides a foundation for the Building Surveying Faculty of the RICS to complete their review of the education and training of building surveyors.

Originality/value: The research provides useful data on the impact of RICS education reform on building surveying, but mainly large, national firms.

Perceptions of the value of site visits in assisting undergraduate learning

This study evaluates the usefulness of site visits in assisting the learning experience of undergraduate students. The research is based on a survey of undergraduates students enrolled in built-environment courses in property and construction. Past research has shown that it is becoming more difficult to provide students with access to building sites to provide learning experiences. While students were positive about the benefits of real site visits, universities have been encouraged to develop virtual approaches to teaching construction technology using photographs, movies and computer simulations.

This strategic research investigates the perceptions of students towards a number of different site visits each with particular characteristics. This was done to examine the most effective use of real site visits within an undergraduate course. The results identified that some aspects of construction technology could be easily replaced by computer simulations and the like. However, other aspects of the curriculum are more effectively taught by retaining real site visits. The research was intended to provide a more structured approach to determining the value of site-based learning in construction related courses.

Key relationship-based determinants of project performance in China

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship-based factors that affect performance of general building projects in China. Thirteen performance metrics that may be used to measure the success level of construction projects are defined and categorized into four groups namely cost, schedule, quality and relationship performance. Fourteen risks inherent in relationships and 16 tools expected to facilitate relationship building that may affect project success are identified. Data of different projects were collected in China via a self-administered postal survey. Multiple linear regression models are developed to help explain the variance in different performance metrics. It has been found that ten risks and nine tools have either positive or negative influence on project performance to some different extents and in different project development process stages. Detailed explanations are made, especially to those variables bearing unexpected signs. It is recommended that firms in the Chinese construction industry manage the relationship-based factors that are significant in the MLR models so as to achieve project success.

Relationship-based determinants of building project performance in China

The aim of this paper is to investigate the relationship-based factors that affect performance of general building projects in China. Eight performance metrics that may be used to measure the success level of construction projects are defined and categorized into two groups namely 'hard' and 'soft' performance. Eight indicators of risks inherent in relationships and seven indicators of tools expected to facilitate relationship building that may affect project success are identified. Data of different projects were collected in China via a self-administered postal survey. By using structural equation modelling techniques, a structural model is developed to help explain the relationship among different variables. It has been found that relational risk has negative influence on project performance. It is recommended that firms in the Chinese construction industry manage the relationship-based factors that are significant in the model so as to achieve project success.

The future of facilities management : educators and professional bodies working together

Facilities management programmes in Australia suffer from poor recruitment levels. This is in strong contrast to nearby Asian countries such as Hong Kong and Singapore where facilities management is a well-respected profession and programmes recruit in the 100’s. Facilities management seems to be more regarded as purely a technical or even a janitorial job by potential students rather than a profession that offers scope for the development and exercise of high level skills in Australia. The word “management” seems to be ignored in the minds of the general public, despite the aspirations of practitioners and researchers to reach board-level influence. Facilities management is not the only one of the built-environment professions being viewed in this way. A number of professional bodies have difficulty recruiting fresh graduates into their ranks in Australia and research suggests that low recruitment levels will lead to a moribund profession with the potential for being downgraded to quasi or para-professional status. This paper would like to stimulate debate about the future of construction professions generally, how to encourage quality graduate entrants and educate employers about the need, indeed the necessity, for requiring professional qualifications in addition to graduate or post-graduate education to ensure the highest standards and continuing development of skills and knowledge.

Critical success factors for stakeholder management: construction practitioners' perspectives

Although various factors have been identified as important for accomplishing successful stakeholder management, few studies appear to have undertaken a comparative analysis of practitioners’ views on the relative importance of critical success factors (CSFs) for stakeholder management in construction projects. In an attempt to fill this research gap, a questionnaire survey was conducted in Hong Kong to collect the opinions of construction practitioners regarding the relative importance of CSFs for stakeholder management. Findings from this study show that all 15 selected CSFs are regarded as critical by most respondents for the success of stakeholder management in construction projects. The factor regarding social responsibilities is considered most important for managing stakeholders. Although correlations between CSFs and types of projects and organizations were statistically significant, these were not particularly strong. Also, even though there is a general consensus on the rankings of the CSFs among different respondents, the detailed pairwise comparisons actually show the existence of a few differences in perceptions on the relative importance of the CSFs. Therefore, the working priorities of project managers for managing stakeholders are context specific, depending on the nature, client sector, and cost of the project, and also on their organizations and management levels in the organization. These findings should help project managers become more aware of their responsibilities and the relative importance of issues for management stakeholders.

On representation and construction in a tectonic design studio

This study investigates the roles of representationand construction in enhancing students' learning in a tectonic design studio.  Students of architecture use 3D CAD, physical models and drawings, either alone or in hybrid combinations in the the design, development and communication of their design process.  Each of these media has intrinsic attributes that limit or enhance students' ability to engage in issues of architecture.  This can have a significant influence on students' learning of conceptual and tectonic design, in particularly in their early years of study.  Tectonic design, as an element of the architectural design process that involves the designerly consideration of issues of construction, is an important skill that is integral to architectural practice.  The unique problem based learning environment of the design studio offers opportunities for the development of deep learning approaches to tectonic design, however these are limited by the way students engage in representational media.  This research is based on an ethnographis case study of a cohort of second year architecture students at Deakin University, Geelong, in 2002.