journal article
Download Only Collection
Home
doi: 10.1080/01446190903009099pmid: N/A
A range of poorly understood factors affect actual construction time in the context of food sector projects in Bangladesh. One factor of particular interest is political unrest. The data for this study were obtained from a leading design and construction management company in Bangladesh. The sample size consisted of data for 104 food grain warehouse projects scattered all over the country. The effect of political unrest on construction time was analysed in conjunction with other known variables for actual construction time, such as increase in project cost and delay in procurement of construction materials. The effect of local political unrest on construction time was statistically significant even in the presence of project cost and procurement of materials variables. Political unrest could be included in prediction models used for finding out actual construction time of food grain warehouse projects in Bangladesh. Based on these findings, a prediction model for construction time for such projects is developed.
Rozenfeld, Ophir; Sacks, Rafael; Rosenfeld, Yehiel
doi: 10.1080/01446190903002771pmid: N/A
CHASTE—‘Construction Hazard Assessment with Spatial and Temporal Exposure’—is a conceptual model that enables forecasting of safety risks in construction projects for different trades, at appropriate levels of detail and reliability for different planning windows and managerial purposes, in a highly automated fashion. Unlike earlier models, CHASTE explicitly accounts for the fact that construction workers are frequently endangered by activities performed by teams other than their own. The risks to which workers are exposed change through time, as the activities performed and the physical environment of construction sites change. CHASTE uses a knowledge base of construction activities and probabilities of loss‐of‐control events, coupled with a project’s construction plan and a digital building model, to forecast risk levels for work teams. It has been implemented in prototype software and tested on two projects.
doi: 10.1080/01446190903029543pmid: N/A
Business definition (either explicitly or implicitly defined) matters in the construction sector in Belgium. A business is a three‐dimensional ‘strategic space’ within an industry, defined by the buyer types targeted, product types sold and geographical reach. The research setting is one of family owned small non‐diversified firms in the construction industry. The sample consists of 61 firms. Data on these firms were gathered for the year 2006. Firms with a similar business definition within the construction sector were clustered. Three clusters could be delineated: residential, non‐residential and a civil engineering business. Performance differs between the three businesses. Performance was measured with perceptions on sales, sales growth, gross sales margin and return on invested capital. Perceived performance correlated with financial performance. Competitive forces differ according to the business. Firms in the civil engineering sector working for government agencies performed best.
doi: 10.1080/01446190903002789pmid: N/A
The valuation of multi‐stage build‐operate‐transfer projects is not a trivial task. It needs to deal with uncertain project values in future expansions and the possibility of expansions or abandonment in the presence of project risks. The valuation problem becomes more difficult when multi‐stage projects require upfront and intermediate dedicated asset investments for future expansions. Dedicated asset investments may or may not create project values, depending on whether future expansions could be justified and realized. A sequential compound option model is proposed to tackle these important valuation issues.
Johnsson, Helena; Meiling, John Henrik
doi: 10.1080/01446190903002797pmid: N/A
The construction industry is based on craftsmanship. Quality control and assurance procedures applied in manufacturing cannot usually be readily applied in construction, where there are higher degrees of uniqueness in each project. One category of companies, industrialized housebuilders, is attempting to bridge some of the gaps between construction and manufacturing. These companies prefabricate building modules for later assembly at the building site. Since they are wholly responsible for large parts of the building process, these companies have greater opportunities to control and improve quality in a more consistent way than ordinary construction companies. Thus, it could be hypothesized that the frequency and severity of defects should be lower in industrialized housing than in ordinary construction. The aim of the study presented here is to examine this hypothesis by measuring and characterizing defects in industrialized housing. The design and manufacturing processes at two Swedish timber module prefabrication firms has been analysed through interviews, site visits and document reviews. Quality audits from three phases of the building process were compiled, analysed and categorized to provide statistical measures of defects in industrialized housing. The results show that the case study companies are better in terms of product quality than conventional housing.
doi: 10.1080/01446190903037702pmid: N/A
Academia has a critical role in developing new knowledge which construction industry practitioners need to envision, undertake and sustain successful innovation. The new knowledge produced by academia, however, often does not satisfy the needs of practitioners. This unsatisfactory state of affairs is frequently taken to be the consequence of the cultural, motivational and operational differences between the two communities. Actionable knowledge is presented as a useful concept which can fuse the expectations, contributions and outputs of academia and practitioners. Within this context, action research is argued to be an appropriate methodology to develop successful actionable knowledge. Results from an action research project are given which provide researchers and practitioners greater understanding of the key factors that shape the degree to which action research produces actionable knowledge: change focus, collaboration capabilities and systematic process. The criteria intrinsic to Mode 2 research (Gibbons et al., 1994) are demonstrated to have utility in evidencing actionable knowledge. The implication for policy is that there is a need to develop and use appropriate actionable knowledge frameworks and measures to design funding calls, and to evaluate research proposals and outputs.
Bygballe, Lena Elisabeth; Jahre, Marianne
doi: 10.1080/01446190903096609pmid: N/A
Construction companies apply different logics to create value. Some companies are organized according to one primary logic, while others are based on multiple logics. Different value creating logics have different cost and value drivers according to the type of activities involved and the interdependencies between them. Where multiple logics coexist, the different cost and value drivers may generate tensions. The purpose of the paper is to study how construction companies maintain a balance between multiple logics and how they handle tensions between them through a case study from the Norwegian construction industry. Both project management and supply chain management perspectives have been used to explain construction practice. By applying a ‘value configuration analysis’, it is clear how value creation is achieved in construction practice by balancing the needs of both the project and the supply chain. Both intra‐ and inter‐organizational interactions are vital in creating value across different logics. The contribution of the study lies in applying this framework to the construction area by adding knowledge about the underlying principles of different logics, including the tensions between them. Furthermore, the case study illustrates how these may be handled in order to create value in construction.
Showing 1 to 10 of 10 Articles