Challenges associated with communication medium among project teams on mass housing project delivery in Ghana.

The construction of mass housing has become a very important policy in the government of Ghanas efforts at reducing the countrys housing deficit. Unlike traditional one-off building projects, Mass Housing Projects (MHPs) typically present a plethora of asynchronous and synchronous communication among project team members. The efficiency and effectiveness of these communications can be very critical to the successful delivery of the project within cost and time limits. The uniqueness and overall importance of MHPs also presents project managers with communication management challenges which are a clear departure from those associated with traditional one-off construction projects. In this paper, project team communication challenges associated with MHPs in Ghana are critically explored. This would form the basis for recommending practical measures and avenues to improve quality of project team communication on MHPs. By adopting a survey approach, data was collected via structured questionnaire administered to sixty-three MHP team members across the country and analysed using mean score index. Both synchronous and asynchronous forms of communications were found to be employed by project team members with face-to-face meetings and discussions, telephone calls, e-mails and text messaging being the most frequently used media. Aside the common communication challenges such as timeliness of required information, distortion and overload, this paper also identified difficulties relating to access to information as well as challenges regarding dissemination procedures and protocols as key challenges faced by MHP team members

Perceptions of Undergraduate Construction Students on Industrial Training in Ghana

Ghanaian universities’ curricula, which have provisions for industrial training (IT), have not made the expected impact on graduates to meet the expectations of the construction industry. This paper assesses the perceptions of undergraduate construction students on IT in Ghana, its challenges and possible measures to overcome them. The study employed a structured questionnaire survey of 185 final year construction students of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Kumasi, Ghana. Data analysis was based on mean scores of factors evaluated and the t-test was used to assess the significance of the differences between students’ performance before and after undertaking IT. Students are of the perception that IT exposes them to real work environment and increases their job prospects among others. Students’ satisfaction level with their performance on personal attitude, communication and work attitude significantly improved after undergoing IT. Students are, however, not satisfied with their departments’ involvement in IT, particularly, with regards to placement and monitoring. Stressful placement processes and financial strain on students are some of the challenges identified.Keywords: Industrial training, perception, construction graduates, Ghana

Environmental performance indicators for assessing sustainability of projects in the Ghanaian construction industry

PURPOSE: Recent reports based on the sustainable development goals (SDGs) have revealed that no country is in line with achieving the targets of the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development, with the slowest progress being witnessed mainly on goals that are focused on the environment. This study examines environmental performance indicators for assessing the sustainability of building projects. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The study uses an explanatory sequential design with an initial quantitative instrument phase, followed by a qualitative data collection phase. An extensive critical comparative review of the literature resulted in the identification of ten environmental sustainability indicators. One hundred and sixty-seven questionnaire responses based upon these indicators from the Ghanaian construction industry were received. Data were coded with SPSS v22, analysed descriptively, and via inferential analysis. These data were then validated through semi-structured interviews with six interviewees who are fellows of their respective professional bodies, a senior academic (professor in construction project delivery) and a government official. Data obtained from the semi-structured validation interviews were analysed through the side-by-side comparison of the qualitative data with the quantitative data. FINDINGS: The findings from the study suggest that all the indicators were important in assessing building projects' environmental sustainability across the entire life cycle. Key among the identified indicators is the effects of the project on “water quality, air quality, energy use and conservation, and environmental compliance and management”. The interviewees further agreed to and confirmed the importance of these identified indicators for assessing the environmental sustainability of building projects in Ghana. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: Compared to existing studies, this study adopts the exploratory sequential design to identify and examine the critical indicators in assessing the environmental sustainability across the entire lifecycle of building projects in a typical developing country setting, i.e. Ghana. It reveals areas of prime concern in the drive to place the local construction industry on a trajectory towards achieving environmental sustainability

Exploring the Significant Cash Flow Factors Influencing Building Projects Profitability in Ghana

This paper identifies and explore significant quantifiable cash flow factors influencing building projects profitability in Ghana. A thorough literature was undertaken to unravel the quantifiable cash flow factors which facilitated design of questionnaire. A survey with prime focus on large firms registered with the Association of Building and Civil Engineering Contractors, Ghana was undertaken. A total of 50 questionnaires were received from 63 administered representing 79.36% response rate with a Cronbach Alpha value of 0.895 and Kappa value of 0.743 respectively were attained. One-sample t-test was performed on the rated responses to establish 12 significant factors. Principal component analysis was subsequently employed to reduce factors to the most significant components. Prominent variables selected from rotated and component score matrixes were: wages of labour and staff; progress payment duration; bank interest rate; and replacement of defective works as significant variables. This study was limited to quantifiable cash flow factors and large construction firms hence, recommended further study with focus on qualitative factors, procurement types, broader scope of construction firms and other developing countries. The outcome of this is to aid construction managers effectively manage the significant cash flow factors to maximize profit

SKILLED ARTISANAL AVAILABILITY IN THE GHANAIAN CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

The issue of skilled artisanal scarcity is not a current one. It dates as far back as the two world wars. This paper premised on the observation of the unavailability of skillful artisans in the Ghanaian Construction Industry (GCI). The objective of the study was to identify the factors aggravating the skilled artisanal scarcity in Ghana. Using relative important indices as the main statistical analysis tool, the following factors have been identified as the most important factors causing the scarcity situation : Irregular and low remuneration, low motivation, the lack of interest by the youth to take up trades like masonship and carpentry as professions, varying working conditions and technological advancements. The study recommends that an Association of Ghanaian Construction Artisans (AGCA) as a regulatory body to promote the welfare of its members i n other to address the issues raised by this study

Promoting Partnership with Traditional Authorities in Development Projects: A Model for Community Infrastructure Project Delivery in Ghana

Promoting partnership with traditional Authority Project (PPTAP) was designed to translate into reality the vision of having our traditional leaders play pivotal roles in community devel­opment. The project was to test the role that chiefs, queen mothers and other opinion leaders could play in the decentralization of community development. In spite of the presence of some challenges with respect to project implementation such as slow pace in the payment of coun­terpart fund contribution, this novelty achieved spectacular successes. This paper discusses the results of a questionnaire survey that looked at the role played by traditional authorities and community involvement in infrastructure development for 40 selected communities in Ashanti region under the PPTAP, with support from the International Development Agency (IDA) of the World Bank and the Government of Ghana. The paper concludes that the inclusion of tradi­tional authorities in beneficiary communities helped in an accurate identification of community needs, minimization of cost incurred and high-quality workmanship as well as strengthened ownership. For community based development, the paper recommends a Tripartite Partnership (TTP), where Traditional Authorities work in tandem with the Public and Private Sector to ensure sustainable national development. PPTAP presents an excellent framework for such TPP arrangements. Keywords: Traditional Authorities, Community Based Project, Infrastructure, Developmen

An inquiry into the health and safety management practices of construction firms in South Korea

Purpose: This paper aims to investigate the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) management practices of construction companies in South Korea to ascertain specific components and practices that need improvement for successful OSH performance. Design/methodology/approach: A quantitative research strategy was adopted. A close-ended questionnaire survey covering 45 OSH management practices was sent to 324 contractors; 108 responses were gathered, representing a response rate of 33.3%. Data were analysed using simple descriptive statistics (frequencies and percentages) and Pearson’s chi-square test. Findings: The findings revealed that there is a moderate level of implementation of OSH management practices among construction firms in South Korea. However, there is a significant disparity in terms of implementation between large enterprises on the one hand and small to medium enterprises on the other. Furthermore, a few of the business characteristics (i.e. the size of companies and certification to OHSAS 18001) were closely associated with the extent of the implementation of OSH management practices. Practical implications: This research uncovers the OSH management practices that are poorly implemented and lays the foundation for appropriate measures to improve OSH in South Korean construction companies. It suggests an effective strategy for communicating health and safety issues to workers, training safety managers, reviewing risk assessments, reviewing the health and safety plan, incentivising workers by rewarding good behaviour and having a penal mechanism for employees not adhering to the rules. Originality/value: The study provides insights into an under-investigated South Korean construction industry topic. It offers additional insight into state-of-the-art health and safety management practices in the construction industry in South Korea. Furthermore, it establishes which components of OSH management practice require improvement in the Korean context. This is also one of the few studies in OSH which establishes the association between the construction business characteristics and OSH management in the South Korean construction domain

Regeneration of Sub-Saharan Africa’s Open Market Places: A Case for Guileless Stakeholder Participation

Sub-Saharan Africa’s urban culture makes open market places an essential part of life in their cities. What goes on in these markets undoubtedly opens them up to threats of adversity, tragedy and other significant sources of stress. How can these open market places be regenerated into resiliently sustainable places? From a case study of the regeneration redevelopment of the largest open-air market in West Africa i.e. Kumasi Central Market, the need for stakeholder participation in the entire regeneration process is emphasised. The determination of the most important stakeholders during the regeneration of the market is followed by a comparison of the regeneration process regeneration with the literature on urban regeneration, sustainable development, participation and project management. Lessons learned, and the concerns raised by major stakeholders in the process creates certain project management approaches essential for achieving resilient urban regeneration. Identification of all important stakeholders by the consideration of their attributes of power, legitimacy and urgency and distrustfully engaging all stakeholders is vital to the success of any urban regeneration project

Assessing Critical Risk Factors (CRFs) to sustainable housing : the perspective of a sub-Saharan African country

202303 bcwwNot applicableRGCPublished24 month