scholarly journals Barriers to the Effective Regulation of the Building Construction Industry: An Empirical Analysis

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 49-58
Author(s):  
W. O. Omollo
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
The Public ◽  
Joint Activities ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Random Number Table ◽  
Public Interest Theory

This study investigates key barriers to the effective regulation of the building construction industry in Kenya, a case study of Kisii Town. It was guided by the Public Interest Theory of Regulation, which provided the underpinning elucidating why the building construction industry in Kenya needs regulation. The target population comprised 84 registered building contractors with a sample size of 66 selected using simple random sampling by application of random number table. As regards limitation, the study does not measure the extent of quality assurance within the construction industry, but rather delve on the key factors impeding its effective regulation. The research findings show that ineffective regulation of the construction industry in Kisii Town was prompted by the joint activities of building development contractors and limitations of the National Construction Authority (NCA) (the regulator). Regarding the activities of building contractors, identified barriers included failure to refer to key legislation that regulates the construction industry, failure to obtain statutory approvals of building development, and laxity to invite supervision of ongoing projects by planning authorities. Conversely, factors elucidating why NCA was not successfully regulating the construction industry included inadequate multi-sectoral coordination, inadequate surveillance, and limited sensitization of key stakeholders. Drawing from these findings, the study recommends regular monitoring and enhanced enforcement that would promote compliance and sensitization of contractors with applicable standards and regular inspections of ongoing projects. Also, establishing a coordinating committee to harmonize institutions that deal with development control. Keywords: Construction Industry, Kenya, Kisii Town, Regulation

TASK-TECHNOLOGY FIT IN THE ADOPTION OF LINEAR SCHEDULING METHOD

2016 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juneseok Yang ◽  
David Arditi
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Project Managers ◽  
Software Packages ◽  
Linear Scheduling ◽  
Management Association ◽  
Scheduling Method ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Task Technology Fit ◽  
Resource Data

Although the general consensus is that linear scheduling methods (LSMs) are quite powerful, their use in construction has been very limited. The linkage between the characteristics of scheduling methods and the requirements of the tasks performed by schedulers has been an on-going concern in the construction industry. This study proposes a “task-technology fit” model to understand why LSMs are not being used as extensively as expected. The model aims to determine whether the characteristics of LSM (technology) satisfy the duties and obligations of construction schedulers (tasks). By scrutinizing the task-technology fit in LSM applications, deficiencies can be detected which hinder the wider use of these methods in the industry. A questionnaire survey was administered to measure task-technology fit in LSM applications. The target population included schedulers, project managers, construction managers, and other professionals listed in the directory of the Construction Management Association of America (CMAA). The findings indicate that LSM is effective in repetitive projects and is able to provide a smooth and efficient flow of resources by adjusting activities’ rate of production. In addition, research findings point out that LSM effectively shows activity sequences as well as progress. However, the findings also reveal that LSM is not applicable when reliable resource data are not available. It should also be noted that very few software packages that perform LSM scheduling are commercially available on the market.

scholarly journals Entrepreneurial and Functional Building Technology Education as a Means of Achieving Vision 2020 in Nigeria

2012 ◽  
Vol 3 (9) ◽  
pp. 291-296
Author(s):  
Igwe C.O ◽  
Onoh Eze C.J .
Keyword(s):  
Technology Education ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Vision 2020 ◽  
Construction Sites ◽  
Public And Private ◽  
The Public ◽  
Building Technology ◽  
Entrepreneurial Activities ◽  
Budgetary Allocation

Entrepreneurial and functional building technology education, if well positioned has the potentials of launching Nigeria into the first 20 world economies by the year 2020. This paper integrates the industrial, educational and entrepreneurial activities that results in increased productivity. Functional building technology career broadly categorised into professional and non-professional. The paper reviewed the entrepreneurial prospects open to the non-professional builders trained in the technical institutions equipped with the knowledge and skills to competently perform in the building construction sites as craftsmen, technicians and technologist. Also, other entrepreneurial activities in the public and private sectors at both small and medium scale capacity. The review presented inadequate budgetary allocation to the education sector, dearth of infrastructural facilities, also, the gap existing between the construction industry and the technical institutions. It recommended, increased funding and acquisition of modern equipment/machine and adequate infrastructural facilities. Also, establish a sustainable linkage between the construction industry and technical institutions. Implementation of these will result in increased productivity, robust economy and actualization of the nation’s vision 2020.

Analysis framework for the interactions between building information modelling (BIM) and lean construction on construction mega-projects

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Evans ◽  
Peter Farrell ◽  
Wael Zewein ◽  
Ayman Mashali
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Lean Construction ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
Building Information Modelling ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Information Modelling ◽  
Key Stakeholders ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Research Findings

Purpose The construction industry encounters substantial challenges in its evolution towards sustainable development and to the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) technology and lean construction (LC) practices on construction mega-projects. This study aims to present critical challenges and to investigate the interactions of BIM and LC on construction mega-projects encountered by key stakeholders in their efforts to integrate BIM and LC. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative research approach is adopted to introduce and validate LC principles and BIM functionalities resulting from a detailed analysis of extant literature, followed by a conceptual analysis of the interactions between BIM and LC on construction mega-projects. A quantitative questionnaire survey is then used. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests are used for data analysis, and analysis of variance tests elaborate and validate results. Findings The research yielded ten BIM functionalities and ten LC principles, which are categorised in four principle areas and four BIM functionality groups. A research framework for analysis of the interaction between BIM and LC is then compiled. Originality/value Research findings and the proposed framework will enhance the adoption of BIM and LC practices on construction mega-projects and allow project key stakeholders to place emphasis on tackling crucial challenges and barriers identified in this research. The framework will guide and stimulate research; and as such, the approach adopted up to this point is constructive. The identified interactions between BIM and LC on construction mega-projects show positive synergies between the two.

scholarly journals Compliance with the Planning Standards in Regulating Building Lines. The Case of Kisii Town, Kenya

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 95-111
Author(s):  
Wilfred Ochieng OMOLLO
Keyword(s):  
Public Interest ◽  
Critical Issue ◽  
Spatial Development ◽  
County Government ◽  
The Public ◽  
Residential Developments ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Public Interest Theory ◽  
Building Plans

Planning standards provide a basis for controlling land use to attain orderly spatial development. This study examined the extent to which developments in Kenya have been complying with the planning standard on building lines, having Kisii town as a case study. It also investigated the factors contributing to the observed non-compliance. The analysis was based on the public interest theory of regulation. A sample size of 364 residential developments was randomly and proportionately drawn from the seven neighbourhoods. Remote sensing and questionnaires were used to collect data and thereafter analyzed using GIS, descriptive and inferential statistics. Research findings disclosed that most residential developments did not comply with the recommended building lines. The results of hypothesis similarly confirmed low compliance that was statistically significant. Non-compliance was found to be caused by the failure of the County Government of Kisii to ensure that developers obtained the obligatory development permissions in addition to meeting other requirements namely using registered professionals and ensuring regular inspection of buildings during construction. Also, the interpretation of the applicable planning standards of building lines by the County Government when approving building plans was misleading and eventually contributed to non-compliance. These problems ensue due to insufficient development control, therefore contributing to unsustainable spatial development. This study addresses a critical issue in spatial planning practice and aims to contribute to the specialist literature by demonstrating how compliance with the planning standards that regulate building lines may be statistically and spatially evaluated.

scholarly journals An assessment of multi-skilling in addressing skills shortage in Nigerian construction firms

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-13
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Work Force ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Sampled Data ◽  
Construction Firms ◽  
Skills Shortage ◽  
Traditional Area ◽  
The Impact

The construction industry in Nigeria is largely driven by activities of skilled labour or craftsmen as most of the construction activities are carried out manually. However, the Nigerian building construction firms are challenged by shortage of skilled manpower. This study assessed multi-skilling practice in building construction with a view to bridge skills shortage in the building construction firms. This study identified specific skills shortage and responsible factors, assessed the practice of multi-skilling, identified the impact of multi-skilling, identified impediments and ways of enhancing multiskilling in the building construction firms. The study utilized a population of 170 building construction firms registered in Abuja with updated remittance to the Industrial Training Fund (ITF). Simple random sampling was used in selecting 140 sampled firms. Two sets of questionnaires were administered to the most senior professional and craftsman in each of the 140 firms sampled. Data obtained was analysed with statistical tools: Means, Percentages, and standard deviation and results were presented in charts and tables. The major findings in this study revealed that respondents (professionals and craftsmen) admitted shortage of Masonry, Plumbing, and Painting skills. “Poor Apprenticeship Schemes” was unanimously agreed by respondents to be the most important factor responsible for skills shortage with mean of 3.94 and 3.74 as ranked by professionals and craftsmen respectively. The study also revealed that multi-skilling is only slightly (48%) practiced among professionals while some of the craftsmen possess and practice skills other than their traditional area of competence. The study showed that professionals and craftsmen admitted that “Work Force Saving” (Mean = 3.83 and Mean = 4.13 respectively) is the most important impact of multi-skilling. Findings on impediments to multi-skilling revealed that “high cost of training” (Mean = 3.78) and “complexity of management” (Mean = 3.51) are the major impediments. “Training and Retraining of workers” (Mean = 4.14) and management's decision to multi-skill” (Mean = 3.90) were ranked highest as ways of enhancing the practice of multi-skilling. The research therefore concludes that “Workforce Saving” attribute of the concept of multi-skilling is an antidote to skills shortage in the building construction industry in Nigeria. Therefore, study recommends that construction firms should adopt multiskilling with sustainable implementation strategies in order to bridge skills shortage.

scholarly journals Does Audit Quality able to Reduce Cost Stickiness? Evidence from Property, Real Estate and Building Construction Industry

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adrian Muluk ◽  
Eva Herianti ◽  
Suwanti .
Keyword(s):  
Real Estate ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Audit Quality ◽  
Stock Exchange ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Analysis Tool ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Cost Stickiness

The purpose of this study is to determine the level of cost stickiness at SG&A cost (Sales, General, and Administrative) and test whether the level of stickiness costs can be reduced through audit quality. The study sample used property, real estate, and building construction industry listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) for the 2016-2018 period with a purposive sampling technique, so that the final number of samples obtained was 117 sample observations. This study uses eviews version 10 analysis tool. The results of the study show that every 1% increase in net sales will increaseSG&Aby0.610%.Meanwhile,every1%decreaseinnetsaleswillreduceSG&A by (0.610043-0.071380) 0.538%. Furthermore, the research findings show that audit quality can reduce stickiness costs. The implication of this study is that policy makers can use audit quality to reduce stickiness costs.

scholarly journals Causes of delays in the construction phase of Chinese building projects

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (11) ◽  
pp. 1534-1551 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ting-Kwei Wang ◽  
David N. Ford ◽  
Heap-Yih Chong ◽  
Wei Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Questionnaire Survey ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Poor Performance ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Building Projects ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Causes Of Delays ◽  
Survey Approach

PurposeDelays during construction are one of the common scenarios in the construction industry. The purpose of this paper is to identify the primary causes of delays in the construction phase of building construction projects in China.Design/methodology/approachQuestionnaire survey approach was adopted across the four typical cities in China, namely, Beijing, Shanghai, Chongqing and Shenzhen. In total, 115 sets of valid responded questionnaires were collected and analyzed.FindingsThe results show that the causes of variations, delays in progress payments, exceptionally low bids and subcontractors’ poor performance and communication issues were the most important causes of delays in China.Originality/valueThis research is the first questionnaire survey on the causes of delays in the construction phase of building construction projects in China. The comparative analysis shows two unique causes of delays in the Chinese construction industry, such as “difficulty in claiming indemnity” and “unreasonable upfront capital demanded by client.” It also reveals different ranked causes of delays as per distinguished political and economic situations in China. The research findings can be referred by construction projects in other countries that are funded or partnered with China.

scholarly journals COMMUNITY POLICING AS PUBLIC PARTICIPATION STRATEGY FOR ENHANCING SECURITY IN KENYA

2015 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 1411-1419
Author(s):  
David Mwangi Kungu
Keyword(s):  
Community Policing ◽  
Rural Areas ◽  
Case Study Research ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Target Population ◽  
The Public ◽  
Long Time ◽  
Urban And Rural Areas ◽  
Cattle Rustling

Security is a basic necessity in every society as it is a watershed for development and prosperity in all sectors of the economy. However, for a long time this has been elusive both in the urban and rural areas. The insecurity experienced in many societies ranging from terrorism, cattle rustling to petty crimes has had devastating effects inducing loss of lives and massive destruction of property. In managing the security situation, the police resources in terms of personnel and equipment seem to have been strained as insecurity levels soar. It is believed that the criminals and perpetrators of insecurity live within same society and therefore, members of the society can identify them thus community policing was muted in Kenya. This study therefore, aimed at evaluating community policing as a security enhancing strategy. The study was guided by the Abraham Maslows hierarchy of needs which identifies security as a great concern which must be satisfied. The study adopted a case study research design with Koibatek District as the case. The target population for the study was 1679 members of community policing at the sub-location, location and Division levels, from which a sample of 265 was picked using stratified sampling, purposive sampling and simple random sampling. Data was collected using questionnaires and interviews and analysed descriptively where percentages and frequencies were computed and presented in tables, pie charts and graphs. The study established that there are community policing structures which have been clearly laid down at all levels as per the community policing manual. Further, community policing plays a significant role in reducing crime though riddled by a number of challenges such as mistrust and lack of capacity to handle crime. The study recommends that a strong partnership be created between the police and the members of the public and that capacity building through training is required to make the community policing committees effective.

scholarly journals Preliminary Design Proposals for Dovetail Wood Board Elements in Multi-Story Building Construction

Architecture ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 56-68
Author(s):  
Hüseyin Emre Ilgın ◽  
Markku Karjalainen
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Wood Products ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Preliminary Design ◽  
Sustainable Material ◽  
Wood Board ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Structural Applications ◽  
Research Findings ◽  
Story Building

Adhesives and metal fasteners play important roles in the composition and connections of engineered wood products (EWPs) such as cross-laminated timber and glue-laminated timber in the building construction industry. However, due to their petroleum-based nature, adhesives can cause toxic gas emissions, while metal fasteners compromise the end-of-life disposal and reusability of EWPs. These issues adversely affect the sustainable material properties of EWPs. Numerous studies have been conducted in the literature on the technological, ecological, social, and economic aspects of EWPs in construction with different construction solutions, but no studies have been conducted to evaluate the technical performance of dovetail wood board elements (DWBE) in multi-story or tall building construction. This study focuses on adhesive- and metal fastener-free DWBE as sustainable material alternatives for ecologically sensitive engineering solutions. Various preliminary design proposals are presented for DWBE using architectural modeling programs as an environmentally friendly approach intended for use in the timber construction industry. The research findings are based on a theoretical approach that has not yet been practically tested but is proposed considering existing construction practices that need further investigation, including technical performance tests. It is believed that this paper will contribute to the promotion and diffusion of DWBE for more diverse and innovative architectural and structural applications, particularly in multi-story timber building construction, as one of the key tools in tackling climate change challenges.

Challenges in perspective of life skills acquisition; implication for placement of life skills in university curriculum

2020 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 189-194
Author(s):  
Wasim Khan ◽  
Salahuddin Khan ◽  
Tasleem Arif ◽  
Sohail R. Khan
Keyword(s):  
Life Skills ◽  
Student Athletes ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Simple Random Sampling ◽  
Target Population ◽  
Skills Acquisition ◽  
Significance Level ◽  
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ◽  
Educational Curriculum

Background and Study Aim: The main purpose behind the study was to establish the challenges in relation to the acquisition of life skills among university student-athletes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The study assessed the extent to which the concern existing resources, facilitators, and trainer attitude influences life skills acquisition among student-athletes. Material and Methods: Descriptive survey research design was followed to obtain desirable results. The target population of this study consisted of all those who participated in different sport at the university level of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan. Amongst them, we selected a representative sample (n=389 fifty 50% of the total population) with the help of a simple random sampling technique. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version, 24 was used to code and analyse the data. The hypotheses were tested by applying statistical tests like Step-wise regression and independents sample t-test. The significance level of 0.05 was fixed to accept or reject the set hypotheses. Results: Findings of the study indicated that existing resources, facilitators, and trainer/coach attitude significantly influences life skills acquisition among student-athletes (.001, .001 & .000 < .05). The analysed data revealed no significantly difference regarding extent to which specific challenges such as existing resources, facilitators, and trainer attitude influences the acquisition of life skills (.500, .133 & .149 > .05). Conclusions: The findings of the study revealed that all participants have agreed upon the importance of life skills. Therefore, the life skills course might be considered as an integral part of every educational curriculum of Pakistan. It is suggested that a minimum of 2 hours per week may be included in the educational curriculum of each discipline.

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