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Article
Publication date: 13 June 2016

Andrew W.T. Lau, Y.S. Li, S.L. Tang and K.W. Chau

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong…

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Abstract

Purpose

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong construction industry and to recommend improvement measures. The CIRC’s report, released in 2001, recommended many improvement measures related to total quality management (TQM) principles. Despite many of these improvement recommendations being fulfilled in the ten years following the release of the report, there is a lack of literature documenting these achievements and the corresponding level of TQM application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the extent of TQM application by engineering consultants in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted and a survey questionnaire was then designed for a full-scale survey. The data collected from the survey were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Correlations between the respondents’ scores on the survey questions were established.

Findings

The survey findings indicate a moderately high level of application of TQM principles, reflecting a moderately high achievement in implementing the CIRC’s intended improvements. The survey findings further suggest that as a short-term need, focussing on top management leadership and supplier management is necessary for current and scheduled projects, and that organizational learning and people management are the two other major TQM principles that engineering consultants should focus on to sustain their long-term business.

Practical implications

The Hong Kong experience should be of interest to other countries, both regionally and globally, in search of an improvement framework to enhance their quality culture.

Originality/value

This paper is an original contribution. The content of the paper is unique. No one has done this before.

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Article
Publication date: 22 May 2009

Andrew W.T. Lau and S.L. Tang

The purpose of this paper is to report an investigation on the advancement of QA to TQM for construction contractors in Hong Kong.

3610

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to report an investigation on the advancement of QA to TQM for construction contractors in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

The investigation is based on a questionnaire survey. The questionnaire was answered by 40 respondents working in construction contractors in Hong Kong including project managers, section managers, senior engineers and quality managers. The data obtained from the questionnaire survey were then analysed.

Findings

The results of the questionnaire survey are presented in the form of the levels of application of QA and TQM as practised by the contracting organizations in Hong Kong. The findings suggest that contractors are fully familiar with the application of QA but are less familiar with that of TQM. Both QA and TQM items that are mostly practised and seldom practised are discussed. In association with the findings, potential areas for exploratory studies in quality management systems and the quality culture of the Hong Kong construction industry are suggested.

Originality/value

The paper explores new directions in the advancement of QA to TQM for construction contractors and offers help to practitioners in providing a direction for construction quality management improvement.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 26 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

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Article
Publication date: 7 September 2015

Andrew W.T. Lau, S.L. Tang and Y.S. Li

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong…

1160

Abstract

Purpose

In 2000, the Hong Kong Government commissioned the Construction Industry Review Committee (CIRC) to provide a thorough review of the strengths/weaknesses of the Hong Kong construction industry and to recommend improvement measures. The CIRC’s report, released in 2001, recommended many improvement measures related to total quality management (TQM) principles. Despite many of these improvement recommendations being fulfilled in the ten years following the release of the report, there is a lack of literature documenting these achievements and the corresponding level of TQM application. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the level of TQM application by construction contractors in Hong Kong using a questionnaire survey.

Design/methodology/approach

A literature review was conducted and a survey questionnaire was then designed for a full-scale survey. The data collected from the survey were analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences. Correlations between the respondents’ scores on the survey questions were established.

Findings

The survey findings indicate a moderately high level of application of TQM principles, reflecting a moderately high achievement in implementing the CIRC’s intended improvements. The TQM application level is comparable to that of Singapore, which is also a country with a high Chinese population. The findings further suggest that organisational learning and supplier management are the two major TQM principles that contractors should focus on to sustain their long-term businesses.

Practical implications

The Hong Kong experience should be of interest to other developing and developed countries, both regionally and globally, in search of a similar paradigm for improving quality.

Originality/value

This research is the first one done as to the level of TQM application in the Hong Kong construction industry. No one has done it before so this is the originality. The results are not only valuable to the stakeholders in construction in Hong Kong, but also to other developing and developed countries, both regionally and globally, in search of a similar paradigm for raising their quality culture.

Details

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, vol. 32 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0265-671X

Keywords

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Book part
Publication date: 23 September 2022

Temidayo Oluwasola Osunsanmi, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala and Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke

The idea of implementing supply chain management (SCM) principles for the construction industry was embraced by construction stakeholders to enhance the sector's performance. The…

Abstract

The idea of implementing supply chain management (SCM) principles for the construction industry was embraced by construction stakeholders to enhance the sector's performance. The analysis from the literature revealed that the implementation of SCM in the construction industry enhances the industry's value in terms of cost-saving, time savings, material management, risk management and others. The construction supply chain (CSC) can be managed using the pull or push system. This chapter also discusses the origin and proliferation of SCM into the construction industry. The chapter revealed that the concept of SCM has passed through five different eras: the creation era, the use of ERP, globalisation stage, specialisation stage and electronic stage. The findings from the literature revealed that we are presently in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. At this stage, the SCM witnesses the adoption of technologies and principles driven by the 4IR. This chapter also revealed that the practice of SCM in the construction industry is centred around integration, collaboration, communication and the structure of the supply chain (SC). The forms and challenges hindering the adoption of these practices were also discussed extensively in this chapter.

Details

Construction Supply Chain Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-160-3

Keywords

Available. Content available
Book part
Publication date: 24 June 2024

Noel Scott, Brent Moyle, Ana Cláudia Campos, Liubov Skavronskaya and Biqiang Liu

Free Access. Free Access

Abstract

Details

Cognitive Psychology and Tourism
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80262-579-0

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Book part
Publication date: 7 January 2015

Abstract

Details

Adoption of Anglo-American Models of Corporate Governance and Financial Reporting in China
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78350-898-3

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Book part
Publication date: 19 June 2019

Thomas Wing Yan Man

This chapter begins with a reflection on the call for investigating how entrepreneurial competencies are developed (Bird, 1995) in the context of university-based entrepreneurship…

Abstract

This chapter begins with a reflection on the call for investigating how entrepreneurial competencies are developed (Bird, 1995) in the context of university-based entrepreneurship centers. Through clarifying the nature of entrepreneurial competencies and applying a social constructivist perspective of learning, it is proposed that effective nurturing of entrepreneurial competencies for university students through entrepreneurship centers shall be based on five key characteristics; namely, active experimentation, authenticity, social interaction, sense of ownership, and scaffolding support. The chapter contributes to the literature through establishing a link between entrepreneurship education and entrepreneurial competencies in the context of university-based entrepreneurship centers, which have become an increasingly popular way for promoting entrepreneurial development. The practical implications on nurturing entrepreneurs through entrepreneurship centers are discussed, together with the directions for further research. This chapter is designed as a refection upon Bird’s original article articulating the concept of entrepreneurial competencies. In this chapter, the author outlines how entrepreneurial competencies can be developed through education programs, specifically via entrepreneurship centers.

Details

Seminal Ideas for the Next Twenty-Five Years of Advances
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-78973-262-7

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Book part
Publication date: 30 June 2000

William A. Barnett

Abstract

Details

The Theory of Monetary Aggregation
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-0-44450-119-6

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Book part
Publication date: 23 September 2022

Temidayo Oluwasola Osunsanmi, Clinton Ohis Aigbavboa, Wellington Didibhuku Thwala and Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke

This chapter presented the model for the effective practice of construction supply chain management (CSCM) in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. The model was developed…

Abstract

This chapter presented the model for the effective practice of construction supply chain management (CSCM) in the fourth industrial revolution (4IR) era. The model was developed after discovering that the failure of adopting the 4IR component has hindered the synchronisation of construction supply chain (CSC) activities. While some stakeholders are willing to manage their CSC under the 4IR era, most have no clue how to go about it. Most stakeholders are familiar with an existing practice built around collaboration, integration, supply chain structure and trust. This chapter bridges the gap by introducing organisational culture and 4IR components for modelling the CSCM in the 4IR era. The model was backed and grounded with a robust theoretical framework. The theories include social identity theory, change theory and resource-based view theory. It was discovered that the organisational culture adopted by construction stakeholders determines their willingness to embrace the 4IR component for the management of CSC. The 4IR components were divided into smart management, virtualisation and cyber-physical systems. The chapter recommended that the practice of SCM in the Nigerian construction industry should be modelled around the six constructs that were used in developing the model for this study.

Details

Construction Supply Chain Management in the Fourth Industrial Revolution Era
Type: Book
ISBN: 978-1-80382-160-3

Keywords

Available. Open Access. Open Access
Article
Publication date: 21 March 2022

Andrew T.W. Hung

The aim of this paper is to argue for the values of familial caring and relationships in addition to the provision of social media technology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong…

1511

Abstract

Purpose

The aim of this paper is to argue for the values of familial caring and relationships in addition to the provision of social media technology during the COVID-19 pandemic in Hong Kong.

Design/methodology/approach

The discussion of this paper has adopted an inter-disciplinary approach by integrating health care system and psychological analysis, based on cultural philosophical argument through the hermeneutic approach of classical texts and critical analysis.

Findings

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the dilemma between the public health measures for COVID-19 and sustaining elderly social psychological health through familial connection. From a Confucian perspective, the practice of filial piety (xiao, 孝), which demands taking care of parents, is essential for one’s moral formation, and for one’s becoming a virtuous (ren, 仁) person. The necessity of taking care of elderly parents by adult children is not something that can be explained in terms of consequentialism. Indeed, the rising trend of instrumental rationality seems to weaken rather than strengthen the sense of filial obligation. In the face of the COVID-19 pandemic which tends to separate connections between family members, the author argues that we should emphasize the values of familial caring and relationship because it enhances the elderly’s characteristic of resilience.

Originality/value

This paper shows that while social media technology has mitigated the negative effect of social distancing, such online relationships should never replace the bodily connections between the elderly and their family members from a Confucian perspective.

Details

Public Administration and Policy, vol. 25 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1727-2645

Keywords

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