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Previous construction productivity research focused on developing productivity measurement methods and quantifying the impact of influencing factors. However, the development of holistic strategies for productivity enhancement of a construction industry has received limited attention. This paper examines the nature of the constraints on productivity advancement and explores the rationale underpinning the productivity enhancement strategies at the industry level. The exploration was based on a systemic perspective taking contingency factors in the broad business environment into consideration. A comprehensive literature review used a political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and legal (PESTEL) framework to reveal the major strategic themes of construction productivity enhancement. Building on the literature review, a multiple exploratory case study design was adopted to investigate the constraints and strategies within the construction industries of Singapore, Hong Kong, and the UK. The research design combines documentation, semistructured stakeholder interviews, and project site visits. The case study analyses led to a theoretical framework that conceptualizes the underlying structure of construction productivity enhancement strategies (CPESs) within the dynamic business environment of the industry. The findings contribute to a better theoretical understanding of the systemic nature of CPESs and provide specific guidance for formulating holistic strategies to enhance construction productivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although previous research has pointed to potential performance gains through relational contracting (RC), reservations remain as to its value and viability. Even those who wish to use RC need guidelines for introducing it, especially where it clashes with prevalent project cultures. A study was launched from Hong Kong to identify the critical factors which promote RC and team building in the context of specific cultures. This paper consolidates the perceptions of 60 respondents to a questionnaire survey in Singapore, in relation to the hypothesized 24 factors facilitating RC, and 28 factors impeding/deterring RC. It indicates the evident readiness of the Singaporean contracting industry to embrace collaborative working practices. On the whole: (1) all the 24 factors facilitating RC, and 23 of the 28 factors deterring RC, are significant; (2) these two sets of factors could be represented by six and seven “broad factors,” respectively; and (3) except in a few cases, respondents from large and medium companies, as well as with and without experience in RC, have similar perceptions of the importance of different factors. It was perceived that trust should be at the core of RC approaches to construction procurement, but also seen that the current level of trust is low. Identifying the principal “facilitators” and “impediments”/ deterrents to RC, provides pointers to building relationally integrated teams to boost performance to much higher levels, as are now expected from the industry. The literature indicates that the outcome of the survey in Singapore reflects the trends in many countries that are moving toward RC. This research model and approach may be conveniently replicated in other contractual regimes, in order to reinforce these observations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Construction projects require input from professionals of diverse disciplines. Effective cooperation among contracting parties is a necessary condition for successful projects; however, goals and motivations of contracting parties may not always be aligned. In fact, misalignment of interests is a major source of dispute. When disputes arise, contracting parties are likely to interpret contractual provisions in a way that favor their positions and as a result cause confrontation. This is not conducive to solving problems that require joint efforts. A cultural change is therefore needed to engender cooperation among contracting parties. In this connection, incentive schemes have been used as the bridge to engender common interests that in turn will provide the platform for cooperation. This study is about (1) investigating the use of incentive schemes in construction projects, (2) analyzing the effects of using incentive schemes on contracting behavior, and (3) explaining the roles of interdependency in the incentives-cooperation relationship. A conceptual framework is developed from literature on concepts of incentives, interdependency, and cooperation. A questionnaire is designed to collect data from construction professionals, mainly in Hong Kong, PRC, and Singapore. The proposed linkages among these three constructs are tested by partial least-square structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The findings suggest that cooperative behavior can result from the use of incentive schemes that engender interdependency. The acceptance of interdependency would have both psychological (alignment of objectives and trust) and economical (relationship-specific investment and previous working experience) influence on the parties by making them more likely to be cooperative. The findings further recommend that incentive schemes must be prudently designed with clear objectives, common interests, and resource supports. With that, careful implementation would maximize its effectiveness in fostering cooperation among contracting parties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individual contractors exhibit different bidding behaviors when confronted with a given set of project decision environment factors, i.e., heterogeneity in the population of contractors. In examining the tenability of the bidder homogeneity assumption, a linear mixed modeling approach is applied to two data sets obtained from Hong Kong and Singapore contractors via a bidding experiment. Two linear mixed models were developed by relating the contractors’ mark-up decision to four project decision environment factors, namely, (1) market conditions; (2) number of bidders; (3) project type; and (4) project size. The results show that not only is there a significant heterogeneity between the Hong Kong and the Singapore contractors in terms of both their preferences (intercepts) and responses (slopes) to the project decision environment factors that affect their mark-up decision, but also that the individual Hong Kong and Singapore contractors have different degrees of sensitivity toward the project decision environment factors (which is reflected in the varying individual-specific intercepts and slopes). These individual-specific parameter estimates have implications for managerial action in formulating a firm’s competitive strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]