Low Sui Pheng

Cross-cultural project management for international construction in China

Abstract The need to recognise and manage other cultures is an important component in this era of globalisation. With China poised to take on a more dominant role in the world economy, there is a pressing need to understand the Chinese style of management. Likewise, foreign project managers who deal with construction projects in China should be fluent in cross-cultural management. This paper examines key concepts in cross-cultural management as well as key functions in construction project management with specific reference to China. A real life case study of the New Chinese Hotel project in China will be presented to show how the interaction between cross-cultural management and construction project management can affect the outcome of a project. Lessons on the Chinese style of management will be drawn from the case study for international construction firms.

An exploratory study of Hofstede’s cross‐cultural dimensions in construction projects

Singaporean construction firms have increasingly invested in China in recent years. It is, therefore, important for Singaporean construction firms as well as their Chinese counterparts to appreciate and understand each other’s cultural differences/similarities. Although Singapore culture appears to be one based predominately on Chinese culture, there remain differences between the two, which, if not properly understood, can lead to ineffectiveness and misunderstandings. Using the four dimensions of a national culture established by Hofstede, this exploratory study examines what constitute Singapore culture and Chinese culture. Through a survey of Singaporean and Chinese respondents working in China and an analysis of Hofstede’s four dimensions of a national culture, the study extrapolates the cross‐cultural dimensions brought about by the two cultures within the context of construction projects.

The application of JIT philosophy to construction: a case study in site layout

The just-in-time (JIT) philosophy has been used in the manufacturing industry for some forty to fifty years. This system increased not only the productivity of the industry but also the quality of its products. Explorative studies have been completed in recent years to see how JIT can be applied into the construction industry to reap the benefits of the system. Most of these studies have concluded that it is possible to apply the techniques of JIT in the construction industry with some modifications. Taking into consideration that one of the key components of site management is concerned with waste management (i.e. bringing wastage down to the minimum), this study focuses on applying JIT for site layout to improve productivity and quality. By eliminating waste on site, controlling the movement of inventory coming into the site and within the site, and controlling the usage of mechanized plant and equipment, smooth work flow can be achieved.

Towards TQM – integrating Japanese 5‐S principles with ISO 9001:2000 requirements

5‐S is the acronym for five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu and shitsuke which, when translated, mean organisation, neatness, cleanliness, standardization and discipline respectively. They have been referred to as the five keys to a total quality environment. There are many similarities between the ISO 9001:2000 requirements for quality management and 5‐S principles, which should be integrated. This paper shows that this integration can be achieved by extending the ISO 9001:2000 template to incorporate relevant 5‐S principles. By piggy‐backing on ISO 9001:2000 quality management systems, 5‐S principles can be introduced more readily into organizations without the need for additional resources. This paper presents the ISO 9001:2000 requirements as well as 5‐S principles and discusses how these two sets of requirements/principles could be integrated to move towards total quality management.

A framework for implementing TQM in construction

Unlike the construction industry, it is a well‐known precept that the manufacturing sector has notably well‐instituted quality systems. This is due to the differing nature of the two sectors. Manufacturing calls for repeat processes with products primarily put out in large batches. On the other hand, construction work is undertaken in the main in single batches or projects (i.e. one building, one bridge, etc.). Although many of the basic processes are repeated from job to job (e.g. concreting and plastering), the specifics of application are always changing. However, this is not to say that management systems which have worked well in the manufacturing sector cannot be applied to construction. Promotes total quality management (TQM) philosophy for the construction industry. Explains the rationale for TQM in construction; discusses the factors which affect construction quality; and proposes a framework for implementing TQM in the construction industry as well as at the project level in construction.

Organizational culture and TQM implementation in construction firms in Singapore

The adoption and implementation of total quality management (TQM) are related to a companys culture. The relationship between cultural orientation and the implementation of TQM practices among certified Singapore contractors is investigated from an organizational culture perspective. The competing values framework was used to assess organizational culture and eight TQM elements were identified to gauge the implementation of TQM practices among contractors. A survey questionnaire was administered. Four organizational culture types have been identified from the survey findings. These are strong comprehensive, clan‐driven, hierarchy‐driven and weak comprehensive culture. Firms with strong comprehensive culture implement highly the TQM elements of top management leadership, people, process, customer and supplier management. Firms with clan‐driven culture implement highly the element of process management while firms with hierarchy‐driven and weak comprehensive culture implement lowly to moderately all elements. A culture‐based TQM implementation strategy is proposed.

The potential effects of variation orders on institutional building projects

Purpose – To provide an in‐depth analysis of the potential effects of variations in institutional building projects, which would be helpful for building professionals in assessing and taking proactive measures for reducing the adverse impact of variations.Design/methodology/approach – To achieve the study objectives, a questionnaire survey was carried out to collect information on potential effects of variations. Responses from 28 professionals working for a developer organization (a government agency) were analyzed. Furthermore, 26 face‐to‐face interviews using the questionnaires were also analyzed.Findings – The results suggest that the most frequent effects of variations were increase in project costs, additional payments for contractor, progress affected but without any delay, completion schedule delay, increase in overhead expenses and rework and demolition. Recommendations were suggested based on the findings of the research and literature review.Research limitations/implications – This paper presen...

A comparative study of top British and Chinese international contractors in the global market

While British contractors have one of the longest history and experience in the international construction market, Chinese contractors are relative newcomers where the global market is concerned. This study compares the performance of top British and Chinese contractors based on the OLI+S model, which incorporates the ownership (O), locational(L), internalization (I) and specialty (S) factors. The study suggests that the international involvement of top British contractors has declined from a peak in 1996, while that of the top Chinese contractors has grown steadily since the 1980s. All the OLI+S advantages of top British construction firms were higher than those of their Chinese counterparts even though the number of Chinese construction firms ranked in the top 225 international contractors by the US-based Engineering News Record was higher than that of the British firms. This study further recommends that the internalization and specialty advantages of top British firms and some of the ownership advantages of top Chinese firms may provide them with opportunities to work together in many areas.

Integrating buildability in ISO 9000 quality management systems: case study of a condominium project

Abstract Productivity and quality are two inter-related issues of utmost importance in the construction industry. The buildability concept and ISO 9000 quality management systems are used to help raise productivity and quality standards in construction. However, both buildability principles and ISO 9000 quality system elements are frequently considered separately in many consulting and construction firms. Many of these firms have also developed and implemented ISO 9000 quality management systems in their organisations. To achieve synergy, this paper argues by means of a case study of a private condominium project that buildability principles can be integrated within ISO 9000 quality management systems.

Estimation of international construction performance: analysis at the country level

The measurement or estimation of the degree of internationalization of multinational corporations (MNCs) remains lacking although many studies have been completed on MNCs in the construction industry. Dunnings Eclectic Paradigm suggests that the determinants of internationalization depends on the ownership (O), locational (L) and internalization (I) advantages of a firm. Another important factor relates to the involvement of a firm among specialized fields in the construction industry, i.e. the specialty (S) advantages. This paper proposes the OLI+S model for measuring/estimating the internationalization process of construction MNCs, according to nationalities, using the following ratios: O‐IRTR, L‐IBD, I‐OMS and S‐ISF. Major players in the international construction market were analysed using these ratios. The OLI+S model shows that construction MNCs from different nationalities demonstrated different patterns in the internationalization process depending on their business strategies, indigenous market situations, historical factors, etc. among others.