Management perspective for TQM solution

Quality management is an important research topical in construction industry. The aim of this paper is to review and investigate, via extensive literature reviews, the management perspectives when construction organization implementing total quality management (TQM). If it is successfully operated, competitive advantage will be enhanced that may lead to eight beneficial areas [improve quality and environmental performance; broaden business opportunities; benefit the community; increase market share; improve finance situation; enhance organizational effectiveness; streamline response to legal issues and lessen insurance budget] which favour commercial viability. However, there are challenges in doing so which include inexperience, resources and administrative constraints, inadequate management skill, and cultural differences. Therefore, in order to foster quality culture, it needs four management directions, namely construction management (CM), knowledge management (KM), project management (PM) and human resources management (HRM). One can reasonably conclude that the quality improvements by TQM are going to create long term commercial advantages.

The soft systems approach to understanding trust in alliances in Australia

Alliances are complex projects with high levels of risk and uncertainty. Despite the pain share and gain share commercial arrangement in alliances, Trust is still an issue between the Alliancing Leadership Team (ALT) and Alliancing Management Team relationship (AMT). Although the concept and components of trust have been discussed by various researchers, the characteristic of trust under different situations has not been tested within the procurement research domain. Based on semi-structured interviews with the members of the ALT and AMT of an alliance project in Australia the underlying trust based relationships between the AMT and ALT were investigated using the Soft Systems Methodology (SSM). Results demonstrate that cognitive, affect, system and cognitive-affect based trust are mediated by common good, needs, sharing, breach temptation and mishap situations. This research demonstrates that the adversarial culture of the Australian construction industry cannot be changed by the implementation of trust principles alone. The culture of suspicion dominating the ideological view of the construction industry requires organizational learning between alliance parties to execute appropriate behaviours, aligned with the alliancing philosophy, to effectively achieve ideal collaboration.

Using Pareto principle plus statistic methodology in establishing a cost estimating model

Previous experience and research indicated that the Pareto Principle (80/20 Principle) has been widely used in many industries to achieve more with less. The study described in this paper concurs that this principle can be applied to improve the estimating accuracy and efficiency, especially in design development stage of projects. In fact, establishing an effective cost estimating model to improve accuracy and efficiency in design development stage has been a subject, which has attracted many research attentions over several decades. For over almost 40 years, research studies indicate that using the 80/20 Principle is one of the approaches. However, most of these studies were built by assumption, theoretical analysis or questionnaire survey. The objective of this research is to explore a logical and systematic method to establish a cost estimating model based on the Pareto Principle. This paper includes extensive literatures review on cost estimating accuracy and efficiency in the construction industry that points out the current gap of knowledge area and understanding of the topical. These reviews assist in developing the direction for the research and explore the potential methodology of using the Pareto Principle in the new cost estimating model. The findings of this paper suggest that combining the Pareto Principle with statistical analysis could be used as the technique to improve the accuracy and efficiency of current estimating methods in design development stage.

Critical factors to the success of alliances in Australia

Governments in Australia face the challenge of meeting the growing demand for new infrastructure, which can be delivered more quickly in an increasingly complex environment. Alliance Contracting has been introduced to overcome some of the challenges by, aligning the incentives of the partners, clearly defining their rights and responsibilities, and providing the means for resolving disputes when they arise. The purpose of this research was to explore the critical success factors of Alliance Contracting in order to understand the roles of the various terms and conditions and how they fit together to create a relationship-based contract. A qualitative technique of semi-structured in-depth interviews was used to gather primary data in response to the research questions. The research aimed to develop an in-depth understanding of Alliance Contracting. The results show that the key contributor to the success or failure of Alliances is whether all the partners benefit equitably from the venture. Analysis of the data indicates that, in general, trusting attitudes/behaviour is perceived to be the most important critical success factor for Alliance Contracting in the broader construction industry. The second most popular critical success factor was shared and aligned goals. The third issue was the evidence of open behaviour, and the final issue was the presence of shared knowledge. The implication of this research is that there are several key factors that were necessary preconditions for successful Alliances.

Thermosets : structure, properties and applications

Structure-property relationships of thermosets are important in the manufacture and application of materials. Understanding the desired properties of a material in a certain application is related to the material's structure and vice versa. The way in which the material is processed is also a determinant of the structure and resulting properties. Many books have been written about the chemistry of thermosets but with only brief consideration of structure-property relationships. This book focuses on how the structure and properties of a range of thermosets affect the final material and applications. It is composed of two parts: I Structure and properties of thermosets and II Applications of thermosets. Part I starts with a comprehensive overview of thermosets covering structure, properties and processing for advanced applications, followed by four chapters addressing mechanical properties, thermal properties, rheology, and nanostructures and toughening. The applications presented in Part II range from the use of thermosets in the building and construction industry to aerospace applications, electrical applications, thermoset adhesives and insulation materials in appliances and other applications. We hope that this book will not only be a useful textbook for advanced undergraduate and postgraduate students, but also a concise reference for researchers in academia and engineers in related industries. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the staff of Woodhead Publishing Limited, especially Kathryn Picking who invited me to edit this book and helped develop the initial content, also Adam Hooper, Helen Bradley, Emily Cole, Francis Dodds and Rachel Cox for their assistance in many ways during the preparation of the manuscript. Finally, I wish to express my appreciation and respects to all the contributors for their commitment, patience and pleasant cooperation.

The application of universal design legislation and standards in Malaysia and Australia

Legislation and standards are alleged to be one of the key solutions for improving accessibility and Universal Design implementation in Malaysia including its implementation in housing design. In response to this concern, the government of Malaysia has taken considerable steps in articulating professional practice obligations as demonstrated in continual improvements in relevant new laws and standards (Malaysian Standard (MS)). The findings from a preliminary study have however evidenced a clear gap between having laws and standards and ensuring their implementation in the construction industry. This paper reviews the issues faced by the existing Malaysian enforcement and practices to Universal Design. The findings emphasise awareness, understanding and practice implications for the legislation and its standards in Malaysia, and problems and assumptions perceived. Findings indicate that there is lack of understanding and awareness of the current legislation and standards in the construction industry, in addition to the insufficiency of comprehensive guidelines to regulate Universal Design in Malaysia.

Australian quantity surveyors utilize ICT and ERP system improving efficiency

Despite Information Communication Technology (ICT) can help to improve efficiency and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system has been widely perceives as an efficient mean, diffusion rate is slow in construction industry and amongst quantity surveying profession. Today, quantity surveyor must frequently communicate with other stakeholder throughout the design and construct process and using information technology is a must. The more technologies evolve, the more quantity surveying with change and evolve to utilize these technologies. This paper, through literature review, firstly identifies perceived benefits of using ICT/ERP system, secondly concludes the critical success factors that may affect decision of adopting ICT/ERP tool in practice, and thirdly to suggest three effective evaluation tools before/after implementing ICT/ERP strategy. The ultimate goal is to advise how Australian quantity surveyors (QS) can utilize ICT and ERP system to improve efficiency.

International housing market analysis based on housing commencements

Additions to the aggregate housing stock are a broad measure of the state of an economy and overall level of confidence in a particular region over a designated period. This is due to the direct and indirect effect (e.g. employment in the housing construction industry) upon on the local economy and is linked to the confidence of local households in the future direction of housing investment, the level of housing affordability by households as related to employment levels and the relationship between supply and demand in each region. Another consideration is the ability of the government to monitor and successfully intervene in the operation of the household market (e.g. mortgage interest rates) with the intent of restricting an over-supply situation which may take years to fully recover. The analysis in this section examines new housing commencements for Scotland, Australia, USA and Canada over an extended time period with the specific focus placed on the periods before, during and after the high profile global financial crisis in 2007-2008. The graph in Figure 1 was adapted from data sourced from The Scottish Government (2013) and covers the 15-year period between 1998 and 2012. With the exception of 1999 there were been relatively few years with substantial additions to the housing market. However, the effect of the GFC can clearly be observed post 2007 although by 2012 there was relatively change from the previous year.

Contractor quantity surveyor using ERP system in cost reporting

Quantity surveying is the key profession in cost management for construction business. However, construction industry is notorious in using information technology that makes reporting inefficient. A construction company in Hong Kong has been using an enterprise resource planning system as the information communication technology in management and cost reporting backbone since 2003. This paper investigates if such system represents an efficient tool for quantity surveyors and any intervening actions are required to enhance its efficiency. In doing so, a team of surveyors interviewed and then the soft system methodology was used as the research approach to depict the situation. This leads to the improvement needs and list of actions. Participants have prioritized working closely with top/senior management to design a proper report format; avoiding unnecessary adjustments and undue influence to reporting, and ensuring accurate data as the top three critical actions crucial for reliable cost reporting.

Assessing the practice of project-based JV between local and international contractors in the UAE

This paper is about assessing the practice of Project-Based Joint Ventures formed between local and international contractors in the UAE construction industry. This common practice nowadays, provides the means for contractors to quickly add resources to enhance project acquisition. Studies indicate that JVs are among the tools that contractors will need to get together in the face of increasing market demands. Specifically, Project-Based JVs are often used in the UAE Construction industry with an exceptional growth in an attempt to diversify from Oil and Gas. The UAE is very business friendly which makes it attractive for such kind of alliance or partnership for local contractors to get the necessary experience and for international contractors to minimize the risks associated with entering new markets. In this context, studies that evaluate this alliance phenomenon in the UAE construction industry are limited. The few industry-related studies have primarily focused on large, international JVs; yet, many JVs are formed on small and medium-sized projects within the UAE. The paper aims to assess the current practices and understand the many factors involved with forming, managing, and controlling JV partnerships. The research methodology adopted a mix of quantitative and qualitative approaches. First, a closed question survey was disseminated to construction professionals in the UAE in light of the literature findings. Second, two case studies were demonstrated and analysed, then triangulated with the literature and survey findings to remove possible bias and improve the confidence in the collected data. The paper concluded that the JV in the UAE construction industry is mostly formed on project-basis rather than continuous collaboration. The management control mostly used in the UAE construction industry is shared management of activities in a venture with the operations shared between parents. The paper addressed major factors that lead to successful JV in the construction projects of the UAE which are namely trust, correct structure, communication, and partner’s commitment. Partners’ common objectives do not affect the JV success or failure. Willingness to adapt eliminates conflicts and enhances the JV success prospect.

Validating the impact of EVM on project life cycle

With the inevitable increase in size and complexity of construction projects, the need for proper control is increasing. Considering the fact that each project strives for excellence, numerous studies have been conducted over the years to measure performance and investigate factors that are really critical towards project success. Earned Value Management is a project performance evaluation technique which enables industry professionals to closely monitor project performance in both time and cost .The aim of this paper is to examine the result of proper Earned Value Management (EVM) implementation on different project life cycle (PLC) and validate the impact on project success.

The study investigates different success factors in construction industry with special focus on previous researchers’ work which studied the importance of cost control in project success especially in fragmented industry like construction, followed up with three different case studies to analyze the positive impact of EVM implementation on construction projects. Furthermore, for data triangulation purpose, case study analysis will be supported by interviews with specialists working in the UAE construction industry to cross check the outcomes of previous researches.
The research shows that EVM application on cost control in construction projects is not only a crucial management task which is a key to the success of the business but also its influence on project success depends on the time of implementation. It requires a number of up-to-date input data consistently throughout the construction phase. Assigning the right budgets, calculating accurate estimates and monitoring actual costs throughout different project stages are the three main drivers of an effective control through PLC staring from inception stage till completion. EVM proved to be of vital importance due to alarming escalation of construction costs which needs to be especially monitored and controlled. Senior management support and availability of professional staff to execute cost control systems are key factors towards successful implementation

Disputes resolution : can Bim help overcome barriers?

Many researchers consider disputes as part of the project lifecycle. Although preventative actions exist, it is not utterly possible to avoid them. Once the disputes arise, an appropriate resolution technique should be adopted. Common perception is referring to a resolution method either internally or via a third party; which may also be binding by law. The resolution process requires attention to the disputed claims. Hence, deep investigation of the claims and choosing the appropriate method is crucial for the successful project delivery and reputation of the industry.

Preparation of disputed claims and resolution process also faces many debates. Conducting To effective dispute resolution requires attention to proper preparation and presentation of the incurred events. All the required information should be acquired to estimate and present the claim, for a smooth settlement. As an integrated digital model of the project, BIM, stores all the information of the projects in detail. Retrieval of the required information for the disputed issues can easily be obtained from the model. It is also possible to embed the construction schedule, change orders and variations, specifications and financial data such as cash flow along with the multidisciplinary drawings. As this model stores all the information at every particular time and phase, disputes can be concluded quick and accurate.

In this research, using a case study and literature review, disputes and resolution processes are deeply studied. A BIM model is created to investigate benefits on overcoming the challenges; during claiming, and resolution of the disputes. It is seen that the claims are prepared faster and more accurate in a visualized environment provided by BIM. Furthermore, substantiating and presenting the disputes for the resolution purpose was incomparable to the traditional methods. The conclusions recommend that; even the project did not adopt a BIM model earlier; it can be created for a smooth process, during claiming and resolution of disputes.

The contribution of Building Information Modelling (BIM) to Green Building Design and Assessment in Abu Dhabi "ESTIDAMA"

Estidama is a mandatory Green Building code in Abu Dhabi by which the compliance of building design is being assessed. This paper examines the current design and assessment approaches for Green Buildings to identify the reasons that lead to delay defects and it investigates a new approach for improvement. The available literature provides a realistic understanding to the problems and shows the road to some potential solutions. The identified problems were mainly attributed to the manual assessment with too much human interference. The piled documents with limited resources left the assessment system too slow to handle the whole projects within the greater Abu Dhabi engendering high risk of the commitment to review mistakes. Therefore, this paper investigates the potentiality of automating several stages via the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) into the assessment process. Different experienced participants from all aspects within the construction industry were interviewed to contribute to the research. Also, a close question questionnaire was distributed to examine the current practice in Abu Dhabi to compare it with the initial findings. The findings point out significant requirements to adopt BIM in the assessment process, such as the availability of proper contracts form to shape the relationship between BIM parties and the readiness of the current system. Hence, the authors suggest a new model that integrates BIM capabilities within the system to accelerate the process and reduce human involvement.

Addressing sustainable challenges in China

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to present an innovative approach to addressing increasing sustainable challenges facing China's built environment which are linked to a diverse range of factors including rapid economic and population growth. The research context includes mass urbanisation in and the Chinese construction industry's attitude towards adopting sustainable construction processes. The focus is placed on examining current on-site construction practices in China which have historically remained largely unchanged; this includes a high reliance on cheap labour accompanied by a substantial material waste. An alternative approach is to increase the uptake of off-site production in China's residential construction industry, however no previous studies have investigated the potential advantages and barriers of this alternative approach.

Design/methodology/approach

– In collaboration with an industry organisation a survey was completed by 110 construction professionals in China. The questionnaire referred to 21 individual factors relating to their perception about the current and potential future uptake of off-site production in construction processes in China.

Findings

– The results confirmed the existing level of off-site production in China's urban residential construction industry was relatively low. At present the cast-in-situ method was considered by stakeholders as the most effective approach. The findings also confirmed the benefits of off-site production are not fully understood by the housing construction industry in China. It is argued this knowledge gap reduces the Chinese construction industry's motivation levels when seeking to embrace the off-site production approach and adopt improved sustainable construction practices.

Originality/value

– This is an original study designed to address a gap in knowledge as there has been no previous research conducted into the use of off-site industrialised process in China. The results provide a valuable insight into the uptake of off-site production in the residential construction industry and will assist stakeholders and policymakers to increase the level of sustainability.

Workplace suicide prevention: a systematic review of published and unpublished activities

 There are a number of published studies on workplace suicide prevention activities, and an even larger number of activities that are not reported on in academic literature. The aim of this review was to provide a systematic assessment of workplace suicide prevention activities, including short-term training activities, as well as suicide prevention strategies designed for occupational groups at risk of suicide. The search was based on Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (MOOSE) Guidelines. The databases used for the searches were the Cochrane Trials Library and PubMed. A range of suicide prevention websites were also searched to ascertain the information on unpublished workplace suicide prevention activities. Key characteristics of retrieved studies were extracted and explained, including whether activities were short-term training programmes or developed specifically for occupations at risk of suicide. There were 13 interventions relevant for the review after exclusions. There were a few examples of prevention activities developed for at-risk occupations (e.g. police, army, air force and the construction industry) as well as a number of general awareness programmes that could be applied across different settings. Very few workplace suicide prevention initiatives had been evaluated. Results from those that had been evaluated suggest that prevention initiatives had beneficial effects. Suicide prevention has the potential to be integrated into existing workplace mental health activities. There is a need for further studies to develop, implement and evaluate workplace suicide prevention programmes.