Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

Amadi, Alolote Ibim

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-02-2023-0008

This study aims to investigate ground-related design deficiencies as potential avenues of avoidable cost overruns, discernible from the geotechnical practices of highway agencies in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.Design/methodology/approachThe study deploys an interpretivist qualitative methodology to provide a detailed descriptive analysis of the design-related geotechnical practices of highway agencies during the pre-contract phase of highway projects. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with in-house professionals, consultants and contractors affiliated with the three highway agencies in the Niger Delta and thematically analysed to identify significant deviations from geotechnical best practices.FindingsThe study outcome shows that during the pre-contract phase, a chain of design-related geotechnical shortcomings has plagued highway projects executed in the Niger Delta. This view of practice uncovered in this study demonstrates a culture of significant deviation from best practice recommendations, which could plausibly contribute to the history of significant project cost overruns recorded in the region.Originality/valueThe study qualitatively spotlights gaps in the practice of highway agencies and reinforces the need for a re-orientation of the attitude to risk management, to give geotechnical concerns a priority in the financial management of highway projects executed in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria.

Ndekugri, Issaka; Silverio, Ana Karina; Mason, Jim

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-08-2023-0051

States have intervened with legislation to improve cashflow within construction project supply chains. The operation of the UK’s Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 leads to payment obligations stated either as a contract administrator’s certificate (or equivalent) or an adjudicator’s decision. The purpose of the intervention would be defeated unless there are speedy ways of transforming these pieces of paper into real money. The combination of the legislation, contractual provisions and insolvency law has produced a minefield of complexity concerning enforcement of payment obligations stated in these documents. Unfortunately, the knowledge and understanding required to navigate these complexities have been sorely lacking. The purpose of this paper is to plug this gap.Design/methodology/approachLegal research methods and case study approaches, using relevant court decisions as data, were adopted.FindingsThe enforcement method advised by the court is the summary judgment procedure provided under the Civil Procedure Rules. An overdue payment obligation, either under the terms of a construction contract or an adjudicator’s decision, amounts to a debt that can be the subject of insolvency proceedings. Although the insolvency enforcement method has been successfully used on some occasions, using it purely as a debt collection weapon would be inappropriate and likely to be punished by the court.Originality/valueThe paper contributes to knowledge in two ways: (i) it maps out the factual situations in which these payment challenges arise in language accessible to the construction industry’s professions; and (ii) comparative analysis of payment enforcement methods to aid decision-making by parties to construction industry contracts. It is relevant to the other common-law jurisdictions in which similar statutory interventions have been made.

Atapattu, Chinthaka Niroshan; Domingo, Niluka; Sutrisna, Monty

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-08-2023-0052

The current estimation practice in construction projects greatly needs upgrading, as there has been no improvement in the cost overrun issue over the past 70 years. The purpose of this research was to develop a new multiple regression analysis (MRA)-based model to forecast the final cost of road projects at the pre-design stage using data from 43 projects in New Zealand (NZ).Design/methodology/approachThe research used the case study of 43 completed road projects in NZ. Document analysis was conducted to collect data, and statistical tests were used for model development and analysis.FindingsEight models were developed, and all models achieved the required F statistics and met the regression assumptions. The models’ mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) was between 21.25% and 22.77%. The model with the lowest MAPE comprised the road length and width, number of bridges, pavement area, cut and fill area, preliminary cost and cost indices change.Research limitations/implicationsThe model is based on road projects in NZ. However, it was designed to be able to adapt to other contexts. The findings suggest that the model can be used to improve traditional conceptual estimating methods. Past project data is often stored by the project team but rarely used for analysing and forecasting purposes. This research emphasises that past data can be effectively used to predict the project cost at the pre-design stage with limited information.Originality/valueNo research was conducted to adopt cost modelling techniques into the conceptual estimation practice in the NZ construction industry.

Oke, Ayodeji Emmanuel; Aliu, John; Ehiosun, Lydia Uyi; Ebekozien, Andrew; Rotimi, Akinrolade Ayowole

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-08-2023-0055

The emergence of distributed ledger technology (DLT) has transformed the way construction industries approach data management, ushering in an era of increased transparency, security and efficiency. The purpose of this study is to investigate the strategies to promote the adoption of DLT in the Nigerian construction sector. This was done to address the challenges that hinder the widespread adoption of DLT within the Nigerian construction sector.Design/methodology/approachA comprehensive literature review informed the design of a structured questionnaire for data collection. The questionnaire was distributed among diverse construction professionals to explore their perceptions of potential strategies. The collected data were analyzed using the Shapiro–Wilk test for data distribution, while mean values and standard deviations were used to facilitate the ranking of strategies. The Kruskal–Wallis H-test was used to assess opinion differences, and exploratory factor analysis was applied to uncover underlying dimensions.FindingsThe findings revealed the top five strategies for DLT adoption as conducting workshops and seminars to educate professionals, collaborating with universities for DLT courses, encouraging joint projects for shared insights, forming consortia for DLT standards and allocating funding for DLT research in construction. Through factor analysis, the strategies identified were categorized into four principal clusters: awareness and education advancements, government support and incentives, industry collaboration and standards and pilot projects and demonstrations.Originality/valueWhile prior studies have identified barriers to DLT adoption and offering recommendations, this research advances the field by empirically investigating and assessing several of these strategies proposed in various studies. This approach provides valuable insights that go beyond existing research, offering a deeper understanding of the practical and contextual dynamics influencing DLT adoption in the construction sector.

Maina, Joy Joshua

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-07-2023-0047

This study aims to establish marketing practices which predict business performance of architecture firms within the Nigerian Construction Industry (NCI) to address the sustained poor business performance of firms, which affects allied professionals as many projects in the built environment depend on design proposals from architects.Design/methodology/approachSurvey responses from 86 firms were used to model business performance measured as total revenue of the firms from 40 commonly deployed marketing practices in construction.FindingsTwo-thirds of the marketing practices most used by architectural firms were ineffective in predicting business performance. The model also explains up to half the variance in business performance (37.4–49.9%), supporting the view that marketing in the CI affects business performance. Researching client needs and competitors emerged as the only significant positive predictor of business performance (β = 0.827, p = 0.043). Using social media (β = −1.247, p = 0.004), regular participation in awards/competitions (β = −1.420, p = 0.013) and inclusion of political offers in bids (β = −1.050, p = 0.016) negatively predicted business performance.Practical implicationsArchitecture and allied professional bodies in Nigeria need to rethink existing restrictions regarding marketing based on traditional code of ethics in light of present-day realities of digital and internet business environments. Principals and management of architecture firms require a paradigm shift in deploying the appropriate marketing practices, especially as it relates to research regarding changing client expectations and current competition within the NCI.Originality/valueThe study established marketing practices which model business performance and demonstrate their value in a framework for improving the financial sustainability of architecture firms within the NCI.

Kadan, Richard; Omotayo, Temitope Seun; Boateng, Prince; Nani, Gabriel; Wilson, Mark

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-07-2023-0038

This study aimed to address a gap in subcontractor management by focusing on previously unexplored complexities surrounding subcontractor management in developing countries. While past studies concentrated on selection and relationships, this study delved into how effective subcontractor management impacts project success.Design/methodology/approachThis study used the Bayesian Network analysis approach, through a meticulously developed questionnaire survey refined through a piloting stage involving experienced industry professionals. The survey was ultimately distributed among participants based in Accra, Ghana, resulting in a response rate of approximately 63%.FindingsThe research identified diverse components contributing to subcontractor disruptions, highlighted the necessity of a clear regulatory framework, emphasized the impact of financial and leadership assessments on performance, and underscored the crucial role of main contractors in Integrated Project and Labour Cost Management with Subcontractor Oversight and Coordination.Originality/valuePrevious studies have not considered the challenges subcontractors face in projects. This investigation bridges this gap from multiple perspectives, using Bayesian network analysis to enhance subcontractor management, thereby contributing to the successful completion of construction projects.

Rajhans, Rajni Kant

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-06-2023-0037

This paper aims to explore the relationship between economic policy uncertainty (EPU) and promoters’ share pledging activity for real estate and construction firms in India. The author further divides the sample into financially sound and financially constrained firms and re-examines the relationship between EPU and promoters’ share pledging activity for them. Additionally, the author investigates the moderating effect of EPU on firm-level cash holding for pledged firms.Design/methodology/approachThe author conducts multiple regression to examine the effect of EPU on the share-pledging activity of a firm on sample data of Indian construction and real estate firms. The financial and pledging data was collected for all listed firms from March 2009 to March 2020 from the Centre for Monitoring Indian Economy. The EPU data was re-estimated using the three-period moving average method. All data used in the study was collected from secondary sources.FindingsThe author finds that EPU influences pledging activity, and the association between them is opposite for financially constrained and financially sound firms. Also, the author reports that an increase in EPU increases firm-level cash holding for pledged firms, and the interaction between EPU and share pledging is significantly associated with firm-level cash holding.Practical implicationsThe managerial implications of this study are manifold. Managers of financially constrained firms should pay attention to the promoters pledging activity so that in a rising EPU environment, issues of managerial entrenchment can be avoided. Moreover, any further promoters’ share pledging activity under rising EPU conditions may force managers to hoard higher cash and thus reducing investment and profitability.Originality/valueThis paper presents evidence of relationship between EPU, share pledging activity and firm-level cash holding in an emerging economy. The study also compares the response of financially constrained and financially sound firms for EPU on equity pledging activity and that of equity pledging on firm-level cash holdings.

Alshibani, Adel; El Ghazzawi, Youssef Ahmed; Mohammed, Awsan; Ghaithan, Ahmed M.; Hassanain, Mohammad A.

2024 Journal of Financial Management of Property and Construction

doi: 10.1108/jfmpc-08-2023-0049

This paper aims to propose a novel model that addresses the limitations of current practices, through considering quantitative and qualitative criteria in the decision-making process for equipment replacement.Design/methodology/approachLiterature review and consultation with professionals in the heavy construction industry was conducted to identify the criteria influencing the replacement of construction machines. A questionnaire survey using analytic hierarchy process and multi-attribute utility theory was used to rank these criteria and establish their utility scores. Sensitivity analysis was performed to assess how adjustments in the weights of main criteria would impact equipment replacement decisions.FindingsThe identified criteria were classified into three categories: economic, technical and socioenvironmental, encompassing a total of 15 criteria. The findings indicated that salvage value/meeting payback period/maximizing profitability held the highest importance in the replacement process, followed by considerations like high repair and maintenance cost; working condition and economic conditions. Safety and social benefits scored the least among all criteria and categories.Research limitations/implicationsThis study focuses on earth-moving equipment and involves experts from the Eastern Province of Saudi Arabia. The model introduces a novel methodology to aid decision-makers, particularly contractors and project managers, in determining when to replace heavy construction equipment, which results in resource efficiency and time saving.Originality/valueThe model integrates expertise and knowledge from experts to establish criteria for replacing construction equipment. This research aims to improve the functionality of the decision-making process regarding the acquisition or replacement of equipment throughout its lifespan.