Quality Management System In Construction

This paper describes the Quality Management System (QMS) concept and its application in the construction industry. A misunderstanding among the construction players on the QMS concept has become the stumbling block for its successful implementation

Service level agreements: governance in outsourcing facility management

Governance mechanism is playing vital role in service performance. Service level agreement is a governance mechanism to facilitate the performance management of the facility management services outsourced. Service level agreement is indispensable document to be referred to ensure that the facility management services delivery comply the quality standard stipulated in the agreement. The service level agreement elements represent the required service performance. Previous research indicates that one of the reasons for the agreement failure is due to unclear and confusing service level agreement elements. The aim of this study is to develop the service level agreement fundamental elements for facilities management services in outsourcing contract

An overview of the forecasting methods used in real estate housing price modelling

Forecasting is very fundamental in real estate where the past transactions become the evidences while decision making for the present and the future. Several techniques and validation approached that were commonly used in housing price index forecasting. Beside the appropriate forecasting method, error calculation is one of the critical constraints in accuracy out of all methods. This paper overview the available methods and the types of error being considered in forecasting techniques. Then the forecasting methods, namely Multiple Regression Analysis (MRA) and Artificial Neural Network which are highly applied in forecasting modelling are compared over its error accuracy

Exploring competencies for green building project manager

Sustainability concept has grown in recognition and importance since the last 10 to 15 years and the issues of achieving sustainability, climate change as well as environmental protection have been addressed by the construction players. While many studies have examined the competency of project managers, there is little attention given for green building construction. Therefore, this study aims at identifying a list of competencies for green building project manager. Through literature review, a total of 49 competencies have been identified from previous studies and this search is limited with the year of published article ranging from 2000 to 2015 using Google Scholar, which were then analysed using content analysis. This study can help in creating further knowledge and skills for project managers to be more relevant and effectively execute sustainable projects

Office space study: a review from facilities management context

Office space is one of the critical factors in managing an organization. Without efficient management, the organization has to bear many problems such as high cost and inefficiency of space utilization. Hence, this paper aims to review the space studies in facilities management context as well as to identify the potential research in this area. The review was based on multiple electronic databases for published peer-reviewed articles. 70 articles were selected by using ‘facilities management’ as key word. Results show that office space studies can be divided into space management, space utilization and space efficiency. Additionally, the most frequent suggestion for future research is space utilization performance measurement which aims to evaluate the current level of management and utilization

An overview of the management commitment to safety elements for mitigating accidents in the construction industry

Due to the importance of management commitment to safety for influencing workplace safety performance, this paper aims to investigate the current literatures, prepare a compilation and gap related to the demonstrated management commitment to safety and its elements that mitigate workplace accident in the construction industry through a clearly structural methodological approach. Hundreds of articles were explored using article keyword identified from the literature reviews. The articles abstract were reviewed repeatedly resulted in 61 relevant articles for compilation of management safety commitment including related articles from other industry. The elements of management commitment to safety were identified using content analysis and inductive coding technique. Apart from that, critical analysis was conducted to identify gaps in the literatures. From the content analysis, a total of 19 elements reflected the management commitments to safety were identified. Additionally, it was found that lots of studies have been done on safety commitment in specific aspect but more comprehensive research regarding cause and effect of actual safety commitment is suggested

Comparing shoppers’ perception in image dimensions: a retail case study

In the highly competitive retail industry, an understanding on the perceptions of shoppers is important in attracting and retaining loyal customers. This study compares the shoppers’ perceptions on various image dimensions using KSL City and Plaza Pelangi in Johor Bahru, Malaysia as case studies. Plaza Pelangi is more established but faces high vacancy rate and competition from KSL City. The latter is relatively new and needs to capture the shoppers market from Plaza Pelangi. A total 200 questionnaires were distributed using random sampling. Wilcoxon Signed Ranks Test, Paired-Samples T Test, Chi Square Test, One Way ANOVA were used. There was no significant difference between the overall preferences towards both shopping centers. However, there were significant differences according to demographic groups (race, age and marital status). Majority of the image dimension attributes were rated higher in KSL City compared to Plaza Pelangi. KSL City needs to improve the ease in locating merchandise and appoint higher quality tenants. KSL should strive for more inclusive shopper demographic groups. Plaza Pelangi needs to improve its physical dimension in terms of layout and facility dimension by undergoing upgrading works. Plaza Pelangi also needs to recruit more food and beverage outlets as well as entertainment outlets

A review on the effectiveness of safety training methods for Malaysia construction industry

Safety issues have become a vital issue in the management of facilities in the construction industry, as the labour-intensive construction industry is particularly regarded as one of the most unsafe industrial sectors worldwide. To increase workplace safety, Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training has been introduced and pursued. Based on previous research, training methods range from less to more engaging. This paper has reviewed the research from 2006 to present done on effectiveness of different training methods as the first investigation research was carried out in 2006. The literatures were searched through multiple electronic databases for published peer-reviewed articles. Findings have suggested that both training methods were able to impart safety knowledge and safety awareness to the workers; however, more engaging training methods would be more effective on training outcomes. Nevertheless, it was noted that those research projects did not take into consideration on the multiculturalism issue where language communication problem exist. Hence, this research proposes a mix mode of less and more engaging training methods to be applied in a multi-cultural workplace to enhance the effectiveness of training outcomes. This review may provide information on effective safety training methods to be applied in the multi-cultural construction industry

Critical success factors for facilities management implementation in the healthcare industry

This paper will explore the current literature that delves into the critical success factors (CSFs) for the implementation of Facilities Management (FM) in Healthcare industry in terms of the implementation, preparation of a compilation, and identification of any gaps that might exist. The research makes reference to various journals using the key terms and only 90 articles were short-listed as the most accomplished and relevant article. Using the key term between facility management success and healthcare success, this paper identified healthcare success factors. CSF constructs were then identified using the content analysis methodology and an inductive coding technique. A subsequent analysis identified gaps that exist in the literature base. Currently, a framework found for FM healthcare encompasses maintenance management, performance management, risk management, development, ICT and supply service management. No research has been conducted to extract these six factors and validate them as CSF’s in FM healthcare. A comprehensive review of FM practice in healthcare is presented in this paper. The framework of healthcare success factors in the FM developed is clear, cohesive and it can be well understood by all levels among the healthcare professionals. There is a lack of FM studies in the context of the healthcare industry, which limits the knowledge and exploration of the research scope. This study can further be explored for future research to secure FM as an added value to the healthcare sector, and therefore enhance the service quality and improve the corporate image. This research provides a comprehensive compilation of all previously identified FM implementation success factors, through a clearly structured methodological approach and gives comprehensive key factors which define the critical success factors for FM in the healthcare industry

A review on critical success factors of sustainable retrofitting implementation

Sustainable retrofitting has been one of the alternate solutions to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. However, it is apparent that limited existing buildings are being sustainably retrofitted and the reason lies within the influential forces which contribute to the failure of the sustainable retrofitting project. Thus, this study aims investigates the current literature based on critical success factors (CSFs) for sustainable retrofitting and to identify any gap that might exists. Journals were searched using the key words identified from the preliminary literature review. Successive round of article abstract reviews resulted in 59 articles being selected for compilation purpose. The CSF constructs were then identified using content analysis and inductive coding approach. Critical analysis of the literature revealed gaps in the literature. The most significant findings was the lack of research on CSFs for sustainable retrofitting from the stakeholders’ perspective. This research provides a comprehensive compilation of all previously identified CSFs for project purpose