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Purpose – This paper aims to analyse the characteristics of papers published in the Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction (JFMPC) for the period 2010-2015 (Volumes 15.1-20.1 inclusive), to consider characteristics and recent trends among said publications and to discuss possible future directions in the subject field. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive statistics and qualitative content analysis via word count frequencies. Findings – Eighty papers were published by a combined group of 216 authors. Lead authors were from a total of 50 academic and five private organisations. Sixty-seven papers were multi-authored, 10 of which were multi-national. Eighty-six papers were classified as research papers, 5 per cent were conceptual, 4 per cent general review, 2.5 per cent technical, 1.3 per cent case study and 1.3 per cent viewpoint. There were 46,251 downloads of these papers, which when time-adjusted, represented an average of 64 downloads per paper, per issue of availability on the Web. Most popular keywords were “construction”, “industry”, “project” and “private”. Among all keywords, the most popular themes were countries, organisations, miscellaneous and business. Research limitations/implications – Analysis highlights previous trends and possible future research themes. Originality/value – The findings are unique to JFMPC and therefore novel/new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – The paper aims to highlight issues of importance, timing and method relating to peer review of academic journal manuscripts: in a broad context generally; and with respect to the Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction (JFMPC), more specifically. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Synthesis of extant literature combined with the author's experientially-gained views as a researcher, author, reviewer and editor. Findings – Opinions on the importance, timing and methods of peer review can vary widely, among individuals and publishing outlets. Notwithstanding this, based on the "approach" above, a cogent description of these peer review issues is defined and presented. Research limitations/implications – It is proffered that a robust peer review process yields benefits for researchers, authors, editors, journals, publishers and the end-users of published research. The note has potential implications for all of these stakeholders. Originality/value – The discussion complements existing literature in this field, while its specific guidance for JFMPC stakeholders is new. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – As a tool to help compliance with relevant health and safety legislation, a cost-effective method of risk assessing construction workers' exposure to hand-arm vibration (HAV) is presented that allows larger numbers of workers to be evaluated, either as a stratified sample of a population or as a population where numbers are not prohibitive. Design/methodology/approach – The method, developed and tested in the field with a national UK contractor, employs work study to collect exposure level data of workers undertaking real work and analyse these, to inform HAV management and risk control decisions. Findings – The method benefits from economies of scale to efficiently risk assess large numbers of workers, without the need for specialist equipment or analysis software. It can be applied to sample strata defined by, for example, equipment used, types of work or classifications of worker. Research limitations/implications – Results add to the growing body of academic knowledge relating to construction worker HAV exposure and its management. Practical implications – The method can easily be moulded to suit any type of construction organisation and help control cost associated with HAV legislation compliance. Social implications – Potential benefits of controlled HAV exposure include reduced incidence of (HAV induced) medical conditions and concomitant personal financial gains to society. Originality/value – The method and context are novel. The methodology of work study and sampling in a broader sense are well established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose – Plant and equipment theft (PET) is inherent throughout the construction sector. Its effect places direct financial burden on those who have invested in such assets, but additionally, induces "indirect" costs for many other stakeholders including project owners, plant hirers and construction managers. The paper's objective is to take and discuss a snapshot of PET, the overriding aim being to aid greater understanding of it and in particular, the application of (post-theft) recovery technologies. Design/methodology/approach – Descriptive case study data are considered along with informal, anecdotal evidence provided by practitioners. These data are qualitatively considered; observations are discussed; a model representation of PET and recovery is developed; and conclusions are drawn. Findings – Plant and equipment thieves are shown to be audacious and determined, but it is identified that in addressing these characteristics, recent advances in plant security and recovery technologies (PSRT) have been significant. Arguably, PSRT are not being adopted as broadly as they should be to offset the PET problem. Research limitations/implications – The formal model of PET might help inform future academic endeavour in the subject of plant and equipment management generally and PET specifically. Practical implications – The model suggests that more widespread use of PSRT may not only help defeat plant thieves, but additionally help recover stolen assets and identify organised criminal networks. Originality/value – The work is novel in setting and will be of interest to both academics and practitioners in the field. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Control of Vibration at Work Regulations (CVWR), quantify workplace vibration exposure using exposure action, and exposure limit values (EAV and ELV respectively). Hand-arm vibration (HAV) risk can be objectively assessed using hand-tool vibration magnitude data, for comparison to the EAV and ELV. When considering risk controls, one disadvantage of this "focus' on vibration magnitude, is that it might deflect appreciation of the economic implications of such controls, resulting from for example: restrictions on tool usage time; the need for operator rotas where continuous tool use is required; and complications in estimating labour costs because of these types of condition. Based on a sample of hand-tools' performance data, this research developed "hybrid' (performance/vibration) dimensions for quantifying tools' efficacy; representing (interalia) units of work achievable to reach the EAV and ELV. These hybrid dimensions characterize an alternative performance-based (and therefore financially related) way of considering a tool's "suitability' within CVWR parameters; over and above the (selection) criterion of tool vibration magnitude. Analyses are then presented that investigate the time and cost ramifications of using multiple operators, to sustain continuous tool usage while keeping exposure levels within CVWR limits. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]