Jim Smith, Nellie O’Keeffe, Jim Georgiou and Peter E.D. Love
As clients have become more aware and demanding of the construction industry, they are also becoming less tolerant of the problems and the risks involved in the delivery of major…
Abstract
As clients have become more aware and demanding of the construction industry, they are also becoming less tolerant of the problems and the risks involved in the delivery of major projects. Presents a case study of design management within a design‐construct organization on a large residential apartment project. Identifies and analyses issues concerned with the organization, responsibilities, relationships and stages of development in a typical design‐construct project.
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This paper seeks to verify and validate a building defect classification system that has been previously developed and presented in Structural Survey. In doing so, the paper also…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper seeks to verify and validate a building defect classification system that has been previously developed and presented in Structural Survey. In doing so, the paper also seeks to address the following question: “Can Government regulatory control improve the quality of house construction?”
Design/methodology/approach
Archicentre House Inspection Reports were used.
Findings
The houses built under the HCGA (1988‐1996) from a previous study recorded an average of 2.29 defects per house. The 100‐house sample constructed under the DBCTA (1996 onwards) recorded 536 defects, equating to an average of 5.36 defects per house. This finding suggests that the quality of housing has dropped since the two Acts of Parliament were enacted. There also appears to be a significant increase in the number of consumers requesting inspections by industry professionals while construction is still in progress and before handover is achieved. This, coupled with the substantial increase in the number of defects per house, would suggest that the new Act has not had the desired impact.
Originality/value
The research is the first of its kind to examine the effectiveness of Government regulatory control of quality of housing that is constructed. Using the defect classification system, governments can examine the effectiveness of their domestic building policies.
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Jim Smith, Nellie O'Keeffe, Jim Georgiou and Peter E.D. Love
Building cost planning was originally developed in the framework of traditional procurement methods with conventional documentation, tendering and administration processes. With…
Abstract
Building cost planning was originally developed in the framework of traditional procurement methods with conventional documentation, tendering and administration processes. With the advent of alternative forms of procurement with more fluid approaches to design stages and documentation, the need for sound cost planning does not appear to diminish. As a process established on solid theoretical foundations, cost planning should be robust enough to adapt and flourish in a variety of procurement environments. However, little documentation and analysis of transformed and adapted forms of cost planning appear to have been made. This case study of a design‐construct company in Melbourne, Australia, presents and explores a contemporary form of building cost planning integrated into a design cost management approach adopted by a construction company experienced in alternative forms of procurement. The article traces this process on a design‐construct project from inception to the end of the design development stage and tender. Whilst the fundamental framework of cost planning remains intact, the focus and detail in each of the stages are guided by the company's priority for greater financial control over the cost and value implications of design and other decisions. This recently established working model of design cost management in this company has been designed to deliver added value to the client through a better balance of time, cost and quality in each project.
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Abstract
Purpose
Although the handover stage is the key transition stage between the construction and operation, there is no critical overview of issues and research at the handover stage, hindering the achievement of sustainable development of buildings. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to review the building handover-related issues and research in construction and facility management (FM) journals. The specific objectives of this study include: analyze the research trends and overview the handover-related publications; identify the major research topics on the handover of buildings; identify research gaps and propose future research directions.
Design/methodology/approach
This study opted for a four-step systematic review of papers from the well-known academic journals in the construction and FM respects.
Findings
The results first revealed the increasing research interest in the handover of buildings from the researchers. Moreover, the post-construction defects, poor information fidelity, poor interoperability between building information modeling (BIM) and FM technologies, and insufficient consideration of end users were identified as the most concerned challenges for a building handover. Furthermore, identifying and formalizing information requirements for handover, improving the handover process, and improving the interoperability between BIM and FM were solutions mostly emphasized by researchers.
Research limitations/implications
As the first systematic review of building handover-related issues and research, this study is the building block for future research on this topic. The findings provide guidance for researchers in the construction and FM research community, and help them form useful collaboration for future research opportunities and find future research directions.
Practical implications
The identified significant challenges and potential solutions for a building handover could assist practitioners in making rational decisions on developing or adopting relevant technologies, and reshaping their management patterns and working processes. Moreover, the findings could be severed as evidence for policymakers to initiate policies, such as documents e-submission and timely updating BIMs, to achieve the vision of model-based project delivery.
Originality/value
This study contributed to the body of knowledge of sustainable development by providing a new insight to tackle the hindrance to the smooth transition from the construction to the operation.
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J. Georgiou, P.E.D. Love and Jim Smith
Builders have a long history of a public perception of poor image and low quality products. Political and administrative demands for builder registration and tighter control of…
Abstract
Builders have a long history of a public perception of poor image and low quality products. Political and administrative demands for builder registration and tighter control of entry into the industry have been seen to be the solution to these problems. However, progress towards registration and control has proved elusive. Recently, the state of Victoria in Australia introduced mandatory builder registration under its Building Control Act 1993. Further reform for the housing industry was introduced in 1996 through the Domestic Building Contracts and Tribunal Act 1995. As the first legislation of its kind in Australia, the Victorian experience provides a case study for similar developments elsewhere. This paper reviews the history of builder registration in Victoria and identifies the major provisions of the 1995 Act, including the organisations established to regulate and supervise the implementation of the legislation. The perceived drawbacks and benefits of the new system are also analysed following the limited experience since the introduction of the legislation.
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The construction industry has faced a period of intense introspection. This has prompted researchers and practitioners to consider what type and structure of construction industry…
Abstract
The construction industry has faced a period of intense introspection. This has prompted researchers and practitioners to consider what type and structure of construction industry is most appropriate to meet the challenges posed by market driven economies. Client demands are responding more rapidly to changing organisational and market imperatives. Creative and innovative solutions are expected from client analysts, advisers and consultants, from within and outside the construction industry. Previous research conducted in several client organisations at the project initiation (pre‐design) stage indicate that typically a building is not necessarily the only, or best, solution. It is contended that these trends have implications for the nature and workload of the construction industry in developed and developing countries alike. It reviews the past, considers present trends and suggests the effect such directions may have on the procurement of construction facilities.
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Petros Kostagiolas, Anastasia Margiola and Anastasia Avramidou
Libraries in Greece are mostly financed by public sources, with private funding covering only a very small proportion of their budget. The deteriorating, slowly growing economic…
Abstract
Purpose
Libraries in Greece are mostly financed by public sources, with private funding covering only a very small proportion of their budget. The deteriorating, slowly growing economic environment in Greece places additional pressure on the already understaffed and underfinanced public libraries. This paper aims at demonstrating that the tough economic conditions may provide a setting for innovation and quality enhancement which may lead in turn to a corresponding growth in the library sector.
Design/methodology/approach
A qualitative analysis is conducted in order to identify the potential of a novel management response model as a pathway for library survival within the fierce economic crisis.
Findings
Specific suggestions are made for the management of public libraries, future policies and trends in the lines of learning/education/training services; social/economic development services; electronic government and citizen participation in public affairs services; cultural identity and social cohesion services; and social inclusion services.
Practical/implications
It is ascertained that public libraries in Greece may have an opportunity for change and innovation as a result of the current economic situation. Furthermore, it is believed that active involvement, quality, innovation and self‐finance can serve as important tools for the development of public libraries and their positive contribution and productive role into the Greek socioeconomic environment.
Originality/value
This is the only available work providing an overall management approach for public libraries within a current economic crisis such as the one in Greece.
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Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some…
Abstract
Aim of the present monograph is the economic analysis of the role of MNEs regarding globalisation and digital economy and in parallel there is a reference and examination of some legal aspects concerning MNEs, cyberspace and e‐commerce as the means of expression of the digital economy. The whole effort of the author is focused on the examination of various aspects of MNEs and their impact upon globalisation and vice versa and how and if we are moving towards a global digital economy.
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This paper aims to analyse the character and strength of the claims made in an emerging literature offering a sociology of financial reporting principles.
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to analyse the character and strength of the claims made in an emerging literature offering a sociology of financial reporting principles.
Design/methodology/approach
The analysis evaluates exemplary works in the literature against the characteristics of the paranoid style first identified by Richard Hofstadter: overheated claims of a far-reaching, malign and collusive machinery of influence; a reductive, rationalistic and dualistic reading of events; weak empirics; and weak theorisation.
Findings
A significant stream within the literature is coming to be constructed in the paranoid style. Paranoid stylistics, used as a diagnostic tool, alerts us here to distorted judgement.
Research limitations/implications
Alternative ways of avoiding the dangers of paranoid-style readings are suggested, ranging from resisting the temptations towards such readings to a radical re-working of the epistemics of “socio-accounting”.
Practical implications
The danger of allowing the conclusions advanced in the literature to go unchallenged is that they may influence society’s attitude to accounting, public policy-making and scholars’ willingness to contribute to the crafting of reporting principles and standards.
Originality/value
Although paranoid style analysis has been widely used to examine narratives in other academic fields, to the best of the author’s knowledge, this is the first study to apply it to scholarly accounting.