Healthcare supply chains are under pressure to drive down costs because of digital business,shifting customer needs and new competition.Medical waste generated from medical facilities includes medical activities and d...Healthcare supply chains are under pressure to drive down costs because of digital business,shifting customer needs and new competition.Medical waste generated from medical facilities includes medical activities and daily-life activities of patients and their family members.According to statistics of the Department of Health EnvironmentalManagement,Vietnam currently has more than 13,500 medical facilities,including hospitals from central to provincial and district levels and private hospitals and medical facilities.Preventive medicine generates about 590 tons of medical waste/day and is estimated to be about 800 tons/day.Medical waste includes ordinary medical waste and hazardous medical waste;in which ordinary medical waste accounts for about 80%–90%,only about 10%–20%is hazardous medical waste including infectious waste and non-infectious hazardous waste.This is an environmental and occupational health issue that needs attention in developing countries like Vietnam.Handling large amounts of medical waste to ensure environmental and personal hygiene,doing so inefficiently creates potential hazards to the environment and increases operating costs.However,hospitals lack objective criteria and methods to evaluate and select the most optimal infectious medical waste,relying instead on their own subjective assessment and prior experience.Therefore,the author proposed a fuzzy multicriteria decision making(MCDM)model including Fuzzy Analytic hierarchy process(FAHP)and the Weighted Aggregated Sum-Product Assessment(WASPAS)for infectious medical waste contractors’selection in this research.The proposed Fuzzy MCDM method is in-tended to provide a more efficient,accurate method in the selection of infectious medical waste contractors than subjective assessment methods,thus reduce potential risks to hospitals.The results of this study can be applied to evaluate and select contractors in other industries.展开更多
The past decade has witnessed a rapid development of the international construction market. This research aims to investigate top Chinese contractors' developmental tracks and evaluate their strategic selection of...The past decade has witnessed a rapid development of the international construction market. This research aims to investigate top Chinese contractors' developmental tracks and evaluate their strategic selection of international construction markets over the period from 2001 to 2006,based on the modified Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG). Results from 2001 to 2005 indicate that Asia and Africa,which were "question marks" markets for top Chinese contractors (abbreviated as TCCs),have the most potential to become "stars" markets; other question marks markets such as the Middle East and Europe are found not to be of potential; "dogs" markets such as the U.S.,Canada and Latin America should be relinquished progressively unless there is renewed growth opportunity over the next two years. Compared to developmental tracks of top contractors from some advanced countries,TCCs' investment and development strategy in Africa seems to be sustainable and intensive; TCCs' exit strategy for the Middle East appears determined and swift,while their strategy in Asia seems to be lacking in persistence. Furthermore,the data of 2006 indicates that TCCs improve their performance in Asia and Africa,and Africa has become a "stars" market for TCCs.This research sheds important lights and insights into the prevailing process of internationalization of TCCs and provides a strategic direction for their selection of international construction market. What is more,this research is also valuable to other Chinese contractors who are seeking the opportunity to enter the international construction markets.展开更多
Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibil...Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and Public Procurement Act 2007 to reduce internal control system deficiencies and budget indiscipline in the Nigerian public sector fiscal matters and procurement process. Ironically, despite these efforts, infrastructure development is still a problem affecting the lives of Nigerians as their poverty level is on the increase. This paper tests the effects of internal control system deficiency on contractors＇ capability in infrastructure development in the Nigerian public sector. Data drawn from a sample of 228 infrastructures were used for analysis. Two research questions on contractors＇ fiduciary obligation to government and capacity were analysed. Kendall＇s Tau-br correlation of coefficient and Chi-square X^2 statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings show that deficient internal control system strongly and directly breeds deficiency in the contractors＇ capability for infrastructure development. The paper recommends that oath of bribery should complement oath of secrecy to ensure that contractors and government agencies that are responsible for execution of infrastructure play to the rules of the ＂games＂, especially the provisions of Public Procurement Act 2007 and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Public-private-partnership-initiative, such as build-operate and transfer method of contracting, should be encouraged to improve on contractors＇ capability and stewardship.展开更多
A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span>...A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> that most of the construction firms and contractors do not seem to strictly observe safety administration in construction industry, hence compromised performance at implementation stage of projects and even later in the post implementation or post-delivery stage. The study aimed to examine the influence of contractors’ safety record on road performance. This is to create better understanding of how the safety record of contractors could either positively or negatively influence performance of roads during post-delivery stage. The study used both descriptive survey research design and correlation design based on a pragmatic mixed method approach. Through stratified sampling and proportionate sampling, a sample of 210 was drawn from a population of 460 comprising of registered contractors and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) drivers within Nairobi County in Kenya. Questionnaires were distributed using simple random sampling. The questionnaires returned were 153 in total representing 72.8% of all questionnaires distributed to the respondents. Data was descriptively analyzed using percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations for measuring central tendency and variability. Inferential analysis was done by use of correlation and regression. The descriptive analysis revealed that safety policy management system, insurance policy, and adequacy of standards in addressing safety outcome are to some extent practiced and adhered to. However, compliance behavior to safety procedures is still weak and requires improvement. The null hypothesis was tested and the results obtained from a simple linear regression indicated that, R = 0.657, R</span><sup><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> = 0.431, B = 0.359, t = 10.703, F (1,151) = 114.558, p = 0.000 < 0.05. This means that contractors’ safety record has a strong positive and significant relationship with road performance and that 43.1% of variation in performance is explained by safety record. This study recommends that contractors’ safety record should be part</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and parcel of the evaluation criteria used in selection of a suitable road contractor to ensure road performance is achieved even after construction is completed. The study is significant in that it contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical data on the need for safety procedures in urban road construction and beyond.展开更多
Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. T...Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.展开更多
Contractors working with the Public sector encounter numerous challenges in financing projects in Ghana. The challenges which have persisted over the years are both financial and managerial. This paper seeks to ascert...Contractors working with the Public sector encounter numerous challenges in financing projects in Ghana. The challenges which have persisted over the years are both financial and managerial. This paper seeks to ascertain the extent to which contractors’ challenges in acquiring funds to execute public sector projects have been solved. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative methods to ascertain the various strategies the contractors go through to obtain public sector projects focusing on the challenges associated with the project execution. The study revealed that delayed payments and inadequate cash flow on the part of government, lack of credit worthiness and inadequate collateral security from contractors are key determinants to challenges associated with financing public sector projects in Ghana. This paper recommends the establishment of a Construction Development Authority (CDA), within the Ministry of Works and Housing to develop financial plans, policies and laws for this important sector of the economy.展开更多
There are progressive architects, engineers, contractors and owners that adopt some of the newest technologies for financial benefits. The moving force to integrate BIM （building information modeling） tools may come...There are progressive architects, engineers, contractors and owners that adopt some of the newest technologies for financial benefits. The moving force to integrate BIM （building information modeling） tools may come from owners demanding a BIM deliverable to approve the work on these projects. Ifa contractor can produce this deliverable, then obtaining the project could be done in a more convincing way. Contractors are confronted with problems in selecting proper construction methods and applying their knowledge about specific and well-defined technologies to a project. Their decision-making process and better project outcomes can be improved through a database-oriented library of construction methods and therefore, a consistent methodology to classify construction methods is needed. This goal can be achieved by introducing rigorous construction method descriptors. The technology solution and the trending need of owners to pay software companies to develop software that really works for them and contractors are empirically proved in this paper through a technology ontology and BIM-enabled estimating procedure. An exploratory case study is presented. This way, owners can efficiently demand deliverables that can be utilized by them downstream, allowing contractors and subcontracting trades to work efficiently and to assure the daily flow of operations.展开更多
The use of information technology （IT） in construction is expanding rapidly. More and more architecture, engineering, and construction companies are adopting new technologies in software design to help accelerate an...The use of information technology （IT） in construction is expanding rapidly. More and more architecture, engineering, and construction companies are adopting new technologies in software design to help accelerate and accurately carry out their functions. Based on a research study carried out in Southern Nevada with a questionnaire survey of 54 construction-related firms, this study aims to compare the types and extent of IT use by architects, engineers, and contractors. It also explores the level of IT skills possessed by professionals working in the industry. The study found that architects mostly used design software whereas engineers and contractors used scheduling and estimating software. All of the respondents believed that IT helped to improve their work productivity. The majority of the respondents thought that IT is useful for Construction Management （CM） students： engineers and architects thought that CM students should take more scheduling and estimating software courses and contractors thought that they should take more scheduling and quantity take-off software courses.展开更多
This paper presents a method for construction contractor selection based on trust building. By classifying criteria into three types of trust and applying gray correlation analysis, the presented method concerns multi...This paper presents a method for construction contractor selection based on trust building. By classifying criteria into three types of trust and applying gray correlation analysis, the presented method concerns multi-criteria for evaluation other than price, selects trust- and selection-related criteria, provides approaches for indicator quantification and determines the contractor on the basis of gray correlation degree.展开更多
The purpose of this study is to understand limitations and possibilities of organizing independent contractors by focusing on insurance solicitors in South Korea. Among various types of precarious employment, insuranc...The purpose of this study is to understand limitations and possibilities of organizing independent contractors by focusing on insurance solicitors in South Korea. Among various types of precarious employment, insurance solicitors are an exemplar case of independent contractor jobs in Korea. According to the narrow interpretation on the employment relationship by the courts, the labor standard law does not treat insurance solicitors as workers. And, most of insurance solicitors are not affiliated with labor unions. As a result, insurance solicitors are outside labor protections. Under this context, insurance solicitors attempted to organize their own union--Korean Insurance Agents＇ Union （KIAU） in the early 2000s, and turned it into a branch of Korean Finance and Service Workers＇ Union （KFSWU） in 2004. However, the KIAU lost its membership rapidly since the mid-2000s and has failed to revitalize itself until now. So, in this study, the author focuses on the changes in the employment structure behind the growth of the insurance industry in the private sector and the reason why union organizing of independent contractors was not successful.展开更多
With the deepening of oil field reform, the number and scale of contractors entering the oil field are constantly expanding. Take the development unit as an example, the contractor is mainly responsible for the constr...With the deepening of oil field reform, the number and scale of contractors entering the oil field are constantly expanding. Take the development unit as an example, the contractor is mainly responsible for the construction of drilling wells, logging, underground operation, steam injection, inspection and maintenance, ground engineering and other projects, involving high temperature, high pressure, toxic and harmful gases and other construction projects, which pose new problems and challenges to on-site safety management. This paper analyzes in detail the situation faced by oilfield contractors safety management, the measures taken in oilfield contractors safety management, and puts forward the next countermeasures and suggestions.展开更多
For a long time, with the continuous development of power enterprises, more and more construction projects need contractors to participate in the completion. While contractors provide business support for power enterp...For a long time, with the continuous development of power enterprises, more and more construction projects need contractors to participate in the completion. While contractors provide business support for power enterprises and reduce enterprise costs, the contradiction between the pursuit of profit maximization and safe production is also increasingly prominent. In recent years, the direct responsibility and main responsibility accidents of the contractors account for the vast majority of the safety accidents in power enterprises. The safety management of contractors has become a weak link and a difficult problem in the safety management of electric power enterprises. It is also the main problem that hinders the safety production of electric power enterprises and is the top priority in the safety management. This paper studies and analyzes the safety management of contractors, effectively reduces the occurrence of contractor accidents in exploration and practice, and steadily improves the safety management level of power enterprises.展开更多
This article gives a brief introduction of Macao’s VIP room contractors.With the rapid expansion of the gaming industry,it appears that,among the players involved in the VIP business segment,the share percentage of g...This article gives a brief introduction of Macao’s VIP room contractors.With the rapid expansion of the gaming industry,it appears that,among the players involved in the VIP business segment,the share percentage of gross gaming revenue to the VIP room contractors has dropped considerably and this has raised the concern for the financial stability of VIP room contractors.It appears that Macao’s regulation of VIP room contractors falls heavily on gaming licensees which sell chips to them.Although gaming licensees can get the monthly sales volume of the VIP room contractors,they may not know clearly the internal operations of the contractors. Based upon this,additional information from the VIP room contractors would be beneficial to the contractors in their credit decisions and risk management,to the regulatory authority in its continuous assessment of the financial stability of the contractors,and to the industry to better meet the requirements of other gaming jurisdictions for sustainable development of the industry.展开更多
The construction industry is one of the major producers of municipal solid waste.Although there are many studies in municipal solid waste management,the research on the recovery of recyclable building material from co...The construction industry is one of the major producers of municipal solid waste.Although there are many studies in municipal solid waste management,the research on the recovery of recyclable building material from construction sites remains limited.This paper addresses the optimal design issue of the construction and demolition(C&D)waste logistics network based on the features of the construction industry from the contractors’perspective.The purpose of this paper is to provide an optimal C&D waste recycling network decision(RND)model considering the change of construction sites location over time.A multi-period and multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model was developed to minimize the cost of C&D waste disposal for contractors,and to minimize the carbon emissions from C&D waste transportation.An application study was conducted to assess the performance of the RND model.Through some sensitivity analysis experiments based on an immune genetic algorithm,the influences of environmental policies and carbon tax policy on improving the recycling rate of C&D waste and reduce the carbon emission were explored.The findings of this research suggest that:(1)a RND model with the feature of the construction industry developed in this paper can effectively optimize the C&D waste logistics network;(2)government policies and laws are valid political instruments to improve the recycling rate of C&D waste;(3)the carbon-tax analyses demonstrate that a carbon tax policy can effectively reduce carbon emissions.展开更多
Limited research has been conducted on the internal tendering procedures(ITP) of construction contractors because of the commercially sensitive and confidential nature of the subject matter. This limitation explains t...Limited research has been conducted on the internal tendering procedures(ITP) of construction contractors because of the commercially sensitive and confidential nature of the subject matter. This limitation explains the reluctance of contractors to undergo interviews. Existing research(outside bid/no-bid and margin decision factor identification and subsequent decision modeling development) only begins to provide insights into key tendering stages, particularly around risk assessments and corporate review processes. Early research suggested one to three review stages. However, when considering the whole work procurement process from prospect identification to contract execution, five to seven series of reviews can be arguably applied by some contractors, wherein some reviews stepped through several layers of internal senior management. Tendering processes were presented as flowchart models that traditionally follow "hard" system(rectangular shapes and straight line arrows) steps, which suggest that a precise process also leads to precise results. However, given that contractors do not win every tender they submit, the process is less precise than that suggested in rigidly structured flowcharts.Twenty-five detailed semi-structured interviews were held with purposely selected high-profile publicly and privately owned construction companies in Australia with significantly varied turnovers. Analyses show that contractors are concerned about the negative effects of increasing corporate governance demands, with many stating that people involved are the most critical element to tendering success. A new way of presenting the ITP of contractors is assessed using a soft systems methodology(SSM) approach. SSM offers an alternative way of considering human interaction challenges within the ITP of contractors, which needs to be tested with the industry.The format graphics of SSM guidelines are presented as a way of offering contractors a different approach, which may assist individuals who are looking to re-structure their tendering activities in a more humanistic and less rigid procedural approach.展开更多
There is a growing concern of the integration of bamboo as a material into the building construction industry even though its potential is underscored. Certain factors serve as barriers to the use of bamboo in buildin...There is a growing concern of the integration of bamboo as a material into the building construction industry even though its potential is underscored. Certain factors serve as barriers to the use of bamboo in building construction. This study employed a questionnaire survey which sought to investigate the perceptions of 84 Architects and 100 Senior Managers of small and medium scale Building construction firms on the factors that influence the use of bamboo in building construction. Relative Importance Index and Chi-squared tests were performed to identify the significant factors that influence the use of bamboo in building construction. The results showed that the building contractors considered nonspecification of bamboo for building projects by Architects, inadequate bamboo processing companies in Ghana and insufficient cooperation from government to be the key factors which influence the use of bamboo for building construction. The results further showed that the Architects considered lack of knowledge in bamboo detailing, limited knowledge of bamboo and lack of expertise to use it, and inadequate bamboo processing companies to be the key influential factors inhibiting the use of bamboo in building construction. The results are of value to the construction industry as it identifies significant factors which influence the usage of bamboo in building construction. Promotion of bamboo usage in building construction should be given the needed publicity to create the awareness of its potential as a building material.展开更多
The aim of this study was to assess the influence of client support on performance of contractors within the road construction industry in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and correlation re...The aim of this study was to assess the influence of client support on performance of contractors within the road construction industry in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and correlation research design. The target population was 156 selected from road contractors, engineers working in road authorities, technical auditors and consultants in the road sector. Stratified and proportionate sampling techniques were employed in coming up with a sample size of 62 respondents drawn from a target population of 156. From the simple linear regression conducted, the findings revealed that client support influences the performance of contractors in the road construction sector. Thus, we recommend that client support is highly needed to avoid issues such as delayed payment that would adversely affect performance of contractors in the road construction industry. This will subsequently lead to timely completion of roads, achieving cost effective and quality road projects.展开更多
For the current situation that the application of risk matrix method may result in too many risk ties which will block risk management and decision making, and based on the brief introduction of risk matrix method,thi...For the current situation that the application of risk matrix method may result in too many risk ties which will block risk management and decision making, and based on the brief introduction of risk matrix method,this paper subdivides the risk levels, gives an improved risk matrix method, conducts risk assessment of contractor support using the improved risk matrix method, and determines the risk rates and the acceptable level.展开更多
文摘Healthcare supply chains are under pressure to drive down costs because of digital business,shifting customer needs and new competition.Medical waste generated from medical facilities includes medical activities and daily-life activities of patients and their family members.According to statistics of the Department of Health EnvironmentalManagement,Vietnam currently has more than 13,500 medical facilities,including hospitals from central to provincial and district levels and private hospitals and medical facilities.Preventive medicine generates about 590 tons of medical waste/day and is estimated to be about 800 tons/day.Medical waste includes ordinary medical waste and hazardous medical waste;in which ordinary medical waste accounts for about 80%–90%,only about 10%–20%is hazardous medical waste including infectious waste and non-infectious hazardous waste.This is an environmental and occupational health issue that needs attention in developing countries like Vietnam.Handling large amounts of medical waste to ensure environmental and personal hygiene,doing so inefficiently creates potential hazards to the environment and increases operating costs.However,hospitals lack objective criteria and methods to evaluate and select the most optimal infectious medical waste,relying instead on their own subjective assessment and prior experience.Therefore,the author proposed a fuzzy multicriteria decision making(MCDM)model including Fuzzy Analytic hierarchy process(FAHP)and the Weighted Aggregated Sum-Product Assessment(WASPAS)for infectious medical waste contractors’selection in this research.The proposed Fuzzy MCDM method is in-tended to provide a more efficient,accurate method in the selection of infectious medical waste contractors than subjective assessment methods,thus reduce potential risks to hospitals.The results of this study can be applied to evaluate and select contractors in other industries.
文摘The past decade has witnessed a rapid development of the international construction market. This research aims to investigate top Chinese contractors' developmental tracks and evaluate their strategic selection of international construction markets over the period from 2001 to 2006,based on the modified Boston Consulting Group Matrix (BCG). Results from 2001 to 2005 indicate that Asia and Africa,which were "question marks" markets for top Chinese contractors (abbreviated as TCCs),have the most potential to become "stars" markets; other question marks markets such as the Middle East and Europe are found not to be of potential; "dogs" markets such as the U.S.,Canada and Latin America should be relinquished progressively unless there is renewed growth opportunity over the next two years. Compared to developmental tracks of top contractors from some advanced countries,TCCs' investment and development strategy in Africa seems to be sustainable and intensive; TCCs' exit strategy for the Middle East appears determined and swift,while their strategy in Asia seems to be lacking in persistence. Furthermore,the data of 2006 indicates that TCCs improve their performance in Asia and Africa,and Africa has become a "stars" market for TCCs.This research sheds important lights and insights into the prevailing process of internationalization of TCCs and provides a strategic direction for their selection of international construction market. What is more,this research is also valuable to other Chinese contractors who are seeking the opportunity to enter the international construction markets.
文摘Infrastructure development in Nigeria has attracted the attention of researchers in view of the attitudes of contractors and government lead-lag role playing. These attitudes led to the enactment of Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007 and Public Procurement Act 2007 to reduce internal control system deficiencies and budget indiscipline in the Nigerian public sector fiscal matters and procurement process. Ironically, despite these efforts, infrastructure development is still a problem affecting the lives of Nigerians as their poverty level is on the increase. This paper tests the effects of internal control system deficiency on contractors＇ capability in infrastructure development in the Nigerian public sector. Data drawn from a sample of 228 infrastructures were used for analysis. Two research questions on contractors＇ fiduciary obligation to government and capacity were analysed. Kendall＇s Tau-br correlation of coefficient and Chi-square X^2 statistics were employed for data analysis. Findings show that deficient internal control system strongly and directly breeds deficiency in the contractors＇ capability for infrastructure development. The paper recommends that oath of bribery should complement oath of secrecy to ensure that contractors and government agencies that are responsible for execution of infrastructure play to the rules of the ＂games＂, especially the provisions of Public Procurement Act 2007 and Fiscal Responsibility Act 2007. Public-private-partnership-initiative, such as build-operate and transfer method of contracting, should be encouraged to improve on contractors＇ capability and stewardship.
文摘A number of studies conducted in Kenya </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">and </span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">internationally indicate</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">d</span><span style="font-family:""><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> that most of the construction firms and contractors do not seem to strictly observe safety administration in construction industry, hence compromised performance at implementation stage of projects and even later in the post implementation or post-delivery stage. The study aimed to examine the influence of contractors’ safety record on road performance. This is to create better understanding of how the safety record of contractors could either positively or negatively influence performance of roads during post-delivery stage. The study used both descriptive survey research design and correlation design based on a pragmatic mixed method approach. Through stratified sampling and proportionate sampling, a sample of 210 was drawn from a population of 460 comprising of registered contractors and Public Service Vehicles (PSV) drivers within Nairobi County in Kenya. Questionnaires were distributed using simple random sampling. The questionnaires returned were 153 in total representing 72.8% of all questionnaires distributed to the respondents. Data was descriptively analyzed using percentages, frequencies, means and standard deviations for measuring central tendency and variability. Inferential analysis was done by use of correlation and regression. The descriptive analysis revealed that safety policy management system, insurance policy, and adequacy of standards in addressing safety outcome are to some extent practiced and adhered to. However, compliance behavior to safety procedures is still weak and requires improvement. The null hypothesis was tested and the results obtained from a simple linear regression indicated that, R = 0.657, R</span><sup><span style="font-size:12px;font-family:Verdana;">2</span></sup><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> = 0.431, B = 0.359, t = 10.703, F (1,151) = 114.558, p = 0.000 < 0.05. This means that contractors’ safety record has a strong positive and significant relationship with road performance and that 43.1% of variation in performance is explained by safety record. This study recommends that contractors’ safety record should be part</span></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;">,</span><span style="font-family:Verdana;"> and parcel of the evaluation criteria used in selection of a suitable road contractor to ensure road performance is achieved even after construction is completed. The study is significant in that it contributes to the body of knowledge by providing empirical data on the need for safety procedures in urban road construction and beyond.
文摘Sondu-Miriu hydropower （SMHP） project experienced delay for about five years and one of the contributing factors was delayed payment of the contractor, with ripples effect extending down the contractual hierarchy. This study assessed the effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the completion of SMHP project in Kisumu County, Kenya. More specifically, the study addressed two research questions： What is the relative importance of delayed payment of the contractor compared to other forms of contractual delays？ What is the perceived effect of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion？ A causal-comparative design was adopted and primary data sourced in May 2011 from 39 senior management staff of contractual parties. Relative importance index （RII） was used to determine the relative importance of perceived effects of delayed payment of the contractor on the project＇s completion; while Kendell＇s coefficient of concordance was applied to determine the degree of agreement among participants regarding their perceived effects of delayed payment. The study found that delayed payment of the contractor affected the project by causing： loss of productivity and efficiency （71.8%）; increase in time-related costs （71.8%）; re-scheduling and re-sequencing of works （69.2%）; extension of time and acceleration （69.2%）; as well as prevention of early completion （53.8%）. The study concludes that timely payment of contractors is crucial for ensuring the continuity of works and completion of infrastructural projects within time, budget, and quality specifications. The study recommends the need for appropriate mitigative measures against potential risks, such as delayed disbursement of funds by external financiers, delayed approval of contractors＇ payment requests, as well as community participation and involvement of civil society to influence accountability in the management of project funds and expedite disbursement of funds for subsequent project phases.
文摘Contractors working with the Public sector encounter numerous challenges in financing projects in Ghana. The challenges which have persisted over the years are both financial and managerial. This paper seeks to ascertain the extent to which contractors’ challenges in acquiring funds to execute public sector projects have been solved. The study involved both qualitative and quantitative methods to ascertain the various strategies the contractors go through to obtain public sector projects focusing on the challenges associated with the project execution. The study revealed that delayed payments and inadequate cash flow on the part of government, lack of credit worthiness and inadequate collateral security from contractors are key determinants to challenges associated with financing public sector projects in Ghana. This paper recommends the establishment of a Construction Development Authority (CDA), within the Ministry of Works and Housing to develop financial plans, policies and laws for this important sector of the economy.
文摘There are progressive architects, engineers, contractors and owners that adopt some of the newest technologies for financial benefits. The moving force to integrate BIM （building information modeling） tools may come from owners demanding a BIM deliverable to approve the work on these projects. Ifa contractor can produce this deliverable, then obtaining the project could be done in a more convincing way. Contractors are confronted with problems in selecting proper construction methods and applying their knowledge about specific and well-defined technologies to a project. Their decision-making process and better project outcomes can be improved through a database-oriented library of construction methods and therefore, a consistent methodology to classify construction methods is needed. This goal can be achieved by introducing rigorous construction method descriptors. The technology solution and the trending need of owners to pay software companies to develop software that really works for them and contractors are empirically proved in this paper through a technology ontology and BIM-enabled estimating procedure. An exploratory case study is presented. This way, owners can efficiently demand deliverables that can be utilized by them downstream, allowing contractors and subcontracting trades to work efficiently and to assure the daily flow of operations.
文摘The use of information technology （IT） in construction is expanding rapidly. More and more architecture, engineering, and construction companies are adopting new technologies in software design to help accelerate and accurately carry out their functions. Based on a research study carried out in Southern Nevada with a questionnaire survey of 54 construction-related firms, this study aims to compare the types and extent of IT use by architects, engineers, and contractors. It also explores the level of IT skills possessed by professionals working in the industry. The study found that architects mostly used design software whereas engineers and contractors used scheduling and estimating software. All of the respondents believed that IT helped to improve their work productivity. The majority of the respondents thought that IT is useful for Construction Management （CM） students： engineers and architects thought that CM students should take more scheduling and estimating software courses and contractors thought that they should take more scheduling and quantity take-off software courses.
文摘This paper presents a method for construction contractor selection based on trust building. By classifying criteria into three types of trust and applying gray correlation analysis, the presented method concerns multi-criteria for evaluation other than price, selects trust- and selection-related criteria, provides approaches for indicator quantification and determines the contractor on the basis of gray correlation degree.
文摘The purpose of this study is to understand limitations and possibilities of organizing independent contractors by focusing on insurance solicitors in South Korea. Among various types of precarious employment, insurance solicitors are an exemplar case of independent contractor jobs in Korea. According to the narrow interpretation on the employment relationship by the courts, the labor standard law does not treat insurance solicitors as workers. And, most of insurance solicitors are not affiliated with labor unions. As a result, insurance solicitors are outside labor protections. Under this context, insurance solicitors attempted to organize their own union--Korean Insurance Agents＇ Union （KIAU） in the early 2000s, and turned it into a branch of Korean Finance and Service Workers＇ Union （KFSWU） in 2004. However, the KIAU lost its membership rapidly since the mid-2000s and has failed to revitalize itself until now. So, in this study, the author focuses on the changes in the employment structure behind the growth of the insurance industry in the private sector and the reason why union organizing of independent contractors was not successful.
文摘With the deepening of oil field reform, the number and scale of contractors entering the oil field are constantly expanding. Take the development unit as an example, the contractor is mainly responsible for the construction of drilling wells, logging, underground operation, steam injection, inspection and maintenance, ground engineering and other projects, involving high temperature, high pressure, toxic and harmful gases and other construction projects, which pose new problems and challenges to on-site safety management. This paper analyzes in detail the situation faced by oilfield contractors safety management, the measures taken in oilfield contractors safety management, and puts forward the next countermeasures and suggestions.
文摘For a long time, with the continuous development of power enterprises, more and more construction projects need contractors to participate in the completion. While contractors provide business support for power enterprises and reduce enterprise costs, the contradiction between the pursuit of profit maximization and safe production is also increasingly prominent. In recent years, the direct responsibility and main responsibility accidents of the contractors account for the vast majority of the safety accidents in power enterprises. The safety management of contractors has become a weak link and a difficult problem in the safety management of electric power enterprises. It is also the main problem that hinders the safety production of electric power enterprises and is the top priority in the safety management. This paper studies and analyzes the safety management of contractors, effectively reduces the occurrence of contractor accidents in exploration and practice, and steadily improves the safety management level of power enterprises.
文摘This article gives a brief introduction of Macao’s VIP room contractors.With the rapid expansion of the gaming industry,it appears that,among the players involved in the VIP business segment,the share percentage of gross gaming revenue to the VIP room contractors has dropped considerably and this has raised the concern for the financial stability of VIP room contractors.It appears that Macao’s regulation of VIP room contractors falls heavily on gaming licensees which sell chips to them.Although gaming licensees can get the monthly sales volume of the VIP room contractors,they may not know clearly the internal operations of the contractors. Based upon this,additional information from the VIP room contractors would be beneficial to the contractors in their credit decisions and risk management,to the regulatory authority in its continuous assessment of the financial stability of the contractors,and to the industry to better meet the requirements of other gaming jurisdictions for sustainable development of the industry.
基金financial support provided by Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities-China(No.2018CDJSK03XK15)project support by the National Planning Office of Philosophy and Social Science Foundation of China-China(No.18BJY06).
文摘The construction industry is one of the major producers of municipal solid waste.Although there are many studies in municipal solid waste management,the research on the recovery of recyclable building material from construction sites remains limited.This paper addresses the optimal design issue of the construction and demolition(C&D)waste logistics network based on the features of the construction industry from the contractors’perspective.The purpose of this paper is to provide an optimal C&D waste recycling network decision(RND)model considering the change of construction sites location over time.A multi-period and multi-objective mixed-integer linear programming model was developed to minimize the cost of C&D waste disposal for contractors,and to minimize the carbon emissions from C&D waste transportation.An application study was conducted to assess the performance of the RND model.Through some sensitivity analysis experiments based on an immune genetic algorithm,the influences of environmental policies and carbon tax policy on improving the recycling rate of C&D waste and reduce the carbon emission were explored.The findings of this research suggest that:(1)a RND model with the feature of the construction industry developed in this paper can effectively optimize the C&D waste logistics network;(2)government policies and laws are valid political instruments to improve the recycling rate of C&D waste;(3)the carbon-tax analyses demonstrate that a carbon tax policy can effectively reduce carbon emissions.
文摘Limited research has been conducted on the internal tendering procedures(ITP) of construction contractors because of the commercially sensitive and confidential nature of the subject matter. This limitation explains the reluctance of contractors to undergo interviews. Existing research(outside bid/no-bid and margin decision factor identification and subsequent decision modeling development) only begins to provide insights into key tendering stages, particularly around risk assessments and corporate review processes. Early research suggested one to three review stages. However, when considering the whole work procurement process from prospect identification to contract execution, five to seven series of reviews can be arguably applied by some contractors, wherein some reviews stepped through several layers of internal senior management. Tendering processes were presented as flowchart models that traditionally follow "hard" system(rectangular shapes and straight line arrows) steps, which suggest that a precise process also leads to precise results. However, given that contractors do not win every tender they submit, the process is less precise than that suggested in rigidly structured flowcharts.Twenty-five detailed semi-structured interviews were held with purposely selected high-profile publicly and privately owned construction companies in Australia with significantly varied turnovers. Analyses show that contractors are concerned about the negative effects of increasing corporate governance demands, with many stating that people involved are the most critical element to tendering success. A new way of presenting the ITP of contractors is assessed using a soft systems methodology(SSM) approach. SSM offers an alternative way of considering human interaction challenges within the ITP of contractors, which needs to be tested with the industry.The format graphics of SSM guidelines are presented as a way of offering contractors a different approach, which may assist individuals who are looking to re-structure their tendering activities in a more humanistic and less rigid procedural approach.
文摘There is a growing concern of the integration of bamboo as a material into the building construction industry even though its potential is underscored. Certain factors serve as barriers to the use of bamboo in building construction. This study employed a questionnaire survey which sought to investigate the perceptions of 84 Architects and 100 Senior Managers of small and medium scale Building construction firms on the factors that influence the use of bamboo in building construction. Relative Importance Index and Chi-squared tests were performed to identify the significant factors that influence the use of bamboo in building construction. The results showed that the building contractors considered nonspecification of bamboo for building projects by Architects, inadequate bamboo processing companies in Ghana and insufficient cooperation from government to be the key factors which influence the use of bamboo for building construction. The results further showed that the Architects considered lack of knowledge in bamboo detailing, limited knowledge of bamboo and lack of expertise to use it, and inadequate bamboo processing companies to be the key influential factors inhibiting the use of bamboo in building construction. The results are of value to the construction industry as it identifies significant factors which influence the usage of bamboo in building construction. Promotion of bamboo usage in building construction should be given the needed publicity to create the awareness of its potential as a building material.
文摘The aim of this study was to assess the influence of client support on performance of contractors within the road construction industry in Kenya. The study adopted descriptive survey research design and correlation research design. The target population was 156 selected from road contractors, engineers working in road authorities, technical auditors and consultants in the road sector. Stratified and proportionate sampling techniques were employed in coming up with a sample size of 62 respondents drawn from a target population of 156. From the simple linear regression conducted, the findings revealed that client support influences the performance of contractors in the road construction sector. Thus, we recommend that client support is highly needed to avoid issues such as delayed payment that would adversely affect performance of contractors in the road construction industry. This will subsequently lead to timely completion of roads, achieving cost effective and quality road projects.
文摘For the current situation that the application of risk matrix method may result in too many risk ties which will block risk management and decision making, and based on the brief introduction of risk matrix method,this paper subdivides the risk levels, gives an improved risk matrix method, conducts risk assessment of contractor support using the improved risk matrix method, and determines the risk rates and the acceptable level.
