Chike F. Oduoza

The satisfaction levels of UK construction clients based on the performance of consultants

Purpose – Client satisfaction is one of the major determinants of project success and therefore is a fundamental issue for construction participants who must constantly seek to improve their performance if they are to survive in the marketplace. However, client satisfaction has remained an elusive issue for a majority of construction professionals. This research aims to investigate the performance of construction consultants to determine those key performance attributes which have a crucial impact on client satisfaction, and from that to identify ways of improving the services provided by such consultants.Design/methodology/approach – This research presents the results of a UK‐wide client satisfaction survey based on the performance of a large engineering and management consultancy organisation whom they employed.Findings – Results indicate that key performance attributes for consultants including technical accuracy; overall quality of services and people, have been identified as the main client satisfact...

Reflections on Costing, Pricing and Income Measurement at UK Higher Education Institutions.

In these days of radical contraction of funding and expansion in student numbers, universities are under pressure to prioritise their resources, as well as to achieve effective costing and pricing to support judgement and decision making for funding and any external work undertaken. This study reviews costing, pricing and income measurement in higher education institutions in the UK supported by a case study on resources management in a higher education (HE) institution in the south of England. The institutions resource allocation model – ICE model (income, costing exercise model) – was analysed based on relevant data obtained from institutional documentation, personal interviews and case studies, to understand how it guides resource allocation to academic schools in relation to business plans. The study, which focuses on two model schools in science and technology, and business disciplines, respectively, show that ICE model, as used for resource allocation, is based mainly on set targets and appears to ignore business plans that provide a more accurate record of income and expenditure over an academic year. Resource allocation formulae, therefore, could be less transparent, with implications for survival and economic viability of academic schools.

Key risks in construction projects in Italy: contractors’ perspective

Purpose Risks play an important role in the success of construction projects. Failure in identification and assessment of risks can lead to inadequacy in the process of managing risks, which in turn can critically affect the projects’ resources. A formal risk management is rarely practised in construction projects due to the lack of contractors’ awareness of key risks. The purpose of this paper is to focus on the investigation of risk factors in construction projects in Italy from contractors’ perspective. Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted to collect data, based on which a total of ten key risks were ascertained. The identified risks were compared with the findings of the surveys conducted in the Australian and Chinese construction industry to address the unique risks associated with construction projects in Italy. Findings The key risks included delays in payments, client variations, design variations, inaccurate cost estimates, and tight project schedules. The comparison between those three countries specified the delays in payments and project funding problems as the most critical factors that are related to cultural influences and behaviour of clients. The findings assist contractors in the risk identification process, and can be applied to the development of a risk management framework for construction projects. Research limitations/implications The findings of this study cannot be generalised statistically for the whole of Italy as it was constrained geographically, with respondents drawn only from a self-selection sample of construction projects in the Veneto region of Northern Italy. The findings represent a snapshot of the key potential internal and external risks from the perspective of contractors. Originality/value The results of the study specified the key risks of construction projects from the perspective of contractors which can contribute to risk management for construction projects.