Factors causing mismanagement in public/private contracts: An Indonesian perspective

The objective of this study is to examine the impact of client, consultant and contractor related factors on mismanagement in public and private contracts in the region of Indonesia. A structural questionnaire is developed for the selected items after detailed investigation of present literature. A final sample of 137 respondents associated with various contracts in the region of Indonesia is collected with demographic details and regression analysis. It is observed that factors like lack of strategy, failure to compile the documentary requirements, poor planning, delay in decision making, financial issues, late payments, difficulty in getting work permits and lack of management expertise are core issues, creating mismanagement in public and private contracts. In consultant related factors, role of inexperienced consultant, poor planning, late of instructions from architects, poor contract management, and poor-quality assurance are the key determinants of mismanagement in contracts. While contractor related factors like poor planning and scheduling, late or improper submission of contract, inadequate site supervision and inspection, poor construction methods, weak leadership, and lack of communication between the parties are the key indicators of mismanagement in contracts. As per significance, this study is found to be a reasonable addition in the present literature from the context of contract management. Originality of the study covers the significant findings for the policy makers in the field of public and private contracts. Study can be reworked in future through better sampling, and addition of more factors related to materials, equipment and labor causing for the poor delivery of the contracts

Disputes and resemblance: comparative analysis of shariah advisory committee methodology and International indices / Wan Arliza Wan Zainal … [et al.]

In line with Malaysian Capital Market Masterplan 2 to expand the Islamic capital, Malaysian Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) has revised the Shariah screening process for listed companies in late 2013. The screening methodology was revised by adopting a two-tier approach to the quantitative assessment which applies business activity benchmarks and newlyintroduced financial ratio benchmarks while maintaining the qualitative assessment at the same time. This revision is parallel with the international screening providers (such as Dow-Jones Islamic World Market, Morgan-Stanly Compliance Islamic Index, London Stock Exchange (FTSE) Shariah Index, and Standard and Poor Shariah Index) methodology to identify Shariah-compliant investment for Muslims investors. Despite the similarity between the latest SAC 2013 Shariah screening methodology and the International Indices, various discussions on these screening methodology implications and detail filters are still being debated. The questions on which indices best follow the Shariah rules and are too liberal have yet to be discovered. Thus, there could be a need to provide clearer understanding with a more uniform Shariah investment screening methodology to convince investors with international portfolios. Any disputes or resemblance among these international indices and SAC are highlighted in this paper

A professional money laundering scandal; a narrative-based exploration of undocumented foreign workers in a large construction project

PurposeMoney laundering weakens the role of the construction industry in stimulating economic growth. The purpose of this paper is to explore the connection between money laundering on the construction sites and undocumented foreign workers, based on a narrative drawn from a qualitative research.Design/methodology/approachThroughout the study, qualitative methods, i.e. interviews, site visits and document analysis, were used. However, the data for this paper was primarily derived from an interview. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.FindingsThe findings show that construction personnel who have access to the business’s financial affairs are the most likely to engage in illicit transactions. The size of the project as well as the multiple layers of organisations involved made it easy for launderers to operate. The appealing commission provided incentives to opportunistic personnel. In this regard, the wages for undocumented workers, which were primarily paid in cash, provided a considerable opportunity for the subcontracting organisations to engage in money laundering.Research limitations/implicationsWhile the single narrative method with an omniscient narrator allows for the conceptualisation of a human experience with money laundering, the depth of information and interpretations is limited. Emerging qualitative research methods may be incorporated in the future to provide a more extensive information due to the fact that money laundering data is complex and sensitive that few people want to discuss.Originality/valueThe multidisciplinary approach of this research provides a pedagogical way that focuses primarily on the disciplines of construction management and business ethics to demonstrate real-world money laundering practice. Understanding such phenomenon on sites opens up key avenues for future research into developing an anti-money laundering regime for the construction industry