I am delighted to include two Letters to launch the first issue of a new volume. This form of communication is intended to provide a responsive forum for serious debate about research issues in this field. One of these Letters raises serious concerns about the prospects for academic careers, the other is about the problem of categorizing data on construction projects. I hope that these inspire you to send in Letters on any aspect of research in our field, whether as a rejoinder to something already published in these pages or not. This is a great opportunity to contribute to emergent thinking in the field, and to take part in interesting and challenging debates.
The papers in this issue begin with a Note by Kirkham, who focuses on the increasing awareness in the construction sector of the benefits of whole life cycle costing (WLCC). The practical implementation of this technique reveals problems with consistency and logical decision‐making. Kirkham addresses this issue through the development of a WLCC decision support application. His purpose is to reduce the complexity of WLCC analysis, and assist in the optimization of design decisions.
Tang, Ying, Anson and Lu describe a Monte‐Carlo simulation model for the delivery of concrete from a ready‐mixed concrete plant to a number of construction sites. The main entity of the simulation model is the truckmixer which delivers concrete from plant to sites. From the simulation results, the optimal number of truckmixers on a day's concreting process can be obtained if the total volume of concrete orders demanded by the sites is known and input to the model. The truckmixers' waiting times at the plant and their queuing times at the construction sites can also be found from the simulation. Based on these simulated data, the concrete plant manager and the site engineers may be able to find ways to improve concrete delivery operations.
Cost estimation is a very stressful business. Leung, Ng, Skitmore and Cheung identify the main causes of the stress endured by cost estimators by carrying out a survey of construction cost estimators in Hong Kong. They have identified and modelled the relationships amongst the stressors (stress factors) and stress. The critical stressors are work overload, role conflict, job ambiguity, and working environment. Indirect stressors are work underload and distrust. Measures can be put in place to mitigate the effects of stress; for example, a comfortable environment, specific role of estimators, regularly revision of estimation works, team building and stress‐release training/workshops. These are recommended to construction estimators in order to ensure good performance of construction projects.
Phua examines the impact on project success of factors outside the project environment. There has been a serious lack of empirical study to investigate these relationships in the CM literature. Hence, her study is an exploratory analysis of some of the environmental factors that influence the way projects are undertaken and outlines future research avenues where this kind of research can be pursued more seriously. For example, firms need to be cognisant of the benefits to project performance of integrating both task environment and institutional factors.
Assembly processes in house‐building have tended to develop more through custom and practice, rather than formal analysis of methods. Lack of standards and mechanisms for process review have resulted in significant variability on site, poor quality and inefficiency. Roy, Low and Waller present their work on the design of process standard documents, and an information system for their implementation to facilitate training, development of consistency of operations and sharing of good practice. They argue that such a system has to be viewed as part of a change management model embedded in a business strategy focused on the product and the customer. They suggest a route for acquiring strategic capability for change.
Mehta and Bridwell investigate the possible provision of affordable and structurally sound housing in the developing world. The use of innovative, simple technology with basic materials such as clay and soil may enable efficient and affordable construction of dwellings to meet demand in developing countries. Using simple diesel engine hydraulic ram equipment, entire housing communities can be erected in a matter of months, complete with utilities using unskilled labor. Using Tanzania as a country model, the authors investigate local building traditions and construction material availability. More importantly, economic development and empowerment can be stimulated through the introduction and promotion of simple technology into the marketplace.
Larsen and Ballal argue that the construction management literature has oversimplified the innovation diffusion process. Much of this is because of the positivist perspective traditionally adopted and lack of consideration for the sociological issues. The authors highlight why the sociological impact needs consideration and they introduce three sociological innovation diffusion concepts, each providing different explanations. They then assess the suitability of each concept, paying particular attention to the context of the UK construction sector and what effect this may have upon suitability. The practitioners surveyed indicate that innovation diffusion is best explained by all three sociological innovation diffusion theories, but at different stages of the process
Benjaoran, Dawood and Hobbs deal with the production planning of bespoke pre‐cast concrete products. This type of pre‐cast concrete product is specially designed for unique requirements of specific construction projects; the production system is a make‐to‐order. Current practices of production planning are quite simplified and do not address the efficiency of resource utilization e.g. moulds and manpower. The authors propose a new method of production planning that implements the flow shop scheduling technique. The manufacturing process of these product kinds is modelled, including the particular consideration of mould re‐use, and the characteristics of the manufacturing tasks. Experimentation shows that this planning method can be used to optimize the duration, idle time of the crew and timeliness of product completion.
Haupt, Munshi and Smallwood assess manpower issues in South Africa; an important problem considering that the SA construction workforce is ageing. This situation is exacerbated by fewer younger entrants into the industry and the effects of debilitating disease such as AIDS. Their study is the first that investigates the knowledge, attitudes and perceptions of construction workers. The link between STIs and HIV infection is one that needs particular attention as STIs facilitate the transmission of HIV. Contractors need to pay more attention to the older worker cohort.
Forthcoming papers
C.M. Tam, Thomas K.L. Tong, Tony C.T. Lau and K.K. Chan
Selection of vertical formwork system by probabilistic neural networks models
K.C. Lam, C.M. Tang and W.C. Lee
Application of the entropy technique and genetic algorithms to construction site layout planning of medium‐size projects
Ayirebi Dansoh
Strategic planning practice of construction firms in Ghana
John K. W. Chan, C. M. Tam and R. Cheung
Monitoring financial health of contractors at the aftermath of the Asian economic turmoil: a case study in Hong Kong
S. L. Liu, S. Y. Wang and K. K. Lai
A general multivariate analysis approach for determining bid mark‐up strategy
Henry H. Y. Hsieh
The 1990s Taiwan residential construction boom: a supply side interpretation
A. Hassanein and O. Moselhi
Accelerating linear projects
Roger Hosein and Timothy Michael Lewis
Quantifying the relationship between aggregate GDP and construction value added in a small petroleum rich economy – a case study of Trinidad and Tobago
M. D. Mainul Islam and Olusegun O. Faniran
Structural equation model of project planning effectiveness
Cheng Lianyu and Robert L. K. Tiong
Minimum feasible tariff model for BOT water supply projects in Malaysia
Javier C. Cuervo and Low Sui Pheng
Significance of internalisation factors for Singapore transnational construction corporations
Gerard D. Wood and Robert C. T. Ellis
Main contractor experiences of partnering relationships on UK construction projects
Nader Abdul‐Hadi, Abdulsalam Al‐Sudiri and Saleh Alqahtani
Prioritizing barriers to successful business process re‐engineering (BPR) efforts in Saudi Arabian construction industry
Wei‐Chih Wang and Ren‐Jye Dzeng
Applying cluster identification algorithm and simulation to generate probabilistic network schedules for design projects
H. A. Bassioni, A. D. F. Price and T. M. Hassan
Building a conceptual framework for measuring business performance in construction: an empirical evaluation
Mei‐Yung Leung, Paul O. Olomolaiye, Alice Chong and Chloe C. Y. Lam
Impacts of stress on estimation performance in Hong Kong
P. A. Koushki, N. Kartam and K. Al‐Rashid
Delays and cost increases in the construction of private residential projects in Kuwait
Richard J. Kirkham and A. Halim Boussabaine
Forecasting the residual service life of NHS hospital buildings: a stochastic approach
Andrew R. J. Dainty, Stephen G. Ison and Geoffrey H. Briscoe
The construction labour market skills crisis: the perspective of small‐medium sized firms
Issaka Ndekugri and Victorial Russell
Insolvency and resolution of construction contract disputes by adjudication in the UK construction industry
Jacqueline Glass
A best practice process model for hybrid concrete construction
Florence Yean Yng Ling, C. William Ibbs and Javier C. Cuervo
Entry and business strategies used by international AEC firms in China
Sang‐Hoon Lee, Stephen R. Thomas and Richard L. Tucker
The relative impacts of selected practices on project cost and schedule
Wen‐der Yu and Shao‐Shung Lo
Time‐dependent construction social costs model
Frens Pries and André Dorée
A century of innovation in the Dutch construction industry
J. Pedro Couto and José Manuel Cardoso Teixeira
Using linear model for learning curve effect on highrise floor construction
Andrew R.J. Dainty, Alan Bryman, Andrew D.F. Price, Kay Greasley, Robby Soetento and Nicola King
Project affinity: the role of emotional attachment in construction projects
Swee Lean Chan and Moonseo Park
Project cost estimation using principal component regression
D. Darshi De Saram and S.L. Tang
Pain and suffering costs of persons in constructions accidents: Hong Kong experience
Low Sui Pheng and Wu Min
Just‐in‐time management in the ready mixed concrete industries of Chongqing, China and Singapore
M. Motiar Rahman and Mohan M. Kumaraswamy
Assembling integrated project teams for joint risk management
Søren Spangenberg, Harald Hannerz and Finn Tüchsen
Hospitalised injuries among bridge and tunnel construction workers
Yiannis Xenidis and Demos Angelides
The financial risks in build‐operate‐transfer projects
Obaid Saad Al‐Sobiei, David Arditi and Gul Polat
Predicting the risk of contractor default in Saudi Arabia utilizing ANN/GA techniques
Johan Nyström
The definition of partnering as a Wittgenstein family‐resemblance concept
Tarek M. Zayed and Daniel W. Halpin
Deterministic models for assessing productivity and cost of bored piles
We Mild Spaulding, Adrian Bridge and Martin Skitmore
The use of function analysis as the basis of value management in the Australian construction industry
Robert C.T. Ellis, Gerard D. Wood and David A. Keel
Value management practices of leading UK cost consultants
Helen Lingard and Valerie Francis
Does work‐family conflict mediate the relationship between job schedule demands and burnout in male construction professionals and managers?
Pierre Bonnal, Didier Gourc, Ari‐Pekka Hameri and Germain Lacoste
A linear‐discrete scheduling model for the resource‐constrained project scheduling problem
Andreas Wibowo
Estimating General Threshold Traffic Levels of Typical Build, Operate, and Transfer Toll Road Projects in Indonesia
K. C. Lam, T.S. Hu and S.T. Ng
Using the principal component analysis method as a tool in contractor prequalification
Wu Min and Low Sui Pheng
EOQ versus JIT purchasing: an alternative analysis in the ready‐mixed concrete industry
Gul Polat and David Arditi
The JIT materials management system in developing countries
Li Bing, A. Akintoye, P.J. Edwards and C. Hardcastle
Critical success factors for PPP/PFI projects in the UK construction industry