This thesis aims to develop a Theoretical Framework for Conserving Cultural Values of Heritage Buildings in Malaysia from the perspective of Facilities Management. It proposes the establishment of Cultural Values of Heritage Buildings (CVHB) and Facilities Management (FM) in sustaining the physical condition, authenticity, and integrity of heritage buildings in Malaysia. The linkages between CVHB and FM will help to produce guidelines for conserving CVHB from the FM perspective (CVHB-FM) at the initial phase of conservation in Malaysia. The thesis adapted the Critical Realist approach in understanding the world by distinguishing the reality from factual and empirical, and recognising the social structures in the phenomenon. The research process “onion” was adapted to achieve the goal of the thesis. A Case-Study was conducted based on Malacca’s World Heritage City. A single holistic embedded approach was employed from the three levels of conservation practitioners who were strategic, tactical, and operational. The Matrix Thematic mapped the main elements of the study (CVHB, FM, conservation practitioners, and conservation documents) in a robust manner. Expert Interviews and Document Reviews were the main tools used in gathering the data. The raw qualitative data was then analysed via Content Analysis and Template Analysis. This thesis identifies the CVHB as being social, economic, political, historic, aesthetical, scientific, age, and ecological. These were associated and epistemologically constructed with FM perspectives of people, place, process, and technology. The embedded levels of respondents from the conservation practitioners have explained and elaborated on the connotation between the characteristics of CVHB and FM in developing the theoretical framework of the research. The thesis also provided insights into how the perspective of FM was associated with CVHB criteria in conserving a heritage building in Malaysia.

In the construction industry in Portugal, the coordination and management of information for construction design projects has been neglected. The use of classification systems and protocols for the communication of information amongst the different stakeholders is poor and inefficient. This research aims to explore the viability of developing a systematic approach to the coordination of information amongst the multiple project stakeholders in the Portuguese Construction Industry. Bearing this in mind, the core research question of this doctoral thesis is: What sort of framework and guidelines are needed for the successful implementation of a classification information system for construction project design data in Portugal, which is accessible to all stakeholders involved? A mixed methods approach was developed for this purpose, with emphasis given to qualitative research techniques. Methods used comprised: literature review, quantitative survey, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions. Whereas quantitative research methods contributed to a more rigorous interpretation process, qualitative research methods offered a solid description of the former. This methodology was used in order to establish and design a conceptual classification framework model for information coordination and management throughout the design project and construction in Portugal. First, constraints and enablers to framework development and implementation were identified at all levels: political, cultural and behaviour, legal, technical and educational, economic and financial, and organizational issues. Three overarching issues were also identified: corruption, lack of accountability and non-compliance timelines/deadlines. Then, a conceptual framework was developed, detailing 1) content, 2) characteristics of an environment conductive to a successful development, implementation and use of the framework, and 3) guidelines to its dissemination.

The history of communal, violent conflicts has put Indonesia on the map after its crisis in 1998. As an ‘extraordinarily diverse’ country, the recent conflicts and the social diversity of Indonesia has led to a need to understand the importance of the relationships among societies. Several researchers have attempted to explain the reasoning behind the incidents, but they have mostly approached the matter from social and political perspectives. Another shortcoming of the existing research is the diverse use of methodology and thematic choices, and thus researchers have reached different conclusions. To better understand the dynamics of conflict, a study needs to be conducted into the violent conflicts in Indonesia which will draw on data from similar types of conflict. Although some discussions in urban development and urban policy delivery arise in relation to social diversity issues and the potential conflicts, they are often unrelated to the context of a developing country, such as Indonesia. This research aims to establish a framework of urban planning and development direction in response to the social diversity issues which might lead to communal conflict in Indonesia. The framework achieves this through a number of objectives: observing the relationship between social diversity, communal conflict, and urban development, and exploring the elements of urban planning practices relevant to urban diversity and potential conflicts. The research looks at the context of communal conflicts during the end of 1990s and early 2000s, which happened in three urban environments: Solo, Poso, and Sambas. The case studies involve an in-depth interview with 38 respondents, and an additional six respondents for the verification. The research adapts the Grounded Theory approach in the analysis of the data. The findings reveal that the emerging issues are moving from personal level to city level. The pattern indicates that communal conflicts at a personal level could grow exponentially into a larger conflict at city level. An urban planning strategy could help in mitigating the potential conflicts, particularly from the community level. Community-level development would need to mediate a larger planning agenda to be able to improve the performance of personal-level development. In response to communal conflicts, urban planning practice could respond indirectly by taking social diversity into account. The result contributes to three levels of development stakeholders: the government, urban planning practitioners, and the general population. This would help urban policy makers to take action. This also provides an idea of what researchers and urban planning practitioners should look at to deal with the issues of violent conflicts, particularly in developing countries.

As a developing country, Libya has prioritised the growth of human capital as a means to achieve the government’s Libyanisation programme. This concern for the country’s human development has been evident in its attempts to educate and train Libyan nationals in overseas establishments. However, despite Libya’s intention to benefit from established Higher Education systems internationally, the political difficulties that arose in 1993 did result in a serious setback. These particular problems emerged when UN sanctions were brought to bear on the country. The impact of such sanctions was evident in the subsequent years, when a drop occurred in the numbers of postgraduate students being funded for PhD programmes in both Britain and the United States, and as fewer students were sent to these countries, Libya naturally suffered since the national labour force did not progress in capability as much as had been hoped. In April 2004, the last of the sanctions against Libya was lifted, since relations with Britain and the United States normalised, with the result that Libya’s economic development went ahead at full pace. This has been seen by growing investment in the economy by foreign investors, and a growth in the privatisation of manufacturing and service companies. Such moves and economic reform measures require appropriately qualified personnel, and large numbers of students once again began to be sent overseas (to Britain and America) for PhD study, marking a large investment on the part of the Libyan government. However, it is clear that certainly in the UK, Libyan PhD students encounter many challenges which detract from their effective performance on their PhD programmes and which generally result in requests for extensions to their study. Consequently, this research project has investigated those challenges using a quantitative approach in which 150 questionnaires have been completed by Libyan PhD students within three UK universities. Of these questionnaires, 135 (90% response rate) usable returns have been processed questionnaires. Additionally, interviews were held with three officials in the Libyan Embassy for the purpose of triangulating the data obtained from the survey, and establishing overall statistics relating to the performance of Libyan nationals on PhD programmes in UK universities. The findings reveal that Libyan PhD students face challenges that call into four different categories - English Language Difficulties, English Courses/Preparation, PhD Concern, and Family Commitment – and that within these, there are eleven separate factors that contribute to the problems encountered. Recommendations as to how these challenges can be reduced are offered.

The construction industry was considered very important as it contributed a significant part of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) for the economic development of any country. Construction projects appeared to have high expenditures and complex processes that involved a wide range of participants, stakeholders, investments, and technologies. This continued to increase construction project overheads considerably. Project overheads were common to multiple cost objects, but cannot readily be allocated directly to particular construction activities. The traditional costing system added project overheads to construction cost on a percentage basis, which often provided inaccurate distributions for most of the activities. The current cost accounting management approach focused too much on satisfying external standard requirements, consequently paying little attention to internal cost management improvements. This research proposed an Activity-Based Cost Controlling (ABCC) model through the identification of overheads in construction projects, the analysis of Critical Success Factors (CSFs), and application of the Activity-Based Costing (ABC) system for improving the Cost Management and Controlling Practices (CMCPs) of construction project overheads. The critical realist philosophical stance with multiple case studies was adopted for this research. Data collection used questionnaire survey, project documentation, observations, and interviews. Data analysis utilised descriptive statistics, Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), the ABC system and Earned Value Measurement System (EVMS), content analysis and cognitive mapping. Forty seven generic overheads were identified, however, eight overheads were eliminated for construction projects. The remaining 39 overheads were the most often present in construction projects and were categorised into Unit, Batch, Project, and Facility levels. 40 CSFs were identified and grouped into eight, out of which three were identified as priority areas (requirement of a robust method and tool - METOOL, understanding the market condition - MARCON, and managing project complexity - PROCOM). The ABCC model was developed using three themes: the construction project overheads, the ABC system, and the CMCPs. The top three priority CSFs were incorporated into the CMCPs’ tools and techniques for implementation of the ABCC model. The opinions of experts (senior and operational management levels) were used to validate the ABCC model, which generated 36 concepts that were incorporated into the model during the refinement stage. Therefore, the ABCC model was developed for improving the management of construction project overheads to increase the body of knowledge.

Construction organisations have often been criticised for resistance to change and for failing to adopt innovative approaches to improve future business performance. Thus, the aims of this research is to improve knowledge-sharing approaches in construction organisations in Malaysia for improved performance, and the development of a conceptual model to support the implementation and embedding of appropriate knowledge-sharing approaches. It is anticipated that this will aid the implementation of knowledge-sharing approaches within Malaysia construction organisations and ultimately contribute to an improvement in organisation performance. This research employed both quantitative and qualitative approaches. Using random sampling, 1000 questionnaires were distributed to managers of small, medium and large construction organisations in Malaysia. Of these, 384 were useful for data analyses, a 38% valid response rate. To complement the questionnaire survey, 49 semi-structured interviews were conducted with top, mid and junior level managers of these organisations. Content analysis was used to analyse the information obtained through these interviews, whilst descriptive and inferential statistics were used to analyse the questionnaire survey. The results suggest that internet technologies as the most used formal approaches to knowledge sharing, and face to face social interactions as the most used informal approaches to knowledge sharing that are presently employed in Malaysian construction organisations. There is no significant difference in formal and informal approaches to knowledge sharing employed across different sizes and different managerial level of Malaysian construction organisations. In particular developing a knowledge-sharing strategy and integrating this into the company’s goals and strategic approach was regarded as the most challenging aspect in setting up knowledge-sharing approaches. Choosing an appropriate method to assess the impact of knowledge-sharing initiatives on business performance have found as the main challenges in implementing knowledge-sharing approaches by the construction organisations. The research further revealed that providing a conducive workplace setting, and providing training for education, personal and team development for effective knowledge sharing as most ready to setup and implement knowledge-sharing approaches. Furthermore this research has also recognised that the construction organisations can benefit from knowledge-sharing approaches in different ways to different size of organisation. The findings also indicate that the three top contributions of knowledge-sharing approaches to organisation performance are: increases efficient operations and reduces costs, improves better decision-making, and improves project and services delivery to the market. There is also conclude that no one knowledge sharing approaches that is likely to lead to successful outcomes in all organisations, but there are certain issues worthy of consideration in developing knowledge-sharing initiatives that offers potential for success. The realisation of this success will, however, depend on a host of factors, including organisational culture, structure and human resource practices. The findings from the research were then used to develop a conceptual model for the successful implementation of knowledge sharing in organisations and validated using a validation questionnaire survey within a range of SMEs and large construction organisations. The model presents a holistic way of accounting the key factors that impact upon the successful implementation of knowledge sharing in construction organisations. Such knowledge is essential to the management of construction organisations for achieving meaningful improvement in their approach to foster knowledge sharing.

Effective urban and regional planning has the potential to contribute to achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals, particularly in countries where land is readily available for development. Jos Metropolis has been chosen as a focus of study as it exemplifies the problem of urban sprawl in Nigerian cities. This research seeks to evaluate the need for spatial planning and to develop a framework and guidance for addressing physical planning problems with particular reference to Jos Metropolis, Nigeria. The epistemological position of the study leans towards interpretivism while the ontological and axiological standpoints are towards constructivist and value laden respectively. The research methodological strategy employed is mixed methods involving multiple case studies of the planning authorities from Jos metropolis, Nigeria, that have used the urban master plan as a development control measure. Questionnaires, interviews (face-to-face interview) and documents reviews were the data collection methods. This research revealed that; urbanisation and its related problems can be controlled effectively using appropriate planning approaches in regions of both developed and developing countries. Statistically, the results showed that the components of institutional framework, specifically, tiers of government (institutions), planning legislation and the administrations were not significantly affected by the culture, physical, political, institutions, financial, knowledge, analytical and legal constraints whilst the planning authorities were significantly constrained. The urban planning system in the Jos metropolis is not effective in ensuring controlled urban development and management. Hence, based on these outcomes, a spatial planning framework and guidance is developed for effective urban development and management in Jos Metropolis Nigeria. Finally, this study recommended further research opportunities as the frameworks and guidance document developed are used in urban and regional planning and the activities of development plan /control process in the other 36 States of the Nigerian Federation including Abuja.

Disasters have become prevalent events, particularly in Indonesia which is considered to be a country that is particularly vulnerable to disasters. The fairly recent earthquakes in Indonesia (the 2004 Aceh earthquake, the 2006 Yogyakarta earthquake and the 2009 West Sumatra earthquake), have caused loss to human life and also damage to houses, buildings and infrastructures. With regard to the disaster management cycle, reconstruction plays an important role as the key phase in mitigating future disasters. The importance and challenges associated with knowledge management in post-disaster reconstruction projects have received very little attention. The significance of the challenges is not matched by parallel research in the area. This research aims to develop a conceptual model and a set of guidance for improved awareness and understanding of the role of knowledge communication in effective project management of post-disaster reconstruction (PDR) projects. In addressing this aim, the research identifies challenges in PDR projects; investigates critical success factors related to PDR projects; and investigates knowledge communication implementation in PDR projects. The research also developed a model and a set of guidance. This research adopted a mixed methodological (quantitative and qualitative) approach. It also used questionnaire survey and semi structured interview to elicit the research data. A total 143 respondents comprising contractors, local governments, NGOs, and consultants, completed the questionnaire. The data elicited from the questionnaire was the basis for quantitative analysis using SPSS version 16 software package. Thirty-three (33) interview data obtained were analysed qualitatively using the NVivo version 9 software package. The study concludes, inter alia, that construction quality is the central issue in PDR projects. Achieving planned quality is perceived as the most challenging aspect in the PDR projects. Similarly, meeting the required quality is also considered as the most important criterion for project success. Contractors, consultants and local governments consider the ‘golden triangle’ (time, cost, and quality) as the main success criteria, whereas NGOs consider end users’ (disaster victims) satisfaction as the main success criterion. In the main, ‘conducting meetings’, ‘face-to-face interactions’ and ‘reports’ are considered as the main methods for communicating knowledge among project stakeholders. Limited time, limited ability, and different backgrounds of stakeholders are the main barriers in communicating knowledge. With regard to the role of knowledge communication, the research showed that knowledge communication offers significant contribution to improving the quality of work, to the spread of best practices, and a reduction of re-work. Although respondents acknowledged the importance of knowledge communication, the implementation, however, is still primarily limited to face-to-face project meetings. An analogical model, called the KERAN model, and guidance document have been developed in this research. The model represents the process of post-disaster reconstruction projects and the role of knowledge communication in projects. The model is accompanied by a guidance document that explains the implementation of knowledge communication in post-disaster reconstruction projects. The model and guidance document have been validated using a questionnaire that has been completed by project managers. The study recommends that project managers in Indonesia should develop their skills in project control, take full advantage of the benefits of project meetings, and improve their communication and social skills in order to improve knowledge communication on projects. Future work is needed on how to transfer disaster related knowledge to construction workers.

Construction companies are the engines that drive a nation’s economy and must train their workforce effectively to enhance their performance. It has been recognised that training is the most effective tool for improving the performance and efficiency of the construction workforce; practitioners, academics, government agencies, professional institutions and clients of the construction industry all agree. In recognition of this, the industry must endeavour to provide a truly professional service or product, which is qualitatively superior and gives value for money. The on-going skills deficiency in the Iraqi construction industry calls for urgent remedies, of which training is one solution which is becoming an important issue in this sector at present. The aim of the present research is to develop models that will help to assess skills and knowledge needs for the Iraqi construction industry. This research is also concerned with finding an appropriate body of skills and knowledge related to the Iraqi construction industry, based on what construction site managers, project managers, civil engineers and architects actually do; how they perceive the importance of such tasks now and in the future. This study explains all of the issues concerning TNA practices in terms of how TNA is conducted, i.e., how training needs are assessed and how assessment is delivered. This study also investigates all the drivers and challenges that face TNA activities. The perception of the importance of the TNA outcome is also considered. This research is mainly focused on construction engineers: site managers, civil engineers, project leaders and architects; their attitudes, perceptions and viewpoints towards the research objectives. The data presented is derived from a study of 239 Iraqi construction employees and subsequently analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software. This study reveals that the level of adoption of organizational training needs assessment procedures among training managers in the selected organizations is moderately high. However, the level of adoption of occupational and individual training needs assessment is lower. Most training managers are using surveys or interviews as methods to solicit information for training needs assessment purposes. The job analysis method is occasionally used in conducting training needs assessment, while measurement of the knowledge and skills of individuals is seldom done. It is also indicated that the respondents agree that training should be focused mostly on project management skills and site management administration knowledge; priority must be given to training needs through performance appraisal and site visits. The author thinks that the findings of this study might face an uphill struggle, in trying to get it accepted and then taken on-aboard by the construction industry. Nevertheless, there are strong and powerful signs (or at least a very strong indicators) of economic improvement in Iraq, that makes this study an important and extremely relevant lever, in the process of such economic improvement. To the best of the researcher’s knowledge, this study will be the first of its kind in the Iraqi construction industry to be undertaken. The findings will enrich the existing literature on the quality of training programmes in the construction industry and fill the gaps in knowledge of studies on Iraq in particular. This study makes a contribution to knowledge on both the academic and practical levels. It raises the general understanding of the current TNA practices and management in the Iraqi construction industry. It has brought together a large body of knowledge on construction management problems in Iraq, TNA in Arab countries and combined a variety of schools of thought into one integrated model. This research integrates, refines and extends the empirical work conducted in the field of TNA in Iraq, since until the present there has been a lack of such studies in this country. It is hoped that the outcome of this research will lead to a better understanding of the need for training construction engineers in Iraq and will encourage other researchers to extend this study through further work.

Organisations are becoming more complex and diverse in responding to globalisation and to internal and external changes, and this complexity makes them more vulnerable to different types of organisational conflict. One study stated that Libyan Cement Companies have suffered and are still suffering from the phenomenon of conflict either between individuals, groups, departments, or organisations and needed to be studied in depth. Therefore, this study aims to develop a framework for the causal factors of interpersonal conflict (IPC) in the Libyan Cement Industry (LCI), in order to improve the interpersonal conflict management in this industry, by providing recommendations to the LCI administration for their reduction. The scope of the research lies in the field of social sciences; the reality (results) of the study is constructed differently by participants as they hold different beliefs, behaviours and attitudes. Consequently, interpretivism is the most appropriate research philosophy. The logic of this research is theory building rather than theory testing; therefore the study falls under inductive logic and adopts a qualitative approach. The main research strategy is multiple embedded case studies of the two organisations of the Libyan Cement Industry. The findings were obtained from 48 semi-structured interviews that were conducted with the managers and the employees in different manufactories of the LCI, and then triangulation with other sources such as documentation and direct observation to enhance the validity and reliability of the research results. The data is analysed by using thematic analysis via coding the data, categorising the codes into themes and summarising the findings at various stages. The results of the study show that IPC is at a high level in the LCI and the causal factors of this kind of conflict were found to be due to: individual differences factors; behavioural factors; organisational factors; financial factors; and external environmental factors. Through comparing the results of the field study with what is found in the literature of the factors causing IPC, some factors that cause IPC in the Libyan environment have not yet been mentioned in previous studies; such as: contradictions between the organisation’s policy and the state’s laws; mismanagement; and tribal fanaticism. These unique factors that appeared in the Libyan environment are represented as the main contributions to knowledge for the study. In addition, the findings of this research strengthen the existing literature on IPC and its causal factors and reduce the gap in knowledge applying to Libyan studies, and will help the Libyan Cement Industry to manage IPC in an appropriate way. The findings would also be helpful for many managers, and could be used in many empirical studies on IPC and its management.