Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

Peter Lansley

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710716954

Purpose – For many academics in UK universities the nature and orientation of their research is overwhelmingly determined by considerations of how that work will be graded in research assessment exercises (RAEs). The grades awarded to work in a particular subject area can have a considerable impact on the individual and their university. There is a need to better understand those factors which may influence these grades. The paper seeks to address this issue. Design/methodology/approach – The paper considers relationships between the grades awarded and the quantitative information provided to the assessment panels for the 1996 and 2001 RAEs for two subject areas, built environment and town and country planning, and for three other subject areas, civil engineering, geography and archaeology, in the 2001 RAE. Findings – A simple model demonstrating strong and consistent relationships is established. RAE performance relates to numbers of research active staff, the production of books and journal papers, numbers of research studentships and graduations, and research income. Important differences between subject areas are identified. Research limitations/implications – Important issues are raised about the extent to which the new assessment methodology to be adopted for the 2008 RAE will capture the essence of good quality research in architecture and built environment. Originality/value – The findings provide a developmental perspective of RAEs and show how, despite a changed methodology, various research activities might be valued in the 2008 RAE. The basis for a methodology for reviewing the credibility of the judgements of panels is proposed.

James A. Hackett; Carolyn M. Hicks

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710716963

Purpose – Both quantity surveyors (QSs) and estimators have pivotal roles in the profitability of construction contracts; however, only the QS is classified as a professional. Preliminary examination of the responsibilities of the estimator and the level of qualification required in comparison with the QS suggests that the current failure to recognise estimating as a profession may be an anomaly. The purpose of this inquiry is to consider the role of the estimator relative to the accepted criteria attaching to professional status. Design/methodology/approach – To achieve this, available definitions of a profession were distilled into core criteria which were then used to compare QSs and estimators in terms of remuneration, education and professional representation. Findings – A statistical analysis on each of these criteria suggested that there was no significant difference in terms of salary offered or education required by employers. Further investigation, however, did reveal a considerable difference in educational and professional opportunities available to QSs. With regard to the key defining criteria of a profession and the consideration given by employers, the results indicate that there is no difference between the two groups. Originality/value – Given the information revealed by this research it may therefore be the case that the current standing of estimators should be reconsidered with the purpose of upgrading estimating to a professional status.

Christian Stoy; Frank Dreier; Hans‐Rudolf Schalcher

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710716972

Purpose – Planning the construction duration is an important consideration in any construction project. Indicators that permit an early forecast of the duration provide the basis for such planning. To date, such a basis has been lacking in the German‐speaking area. This paper aims to discuss this matter. Design/methodology/approach – Indicators are identified that enable a forecast of the construction duration. In addition, a simple regression model is provided to assist in selecting construction speed indicators. This empirical analysis relies on the data, collected on a uniform basis, from 115 German residential buildings. Findings – Project size (measured in m 2 gross external floor area) and project standard (measured in € building construction cost/m 2 gross external floor area) are found to be significant drivers of construction speed. It appears that project size, in contrast to the project standard, is positively correlated with construction speed. Originality/value – An expansion of the data pool is required for more extensive study. On the one hand, this means including relevant drivers that have only been insufficiently considered to date, such as project complexity, project environment, management‐related attributes. On the other hand, the data pool must also be expanded to include other types of use.

R. Carmichael; D.J. Edwards; G.D. Holt

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710716981

Purpose – Plant theft represents a serious and growing problem for the construction sector, with the present value of UK losses estimated to be in excess of £1 million per week. Along with other stakeholders, plant managers play a key role in helping to counteract this problem, for example, by employing plant security systems (PSSs). PSSs use a variety of mechanisms to provide differing levels of protection and represent an equally diverse range of cost alternatives. In view of this diversity, this paper aims to survey a sample of plant managers to obtain their perceived importance of PSS appraisal criteria. Design/methodology/approach – A structured questionnaire elicited the perceptions of managers regarding the importance of seven generic PSS groupings by reference to six PSS assessment criteria. Data were analysed using (importance and rank) derived weighting indices to develop a PSS importance matrix. Findings – “Level of deterrent” (offered by a PSS) was consistently considered a key criterion as was “resistant attack time”. Maybe surprisingly, cost was only found to be a superlative criterion for one of the six PSSs considered. The overriding indication is that plant managers afford more importance to “practical” PSS assessment criteria than they do to financial ones. Originality/value – It is proffered, that PSS manufacturers should be mindful of these observed perceptions concerning the relationship of system functionality versus cost, in striving to deliver into the plant market (and encourage use of) “optimal” security systems.

Helen Lingard; Valerie Francis

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710716990

Purpose – The paper sets out to describe the testing of a model of work and family life among a sample of professional and managerial employees in the Australian construction industry. The model positioned work‐family conflict as a variable linking experiences in one domain (i.e. work or family) with outcomes in the other domain. Design/methodology/approach – A survey exploring experiences of work and family life was conducted among employees of one large private and one large public sector construction organization in Queensland, Australia. Regression analyses were performed to test the validity of the work‐family interface model. Findings – The model was partially supported in that time and strain‐based demands in the work domain were linked to family functioning via work interference with family. However, time and strain‐based demands in the family domain were not linked to work role outcomes via family interference with work. Research limitations/implications – The survey was cross‐sectional so the causal direction of relationships could not be ascertained. Longitudinal research is needed to establish the causal direction of the work‐family relationships supported by the research. Further research is also required to examine the effectiveness of strategies designed to reduce work interference with family life in the construction sector. Practical implications – The asymmetry in the relationship between construction employees' work and family lives indicates that the family life of professional and managerial construction employees in Australia is more susceptible to interference from work than work life is susceptible to interference from family life. Originality/value – Provides evidence that, when construction professionals and managers face obligations in one role that interfere with the enactment of a second role, performance in the second role suffers.

Tayyab Maqsood; Derek H.T. Walker; Andrew D. Finegan

2007 Engineering Construction & Architectural Management

doi: 10.1108/09699980710717007

Purpose – This paper aims to discuss how knowledge‐pull from external knowledge sources could systemise knowledge exchange as a knowledge management (KM) initiative and to argue how it could contribute to successful application of innovative techniques. Design/methodology/approach – Soft System Methodology (SSM) used to carry out a case study on a specific innovation diffusion initiative within an organisation. Findings – Construction organisations need to actively participate in knowledge activities possibly organised through universities or other research bodies. This interaction bridges the gap between research and its practical implementation. Much useful academic research goes unnoticed because of a lack of interest by construction organisations in attending knowledge events such as conferences, symposiums or run joint research programs with the academia. Research limitations/implications – Study recommendations have specific relevance to the organisation under study rather than being more widely generalisable. Only one innovation diffusion example was focused on. However, the SSM approach is generalisable in the study of problems and issues raised and to identify a proposed solution. Practical implications – This research highlights the gap that exists between academic knowledge and its practical use by construction organisations. Construction organisations and external knowledge sources (e.g. academia) need to think positively about how to make collaboration more practically useful to organisations. Originality/value – The research provides a template of how one major construction contractor benefited from its approach to participating in external knowledge activities and explains using SSM how it successfully used knowledge‐pull for delivering significant benefit from diffusing an externally developed innovation.