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Modularization and standardization have been recognized as an effective way to achieve mass customization and improve efficiency in the house-building industry. The construction industry has witnessed the entry of several bathpod manufacturers using new, digitally enabled business models to alter the traditionally incremental nature of off-site construction. These new players in the market are embracing higher levels of complexity with offerings that deliver value in terms of accelerated speed of construction, simplified design features, and certified quality, often becoming the means of connecting different stakeholders in the construction supply chain. The innovation that bathpod manufacturers are bringing to the construction industry is interesting to examine with a view to their business model. This paper informs and proposes theory by analyzing bathpod companies' business models from two perspectives: (1) the internal fit between business model components within the company, and (2) and the interactions between the bathpod companies and the external environment (partners and customers). This paper uses a qualitative research approach that incorporates a review of relevant literature, a market scan, and interviews with industry experts. The Business Model Canvas, which includes nine key elements, is employed to identify the interdependencies of bathpod companies that have successfully implemented varying levels of modularization and standardization. This enables the discussion of the archetype business model elements that enabled the theorizing of the archetypes. The paper presents six business model archetypes for bathpod manufacturers, e.g., project-driven production, integrated project service delivery, and modular enthusiast. These archetypes represent viable options for off-site manufacturing and production approaches in construction projects and present emerging business model innovations leading to their current state. In conclusion, this paper highlights the potential for business model innovation in the construction industry through the adoption of modularization and the development of a deeper understanding of customer value. By identifying key interdependent elements of a successful business model and exemplar cases of bathpod business models, we have provided a foundation for future research and practical application in the industry. This paper provides several practical contributions to the literature on construction business models. By applying the business model concept to the bathpod manufacturing industry, it enables a comprehensive analysis of value creation, delivery, and capture within bathpod companies. The study introduces six distinct business model archetypes: project-driven production, integrated project service delivery, design and make, one-stop shop, modular enthusiast, and bathpod component catalogues. Furthermore, the proposed spectrum serves as more than a tool for practitioners to analyze and evaluate their business models; it also offers practical insights for navigating the spectrum, e.g., transitioning from project-oriented to product-oriented paradigms. Moreover, the research underscores the significance of fine-tuning business model elements and understanding their dynamic interdependencies within a product-oriented context. This highlights the delicate balance between allocating company resources and meeting customer requirements. In a broader context, the developed set of six business model archetypes is anticipated to be adaptable and scalable across various off-site manufacturing sectors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction productivity is the industry's predominant determinant of performance. Although the construction industry periodically provides large amount of data, existing studies have not fully exploited such data sets, especially relating to the overall productivity of the construction industry rather than labor productivity. This paper addresses this critical knowledge gap by statistically examining and modeling the causalities between different dynamic workforce and workplace variables and the productivity of the entire construction industry. Multivariate time-series data between 2006 and 2019 were collected for the productivity of the construction industry and 11 dynamic workforce and workplace variables: job openings, job hires, turnover or job separations, total compensation, gross job gains, gross job losses, average hourly earnings, fatalities, occupational injuries and illnesses, gross domestic product, and unemployment rate. Statistically significant relationships and causalities were examined between the response variable—productivity of the construction industry—and these 11 variables. A vector autoregression (VAR) framework was developed to model the temporal variations in the productivity of the construction industry. The developed VAR model was validated by predicting the construction productivity for the 2016–2019 period an acceptable mean average percentage error of 5.13%. Based on the findings, the paper concludes that (1) all considered dynamic workforce and workplace variables, except job openings, statistically cause fluctuations in the construction productivity; (2) the new concept of gross construction productivity is justified statistically and should be implemented in the construction industry; (3) the gross construction productivity is an additional valuable information that construction companies should consider to make different insightful and well-educated industry-related decisions; (4) the health of the construction industry needs to be studied based on the productivity of the industry as a whole rather than based on labor productivity alone; and (5) the construction industry should move toward the development of a notion of gross construction productivity indicator used to measure, evaluate, and predict the performance of the entire industry. Ultimately, this paper proposes a new indicator or index for gross construction productivity. The outcomes of this paper add to the body of knowledge by providing a better understanding of the impact of different dynamic workforce and workplace variables on the construction productivity and by offering a new concept called gross construction productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Value management (VM) is a useful method to use when dealing with issues such as budget and schedule challenges arising in the construction industry. However, little research has been done to measure the performance of VM studies, which has made many potential users reluctant to use VM. This paper presents a critical review of the development of performance measurement in general and the performance measurement in the construction industry, with a special focus on the performance measurement of VM studies in construction. The strengths and weaknesses of the existing measurement frameworks are investigated in the context of VM studies. It is concluded that traditional performance measurement of VM studies focusing on cost reduction is insufficient. Many other perspectives, such as clarifying objectives, and improving communication among stakeholders, should be considered seriously when making the measurement. This paper reveals that the existing frameworks to measure VM studies are inappropriate. It suggests that perspectives such as multicriteria measurement, flexible framework for different practice, and benchmarking to identify best practice could be adapted to develop a performance measurement framework for VM studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forum papers are thought-provoking opinion pieces or essays founded in fact, sometimes containing speculation, on a civil engineering topic of general interest and relevance to the readership of the journal. The views expressed in this Forum article do not necessarily reflect the views of ASCE or the Editorial Board of the journal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a framework for the semiautomated development of textual requirements for the building construction industry, a domain in which quality of textual requirements has a direct bearing on the avoidance of unnecessary project losses and failures. The proposed framework is novel in three respects. First, it employs a combination of natural language processing (NLP) and template matching to restrict the range of ways in which textual requirements can be stated. Second, knowledge-based models work hand-in-hand with the NLP and templates to help designers fill in the details of a model that might be missing. Third, we envision the proposed approach being part of a multidomain semantic modeling and reasoning framework that includes the building construction domain and its connections to processes for project management and governance. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed approach to the practical development and construction of building systems, we developed a prototype software tool—the framework for linking ontology objects and textual requirements (FLOOR)—and procedures for the validation of individual textual requirements and groups of textual requirements related to construction tasks. This paper presents a new methodology and a prototype software framework for the semiautomated development and validation of textual requirements for the building construction industry. The work is novel in three respects: (1) it combines a natural language processing tool with a sentence-and-template matching technique to limit the ways in which textual requirements can be stated; (2) it employs a multidomain semantic modeling and reasoning framework to provide coverage in the range of textual requirements that can be handled; and (3) it employs a multidomain semantic modeling and reasoning framework that can work with individual requirements and groups of textual requirements. During the early phases of project development, these three factors work together to improve the quality of textual requirements, which in turn leads to improved levels of communication in construction management and avoidance of unnecessary project delays and failures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study considers the content of the papers published by ASCE’s Journal of Management in Engineering, which has witnessed a growth in number of papers and breadth of participation, particularly of international origin, during the 1985–2002 period. The content is analyzed in two main dimensions: the type of subject and its composing topics, and the type of contributors to the journal. The analysis shows the evolution of the engineering management discipline as represented in the journal. Over the years the discipline has been enriched by an increasing number of contributions on corporate strategies and programs, organizational change, and cultures issues, as well as a growing interest in project management topics, such as quality planning and evaluation of alternative project delivery systems. The number of papers by practitioners, initially the largest contributing group to the journal, has declined significantly over the years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry has experienced rapid growth in the last decade, which was not paralleled by a corresponding growth in productivity. A major reason of this stagnant productivity is that project teams often rush into construction without adequately assessing construction readiness. As a result, numerous projects start construction before they are ready to do so, leading to frequent interruptions, rework, out-of-sequence work, delays, and other complications, resulting in poor productivity and project performance. Despite being an industrywide challenge, construction readiness assessment has received limited attention from researchers as a standalone topic. This paper addresses this research gap by determining what quantitatively differentiates a project as construction-ready (CR) from construction-not-ready (CNR). Thus, this paper presents a comprehensive readiness assessment framework comprising 228 binary factors divided into 15 categories. Using data collected from 80 projects, a mathematical model was developed to weight each factor, facilitating their comparison and the determination of their importance. The factors that had the highest weights in differentiating CR from CNR projects include engineering factors relating to the development process of issued-for-construction (IFC) drawings, project team factors relating to forming a multidisciplinary skilled team, and planning factors relating to accounting for project's hold points and handoffs. Using the calculated weights, the construction readiness score (CRS) is computed, denoting a project's construction readiness as a percentage. Furthermore, the paper provides data-driven benchmarks to be compared with a new project's CRS to classify it as CNR, borderline, or CR. The accuracy and applicability of the readiness assessment model were validated using data from 10 additional projects, all of which were correctly classified using the developed assessment model. The findings presented in this paper can help practitioners objectively assess construction readiness while highlighting the factors that should be addressed prior to mobilization, thus improving overall productivity and project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid growth in the Chinese construction industry is exposing many design professionals to elevated stress levels with negative implications for their health and well-being, and in-turn project outcomes. However, it is surprising that there has been little research into job stressors affecting design professionals in the construction industry. The aim of this paper is to help address this gap in knowledge by reporting the results of research that explored the job stressors of design professionals and how they vary across various personal and workplace characteristics. Data was collected via a survey of 408 design professionals in the Chinese construction industry, supported by in-depth sensemaking interviews with nine Chinese design professionals. Survey data was analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics combined with qualitative analysis of interview transcripts. Results indicate that task-related stressors are the leading sources of job stress for design professionals in the industry. Managing job workload, job requirements, and job ambiguity are the main task-related stressors and are linked to time pressures, working overtime, high workload, balancing multiple projects, and high levels of responsibility. Results also indicate that gender, marital status, age, education background, years of design experience, design discipline, position, and professional title are mediating factors in a design professional's job stressor profile. Being the first large-scale empirical investigation of the job stressors among design professionals in the Chinese construction industry, the findings provide new empirical and conceptual insights into an increasingly important yet under researched problem and concludes with practical recommendations to reduce job stress for design professionals in the industry, which has broader relevance in other countries. The current research findings have important practical implications for Chinese design professionals and for managers of design organizations and construction projects in China that involve design professionals. By providing new insights into the critical stressors that affect design professionals and the influence of personal and workplace characteristics on their job stressors, this research provides a strong empirical foundation for new evidence-based stress management initiatives and policies to reduce job stressors in this critically important professional group. For example, this may include involving design professionals or design organizations in the redesign of their jobs and working environments and the development of flexibility policies that enable better work-life balance, such as working remotely, paternity leave, and shorter work weeks. More importantly, the findings point to the importance of changing the demanding nature of work in the construction industry and developing more targeted measures to improve individual resilience and stress-coping capabilities for design professionals, especially those subgroups to which the results indicate are subject to stronger job stressors. These groups include electrical design professionals, design professionals with a higher level of education or job position, and professionals with family caring responsibilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The increasing use of the Internet for many purposes is creating big data, many of which are generated from social media. These big data potentially could assist in obtaining valuable administrative information and even explore new social phenomena. Traditional ways of collecting data, such as questionnaire surveys, are time-consuming and costly. Therefore, the use of social media affords the opportunity to extract information that might be of benefit to the construction industry in a responsive and inexpensive manner. To this end, this paper explores whether information and knowledge that would be valuable in the construction domain can be generated by analyzing social media data. Twitter was selected for an initial trial analysis because of its wide usage in the United States. Because they represent a majority of the construction users in Twitter, the following four user clusters were selected and analyzed: construction workers, construction companies, construction unions, and construction media. For each user identified in the four clusters, the 3,200 most recent Twitter messages were collected, which were analyzed from the following aspects: sentiment analysis, topic modeling, link analysis, geolocation analysis, and timeline analysis. Different data-analysis methods were used for the specific themes, such as Stanford Natural Language Processing (StanfordNLP) for sentiment analysis. The detailed findings, benefits, and barriers to incorporating social media data analytics in the construction industry, as well as future research directions, are discussed in this paper. For example, the sentiment analysis results indicated that construction workers tend to have a higher proportion of negative messages compared to the other clusters, which may prompt more attention to emotional guidance and understanding by construction companies and the public. This paper benefits academia by testing an alternative way of studying the construction population, which could help decision makers gain a better understanding of real-world situations in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction logistics centers (CLCs) are gaining increasing interest among academics and practitioners as an alternative method for managing material deliveries in congested urban centers with increasing environmental challenges. Because of their novelty and limited implementation, there is a lack of studies that address CLCs' environmental impact, particularly concerning materials transportation in the construction phase. Thus, this paper aims to evaluate the contribution of CLCs to emissions from materials transportation. It compares emissions from material transportation in a residential project that consists of 111 condos in the greater region of Paris following a standard design widely used and replicated by the industrial partner when CLCs are used and when they are not. In this comparison, we use actual data collected from a finished project where a CLC was used and historical data from previous projects with identical architectural and engineering designs. In both scenarios, the assessment process included collecting material quantities, trades information, suppliers, and vehicle characteristics to generate the number of deliveries and compute the traveled distances. That information is then used to assess the environmental impact using COPERT, a software that assesses vehicles' emissions in Europe. The study shows that using CLCs, while all other factors remain the same, can reduce 9%, 12%, 10%, 18%, 19%, and 9% of carbon dioxide (CO2), Particulate matter 2.5 (PM 2.5), Particulate matter (PM 10), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, respectively. However, (1) the dependence on assumptions and historical data to assess the conventional construction emissions, (2) the limited number of traders who transported their materials through the CLC, and (3) the reliance on only one completed project to evaluate the CLC's environmental performance make the results inconclusive and suggest further investigation. This work advances knowledge concerning construction transportation's environmental performance and provides management researchers and practitioners with an approach to examine the environmental potentials of deliveries' consolidation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various papers published within this issue, including one by Eriksson and Nilsson on the construction of a Swedish pharmaceutical plant and another by Min and Bjornsson on an agent-based construction supply-chain simulator.

Due to the growing complexity of projects, their risks have increased in number and criticality. Risk lists thus need to be broken down into smaller, more manageable clusters. Classical clustering techniques are generally based on a single parameter, like risk nature, criticality, or ownership. Risk interactions are therefore not properly considered when building up clusters. That is why this paper aims at grouping risks so that the communication and coordination between the actors who are committed in the management of the project and its risks are facilitated. This paper is based on an optimization algorithm that maximizes interaction rate within the risk clusters. This paper focuses on two additional points. First, the optimization problem formulation is enriched by some constraints related to the risk owners, not only to the risks. Second, a frequency approach is introduced to test different configurations in order to improve the robustness of the clustering decision. It enables meaningful and operationally realistic actors groups to be organized regarding not only the interaction rate between risks but also the relationships between risk owners. This clustering approach encourages people to meet together and communicate and coordinate better, which will hopefully contribute to prevent some undesired complex phenomena. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Right-of-way (R/W) acquisition, one of the most basic of preconstruction activities on a highway project, is an important subject by many state DOTs because the failure to make timely acquisitions of R/W causes significant delays and conflicts. Various management practices and strategies have been designed and implemented to deliver R/W acquisition on schedule but completing this preconstruction process is still not an easy activity for many state DOTs. The Texas DOT (TXDOT) is no exception. The research reported in this paper has identified all drivers that can be considered influential in the determination of durations for R/W acquisition; it was undertaken to improve the R/W duration-prediction capabilities of practitioners involved in regional districts of TXDOT. In the research process, each driver's importance level was evaluated by such practitioners. The practitioners, all of whom had different levels of accuracy at estimating durations, showed significantly different perceptions of the identified duration-drivers. Based on this observation, the research reported in this paper suggests that all drivers which show such significantly different levels of importance should be determined when predicting durations for R/W acquisition in a project's early-planning phase. The research reported in this paper demonstrates that determining the influential drivers is critical to accurately estimate durations for R/W acquisition on highway projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Green building (GB) is gaining increased acceptance in the construction industry as a viable solution for meeting the growing demand for environmentally friendly or healthy buildings. However, the uptake of GB technologies is not as apparent as it should have been. This paper aims to examine the criticality of various barriers preventing the wider adoption of GB technologies. Results from statistical analyses of 104 questionnaire survey responses from GB experts around the world are presented. The results validated the criticality of 19 of the 26 barriers used for the survey. Respondents from different countries and with diverse backgrounds displayed broad consensus on the criticality levels of the barriers. Resistance of stakeholders to change and higher cost are identified as the most critical barriers to implementing GB technologies. Generally, the various groups of respondents shared similar views on the number of barriers affecting the industry; however, respondents with more than 15 years of experience in GB perceived fewer barriers. The factor analysis showed that the barriers to GB technologies adoption could be grouped into five main interrelated components, which suggest the need for holistic and integrated strategies to overcome the barriers. The findings of this paper could help policy makers identify specific problems in GB technologies adoption and develop suitable strategies for their wider uptake. From the perspective of international experts, this study contributes to the body of knowledge about GB barriers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Much of the water and wastewater pipelines in the United States are nearing the end of their useful life. A significant reinvestment is needed in the upcoming decades to replace or rehabilitate the water and wastewater pipeline infrastructure. Currently, the traditional method for delivering water and wastewater pipeline engineering and construction projects is design-bid-build (DBB). The traditional DBB delivery system is a sequential low-integration process and can lead to inefficiencies and adverse relationships between stakeholders. Alternative project delivery methods (APDM) such as construction manager at risk (CMAR) have been introduced to increase stakeholder integration and ultimately enhance project performance. CMAR project performance impacts have been studied in the horizontal and vertical construction industries. However, the performance of CMAR projects in the pipeline engineering and construction industry has not been quantitatively studied. This paper fills this knowledge gap by achieving two objectives: (1) provide a comprehensive study of CMAR project performance to develop a baseline of commonly measured performance metrics; and (2) statistically compare the cost and schedule performance of CMAR to that of the traditional DBB delivery method. A thorough literature review led to the development of a data collection survey used in structured interviews to gather qualitative and quantitative performance data from completed water and wastewater pipeline projects. The results provide a performance benchmark for seven metrics in four performance areas (cost, schedule, project change, and communication). The major contribution of this paper is demonstrating the superior cost performance (by 6.5%) and schedule performance (by 12.5%) of CMAR projects when compared with similar DBB projects. The results can aid decision makers when choosing the appropriate delivery method for their water and wastewater pipeline projects and provide stakeholders with more certainty in their project performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has brought unprecedented impacts (e.g., labor shortage, suspension and cancellation of projects, and disrupted supply and logistics) on the US construction industry. To address challenges caused by the pandemic, it is critical for the construction industry to develop a clear understanding of how the pandemic has affected the industry and how it will change in the future. However, assessing the impacts of COVID-19 on the construction industry is challenging due to the broad influence of the pandemic and the dynamic nature of the industry. The Purdue Index for Construction (Pi-C), which was developed as an indicator based on five dimensions and corresponding metrics to measure the health status of the construction industry, offers an opportunity to understand the impact of the pandemic. In this context, this paper presents a study to reveal the relationship between COVID-19 and the health status of the industry as measured through Pi-C and predict the future trend of the construction industry. This study achieves the objective via the three steps. First, the relationship between the pandemic and Pi-C metrics is identified using the Granger causality test and structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis. Second, multivariable prediction models are developed based on a long short-term memory (LSTM) network—a deep learning algorithm—to predict Pi-C metrics in the future. Third, forecasted Pi-C metrics are integrated into the existing Pi-C structure to analyze the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and predict its trends in 2021–2022. The results revealed that the impacts of the pandemic were conspicuous in two Pi-C dimensions (economy and stability), whereas no significant impacts were observed in the remaining Pi-C dimension (social). In addition, the Pi-C forecasted that there would be no significant adverse impacts on the US construction industry caused by the pandemic until the end of 2022. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While construction arbitration is analyzed in a plethora of information, there is a paucity of hard data about the consistency and reliability of the construction arbitration decision. The assumption that an industry familiar adjudicator will provide a reliable and consistent decision in comparison with the expectation of the industry as a whole has not been tested. This paper presents the results of a study on the reliability and consistency of construction arbitration through the examination of a variety of arbitrators’ decisions on the same construction dispute scenario. Data was collected from attorneys, owners, owner representatives, contractors, and subcontractors. Compilation of the survey results finds little consistency in the arbitrator’s awards, but with much thoughtful care in award consideration. The results suggest that the arbitrator’s industry background does not influence the arbitrator’s award. There is also no significant award bias due to the arbitrator’s education level or years spent in construction business. The results also indicate that previous arbitration experience does not predict the award outcome. This paper concludes that construction arbitration is wholly unpredictable. However, the result will be a well-reasoned and unbiased decision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the beginning of 2006, the regional government of Madrid decided to expand the subway network to the new Terminal T-4 in Madrid-Barajas International Airport using a public-private partnership (PPP) approach. Owing to the peculiar characteristics of this new access as the enlargement of an existing subway line, the PPP approach was based on separating infrastructure management from transportation service operation. The PPP contractor was entrusted with the infrastructure construction and maintenance while Madrid’s public subway company remained in charge of operating the trains. This paper examines the theoretical foundation that justifies the implementation of different PPP approaches to deal with urban rail projects. The paper then explains the reasons why a nonintegrated PPP approach was ultimately adopted for the expansion of Madrid’s subway network to the airport. From the outcome of the tender and the present operation performance, we find that nonintegrated PPP contracts have important advantages for urban rail PPPs, particularly for conventional subway networks. These advantages are notable in terms of encouraging economies of scale and density, boosting competition, and reducing the financial costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents research results that describe how value generation can be improved in the design process of industrial projects when using computer advanced visualization tools (CAVT). The CAVT concept definition, prior studies about impacts of CAVT, and why they are not sufficient are presented in the paper, supporting the assertion that the extensive attention to technology instead of to the context of technology application and the lack of a conceptual framework has prevented some prior research about CAVT impacts to truly focus in ideas about how to improve engineering and construction processes. Combining production theory and lean construction principles with information technology (IT), a framework for understanding the impacts of CAVT developed as part of the research is proposed. Illustration of the use of the framework in a case study and research validation activities leads to analytic generalization of the research results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous research on construction innovation has commonly recognized the importance of the organizational climate and key individuals, often called “champions,” for the success of innovation. However, it rarely focuses on the role of participants at the project level and addresses the dynamics of construction innovation. This paper therefore presents a dynamic innovation model that has been developed using the concept of system dynamics. The model incorporates the influence of several individual and situational factors and highlights two critical elements that drive construction innovations: (1) normative pressure created by project managers through their championing behavior, and (2) instrumental motivation of team members facilitated by a supportive organizational climate. The model is qualified empirically, using the results of a survey of project managers and their project team members working for general contractors in Singapore, by assessing casual relationships for key model variables. Finally, the paper discusses the implications of the model structure for fostering construction innovations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The construction industry is one of the most significant contributors to the growth of the US economy as well as the global market. The Purdue Index for Construction (Pi-C) was developed in the form of a composite index consisting of five dimensions (Economy, Stability, Social, Development, and Quality) to monitor the health status of the construction industry and facilitate data-driven decision making. Despite its great potential, metrics under the Development and Quality dimensions are still missing, which limits our understanding of the health status of the construction industry. A promising approach to identify the missing metrics is to apply the latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA), which supports the discovery of latent topics from a large set of textual data. In this regard, this work introduces an LDA-based method to identify new metrics for the Development and Quality dimensions of the Pi-C. A total of 10,466 abstracts of research papers relevant to Development and Quality were collected from academic search engines using a web crawler. The LDA analysis was conducted to identify metrics and corresponding variables. As a result, two new metrics—Technology and Education—in the Development dimension and one new metric—Sustainability—in the Quality dimension were identified for Pi-C. Results revealed that the updated Pi-C improves our understanding of the construction industry in terms of technology, education, and sustainability. The updated Pi-C is expected to assist decision makers in data-driven decision-making and strategy development in the construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Having a clear project definition is crucial for successful construction projects. It affects design quality, project communication between stakeholders, and final project performance in terms of cost, schedule, and quality. This paper examines the relationship between project definition and final project performance through a structural equation model comprising four latent constructs and six path hypotheses using data from a questionnaire survey of 120 general contractors in the Malaysian construction industry. The results show that in the study population all three items impact the project performance, but the link between design quality and project performance is indirect. Instead, the clarity of project definition affects project performance indirectly through design quality and project communication and design quality affects project performance indirectly through project communication. The primary contribution is to provide quantitative confirmation of the more general statements made in the literature from around the world and therefore adds to and consolidates existing knowledge. Practical implications derived from the finding are also proposed for various project stakeholders. Furthermore, as lack of the clarity of project definition is a very common occurrence in construction projects globally, these findings have important ramifications for all construction projects in expanding and clarifying existing knowledge on what is needed for the successful delivery of construction projects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction is considered as one of the highly fragmented, inefficient, and low-performing industries. Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems have been used to overcome such problems. However, due to a number of technical and organizational barriers, ERP implementation is very challenging. The major objective of the research reported in this paper is to explore the critical success factors (CSFs) of ERP implementation in the construction industry in developing countries. In this respect, based on an extensive literature review, 14 CSFs were identified and a questionnaire survey was conducted to analyze the role of those CSFs on the performance of ERP implementation. The data is collected from 90 construction firms from Turkey. The statistical analysis results show that top management support and commitment, clear goals and objectives, project team competence, effectiveness of the project leader, and cooperation between team members are the most significant drivers of success. Factor analysis was also employed on the data and the findings suggest three dimensions, namely (1) human factors, (2) organization, and (3) technology. Findings of the research reported in this paper are expected to help senior managers and consultants implement ERP systems in construction firms in an effective manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Women's membership in Spanish building engineering professional bodies has increased in the last decade, but since women only make up a fifth of the total registration, the situation is far from equitable. Furthermore, job allocation is gendered, with work on site very much male dominated. This paper delves deeper into occupational segregation within building engineering. By means of a survey to 704 undergraduate university students in their final year of the Schools of Building Engineering in Andalusia (Spain), career barriers mostly perceived for different career categories are determined. Significant differences in perceptions according to gender, age, working experience, and relatives in the industry are identified. The results reveal that career barriers' perception differs according to gender. Female students foresee a harder work scenario than males, especially in career paths directly related to work on site. Age, combined with gender, constitutes the sociodemographic variable showing most variations and becomes the key element of analysis. The career categories considered more accessible and those beyond reach are identified, considering the different variables chosen. This research offers a framework to reflect on the wide range of career barriers perceived by women as a group in the profession and warns of its possible impact on occupational segregation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Decision-making of the project delivery system (PDS) is an important link in the entire lifecycle of a project and is one of the critical factors leading to project success. Traditionally, PDSs are usually chosen based on the decision-makers' experience and knowledge and the project's information, without exploring the inherent dependencies between influencing factors and the PDSs. Presently, the researches on the factors affecting the choice of PDSs are primarily concentrated on the owner's characteristics, the project's characteristics, and the project's external environment. This paper mainly aimed at the owner's characteristics and researched the key factors affecting the decision-making of the PDSs; other two aspects will be studied in the subsequent research. Twenty-two influencing factors of owner's characteristics are summarized through a literature review, and 14 relatively important and high frequency factors with high frequency are chosen after discussion with specialists. Based on this, the owner's characteristics information from 76 Chinese construction projects, collected through questionnaires, is taken as the research sample. Then, rough set method is applied to reduce the redundant factors and result indicates that (1) responsibility, (2) the owner's willingness to be involved, (3) the owner's in-house technical capability, (4) risk allocation, and (5) the owner's willingness to control overdesign are the owner's five most key characteristics factors affecting PDSs decision-making. The research result provides a valuable reference for owner choosing appropriate PDSs and enriches the research methods in the field of PDSs. Although design-build (DB), design-bid-build (DBB), and engineering-procurement-construction (EPC) are deeply studied in the research reported in this paper, the other PDSs such as turnkey, construction management, and project management (PM) would be taken into consideration in further researches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

An introduction to the issue is presented including one on the analysis of the competitiveness of Chinese construction companies in international markets, another on the concept of quality in engineering consulting firms, and one on project cost escalation factors that could improve the accuracy of cost estimates.

Partnering has enabled state departments of transportation (DOTs) and aviation construction projects to significantly reduce claims and improve project schedules. Today there is a wide body of empirical evidence that demonstrates partnering benefits outweigh the resources devoted to its implementation. Despite such outstanding outcomes, collaborative partnering is still new, misunderstood, underutilized, and evolving for airport construction projects that entail greater complexity and increased risks due to a high number of stakeholders and additional sector-specific regulations. The objectives of this study are to describe the state-of-practice regarding partnering in the aviation construction industry and offer insights about its use. A comprehensive survey of industry professionals representing DOTs, airports, and others involved in construction aviation projects in the United States helps capture partnering trends across the industry. Findings show that participants with experience in partnered-aviation construction projects perceive higher improvement of safety and reduced claims offering greater rewards. However, these projects are operating as late adopters of partnering with many at the initial stages of implementation. The main contribution of the paper to the body of knowledge is that partnering is suitable for airport projects regardless of the project delivery method followed, budget size, or partnering intensity levels. Those with greater experience with partnering under design-bid-build project delivery methods are more likely to perceive higher improvements. Furthermore, it increases trust and strengthens the relationships between organizations. The findings are significant as they bring attention to team integration practices for improved outcomes via the underutilized partnering in an industry niche where stakeholder and risk management are key to project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Office processes are repetitive, common to multiple projects, involve multiple specialists, and are necessary to support the work of trades. Not much attention has been given to the management of office-related processes in the architecture, engineering, and construction (AEC) literature despite their importance in supporting core activities in this industry. Anecdotal evidence provided by industry practitioners and research carried out by the authors suggest that these processes lack transparency (e.g., actual durations are unknown, indicators are not used to manage the process) and suffer from low reliability, that is, planned times do not reflect the reality and are often underestimated. Aiming to address this gap in the literature, this paper presents a two-phase study carried out to investigate the submittal process in a construction company using lean construction concepts and tools. The study revealed that durations used to manage the submittal process are unreliable and often do not match what is indicated in schedules and contractual requirements. Actual lead times to process a submittal are variable and root causes for their variability are not properly understood; consequently, unreliable durations continue to be used to prepare schedules. The authors suggest that by using the method and variables presented in this paper for the submittal process, companies can take the first step in mapping this and other administrative processes in order to visualize the chain of tasks necessary to process information in their offices. This method provided transparency to the process managed and allowed the management team to identify areas that needed improvement in the process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The topic of data and information quality (DQ/IQ) is a longstanding issue of interest in both academia and practice in the construction engineering field. Poor DQ/IQ has led to poor engineering drawings that, in turn, have led to delays and, eventually, cost overruns. In this paper, a study is reported that took an action design research (ADR) approach to develop and evaluate a DQ/IQ assessment tool, which is called the information quality system (IQS), in a large global engineering and construction company. The evaluation was performed by comparing the level of DQ/IQ in a project that used IQS with two projects that did not use the tool. The result is encouraging: The DQ/IQ in the project using IQS was significantly higher overall than in the two other projects. The implication is that a tool based on the design principles on which IQS was built is likely to help improve DQ/IQ in engineering systems and, hence, in engineering drawings. Consequently, it will decrease project delays and cost overruns. More generally, this paper adds to the discourse in the literature on the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in the construction context. This paper illustrates another successful application of action-oriented research that can solve practical problems while generating academic knowledge. In taking a design approach, the literature on the use of action research in construction engineering and management is augmented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public investment project (PIP) plays an important role in national economy in China. In order to improve the project management performance of PIP, the government is searching for a method to build a construction management supervision system. This paper introduces the background and the connotation of agent construction system (ACS), and analyzes the supervision mechanism of construction agent quality management under the two-stage agent mode, puts forward a quality self-control, and government cosupervision mechanism. It consists of a two-dimensional framework of vertical agent self-control and horizontal government cosupervision. For the purpose of better supervision, based on the mechanism, the article introduces rough set theory and questionnaire survey into the research; a quality evaluation model is established. The model builds an information decision table; a heuristic attribute reduction algorithm is applied to reduce the index and helps to get the supervision points. The regulatory authorities can use the evaluation results, and make quality control plan to ensure the effective PIP supervision. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Public project plays an important role in China's economy, and the agent construction system (ACS) has been widely used in public projects since 2004. As a construction management innovation, the ACS improves the management performance of public projects. As the supervisor of public projects, the Chinese government issued a series of policies to demonstrate its determination to solve supervision problems. Based on the practice of the ACS in China, in this paper we study the issue of supervision, in which the government supervises the agent. We describe a supervision mechanism to decrease the risk caused by information asymmetry. The mechanism's contribution includes (1) two dimensions of longitudinal self-control and a lateral regulatory system; (2) a five-goals-oriented framework; and (3) contract is take as the core. The main goal of this paper is to elaborate on these three components. According to the five-goals-oriented framework, in this article, we determine that the progress supervision mechanism research produces higher results than agent management. In addition, we give some practical advices to apply the mechanism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the first launch of the new engineering contract (NEC) in 1993, early warning of problems has been widely recognized as an important approach of proactive management during a construction or engineering project. Is early warning really effective for the improvement of problem solving and project performance? This is a research question that still lacks a good answer. For this reason, an empirical investigation was made in the United Kingdom (U.K.) to answer the question. This study adopts a combination of literature review, expert interview, and questionnaire survey. Nearly 100 questionnaire responses were collected from the U.K. construction industry, based on which the use of early warning under different forms of contract is compared in this paper. Problem solving and project performance are further compared between the projects using early warning and the projects not using early warning. The comparison provides clear evidence for the significant effect of early warning on problem solving and project performance in terms of time, cost, and quality. Subsequently, an input-process-output model is developed in this paper to explore the relationship among early warning, problem solving, and project performance. All these help construction researchers and practitioners to better understand the role of early warning in ensuring project success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper explores the adoption, character, and impact of adaptive-management strategies used in energy retrofitting of an administrative office building in Seattle, Washington. A multilevel qualitative research design informed data collection from pre-retrofit surveys and focus group interviews with three key stakeholder groups. An exploratory analysis of critical success factors (CSFs) in organizational change management was conducted prior to conducting the semistructured interviews. In this paper, adaptive-management strategies are discussed as lessons learned based on deductive reasoning. A deductive approach was preferred given the abundance of literature on CSFs for organizational change management but not specifically concerning retrofits focusing on energy efficiency. Lessons learned include engaging stakeholders through communicating, having a shared vision, and appropriately leveraging technology. As a result, developing a comprehensive project communication plan is suggested, as is additional training for building owners to have the option to self-perform the lighting commissioning. Generally, results suggest that a decision support system for assessing the value of future retrofits is necessary and prudent. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents research findings by the Construction Industry Institute (CII) Research Team (RT) 320, Definition and Measurement of Engineering/Design Deliverable Quality, to manage the engineering and design deliverable defects of the engineering deliverables. The team identified the 11 most engineering and design quality problematic deliverables and 73 significant defects associated with the 11 problematic deliverables by conducting a survey of construction industry professionals. They analyzed 73 significant engineering deliverable defects to determine the impacts, causal factors, and frequency of these defects. The team generated 118 leading metrics associated with causal factors and 23 lagging metrics associated with both deliverable defects and their impacts. Lastly, the team developed an implementation tool, the design deliverable quality assessment (DDQA) tool, to assess the quality of the 11 problematic deliverables and to identify potential defects with current status quo. This paper's primary contributions are the identification of the problematic engineering and design deliverables and their significant defects, and analysis of these defects to eliminate engineering and design deliverable defects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The presence of African-based construction companies in African markets is low compared with their foreign counterparts. Unlike local markets, overseas markets exhibit more types of risk. Perceptions of risk in overseas markets differ, and levels of resources and capabilities influence them. Adequate perception of risk also influences entry decisions. This paper examines whether interaction exists between the level of resources and capabilities in South African construction companies (SACCs) and their choice of entry mode in entry decisions, with a view toward mitigating the perceived impact of risks and enhancing ease of entry into African construction markets (ACMs). Research data were collected through a convergent mixed-methods research approach from SACCs graded 8 and 9 in the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) register of contractors in South Africa. It emerged that the significant risks in ACMs are payment risk, volatility in exchange rate and currency, threat of terrorism, legal instability, red tape/legislative bottleneck, and unstable government. Revenues, number of employees, and years of international experience significantly influence SACCs' perception of administrative delays, red tape/legislative bottleneck, and difficulty in doing business in ACMs. Moreover, the perceived impacts of the difficulty of doing business, the threat of terrorism, and political uncertainty influence the choice of joint venture (JV) and contractual arrangement (CA) as ACM entry modes. The study established that an interactive relationship exists between the choice of JV and assets and JV and number of employees and between the choice of CA and number of employees that can mitigate the perceived impact of risks. The paper concludes that as SACCs accumulate financial, human, and experiential capital, their perception of risks in ACMs becomes more favorable. However, adequate perception of risks in markets enhances the strategic choice of entry mode, and the interactions between SACCs' resources and capabilities and decisions on entry into ACMs mitigate the perceived impact of risks. This enables SACCs to compete favorably for business opportunities in ACMs and international space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) was enacted to support the economy in response to the 2008-2009 global recession. The injection of construction funds into the public sector put pressure on public agencies to award contracts as quickly as possible in an effort to immediately stimulate the economy and help reconstruct the deteriorating infrastructure. This enabled contractors to move from private sector work into the public sector to stay afloat financially. As a result, an increase in competition for public project awards was observed combined with projects being awarded at a fast rate. The main objective of this paper is to investigate evidence of the level of contractor competition and the degree to which public agencies are expediting the award process during the bidding phase on ARRA construction projects. Both positive and negative impacts caused by this dynamic are examined. To achieve this objective, the research looked into the bidding phase of ARRA construction projects from a public agency standpoint. A survey was therefore administered to three federal contracting agencies in order to evaluate bidding timelines, levels of competition, cost savings, and contractor performance. Statistical methods were then used to analyze the data and draw conclusions about the characteristics of ARRA construction projects. The paper also provides recommendations on alternative bidding strategies to public agencies for the potential reduction of negative impacts associated with the expedited and competitive awarding situation caused by the recession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article discusses various reports published within the issue including one about engineering management and another regarding collaborative working in the construction industry.

Environmentally sustainable building construction has experienced significant growth during the past 10 years. The public is becoming more aware of the benefits of green construction as prominent politicians, celebrities, documentarians, and journalists highlight the built environment's impact on greenhouse gas emissions and natural resource consumption. Other factors, including higher energy prices, increased costs of building materials, and regulatory incentives, are also pushing the green building market to grow and expand. However, barriers to green building continue to exist, including the ability to deliver a green project within acceptable cost constraints. In order for project managers to deliver sustainable construction according to clients' cost expectations, modifications must be made to traditional project management processes and practices. The objective of this paper is to suggest specific modifications to conventional building practices to optimize the delivery of cost-efficient green building projects. This paper presents an overview of research related to the costs and trends of green building and uses these research findings to make recommendations for greening project management practices for the construction industry. Our research results show that greening project management practices can add significant value to a sustainable construction project while delivering it within acceptable cost constraints. A detailed analysis using matrix present specific adjustments to traditional project management practices, with a premise that a green project improves its chances for financial success if a cross-discipline team is involved at the earliest stages and throughout the project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper describes the possibilities of using a system dynamic model to simulate experience transfer scenarios in a construction and property management organization. This experience transfer simulation model can be used to evaluate potential benefits and establish the processes that improve transferring of knowledge and learning in an architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) organization. The methodology is based on causal loops and trends of the AEC industry to illustrate the relationships between selected features of the complexity of experience transfer. The aim is to apply methodologies of system thinking and system dynamics to depict the issues and needs involved in an experience transfer process faced by a fragmented and multifaceted AEC industry, and then decompose the complex process into manageable pieces. Based on prior surveys, the known experiences and costs at the project stage and at the operative and management stage, features are defined and assumptions made. Then relationships are identified to represent experience transferring needs in dynamic conditions. In addition, causal loop diagrams are employed to depict the processes of experience transfer, and theoretical simulations of different scenarios are carried out. The paper also includes a brief description of the applied theories learning system. The results of the simulations of different scenarios show that this methodology is applicable to decompose a complex learning system. The operationalization of intangible parameters such as priority and awareness are difficult, however, due to a high degree of individual understanding of the concepts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The procurement process is critical for construction companies. To improve it, many are resorting to e-marketplaces although they usually do not know exactly how much they can gain by doing so. This paper describes a study that measured the benefits of using an e-marketplace to support the procurement process of a construction company. The study included three marketplaces currently operating in Chile. However, in this paper, we focus on Iconstruye, the most important one. 70 executives and professionals from 25 construction companies randomly selected from the 89 that used this marketplace, were interviewed and asked to fill out a questionnaire. This data was validated using data from Iconstruye and from 33 suppliers. The results show that the adoption of an e-marketplace reduces turnaround time, errors, urgent orders, and irregular purchases. A more reliable procurement process directly contributes to a leaner construction process by reducing upstream variability, procurement cycle times, and the need for large inventories on site. Users also perceive an improvement in certain global indicators when using an e-marketplace. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Owners are increasingly recognizing building commissioning as an effective means of ensuring quality and maximizing energy performance. The demand for commissioning new construction projects has increased substantially over a short period of time with the growing demand for leadership in energy and environmental design certified buildings. However, the pool of experienced commissioning providers hasn’t increased at the same rate. Many owners are procuring commissioning services for the first time and don’t know how to best procure these services. The objective of the research described in this paper was to identify best practices for procuring commissioning services for new construction projects and to compare them with current practices. Issues that were evaluated include the timing of the commissioning provider involvement, the independence of the commissioning provider, certification of the commissioning provider, selection criteria, and the importance of a clear definition of the scope of work. Research results indicate that there is variation between current practices and recommended best practices. It is important for building owners and industry professionals to understand and implement the best practices recommended in this paper to maximize the benefits of the commissioning process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many practitioners and researchers believe that the application of information systems in the construction industry lags behind that of other industries such as the manufacturing industry, because the construction industry is mainly composed of small to medium size companies. Besides, to many people, the value of information systems to their business is vague and elusive. Existing studies on the value of information systems are not specifically focused on small to medium size specialty contractors such as electrical contractors. In addition, with an intention to demonstrate the value of information systems to the improvement of operations or business of all relevant companies, those studies typically do not look into the impact of information systems on the competitive advantage of individual companies. This paper argues that such a generalization of the value of information systems, although valuable to both practitioners and researchers, may have overlooked the fact that the value of information systems needs to be reflected through improved competitive advantage of a company and the competitive advantage is company specific. Thus, the examination of different effects of information systems on individual companies can generate useful insight into the value of information systems because such a strategy leads to a better understanding of the relationships between information systems and the competitive advantage of individual companies. With such a perspective, this study applies a case study strategy to study five small to medium size electrical construction companies based on the resource-based view theory. The case studies show that the observed electrical construction companies are well equipped in terms of physical information infrastructure in relation to their business objectives regardless of company size. However, their capabilities of strategically integrating information systems with their business plans and with their external business partners are general lacking, compared with their physical information system infrastructure. This is partly because many electrical contractors do not fully understand that there are many different forms of information systems that have different impacts on gaining and sustaining competitive advantage. This paper then conjectures that the existing imbalanced application of information systems may not lead to the improved competitive advantage of electrical construction companies, which in turn prevent many contractors from clearly seeing the value of the information systems. Thus, the paper further points out that a plan for the systematical implementation of information systems in a company is very important. However, the successful development of such a plan depends on a better understanding of electrical contactors on the concepts of information system capabilities, competitive advantage, and their relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction vocational education and training (VET) systems serve the mission of enhancing construction productivity and social cohesion, which are essential attributes for regional competitiveness. It is imperative to determine the policy implications of the construction labor force's skill formation that concerns both the economic and social development of Asian metropolitan regions. Nevertheless, little comparative research has investigated construction VET models of the fast-changing regions. This paper used a multiple exploratory case study design to study the construction VET of two Asian metropolises, Singapore and Hong Kong, which share similar historical paths of skill formation and face comparable challenges of skills shortages and aging workforces in the construction sector. The research design combined an in-depth literature review, document analysis, field trip observations, and semistructured group interviews. The results revealed how developmental, collective, and liberal skill-formation features were combined to form the hybrid construction VET systems in the two metropolises to serve the governments' agenda of enhancing productivity and developing high-skills societies; and unveil the political-economic, cultural, and historical reasons underpinning the challenges faced by the systems in developing occupational competence of construction workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Total quality management (TQM) has been recognized as a successful management philosophy that can be successfully implemented in the construction industry. By examining the Japanese contractors working in Egypt and comparing their managing systems to the local ones, a comparative analysis of the two contractors working in the Egyptian field is presented in this paper to illustrate how TQM can be implemented effectively in the Egyptian construction industry. Bearing in mind the location bound nature of the production process, the competitive bidding, which emphasizes cost and the absence of the quality culture of the clients, subcontractors and site operatives are some of the constraining factors for implementing the quality policy. Based on the research findings, the paper presents some features of the Japanese construction industry that could be implemented in the Egyptian field in addition to a new model for TQM implementation that appropriates the Egyptian construction industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents an analysis of the Polish construction market with examples of project risk assessment taking into consideration one of the biggest markets in Central Europe. The writer has conducted research in identification and quantification of construction risks based on the Polish market that has developed considerably since joining the European Union. The risk analysis consists of verbal and quantitative description. The specification of risk indicators is directly linked to the Polish construction market and the writer has provided examples for applying the risk assessment process in construction projects. A summary of the analysis is presented in the final part of the paper. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

New technologies, new materials, and innovative designs have been extensively adopted in Beijing Olympic venues construction. The extreme requirements for time deadline and competition function expose the venues construction to high risks. These risks would potentially bring negative impacts on the site safety performance. Meanwhile, there is a lack of systematic management for safety risks in China’s construction industry, especially for large projects such as the Beijing Olympic venues construction. This paper identifies and assesses safety risk factors inherent in Beijing Olympic venues construction with the involvement of 27 experienced and highly respected experts from government agencies, the construction industry, and academe through brainstorming, workshop discussions, and questionnaire surveys. The finding reveals that more than half of the critical safety risk factors are from contractors and subcontractors such as: lack of emergency response plan and measures; workers’ unsafe operation, and contractors ignoring safety under schedule pressure. Based on these critical safety risks, a risk register is composed and a model is developed in application of the analytic hierarchy process to assess the status of risks on site safety. The model has been attempted in two Olympic venue projects under construction and the validity has been approved. The risk checklist, register, and assessment model developed in the paper were integrated into the risk management system that has been used for Beijing Olympic venues construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Benchmarking is a systematic process of measuring and comparing an organization’s performance against that of other similar organizations in key business activities. The lessons learned from other companies can be used to establish improvement targets and to promote changes in the organization. The benchmarking process can create a fertile ground for ideas, but only in a receptive environment; companies that share good practices and compare their performance against others benefit most. Recently, industry groups in several different countries have initiated benchmarking programs focused mainly on construction performance measures. This paper describes the scope of these initiatives and discusses the lessons learned and improvement opportunities that were identified in their design and implementation. This investigation is focused on four initiatives, carried out in Brazil, Chile, the United Kingdom, and the United States. This paper concludes by recommending some further directions on this research topic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the last 20 years, equality legislation and positive action on diversity has increased awareness of the detrimental impact of sex discrimination and has begun to address harassment and inequality in many large organizations. While this may yield positive benefits for underrepresented groups working within the construction industry, it remains to be seen whether this legislative drive has overcome indirect forms of discrimination brought about by the ingrained culture and working practices of the sector. This paper explores the impact of indirect discrimination by systematically combining the results of two research projects which explored perspectives on women’s careers in the industry. The first examined the ways in which women’s careers were affected by the nature of working practices within the U.K. construction industry, while the second explored gendered perspectives on work-life balance within the context of the Australian construction sector. Taken in combination, the findings provide prima facie evidence of how construction companies disadvantage women’s careers through their work practices and cultures. Based on this evidence, this paper develops a grounded proposition that the ingrained structures and work cultures of the sector, combined with women’s restricted occupational choices, stymie attempts to create an equitable workplace environment. Suggestions are made as to how construction companies can encourage the structural and cultural shift necessary to overcome the corrosive effect of indirect discrimination on women’s careers in the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this research study, selected indicators are set up to analyze the strategic performance of large international engineering and construction (E&C) firms from North America, Europe, and East Asia. The primary objective is to examine critical areas of corporate strategy that would affect the long-term prospects of E&C firms and provide guidance for their growth and survival. This paper focuses on the relationships between selected aspects of business strategies (internationalization and product/service diversification) and financial strategies (asset liquidity and capital structure). By analyzing data derived from financial reports and other public sources, it is deduced that internationalization is positively associated with current ratio but negatively correlated with book leverage. An opposite trend is found for the aspect of diversification. These results signal different risk management strategies for the respective modes of business strategies. It is thus suggested that if liquidity cannot be increased in the near term to support internationalization, firms should then concentrate on product/service diversification. Overall, the study confirms the importance of examining interactions between business and financial strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Defective designs have been acknowledged as important risks in construction projects. For effective management of these risks, it is important to understand how and why the defects happen. Part of an ongoing research program, this paper aims to propose two navigational measures, with an emphasis on human elements, for managing defective designs. It starts with outlining a mechanism of defective designs causation based on the systems approach to human errors as the basis of the two measures. The first measure is a reactive measure, which works as an investigative tool after defective designs occurrence. It is proposed to give step-by-step guidance in the identification of primary causes of past defect events. The second measure is proactive process measure, which is intended to operate prior to occurrences of defective design. It periodically assesses influencing factors and indicates those most needing correction. A guideline for practical use of the measures is presented in the paper. At the center of the discussion, critical roles of management at higher levels are kept in mind. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]