Daniel M Chan, Albert P C Chan, Patrick T I Lam, Edward W M Lam and James M W Wong
Guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and target cost contracting (TCC) with a pain‐share/gain‐share arrangement have been adopted to integrate the construction delivery process and…
Abstract
Guaranteed maximum price (GMP) and target cost contracting (TCC) with a pain‐share/gain‐share arrangement have been adopted to integrate the construction delivery process and motivate service providers to seek continuous improvements in project outcomes. However, there is still a lack of research evidence to evaluate the levels of success and lessons learned from these innovative procurement strategies. Based on the analysis of a series of in‐depth interviews on the perceptions of various relevant experienced industrial practitioners, this paper aims to explore the key attributes of GMP/TCC including the underlying motives, perceived benefits, potential difficulties, critical success factors, key risk factors involved and optimal project conditions for adopting GMP/TCC. The research findings are useful in assisting key project stakeholders in minimising the detriments brought about by potential difficulties in and maximising the benefits derived from implementing GMP/TCC concepts. The study is also significant in contributing to new knowledge and practical information of GMP/TCC applications and implementation, in both a national and international context.
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Edmond W.M. Lam, Albert P.C. Chan and Daniel W.M. Chan
This paper aims to develop a project success index (PSI) to benchmark the performance of building maintenance projects from a number of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to develop a project success index (PSI) to benchmark the performance of building maintenance projects from a number of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Design/methodology/approach
The research collected 110 responses from project participants with managing building maintenance project experience of the Hong Kong construction industry via ordinary postal mail. In addition, a project success equation was formulated from the principal components analysis to generate a composite score so as to indicate the level of success of building maintenance projects.
Findings
Industry participants believe that time, cost, quality, functionality, safety and environmental friendliness can be considered as KPIs for building maintenance projects. A single index can also be computed from the project success equation to apply different weightings to the respective KPI with different significance such that the performance of building maintenance projects can be compared.
Practical implications
The concept of success remains vague among project participants, which makes it difficult to assess whether the performance of a project is a success or failure. The development of PSI can indicate the overall performance of a building maintenance project and quantify the success concept in a scientific manner.
Originality/value
PSI‐Mains indicates the success level of a building maintenance project for benchmarking purposes. It also enables project stakeholders to measure the success of a building maintenance project and to compare the relative success level among different building maintenance projects in a scientific manner.
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Edmond W.M. Lam, Albert P.C. Chan and Daniel W.M. Chan
The paper aims to develop a project success index (PSI) to benchmark the performance of design‐build projects from a number of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Abstract
Purpose
The paper aims to develop a project success index (PSI) to benchmark the performance of design‐build projects from a number of key performance indicators (KPIs).
Design/methodology/approach
This research collected 92 responses from Design and Build (D&B) project participants of the Hong Kong construction industry via ordinary postal mail. In addition, a project success equation is formulated from the principal components analysis.
Findings
D&B project participants suggests that time, cost, quality and functionality should be the principal success criteria for D&B projects. A single index can also be computed from the project success equation to apply different weightings to the respective KPI with different significance.
Practical implications
The concept of success remains vague among project participants, which makes it difficult to assess whether the performance of a project is a success or failure. The development of PSI can quantify the success concept in a scientific manner.
Originality/value
PSI indicates the success level of a construction project for benchmarking purposes. It also enables project stakeholders to measure the success of a D&B project and to compare the relative success level among different D&B projects in a scientific manner.
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Edmond W.M. Lam, Albert P.C. Chan and Daniel W.M. Chan
Benchmarking can be an effective way of helping organizations to deliver better services through continuous improvement. The concept of benchmarking has been extensively applied…
Abstract
Benchmarking can be an effective way of helping organizations to deliver better services through continuous improvement. The concept of benchmarking has been extensively applied to the construction industry in recent years to enhance the performance of the project delivery process. Success is hard to achieve, especially for a construction project delivered by an innovative procurement method – design and build, and the identification of critical success factors can enable project team leaders to make improvements in some particular areas. This paper aims to establish a conceptual framework of critical success factors (CSFs) for design‐build projects in construction. From the framework, it is hypothesized that project success of a design‐build project is a function of the interaction among project characteristics, project procedures, project management strategies, project‐related participants, project work atmosphere and project environment. The CSFs so identified can provide practitioners and academics with a better understanding of running a design‐build project successfully to develop a benchmark for the D&B project delivery process.
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Albert P.C. Chan, Yang Yang, Francis K.W. Wong, Daniel W.M. Chan and Edmond W.M. Lam
– The aim of this study is to investigate wearing comfort of summer work uniforms judged by construction workers.
Abstract
Purpose
The aim of this study is to investigate wearing comfort of summer work uniforms judged by construction workers.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 189 male construction workers participated in a series of wear trials and questionnaire surveys in the summer of 2014. They were asked to randomly wear two types of work uniforms (i.e. uniforms A and B) in the two-day field survey and the subjective attributes of these uniforms were assessed. Three analytical techniques, namely, multiple regression, artificial neural network and fuzzy logic were used to predict wearing comfort affected by the six subjective sensations.
Findings
The results revealed that fuzzy logic was a robust and practical tool for predicting wearing comfort in terms of better prediction performance and more interpretable results than the other models. Pressure attributes were further found to exert a greater effect than thermal–wet attributes on wearing comfort. Overall, the use of uniform B exhibited profound benefits on wearing comfort because it kept workers cooler, drier and more comfortable with less work performance interference than wearing uniform A.
Originality/value
The findings provide a fresh insight into construction workers’ needs for work clothes, which further facilitates the improvement in the clothing tailor-made design and the enhancement of the well-being of workers.
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Edmond Wai-Ming Lam, Albert P.C. Chan, Timothy O. Olawumi, Irene Wong and Kayode Olatunji Kazeem
Sustainability has been the subject of several scientific investigations. Many researchers in the construction industry have also examined a range of sustainability-related…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainability has been the subject of several scientific investigations. Many researchers in the construction industry have also examined a range of sustainability-related studies. However, few studies have thoroughly reviewed implementing sustainability concepts in high-rise residential buildings (HRRBs).
Design/methodology/approach
By adopting scientometrics and systematic review (SR), this study seeks to map out recent sustainability trends and concepts in the design, development and operation of HRRBs worldwide and in Hong Kong. With a focus on bibliographic records from the Web of Science (WoS) database, 1,395 journal articles from 2013 to 2022 were analysed. Furthermore, thirteen studies were systematically reviewed.
Findings
The SR indicated that sustainable practices in developing Hong Kong's HRRBs emphasised zero-carbon buildings, reduced energy usage and energy-efficient retrofitting. Likewise, terms such as BIM, urban density, life cycle assessment and system dynamics are strongly connected with clusters that include “residential buildings”, “high-rise buildings” and “high-rise residential buildings”. The study identified significant themes in establishing HRRBs by combining sustainable practices, emphasising urban governance and policy management, building performance and thermal comfort, energy and design optimisation, occupant behaviour and sensitivity analysis. Core sustainability ideas have improved resource management, air quality management and knowledge of user behaviour in HRRBs.
Originality/value
The study allows researchers and practitioners to explore future research directions in the built environment per the application of sustainable concepts in the development of HRRBs from design, construction and post-construction phases.
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Gavriella Rubin Rojas, Jennifer Feitosa and M. Gloria González-Morales
Mindfulness-based interventions are on the rise in workplace settings to enhance Well-Being and address work stress. Their popularity is in part due to the fact that they are…
Abstract
Mindfulness-based interventions are on the rise in workplace settings to enhance Well-Being and address work stress. Their popularity is in part due to the fact that they are often assumed to have a net positive impact on both workers’ Well-Being and organizational functioning. However, the majority of workplace mindfulness practice and research focuses on individual-level mindfulness interventions and their associated outcomes, like reduced stress. However, the modern workplace is highly dependent on positive team functioning, and the impact of mindfulness in teams is lesser known. This review differentiates individual mindfulness from team mindfulness and explores how both individual and team mindfulness impact team functioning. The authors review mindfulness and teams’ literature to understand antecedents, correlated mediators, and consequences of mindfulness in team contexts, team processes, and the boundary conditions related to mindfulness outcomes. This review adds to the budding theoretical conversation regarding mindfulness at work and contributes valuable insight into the practical applications of mindfulness in teams.
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The time has come to reflect on the warning signs, decisions made, and repercussions of those in leadership of a financial services company which collapsed in the wake of the…
Abstract
The time has come to reflect on the warning signs, decisions made, and repercussions of those in leadership of a financial services company which collapsed in the wake of the financial crisis during the mid-2000’s. The author was a divisional technology executive of this firm at the time, close enough to the top of the organization to observe the actions of those in charge. The author’s observations over a period of years eventually led her to resign from her position to enter a doctoral program only a few weeks before the company’s demise. The impetus behind the author’s resignation was her feeling that the decisions and actions of those in leadership violated her personal values. In this account, the author offers her personal reflections and the repercussions of this experience, followed by a deconstruction of this tragic leadership failure which includes references to the leadership literature.