Electronic document management systems and the management of UK construction projects

The authors indicate that EDMS will not replace, but complement existing facilities and thereby enhance the management of documentation within construction organizations. It is hoped that client confidence and satisfaction can be enhanced by better communication.     

Evaluation of trends in the UK construction industry using growth and productivity accounts

For an assessment of the productivity performance of construction at the industry level, the quality of any analysis can be improved by the availability and use of detailed data on the basic components of the industry’s production function. The EU KLEMS Growth and Productivity Accounts comprise a dataset that provides a rich source of information on the sources of growth by industry, one of which is the construction industry (ISIC 45), since the 1970s for European Union countries and other major economies. The database allows a breakdown of factor inputs by the categorization of capital inputs into asset types and labour inputs into components such as skill levels to provide more precise measurement of sources of growth at industry level. The UK construction sector forms the focal point of the analysis and the results of this analysis provide evidence of a steady increase in the growth of ICT and improved labour skills usage and a relatively high rate of total factor productivity for the UK construction industry.     

Adjustment behaviour of capital structure over the business cycles: evidence from the construction industry of Taiwan

Prior studies have found that firms may deviate from the target capital structure in the short run and adjust towards the target in the long run. However, little attention has been given to the adjustment behaviour of capital structure in the construction industry over the business cycles, in particular within the context of emerging markets. The partial adjustment model with the GMM (i.e. generalized method of moments) estimation is used to examine the adjustment behaviour of capital structure in the construction industry within the context of Taiwan during the period 1982 to 2007. The results suggest that, first, the average rate of adjustment is 26.3% of the adjustment gap between the target debt ratios and the previous debt ratios for firms in the construction industry of Taiwan. However, the average rate of adjustment towards the target debt ratios has slowed down after the Asian financial crisis of 1997. Secondly, firms with the financial constraint of over‐leverage relative to the target debt ratios have lower debt ratios than those firms with the financial constraint of under‐leverage. In addition, the difference in debt ratios between firms with the financial constraint of over‐leverage and under‐leverage has become narrower after the Asian financial crisis. Lastly, the findings suggest that macroeconomic conditions do not have a significant, negative effect on debt ratios.     

加强建筑节能设计 实现建筑业可持续发展

阐述了我国建筑节能设计的发展现状,针对建筑行业资源消耗量大的问题,分析了建筑节能设计的规划重点,并着重论述了建筑单体部分的节能设计方式,以减少能源消耗,促进建筑业的可持续发展。     

Women in the UK construction industry

This paper considers the opportunities for, and barriers against, women within the UK construction industry. Women form the greater proportion of the economically active UK population and yet within construction, and other industries, they are under represented. Data available clearly indicates that women are more than capable of performing the tasks undertaken by many professional male counter-parts. Many of the professional bodies within the industry have a women's cohort, which may be perceived as a useful starting point, but does not fully reflect the potential available. It is suggested that women should be better represented and consideration is given to methods suitable for increasing the representation and reducing or eliminating some of the barriers to entry and eventual retention.     

休闲产业发展与城市经济结构调整浅析

从休闲产业的发展情况出发,就休闲产业发展对城市产业结构调整、就业结构调整、消费结构调整、投资结构调整四个方面的推动作用展开了论述,并指出大力发展休闲产业是城市发展的大势所趋。     

基于SSA的广东省建筑业结构竞争力实证研究

针对目前广东省建筑业所有制结构和行业细分结构的现状,应用偏离-份额原理实证分析了广东省建筑业发展的结构偏离和竞争力偏离状况,结果证明,广东省建筑业相对于全国平均状况竞争力弱,所有制结构不合理,已经严重制约了建筑业的发展,行业细分结构偏离体现在建筑装饰业发展迅猛、房屋建筑业和建筑安装业发展滞缓.通过分析,给出结构调整的政策建议.     

Improvement tools in the UK construction industry

The use of improvement tools in manufacturing industry has proven to be an important aspect of continuous improvement activities. To determine whether the same is true in the UK construction industry, a survey was conducted to assess the current level of use and perceived importance of such tools. In addition, the impact of the ISO 9001 quality system on the level of use and perceived importance of these tools was also investigated. Following a comprehensive literature review, more than thirty improvement tools were identified and categorized using affinity diagrams. Factor analysis was used to demonstrate that the proposed classification was valid. The results of the survey showed that, in terms of use, quality control, performance measures and technology tools are common practice in the industry. A similar set of tools/techniques was perceived as highly important except that technology and performance measures were interchanged. When comparing the mean use and mean perceived importance for each group of techniques, significant differences were found in tools that help to gather customer needs, those aimed at programming and those used for measuring performance. In terms of the ISO 9001 standard, it was found that certified companies make more use of and place higher levels of importance on most of the groups of tools studied than those not certified. The conclusions from the survey will help to develop a framework for suggesting which tools to use at each stage of a construction project.     

Slacks-based data envelopment analysis for eco-efficiency assessment in the Australian construction industry

Eco-efficiency as an important indicator for sustainability assessment can describe an integrated manner of economic growth, resource conservation and environmental protection. However, the current research could not correctly assess eco-efficiency and mostly utilize qualitative methods. This paper presents a new method called slacks-based Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) to assess eco-efficiency based on directly and systematically dealing with the slacks of reducing resource consumption and minimizing environmental impacts, together with adding production value. Two DEA models are respectively, defined using inter-temporal and window benchmark techniques, so as to compare eco-efficiency results in temporal and spatial dimensions and then identify production benchmarks and gaps. Efficiency change and technological change, which are two driving forces for eco-efficiency change, are also investigated through a production-theoretical decomposition analysis. Data from the Australian construction industry from 1990 to 2013 are employed to specify the two DEA models. The research results illustrate that the construction industries in the Australian regions showed significant increases in eco-efficiency during the research period, but the gaps among them were increased due to the severe underperformance of technological change. This research primarily provides a innovative pathway for accurate eco-efficiency assessment and quantitative identification of reducing resource consumption, minimizing environmental impacts and adding production value. The developed research framework is generic and can assist worldwide construction projects, organizations and industries to measure, compare and assess eco-efficiency systematically.     

Impacts of information technology on the structure of construction

Changes in the structure of the construction industry can be attributed in part to information costs being reduced over time. Co-ordination, inspection and the translation of client needs are facilitated, affecting employee incentives within firms, transactions between firms and the role of intermediaries.

These aspects of information technology influence the optimal configuration of construction processes within each firm in the industry. Patterns of integration are seen as dependent on the interaction of aspects of information technology with attributes of each construction process. Geographic expansion, diversification or subcontracting, integration with materials supply and into real estate are considered.

An emerging industry pattern with three types of firms: specializing, co-ordinating and local is indicated, while in the long run, a development towards individuals in project networks is foreseen.     

陶粒工业技术发展与加快产业结构调整之思考

在总结陶粒行业取得成绩,分析行业存在主要问题的基础上,从生产规模、淘汰落后工艺、防止低水平重复建设,发展资源综合利用、加快生产工艺技术与装备成套化与标准化,以及降低陶粒烧成能耗与烟气处理和关于行业政策缺失与政府监管问题等方面,论述了对陶粒行业实施结构调整、优化转型升级的思考。     

浅谈钢结构工业厂房设计

钢结构厂房的采用越来越普遍,通过几个工程设计实例的分析,从立面设计、保温隔热设计、屋面设计等几方面对钢结构厂房设计的核心问题进行探讨,为建筑设计师提供了参考依据。     

浅谈钢结构工业厂房设计

从保温隔热与防火设计、屋盖支撑系统及屋面设计、温度伸缩缝的设置、防锈处理、立面设计等几方面对钢结构厂房设计的核心问题进行了探讨,以使钢结构厂房设计安全可靠、经济合理且美观大方。     

钢管混凝土结构在重型工业厂房中的应用

以某重型机器厂重型粗加工项目为例,通过对多方案结构选型的一系列计算,对＂钢管混凝土格构柱＋实腹钢梁＂的钢框架结构设计进行了深入探讨,从而为类似重型厂房结构设计积累经验。     

Expert systems within the construction industry in the UK

The aim of this article is to establish a number of issues relevant to the applications of expert systems related to the UK construction industry. The following areas are discussed:

1. (1) Expert systems currently used in practical circumstances within the construction industry in the UK.

2. (2) The benefits of using expert systems in construction firms.

3. (3) The reasons affecting the acceptance of expert systems within the construction industry.

4. (4) The areas in which construction firms require expert systems development.

A questionnaire survey has been conducted involving a number of leading building companies in the UK industry to investigate to above points. A statistical analysis has been carried out and the results are presented and analyzed.     

倡导低碳工程 优化土木建设产业结构

分析了目前存在于土木建设产业中的一些与时代发展不协调的因素，并提出了几条优化措施，即发展高新技术，大力引进人才；有效的利用现有的自然资源，大力开发可再生资源；加强宣传教育，提高民众的低碳节能意识；建立一个完整的、科学的工程管理和施工制度体系，以实现低碳环保的目标。     

Competition and the persistence of profits in the UK construction industry

An examination has been made of the performance of a range of medium-size publicly quoted construction firms over the five-year period 1990–1994 including evidence on the competitive nature of construction markets. The results suggest that construction markets are price competitive with mark-ups that vary positively with the construction cycle. Common arguments that competition in construction is excessive and that firms can gain from firm specific strategies are not supported by the analysis.     

大跨度镶嵌碎裂结构隧道稳定性分析及施工

结合扁平状大跨度、大断面镶嵌碎裂结构石灰岩质隧道的工程地质特点,对其围岩稳定性进行了分析,剖析了镶嵌碎裂结构石灰岩对大跨度、大断面隧道开挖和支护的影响作用,提出了相应的施工措施和方案,确保了隧道“安全、有序、高效”施工。     

Water use attitudes in the UK pharmaceutical industry

This paper presents the findings of a small‐scale pilot study that sought to identify and explore attitudes toward water use in the pharmaceutical industry based in the United Kingdom. As a result of a series of in‐depth semi‐structured interviews, it is established that because water use is viewed as a comparatively inexpensive resource, this undermines investment in water efficient technologies. However, the study also reveals such attitudes to sit alongside largely positive attitudes toward the need for increased water efficiency on a global organisational level. The paper concludes by arguing that greater attention should be accorded to the geographical location in which views toward water use are ascertained. In particular, it is highlighted that the geographical location of individuals, and organisations, can affect views toward water use. These differences are then argued to have the potential to undermine global initiatives on water use because individuals and organisations, in particular locations, may not see water use as an issue worthy of a response.     

Insolvency and resolution of construction contract disputes by adjudication in the UK construction industry

The Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996 provides that a party to a construction contract has a right, at any time, to refer any dispute under the contract for adjudication. This resolution method requires a neutral third party, the adjudicator, to determine the dispute within 28 days after receipt of the referral regardless of the complexity of the issues in dispute. The decision is to be implemented even if it is palpably wrong in fact or law. A key assumption of this legislation is that any mistakes made by an adjudicator can be corrected by reference of the same to litigation or arbitration. It is a major concern that restoration of the parties to their correct positions may become impossible where, after implementation of an adjudicator's mistaken decision, the beneficiary of the decision becomes insolvent. This article is a critical review of all the cases in which the courts have dealt with the effect of insolvency on the right to adjudicate and the enforceability of adjudicators' decisions. Two main conclusions are derived from the review. First, the court may decline to enforce an adjudicator's payment decision where there is strong evidence that, on account of formal insolvency, the payee would be unable to make repayment if final resolution of the dispute necessitates it. Second, the only exception so far to the general right to refer to adjudication arises where the other party is in administration.