Segmentation of quantity surveying professional services for focus strategy and diversification

Purpose – Notwithstanding that numerous studies have focused on strategy in quantity surveying (QS) professional service firms, there is a paucity of investigation on the segmentation of QS professional services. The purpose of this study is to investigate the segmentation of QS services for diversification and a focus strategy formation. Design/methodology/approach – This study adopts the positivist stance and quantitative approach in which a simple random sampling technique was used to select participants. In total, 110 survey questionnaires were administered to registered professional QS, out of which 79 completed questionnaires were returned for analysis. Findings – The paper identifies three main QS service segments characterised by low, moderate and high competition. In addition, this study found that the concentration of traditional QS services in the building construction sector is due to the unwillingness of QS professional service firms to diversify into the nonconstruction sectors such as oil and gas. The diversification of QS services in the low competitive segment requires the adoption of agile approaches. Research limitations/implications – The study was limited to numeric analyses and so would be complemented by qualitative research in the future. Practical implications – This paper is useful to QS professional service firms interested in diversifying their services into the non-construction sectors to enhance the pricing of their services. Originality/value – Segmentation of QS services is fundamental to the formulation of focus strategy for non-construction sectors such as oil and gas and mining to enhance the pricing of QS professional services

Strategic competences for pricing quantity surveying consultancy services

Professional quantity surveying (QS) services are critical to successful delivery of construction projects within planned budget, quality, and duration. The supply of QS professional services is largely dependent on the price level of services and the willingness of clients to pay. The pricing of professional QS consultancy services has been confronted with a myriad of pricing challenges due to rapid changes in the business environment; the pervasive influence of information technology; and the complexity of clients’ expectation. It isthereforenecessary for QS consultancy firms to develop strategic competence for the pricing of their services. In addition, numerous studies have not given the pricing the pricing of professional services the requisite attention. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the strategic competence for pricing professional QS services. The study was positioned within the positivist tradition. As a result, the quantitative approach was adopted using a survey questionnaire to collect data from QS consultants. The sample size of the study was 79 professional quantity surveyors chosen by using simple random sampling technique from a population of 372 registered professional QS of the Ghana Institution of Surveyors. Using the χ2 test and factor analysis, the study established a relationship between strategic competences and pricing of QS services. The study found that strategic competences for pricing QS professional service is significantly related to the managerial and professional competence of QS consultants. The strategic competences of QS consultants identified by this study include business management, services cost management; and production capabilities. This study provides an empirical basis for QS consultancy firms to focus on strategic direction of their contractual arrangement with clients. Practically, resource configuration and strategic competences for professional service pricing would create price leadership. The study advances the pricing knowledge within the QS practice by demonstrating the nexus between strategic competences and the pricing of QS professional services which hitherto this study have not been effectively investigated

TOWARDS A CLASSIFICATION OF FAMILY-OWNED CONSTRUCTION FIRMS IN GHANA

The Ghanaian construction industry predominated by family-owned construction firms has established its dominant impact on economic development, albeit unstructured. This literature review is to dissect extant literature bringing out the uniqueness of the sector and attempt a classification for family-owned construction firms in Ghana. Anchored in a value-free axiological tradition in which the classification criteria of family-owned construction firms can be obtained by objective means set out in the framework, this study was undertaken by an extensive literature review from journals databases, textbooks, and relevant reports and citations. The review began with searches using “AND” and “OR” operators to search abstracts, titles, and a keyword with no restriction placed on the article's date of publication. Content analysis was done of the articles and with lots of information on family-owned businesses, very few on family-owned construction firms. Existing frameworks on the classification of family-owned businesses formed the basis of this framework. The key findings indicate that small and medium-sized family firms predominate the construction industry. The physiognomies of family-owned construction firms also contribute to their proliferation and overarching importance within the sector. The novelty of this study is that it merges information from the general business and construction industry and carves criteria for which family-owned construction firms can be identified and classified. For academia, the paper contributes to the stream of knowledge on what constitutes family-owned construction firms whilst exposing the lack of research in this constituency. It also serves as the foundation upon which future research can be conducted in the field of family-owned construction firms. For practitioners and policymakers, the paper offers insights into how to identify family-owned construction firms to be able to distinguish them for targeted support to grow the economy. Future research should be targeted at examining the growth and sustainability of family-owned construction firms. Article visualizations

Expanding Understanding on Attributes of Innovation Champions: Firms and Individual Perspectives of Professional Quantity Surveying Firms

Quantity Surveying Profession (QSP) globally has undergone significant revolution and has embraced career pathways in providing excellent services within and outside the construction industry. The QSP adapting to the changes in the construction industry, and innovating to remain competitive has allowed them to adopt some specific attributes which makes them process innovation champions. Identifying these characteristics of the QSP for appreciation and implementation gave the purpose for this studies. Drawing from quantitative research approach, and using purposive and convenience sampling technique, data was collected and analysed. The study adopted descriptive statistics, Relative Importance Index (RII) and cross tabulations as its tools of analysis. After analysis, the outstanding attribute of innovative Quantity Surveying (QS) firms’ worthy of emulation were good managerial skills and capability, followed by team learning and competency. On individual perspective, all the identified variables were outstanding characteristics with interaction with others in the workplace ranking first, followed by open to experience while acting out of curiosity ranked last. Findings of this study could assist in understanding the set of characteristics which makes firms innovative. The identified attributes would also help other project teams in the construction industry to increase their innovativeness and output when they are examined, understood and implemented

Insights into The Push Factors of Innovation Adoption of Professional Services Firms: The Case of Ghanaian Quantity Surveying Firms (QSF)

Construction industry is a universal driver of an economy but it is largely affected by its reluctance to innovate. This paper aims to identify the drivers of innovation adoption in Ghanaian Quantity surveying firms by looking at related previous literatures. The study adopted Quantitative research approach with census sampling technique, where questionnaires were sent to and retrieved from the top management of Quantity Surveying firms in Ghana. The study then adopted the use of mean score ranking, and hypothesis (H) was tested to check the significance level of all the push factors using One Sample Wilcoxon Signed rank test. 29 out of 43 questionnaires were retrieved from the quantity surveying firms (QSFs) at a response rate of 67.44%. Mean score ranking analysis clearly display that technological capability has the power to drive innovations in Quantity surveying (QS) firms. One Sample Wilcoxon Signed rank test concluded that effective information gathering is not important to the Quantity Surveying firms because it had a significant level of 0.384, which is greater than 0.05. Therefore, this research study has discovered that, programmes promoting access to technology is the main driver of technological capability towards innovations in professional service firms. The finding of this study is valuable to the Quantity Surveying firms as well as the other professionals in the construction industry as well as innovation policy makers and stakeholders, as it will help invest in technological capabilities including programmes promoting access to technology with the aim of driving innovations in the professional service firms

Exploratory investigation of challenges and expectations of innovative quantity surveyors and quantity surveying firms in Ghana

Likeother professions that wish to remain competitive, the quantity surveying profession (QSP) will always find ways to improve its output and systems. Despite the QSPs progress in process innovation, the profession still faces some challenges and is overwhelmed by expectations that must be addressed to improve service. The purpose of this study is to identify the expectations and challenges of quantity surveyors and the QSP. Using an in-depth literature review and quantitative research approach, questionnaires were developed and administered to innovative quantity surveying (QS) firms in Ghana. After validating variables and checking the reliability of the scale, data analysis was carried out using descriptive statistics, cross-tabulation, and a relative importance index (RII). Findings showed that the quantity surveyors expect elimination of corruption from the industry and a high standard of transparency and accountability. The surveyors also desired enhance their skills to remain competitive and be more entrepreneurial and proactive. This study creates awareness for top managers and leaders in QS firms to identify and adopt innovative solutions to address the challenges of the industry and the expectations of individual quantity surveyors. Managing the expectations of quantity surveyors and the challenges of the QSP would help the QS industry remain competitive and lucrative. This paper makes an original contribution to the field by describing the challenges the QSP faces in the construction industry and providing theoretical views on the expectations of innovators

Modelling a conceptual framework of technology transfer process in construction projects: an empirical approach

Technology transfer (TT) is crucial to social infrastructure and economic development in developing countries (DCs). In Ghana’s construction sector, foreign firms provide an invaluable source of innovation and technological advancement for local contractors. However, TT models published in existing literature are rarely applicable to the construction industry in DCs. This paper therefore presents a conceptual framework of the TT process as a tool for measuring construction performance. Utilising the results from a questionnaire survey of Ghanaian construction industry professionals, eight different perspectives on TT were formulated using exploratory factor analysis. These perspectives represent the enablers and outcomes of the TT process, namely transferor and transferee characteristics, knowledge advancement, the transfer environment, government influence, the learning environment, project performance, communication, and relationship building and absorptive capability. The research outcomes provide useful guidance to local and international funding agencies, governments of developing or newly industrialised countries, and construction firms that seek to effectively evaluate the success (or otherwise) of the TT process. Future research should seek to validate the research findings presented, and to expand the work to include other DCs

Innovate to compete: an empirical assessment of measures to enhance innovation adoption in Ghanaian quantity surveying firms

Innovation in construction services is a source of competitive advantage; thus, firms are constantly innovating new ways of working and producing new productsin order tostay in competion. Regardless of this immeasurable benefitof innovation, the Ghanaian quantity surveying (QS) firms are very sluggish in adopting innovation. Also, there is a paucity of research work that will enable QS firms to maximize innovation adoption. This study was conducted to identifyand examinemeasures to enhance innovation adoption in Ghanaian QS firms. Quantitativeapproach and census sampling techniquewere employed in the study. The dependent variables retrieved from 24 out of 43 questionnaires administered to QS firms in Accra and Kumasi were analysed using mean score and Kendall’s coefficient of concordance test. The study concluded that leadership, information and communication technology, supportive work environment, education and training policy, collaboration with partners, and organisational resources are the mostsignificant measures to enhancinginnovation adoption in Ghanaian QS firms. It is recommended thatQS firmsconstantly put into practice large spectraof new ideas in rendering services in order not to be out of competition. This study could serve asbasis for management invarious QS firms in drawing up policies to enhance innovation adoption. Also, QS firms in other developing countries particularly those in sub-Saharan Africawhere thechallenges impeding innovation are likely to be similar can also benefit from the findings. Future research could be focusedon identifying the key attributes and managing the expectations of innovation champions in the QS firms

An empirical assessment of innovation practices of quantity surveying firms in Ghana

Innovation is ascertained to be a major driver of growth of the productivity of a firm. This has spurred the interest of many researchers to study and harness the adoption of innovation. Extant literature indicates that some professional services offered by the quantity surveying (QS) firms are not needed by the client, or may be outdated. Consequently, the QS firms have to develop the stamina to challenge the existing unnecessary and unwanted or outdated practices and implement innovative practices. What is more alarming is that the QS firms are rated to have a low disposition towards the adoption of innovation. This established context propelled the need for empirically assessing the innovation practices amongst the QS firms in Ghana. A quantitative research approach was employed for this study and a census sampling technique was adopted. A total of 43 questionnaires were administered to the entire population and 24 were retrieved. The current level of innovation practices amongst the Ghanaian QS firms was interpreted using Rogers’ innovation diffusion theory. The results indicated that QS firms in Ghana are early adopters of process innovation, product/technological innovation and business system innovation. The study showed that QS firms adopt innovation practices in rendering their services and even though they do not initiate new ideas, they are the first to adopt the ideas initiated by the innovators. This study has drawn attention to the assessment of innovation practices and increasing the knowledge base of innovation practices in Ghanaian QS firms