Application of Constructability Concepts in the Industrialised Building System for the Malaysian Construction Industry

Constructability is generally reducing the problems of construction by incorporating the construction knowledge into the design of a construction project. The Malaysian construction industry is attempting to promote and use Industrialized Building systems (IBS) for better construction practice with more effectiveness and efficiency, but in terms of constructability and research into the application of constructability concepts for IBS little work has been done. In fact the Malaysian construction industry is still not applying the concepts of constructability in totality and there is lack of constructability research in Malaysia. In this research the application status of constructability concepts which have been previously defined for Malaysia are examined and assessed within the Malaysian IBS industry. The ease of constructability application of IBS and conventional building methods are investigated and finally the concepts that are not being applied up to their potential level in IBS construction and resemble possible problems in the process of application are identified. A survey is used to obtain the essential data needed for the research from the active IBS industry participants of Malaysia. It was found that the IBS contractors are applying constructability more than the designers and suppliers and also the early constructability concepts gained a higher application score than other concepts. Using information technology and the innovative concepts of the field operation phase were the most difficult concepts to apply and generally the application of constructability concepts in IBS construction is easier compared to the conventional building systems according to the IBS industry participants

Systematic Representation of Relationship Quality in Conflict and Dispute: for Construction Projects

The construction industry needs to move towards more relational procurement procedures to reduce extensive losses of value and avoid conflicts and disputes. Despite this, the actual conceptualization and assessment of relationships during conflict and dispute incidents seem to be neglected. Via a review of literature, relationship quality is suggested as a systematic framework for construction projects. General system theory is applied and a framework consistent of four layers respectively labelled as triggering, antecedent, moderation and outcome is suggested. Two different case studies are undertaken to represent the systematic framework; which verifies that changes in contracting circumstances and built environment culture can affect the identified layers.Through system reliability theories a fault tree is derived to represent a systematic framework of relationship quality. The combinations of components, causes, and events for two case studies are mapped out through fault tree. By analysing the fault tree the combination of events that lead to relationship deterioration may be identified. Consequently the progression of simple events into failure is formulized and probabilities allocated. Accordingly the importance and the contribution of these events to failure become accessible. The ability to have such indications about relationship quality may help increase performance as well as sustainable procurement. Paper Type: Research articl

An interdisciplinary perspective of conflict and relationships in construction procurement and logistics

Due to the construction industry’s eagerness to lifting adversarial trends and realising the benefits of good relationships, the current research intends to investigate the construct of relationship quality in construction projects; especially in the event of a conflict. An interdisciplinary construct is derived using a three step methodology and wide range of theories from a comprehensive literature review. These theories range from relational marketing to relational contracting and construction project management. A conflict process model is used to outline the association of conflict and relationship quality in construction projects. Concepts such as psychological meaningfulness, psychological availability, resource availability, aligned-commitment, teamwork, performance satisfaction and trust are attributed to relationship quality. An interdisciplinary construct with antecedents, core attributes and outcomes are achieved. Conflict is demonstrated as a potential antecedent of relationship quality. Finally, moderating factors such as actions and strategies, some of which could be used in conflict management are identified as moderators of relationship quality. By identifying and mapping all the possible components in relationship quality, its different constructs and potential interactions can be recognised. This is extremely important in future investigations of relationship quality in relation to construction project issues and traning project teams. The choices of components for the construct are extracted from existing literature; however other components may be of effect which are not included and explored in the future. The model can be used to achieve project integration goals and joint problem solving strategies

Retaining steel tips : motivation of construction managers in South Africa

The world economy continues to grow at an ever-increasing pace and as a result, has created additional demand for new buildings. This has placed an ever-increasing demand for experienced construction managers with learned and practically applied skills to competently deliver successful projects. South Africa is no exception to this phenomenon. To retain skilled construction managers projects must be well managed from the outset. Having the correct policies and procedures in place will assist with this requirement. Motivating factors play a large role to assist construction managers in achieving their best and keeping their focus. Thus, how to motivate them is key to ensuring that a project delivers on; quality, time and within budget. This paper attempts to identify factors that motivate construction managers and assist construction companies to retain them. For this purpose, structured interviews were conducted at the University of Pretoria and a mixed-method approach was followed. Data was collected from construction professionals with a minimum of 10 years of construction site experience within the Gauteng Region of South Africa. The decisive factor was the work environment conditions and this included factors like; creating job security, give employees a sense of belonging, mentors giving constructive criticism, listening to problems, acting on them and thus giving support, reducing long working hours, improved site office facilities, regular relaxing social events within the company. Results from a recent research project have identified three items that are needed to retain construction managers. These included; a good work environment and extrinsic and intrinsic rewards. It was found not uncommon that if an offer to be employed at an alternative company with less salary, but with a more comfortable work environment was available, then this would be a viable option. Construction companies should invest more effort to improve their work environment and further tailor-make their extrinsic and intrinsic awards systems.http://www.springer.comseries/11156hj2020Construction Economic

Innovative Use of Low-Cost Digitisation for Smart Information Systems in Construction Projects

The low-level application of digital tools and information systems in construction implies that many projects cannot meet modern requirements and standard of work of advanced industries. This study adopts a practical and diagnostic approach to identify key attributes and implementation processes of information systems in construction and logistics. To have triangulation of knowledge, a three-step methodology is adopted. Initially an exploratory analysis of previous literature is performed. Secondly a diagnostic analysis of IS applications in construction is achieved by case studies. Finally, expert interviews are performed to examine and consolidate the findings. The study illustrated practical and innovative applications of low-cost digital tools in IS development and created a framework for documentation of these discrete and mostly unshared practices. It is recommended that the construction sector should embrace more advance technologies to minimise human intervention and enhance real-time capabilities. The practicality of how different low-cost and off-the-shelf tools and digital platforms can be combined is discussed and demonstrated. The study provides a clear distinction for practitioners and academics as to what is being practiced in comparison to the dominant theories

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Utilization and Infrastructure Alignment in Construction Organizations

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the important factors that support construction project performance. Various studies have concluded that by aligning the ICT utilization with organizational ICT infrastructure, better performance outcomes can be achieved from the project to organization level. A positive connection between utilization of ICT and project performance has been established. However, the effects of ICT utilization strategy alignment with the organizational ICT infrastructure on construction project performance have not been investigated. This research evaluates and analyzes the importance of organizational ICT infrastructure to improve ICT utilization not just at the project level but also at the level of construction organizations. The main objective of this research is to investigate whether the effect of ICT utilization on project performance may be restricted and affected by its alignment with the ICT infrastructure level in the organization. The analyses of ICT infrastructure, ICT usage, and their associations with project performance are based on case studies of projects and organizations from the New Zealand construction sector. A method of evaluating ICT utilization and ICT infrastructure is proposed. This allows for further detailed examination of the strategic alignment between ICT utilization and organizational infrastructure. The effects of this strategic alignment on project performance are discussed and recommendations for the optimal strategic utilization are provided

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Utilization and Infrastructure Alignment in Construction Organizations

Information and communication technology (ICT) is one of the important factors that support construction project performance. Various studies have concluded that by aligning the ICT utilization with organizational ICT infrastructure, better performance outcomes can be achieved from the project to organization level. A positive connection between utilization of ICT and project performance has been established. However, the effects of ICT utilization strategy alignment with the organizational ICT infrastructure on construction project performance have not been investigated. This research evaluates and analyzes the importance of organizational ICT infrastructure to improve ICT utilization not just at the project level but also at the level of construction organizations. The main objective of this research is to investigate whether the effect of ICT utilization on project performance may be restricted and affected by its alignment with the ICT infrastructure level in the organization. The analyses of ICT infrastructure, ICT usage, and their associations with project performance are based on case studies of projects and organizations from the New Zealand construction sector. A method of evaluating ICT utilization and ICT infrastructure is proposed. This allows for further detailed examination of the strategic alignment between ICT utilization and organizational infrastructure. The effects of this strategic alignment on project performance are discussed and recommendations for the optimal strategic utilization are provided

New insights into azelaic acid-induced resistance against Alternaria Solani in tomato plants

Abstract Background The effect of azelaic acid (Aza) on the response of tomato plants to Alternaria solani was investigated in this study. After being treated with Aza, tomato plants were infected with A. solani, and their antioxidant, biochemical, and molecular responses were analyzed. Results The results demonstrated that H2O2 and MDA accumulation increased in control plants after pathogen infection. Aza-treated plants exhibited a remarkable rise in peroxidase (POD) and catalase (CAT) activities during the initial stages of A. solani infection. Gene expression analysis revealed that both Aza treatment and pathogen infection altered the expression patterns of the SlNPR1, SlERF2, SlPR1, and SlPDF1.2 genes. The expression of SlPDF1.2, a marker gene for the jasmonic acid/ethylene (JA/ET) signaling pathway, showed a remarkable increase of 4.2-fold upon pathogen infection. In contrast, for the SlNPR1, a key gene in salicylic acid (SA) pathway, this increased expression was recorded with a delay at 96 hpi. Also, the phytohormone analysis showed significantly increased SA accumulation in plant tissues with disease development. It was also revealed that tissue accumulation of JA in Aza-treated plants was increased following pathogen infection, while it was not increased in plants without pathogen inoculation. Conclusion The results suggest that the resistance induced by Aza is mainly a result of modulations in both SA and JA pathways following complex antioxidant and molecular defense responses in tomato plants during A. solani infection. These findings provide novel information regarding inducing mechanisms of azelaic acid which would add to the current body of knowledge of SAR induction in plants as result of Aza application