An investigation of corporate approaches to sustainability in the US engineering and construction industry

Sustainability involves focusing on a project’s impact in three areas: (1) environmental; (2) economical; and (3) societal. In reality, companies’ approaches in the three areas are not evenly distributed. A study of current trends in the US construction industry related to the emerging focus on sustainable construction will be of great value for the engineering and construction industry to recognize the differences in corporate approaches to sustainability, for the sake of team alignment. A random cross‐section of 300 companies, consisting of 150 owner companies, 75 contractor companies and 75 design firms representing a variety of industries, was selected from annual company data assembled by the weekly construction news publication Engineering News Record (ENR). To identify sustainability‐related concepts within the context of these company documents, content analyses and chi‐square statistical analyses were performed on the selected companies’ publicly available annual reports and mission/vision/values statements. The primary objectives are to: (1) identify concepts of sustainability that are currently being emphasized within the US engineering and construction industry, possibly at the expense of other concepts; and (2) develop an understanding of the relationships between various company and industry groups related to the fundamental concepts of sustainable construction.     

房地产企业的危机管理研究

房地产业是高风险的行业,危机管理对房地产企业而言具有重要的意义。房地产企业危机主要表现在战略危机、信誉危机、财务危机、经营危机等几个方面。为了应对危机,房地产企业应加强危机管理的基础工作,注重从危机过程即日常危机管理和危机事件管理方面加强危机管理,并通过一个成功的房地产企业危机管理案例进行阐述。     

Industry financial ratios—application of factor analysis in Turkish construction industry

Turkish economy has been hit by various economical crises between the years 1998 and 2001 and the economic stagnation still continues. Past experiences in various countries show that it is vitally important to encourage construction activities in order to get out of stagnation, as construction output directly affects about 200 other sectors and industry financial ratio analysis is a means to provide a basis for the governments to undertake corrective action. However, there are over 50 financial ratios that can be used during analysis and some are more important than the others for different industries. Previous research has shown that there are about 25 factors that are important for the construction companies. This, in turn, requires elimination of unrelated data. Factor analysis is a data reduction and classification technique, which can be applied in financial analysis. Factor analysis was thus applied to the financial data collected from Turkish construction companies for a 5-year period in order to determine the financial indicators that can be used to analyse the financial trend of the industry. Five independent factors, i.e. liquidity, capital structure and profitability, activity efficiency, profit margin and growth, and assets structure were identified to be sensitive to the economical changes in the country. The results of the factor-based analysis can be used both by the government to analyse the changes in the industry with respect to time and by the construction companies to analyse their financial state with respect to their rivals.     

The construction labour market skills crisis: the perspective of small–medium‐sized firms

Reports abound of the detrimental effect of the construction skills crisis on the performance and future development of the UK construction industry. The industry's continued growth in output, coupled with its unpopularity as a career choice, has led to extreme pressure on its labour market capacity. There remains, however, a paucity of empirical research into the nature of its highly complex labour market. In particular, very little attention has been paid to the impacts being felt by the smaller firms who account for the vast majority of the industry's economic output and employment. This paper reports on research that has explored the perspectives of smaller employers with respect to the skills crisis. Using an inductive methodology, this research canvassed the opinions of representatives of small‐ and medium‐sized (SME) firms in order to establish the impact of skills shortages on the operational efficiency of the industry. The paper reveals the complex interplay of factors which have combined to shape the industry's skills crisis in recent years and uncovers the practical implications for firms attempting to operate in increasingly tight labour market conditions.     

金融危机发生前后我国建筑业生产率变化的实证分析

应用非参数曼奎斯特指数方法计算了我国2005~2010 年建筑业的总产值和增加值的生产率变动指数,结合实际宏观调控和市场发展情况对比分析了金融危机发生前后建筑业生产率及其分解要素变动的原因,发现在此期间我国建筑业的生产率水平增长趋势主要依靠技术变动推动,且建筑业总产值和增加值的生产率在金融危机发生前后剧烈波动。并从动态和静态两个方面对比分析了我国七大经济区域建筑业的生产率变动情况,发现长三角地区效率最高、西南地区效率最低而东北地区的生产效率在金融危机后迅速提升;最后,根据计算与分析结果提出了缩小各区域建筑业生产效率差距和加快建筑业技术扩散的建议。     

施工企业危机管理的影响因子分析

详尽分析和论证了施工企业危机的四种类型:技术危机,自然危机,政治危机和社会危机。并分析了每个危机类型的影响因子。运用灰色关联分析的方法分析了四种危机类型的权重,并对危机类型的单方面因子做了评价和验证,为施工企业管理人员在预防危机、前期决策、回避风险、危机等提供了依据。     

创新建筑施工管理模式的方法

近些年来我国的建筑行业不断发展，其施工管理模式也已经逐渐趋于完善，但是一些建筑公司在进行施工时，还会或多或少地出现一些问题。因此，本文就建筑施工管理模式存在的问题进行探讨，以期对建筑施工管理模式的方法进行创新。     

Foreign exchange and revenue risks: analysis of key contract clauses in China's BOT project

Despite the Asian financial crisis, there was still growing international interests by sponsors in China's infrastructure projects financed on build-operate-transfer (BOT) concession contracts. With the closure of the Guangdong International Trust and Investment Corporation (GITIC), foreign banks have become cautious towards new loan applications by Chinese companies and they were confused about government support and guarantees. Therefore it is important to analyse and manage the unique or critical risks associated with China's BOT projects. This is especially so after new policies were introduced in late 1996 when the first state-approved BOT project, the US$650 million 2 X 350 megawatt coal-fired Laibin B Power Plant (Laibin B), was awarded. The findings are reported from an international survey on risk management of BOT projects, with emphasis on power projects in China, with a discussion of the adequacy of the key contract clauses used in the Laibin B's concession agreement (CA) in addressing the foreign exchange and revenue risks, which include exchange rate and convertibility risk, financial closing risk, dispatch constraint risk and tariff adjustment risk. Areas for improvements to these contract clauses are suggested.     

09大考 群英布阵

春节过后，金融危机带来的经济衰退仍是人们热议的话题。虽然各国都在为应对全球金融危机做出努力，奥巴马的新金融救援计划和经济刺激计划更成为近期人们关注的焦点，但是美、欧、日经济将很可能陷入“L形”衰退的事实并无实质性的改变，全球经济仍笼罩在金融危机的阴影之中。中国政府做出的积极有效的应对措施，虽然在一定程度上提振了人们的信心，但不可否认2009年将是我国进入新世纪以来经济发展最为困难的一年。     

RFID tracking implementation model for the technical trade and construction supply chains

The use of RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) tracking has increased considerably in supply chain management during the past ten years. Despite the large diffusion of the technology, the use of RFID tracking has remained scarce in the construction industry despite the intense research. The particular design and temporary operating sites of the construction supply chains delay the diffusion, because the best-known RFID tracking systems in other industries are mainly designed to support the retailers' processes. The particular supply chain structure of construction industry, demands different business logic to build and gain benefits of RFID tracking systems. This paper presents RFID tracking implementation model for technical trade and construction industries. The approach for building feasible model was Technology Acceptance Model. The model design is based on the research project, where 16 manufacturing and wholesaler companies of technical trade were involved, and survey where customers of these manufacturers and wholesalers were interviewed.     

Assessing management and performance of Sino-foreign construction joint ventures

Since the early 1990s, construction joint ventures are developing and evolving rapidly in China. However, there has been relatively little empirical research into Sino-foreign JVs in China's construction industry. This study investigates the management and operating performance of Sino-foreign construction joint ventures, and the relationships between ownership, management control and JV performance. It is found that dominant management control over JVs by Chinese partners is the major form of management. Sino-foreign construction JVs perform well. Positive and significant correlations were found to exist between three variables - ownership, management control and JV performance. A valid measure is developed in assessing JV's performance in terms of JV's social role in developing countries. The relationship between partner's participation in daily operational management of JV and the level of control over JV exercised by their parent company, and the relationship between partner's strategic objectives and the selection of JV organizational structure are also discussed.     

Construction project change management in Singapore: Status,importance and impact

Changes in construction projects are inevitable. In order to minimize the impact of changes on a project, it is imperative to implement change management. This study aims to assess the status, importance and impact of change management implementation in the Singapore construction industry. To achieve the objective, a comprehensive literature review was conducted to gain an in-depth understanding of change management, and a questionnaire survey was conducted. Analyzing the data collected from 384 projects submitted by 32 companies, the implementation status was investigated at both company and project levels, followed by identification of key factors that encourage and discourage companies to practice change management. Furthermore, the importance and impact of change management in terms of project performances such as cost, time, and quality were also examined. The analysis results establish that the implementation status in the Singapore construction industry is relatively low while improvement in project cost, time and quality performances achieved by the companies that implement change management tends to be greater than the companies that do not. Recognizing the implementation status, importance and impacts of change management will be a starting point to reduce changes that negatively affect project performances, ultimately allowing the Singapore construction industry to increase opportunities for project success.     

2010年俄罗斯工程机械产销分析

据俄罗斯机器制造行业联合会资料显示,2010年1-12月,俄罗斯国内机器制造业产出同比持续增加,全年增长93%,工程机械交付率超过其生产率.和前11个月统计相比较,1-12月统计调查企业库存量7158台,合计环比减少了1009台.本文详尽分析了2010年俄罗斯工程机械各机种的生产与交付情况.     

谈建设单位对设计阶段成本控制的管理

总结了建设单位对设计阶段成本控制管理应注意的几个方面,包括设计单位的优选、优化设计方案、设计的经济合理性等,并提出了相应的管理措施,以指导建设单位在设计阶段有效控制工程成本。     

古建筑修建工程质量检验评定标准审议会议在北京召开

建设部房地产司于1988年11月9日至11日，在北京召开了古建筑修建工程质量检验评定标准（北方部分）（以下简称《标准》）审议会议。参加会议的有北京、天津、上海、长春、沈阳、太原、扬州、苏州、西安、哈尔滨等十几个城市房地产、文物、园林管理部门和古建筑修建公司的古建筑专家、领导及工程技术人员。会议还邀请了故宫博物院、建设部住宅管理与经济技术标准管理单位的有关同志。建设部房地产司刘洵蕃副司长、郑吉荣处长和北京市房地产管理局周洪臻局长到会指导并讲了话。大会经过历时三天的讨论，达到了预定目的。这次会议，是我国古建修建工作中一次具有重要意义的学术讨论会，它对于《标准》更具有先进性、科学性，并为在全国推广起了决定性的作用。     

The moderating effect of human resource management practices on the relationship between knowledge absorptive capacity and project performance in project-oriented companies

In response to recent calls for research on human resource management (HRM) in project management, this research investigates the links between HRM practices, the project team's knowledge absorptive capacity (ACAP) and project performance in project-oriented companies (POCs). Based on survey data from 198 projects in multinational companies (MNCs) in the Thai automotive industry, this research finds that HRM practices moderate the effects of a project team's knowledge ACAP on project performance, in particular of potential ACAP on long-run project performance. In addition, HRM practices covary with a project team's realized ACAP, the other dimension of ACAP, to affect short-run project performance. This research sheds light on the different roles that HRM practices play in a project, finding that HRM practices not only facilitate knowledge management from the current project to future projects but also strengthen the relationship between a project team's knowledge ACAP and long-term project performance. This research contributes to the understanding of HRM in the literature of project management.     

Visualizing information structures and its impact on project teams: an information architecture for the virtual AEC company

An information architecture was developed to provide a common technical platform between all partners in the building process. This is to support the formation of virtual companies in the AEC industry. The objective was to augment the current computing environment with support for information sharing and collaboration, in support of existing practices and concurrent to existing applications. Eloquent visualizations of the information structures resulting from the collaborative activities will empower participants in an analysis and understanding of these processes and, consequently, increase their effectiveness in such collaborations. Experience and discussion with industry partners is provided, and extrapolated from extensive experiences with comparable examples in educational settings. On a élaboré un environnement d'information destiné à constituer une plate-forme technique commune à tous les partenaires de l'industrie de la construction. Il s'agit de contribuer à la formation de sociétés virtuelles dans le secteur de l'architecture, de l'ingénierie et de la construction. L'objectif était de compléter l'environnement informatique actuel par un soutien au partage et à la collaboration en matière d'informations, en complément de pratiques existantes et concurremment avec des applications existantes. Des représentations éloquentes des structures d'information résultant d'activités menées en collaboration permettront aux participants de mieux analyser et comprendre ces processus et, par conséquent, d'augmenter leur efficacité dans le cadre de telles collaborations. Cette communication traite des expériences et des discussions avec des partenaires industriels, ainsi que d'une extrapolation d'expériences complètes avec des exemples comparables dans les milieux éducatifs.     

A theory of waste behaviour in the construction industry

Levels of waste within the construction industry need to be reduced for environmental and economic reasons. Changing people's wasteful behaviour can make a significant contribution. This paper describes a research project that used Ajzen's ‘theory of planned behaviour’ to investigate the attitudinal forces that shape behaviour at the operative level. It concludes that operatives see waste as an inevitable by-product of construction activity. Attitudes towards waste management are not negative, although they are pragmatic and impeded by perceptions of a lack of managerial commitment. Waste management is perceived as a low project priority, and there is an absence of appropriate resources and incentives to support it. A theory of waste behaviour is proposed for the construction industry, and recommendations are made to help managers improve operatives' attitudes towards waste.     

浅议绿色建材行业的诚信建设

现阶段,在绿色建材行业,为了探索新的发展模式,要时刻提高对于诚信建设的认识,要进一步加强管理,以诚信为本,才能不断促使建材企业健康发展。     

Contractors' perception of the use of costs of quality system in Malaysian building construction projects

While conforming on the findings of prior researches regarding quality cost system in building companies, current research successfully illustrates the contractors' perceptions on the importance of the quality cost system and the barriers that may constrain the implementation of the system for recording and collecting quality cost data. A postal and email surveys were undertaken on Malaysian building companies, focusing on the benefits and difficulties associated with the implementation of quality cost system. Statistical analyses based on Chi-Squared test and Relative Importance Index techniques were used to investigate the significance of the findings and determine the relative importance of the factors. The most important benefit of measuring quality costs is “getting management attention and increase quality awareness” as perceived by the sample of the study. The possible barriers that may affect the management's decision to implement quality cost system are identified and grouped into three categories, which are culture and knowledge; system; and company. The study suggests that the level of the site staff's knowledge should be as important as that of the management to successfully collect and record quality costs data. The findings of this research will raise the level of awareness and sensitize managers and those involved with building industry about the importance of quality cost system and collecting quality costs data.