The Organizational Culture of Gaza Strip Construction Companies

Organizational culture gives identity to an organization. Nowadays with the increasing of the internationalization of the construction industry, the organizational culture become more importance than any other times. The aim of this research is to investigate the organizational cultural profile of the Gaza Strip construction organizations, this aim was achieved by investigating the importance of the organizational culture, identifying the current organizational cultural type of the Gaza Strip construction organizations, and identifying the desired organizational cultural type of the Gaza Strip construction organizations. The study used a questionnaire that was administered by contracting companies classified at the Palestinian Contractors Union. Out of 134 questionnaires were distributed, only 74 questionnaires were received. The results of the organizational culture profile present that the dominant current and the desired organizational culture was clan culture type for all Gaza Strip construction organizations. Also results showed that the organizational culture affected by changing the organizations size. The results showed that the very small organizations had hierarchy type as the dominant current culture and preferred to be clan type as the dominant desired culture, it showed also that the small organizations had a market type as the dominant current and desired organizational culture, it presented also that the clan culture type was the dominant current and desired organizational culture medium organizations, it showed that the large organizations had clan type as the dominant current culture and preferred to be market type as the dominant desired culture

Importance of Organizational Culture for Gaza Strip Construction Companies

Despite of different definitions of organizational culture, shared meanings, assumptions, beliefs and understandings held by a team are considered as the basic component of the organizational culture definition. Organizational culture gives identity to an organization. Nowadays with the increasing of the internationalization of the construction industry, the organizational culture become more importance than any other times. The aim of this research is to investigate the importance of the organizational culture for Gaza Strip construction companies. The study used a questionnaire that was administered by contracting companies classified at the Palestinian Contractors Union. Out of 134 questionnaires were distributed, only 74 questionnaires were received. The research found out that the existence of the organizational cultural in the organization is very important for its survival and continuity, where the organizational cultural help in achieving the organization goals, the organizational cultural help the organization to take right actions and decisions, the organizational cultural help in creating policies and assignments to increase profitability, growth, and respond to market demands, the organizational cultural help the individuals and teams to do the assigned work efficiently, and the organizational cultural play basic role in sharing of information rapidly inside the organization

The Most Economical and Optimal Solution for Trusses in Gaza Strip

Due to siege imposed on Gaza Strip since 2007 and the prevention of importing specific steel sections to the Strip. This situation has led to a change in standard steel prices. It is known that there is a direct correlation between the weight of steel sections and their prices i.e. heavier steel sections are associated with higher prices and vice versa. However, prices of steel sections in Gaza Strip are subject to change according to their availability. In other words, light steel sections can be more expensive than heavier ones. The major aim of this research is to investigate the best and most economical steel section to be used in Gaza Strip according to availability and local prices. Throughout this study, steel sections which are permitted to enter Gaza Strip have been used in this work such as L section, T section, I section, Square and Pipe sections. This research is a parametric study of different sections that can be used in the design of Howe roof truss subjected to vertical loads and later identifying the cheapest steel section to be used in Gaza, Palestine

Compressive Stress-Strain Behavior of Composite Ordinary and Reactive Powder Concrete

The deterioration of reinforced concrete structures is a major social problem. To minimize this problem and ensure effective structural management, the number and extent of repair interventions must be kept at the lowest probable level. Good bond is one of the main requirements for successful repair. The main aim of this study was to investigate the compressive stress-strain behaviour of the composite specimens consist of ordinary concrete (OC) substrate as old concrete and reactive powder concrete (RPC) as a retrofitting material, by using different types of OC substrate surface preparation methods. The results showed that the composite OC/RPC specimens were able to behave closely to individual OC, in the case of using OC substrate with surface prepared by sand blasted

Major causes of problems between contractors and subcontractors in the Gaza Strip

Purpose – Subcontractors play a significant role in the Palestinian construction industry as about 90 per cent of the work is performed by subcontractors. The main objective of this paper is to identify and analyse the major problems which exist between the contractors and subcontractors in the construction industry in the Gaza Strip. Design/methodology/approach – A questionnaire was designed to elicit contractors' and subcontractors' viewpoints regarding the most important causes of problems that affect the relationship between them. A total of 53 problems were identified based on a literature review, a pilot study was considered in this study and was listed under five groups. A total of 150 questionnaires were randomly sent to contractors and subcontractors. The respondents had extensive experience in the construction industry with average working experience of 20 years. The questionnaire was validated by the

Subcontractor prequalification practices in Palestine

The construction industry is a major part of the Palestinian economy. Contracting companies carry out important construction projects in cooperation with subcontractors. The majority of elements of a construction project (such as shuttering, building, plastering, painting, carpentry, and ironmongery works) are implemented by subcontractors through the main contractors. The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the factors used by main contractors in the selection of suitable subcontractors in the Gaza Strip, and to propose recommendations for improving the selection of subcontractors. A survey was conducted of 57 main contractors and 57 subcontractors randomly selected from the Gaza Strip. The study revealed the important factors used by main contractors for selection of suitable subcontractors. These include adherence of the subcontractor to contract terms, adherence to time schedule, commitment to prices

Pull-out behavior of post installed rebar connections using chemical adhesives and cement based binders

This study investigated the effectiveness of several types of adhesives used in post-installed rebar connections as a bonding agent between steel reinforcement bars and old concrete under pull-out test. The cylindrical samples (96 + 24 Nos) of 15 dia. × 30 cm with anchors rebar of varying diameter (8, 10, 12 mm) with different embedded length (10, 15 and 20 × rebar diameter). The control (24 Nos) was the cast in-place rebar concrete specimens while other samples (96 Nos) were post rebar-installed concrete specimen of varied bonding agents-chemical adhesives (Sikadure-31CF and EPICHOR 1786) or cement-based binders (mortar, ultra-high performance self-compacting concrete (UHPSCC). The findings showed that the use of the adhesives and UHPCC pull-out load values were in close proximity while they all outperformed mortar bonded specimens. The pull-out load (bond strength) increases with

Effects of Faulty Design Phase on School Buildings Maintenance in Gaza Strip

The aim of this paper is to identify and rank the design phase faults/errors affecting on the maintenance of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)'s school’s buildings in Gaza Strip, and to propose recommendations for minimizing the future maintenance problem related to the school buildings at Gaza Strip. A survey was conducted to collect the required data were adopted in this study. This study reveals the important factors that leading to defects in the design stage which includes: lack of workshops to discuss construction problems between project parts, Inadequate QA/QC programs during design stage, Lack of auditing and archiving of approved as-built drawing documents electronically after the completion the project. The study recommends several actions to improve maintenance performance of UNRWA's schools in Gaza Strip. The designer must take into account maintenance considerations during the design and supervision stages by choosing of durable materials. The UNRWA should conduct workshops or training courses for designers, supervisor, and maintenance engineers

Effects of marble, timber, and glass powder as partial replacements for cement

Waste materials, such as glass, marble, and timber, are pressing environmental problems worldwide, and their environmental impact can be best overcome by reusing them. This research mainly aims to determine the impact of using waste materials, such as crushed glass, crushed marble, and burned wood in powder form, as partial replacements for cement on the compressive strength of concrete. Mechanical properties (e.g., compressive strength) and physical properties (e.g., workability and unit weight) were investigated. The powdered waste materials (after passing through sieve #200) were partially replaced with cement by ratios of 10%, 20%, and 30%. Compressive strength was tested on the 7th, 28th, and 56th days. Results showed that workability decreased as the partial replacement level of glass powder, marble powder, and timber ash increased. The results also showed a decrease in the compressive strength of concrete when the replacement level was increased from 10% to 30% for each waste material