Discrepancies exist between aggregate and activity productivity measurements in the US construction industry. Multiple studies using aggregate industry measures suggest that construction productivity has declined over the long term. A longstanding problem with the aggregate measures concerns the...

A simulation model must be verified to confirm that it describes correctly its intended real world process under study; moreover, the simulation results obtained must be a valid representation of the process. This study presents three activity-based white-box methods for assisting a user in...

Wide acceptance of the concept of sustainable development has led to a demand for policies on sustainable housing. The issues of how sustainable housing can be measured or evaluated and how decision-making regarding sustainable housing can be facilitated are areas that require further research....

The construction industry in Singapore is dominated by a competitive business environment that is being driven by a lowest cost mentality. The pressure on contractors' profit margins has further increased after a prolonged recession in this sector, which has seen construction demand and output...

To maximize project value, managers of construction projects must recognize, plan for and strategically manage uncertainty. Current construction planning, estimating, and management practices regarding uncertainty can undervalue projects by failing to exploit opportunities to increase project...

This paper investigates racial discrimination towards Asian operatives in the Australian construction industry. It explores the extent of this discrimination, the form it is taking, the impact it is having and how it is being managed. The paper reveals an assimilationist culture which largely...

In many countries a large part of the building stock will have to be maintained, renovated, rehabilitated or even removed in the next few decades. Although profitability will be one of the major requirements to be met when these works are carried out, there will be more and more emphasis on the...

Many research studies have been completed on the effectiveness of ISO 9000:1994 in the construction industry. The new ISO 9001:2000 requires firms to have a completely different mindset about achieving quality. From merely compliance with requirements, firms who intend to obtain ISO 9001:2000...

This study tests marketing theory concerning market orientation in the context of the chartered surveying industry. Using data collected in a mail survey from 179 UK general practice chartered surveying firms, it is found that firms with more risk tolerant senior managers and more formalized and...

This paper critically examines the changing relations between construction and economic development in selected less developed countries (LDCs) in the light of new development dynamics. Historically, the relationship was seen in Keynesian terms. By the 1980s, attention turned towards...