¡@For engineering and construction companies, EPCK Projects which include engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning are the most difficult and complex project type for execution, due to the facts that those projects cover all project aspects (E, P, C and K), and are involved by the most amount and variety of stakeholders, especially EPCK projects for the oil refinery and petrochemical plants, which are combined with the most engineering variables and challenges, and could not be handled without care, even for the worldwide renowned engineering companies. ¡@ ¡@The key project control targets for EPCK projects are quality management, time management, cost management and HSE management. Based on PMBOK, project management includes five Project Processes, i.e. initiating, planning, executing, controlling and closing processes. Among the five processes, planning management is the most important one. If planned well in advance, project could be executed orderly as scheduled. Project Management Knowledge Areas include integration management, scope management, time management, cost management, quality management, human resource management, communication management, risk management and procurement management plans. The integration management is the most important knowledge area, while time management and cost management equally take second place. ¡@ ¡@During the execution of EPCK Project, besides meeting the codes/regulations, specifications and standards, time management and key milestones achievement for meeting contract requirement are most challenging. ¡@ ¡@With regard to shortening the design schedule or changing the design process to meet the EPCK project targets, CTCI¡¦s R&D department had already provided some counter strategies for reaching the targets, but yet provided no solutions to the shortages of the pipe fittings and flanges encountered during pipe prefabrication stage, which every project, not only in domestic but also in overseas, needs to face with, and this issue needs to be further studied in order to find out the improving strategies, which constitute the main topics of this study. ¡@ ¡@The main target of this case study is to solve the shortages of piping fittings and flanges frequently encountered during the project construction phase. For solving this issue, through collecting the execution data of the past domestic oil refinery and petrochemical plant projects of the latest 5 years, sorting out and analyzing the data, this study found out the causes and the counter strategies to shorten total project execution time and meet contract requirements. ¡@ ¡@This case study also used the EPCK P-Project as a pilot project for implementing the new strategies, compared the results with the actual data of the past domestic oil refinery and petrochemical projects, either completed already or currently on-going, explored the differences and did the difference analysis accordingly so as to verify the study results, and hopefully these study conclusions could be used as the reference materials for business process re-engineering in the future, and help the engineering firms to accomplish the mission of sustainable operation.

No description available.

In Canada, construction companies are facing disruptions to their operations due to bad or extreme weather conditions such as thunderstorms, heavy precipitation, flooding, heatwaves and snowstorms, which cause project delays, loss of productivity and increased financial costs. This sector is prone to more disruptions due to increase in the frequency, duration and intensity of extreme weather events due to future climate change. This study examined the impacts of extreme weather events on infrastructure development companies and investigated their current practices and actions to alleviate these impacts. A survey questionnaire was developed and administrated to owners, managers, engineers, supervisors and planners of construction companies. Apart from descriptive evaluations, the survey responses were quantitatively analyzed to determine the impact of bad weather conditions on the construction companies. The findings of this study suggested that most construction companies’ operations were delayed due to bad or extreme weather events. However, construction industry is not adopting proactive measures to avoid or minimize these impacts. The main environmental factors impacting construction companies, included flooding, high winds or thunderstorms, warm/cold temperatures, heatwaves and snow/ice storms. These bad weather impacts were more significant for non-government construction companies as compared to those working in the government sector. Indirect impacts of bad weather included disruptions to their supply chain networks and changes in customer behaviors; however, these impacts were minor compared to direct environmental impacts. The study found that both government and non-government sector construction companies granted accommodations to the workers during bad weather conditions; however, government sector companies were more accommodating as compared to non-government companies. The study results also provided insight into the financial impacts of extreme weather events on construction companies. Weighted average losses for government sector companies were $2,200 per day of bad weather as compared to $8,155 per day for non-government companies. This suggested that non-government construction companies may experience serious financial consequences due to bad or extreme weather events. Study results further showed that there were no adequate guidelines, protocols or standards available to construction companies to adapt their operations and planning for extreme weather events. The study also highlighted the lack of adequate insurance products available for the construction sector to deal with bad weather. There was little tendency shown by the construction companies to use new technologies to deal with bad weather conditions. Therefore, there is an urgent need to develop guidelines, protocols or standards for construction companies by involving all levels of the government and relevant private sector organizations. This study helps to determine the nature and scale of extreme weather impacts on construction industry and explores what strategies may be developed to alleviate these impacts and risks. Such knowledge will help companies better plan and manage their operations and effectively use their human resources. It will help in timely delivery of services and savings in costs by the infrastructure development companies, which are a major contributor to the Canadian economy. / Thesis / Master of Science (MSc)

Globally, the implementation of succession planning in the construction industry is not developing. Literature indicates that, while construction companies understand succession planning, their lack of implementation directly affects employee retention. This research employed a qualitative research design to investigate the extent to which certain South African construction companies implement succession planning. Data were collected from six human resource executives serving across six South African construction companies. Overall, the results confirmed a lack of succession planning implementation at the respective companies. This study found that the HR executives understand the concept of succession planning even though it is not formalised. Furthermore, leadership buy-in was found to be lacking, which was negatively impacting the succession planning implementation. Certain specific factors were also discovered to be contributing to the hindering of the succession planning implementation. These factors include lack of retention strategy, lack of career discussion, lack of skills development, and lack of available positions. Suggestions and recommendations in light of these findings are provided.

Baigiamajame magistro darbe analizuojama statybos įmonių darbuotojų motyvavimo problema. Darbo tikslas yra sudaryti ir pagrįsti statybos įmonės darbuotojų motyvavimo sistemą, pateikiant ją kaip universalų modelį. Darbe nagrinėjami darbuotojų motyvaciją lemiantys veiksniai; atsižvelgus į statybos įmonių ypatumus, analizuojami motyvavimo būdai. Atliktus anketinį tyrimą, nustatyti poreikiai, motyvavimo veiksniai ir metodai, kurie sukelia statybos darbuotojų pasitenkinimą arba nepasitenkinimą darbu. Darbe yra įvadas, trys skyriai, išvados ir pasiūlymai. Pirmajame skyriuje atlikta užsienio ir Lietuvos autorių darbų darbuotojų motyvavimo klausimais apžvalga. Apžvelgiami egzistuojantys požiūriai į motyvaciją, darbuotojų motyvacijos svarba, motyvacijos teorijos, žmogaus poreikių prioritetai. Išnagrinėti statybos įmonių ypatumai. Antrajame skyriuje formuojama darbuotojų motyvavimo sistema statyboje. Daug dėmesio skiriama veiksniams, kurie daro įtaką statybos darbuotojų motyvacijai: individualūs žmonių skirtumai, darbo charakteristikos, organizacijos makroaplinka, organizacijos mikroaplinka, ekonominiai, psichologiniai, filosofiniai bei teisiniai motyvavimo metodai. Trečiajame skyriuje atliktas statybos darbuotojų motyvavimo tyrimas. Sudarant anketą atsižvelgta į teorinėje dalyje atskleistas problemas ir sudarytą statybos įmonių darbuotojų motyvavimo sistemą. Pagrindinis dėmesys skiriamas asmeninėms žmonių vertybėms, darbuotojų nuomonei apie jų darbą bei motyvaciją. Siekiama... [toliau žr. visą tekstą] / The final master thesis analyses the problem of motivation of employees of construction companies. The aim of the thesis is to establish and justify the motivation system of employees of construction companies, and present it as a universal model. The thesis analyses the factors, influencing the motivation of employees; with regard to peculiarities of construction companies the motivation techniques are analysed. After a survey research, the needs, motivation factors and methods were determined, which influence the satisfaction or dissatisfaction of construction employees with their work. The thesis consists of an introduction, three chapters, conclusions and proposals. The first chapter includes the performed survey of literature on the motivation of employees by foreign and Lithuanian authors. The existing approaches to motivation, the importance of employees‘motivation, motivation theories, and priorities of human needs are discussed. The second chapter includes the establishment of employees‘motivation system in construction companies. A lot of attention is paid to the factors, which influence the motivation of employees in construction companies; individual human differences, work characteristics, macro-environment of an organisation, micro-environment of an organisation, economic, psychological, philosophic and legal motivation methods. The third chapter includes the performed analysis of the motivation of employees of construction companies. During the preparation of... [to full text]

Sustainable construction projects are expanding in the market and green codes andstandards are advancing giving the ground for development of technology and materialsapplied. With every new material and technology utilised in the field, also risks aregrowing. The importance of risk management in sustainable construction projects isthus increasing and more experience and expertise is needed. So, the purpose of thisthesis is to examine and gain deeper understanding of project related risks in sustainableconstruction projects in Swedish companies operating in built environment. It is crucialto gain knowledge of good practices within the industry to be able to propose furtherinvestigation of the subject that could improve the existing risk management andsustainable construction project goals.This thesis examines the existing theory of the risk management process and sustainableprojects by shedding light on the trends within the construction industry. The intentionof the thesis is to add value to the existing gap in the theory that suggests thatconstruction industry is exposed to more risks and uncertainty than perhaps otherindustries, and that introducing sustainability adds more uncertainties and risks. Thisphenomenon is claimed to be due to the lack of knowledge and experience in the areaand, thus, practitioners seek for new ways how to tackle the arising issues. This thesisattempts to display how Swedish companies who are working with green and highperformance buildings identify and deal with risks.Two Swedish companies operating in built environment were chosen in order toinvestigate different ways of dealing with risks and the trend of sustainability inconstruction. Those in charge of risk and sustainability within the companies wereinterviewed applying semi-structured interviews and additional information wasgathered through multiple sources, such as annual reports, web pages and otherdocuments. This thesis has exploratory and qualitative research design and appliesabductive approach for the purpose and the nature of phenomena.The findings showed the different tools how risk management is applied in thecompanies and how it is related to the risks faced in green building construction. Theresults showed the importance of tools applied tackling sustainable construction projectsthat companies have applied and added to their processes in order to manageuncertainties that could occur if these processes were not implemented. As regards thegeneralisability towards findings, there still could be added more companies and futureresearch could imply also maturity of the companies to make findings more precise.However, after consideration of the processes learnt from companies, the proposedmodel for achievement of successful sustainable construction projects can be followedand applied in other companies operating in this industry.

A capacidade de inovação das empresas é reconhecida como um dos principais fatores que fomentam o crescimento econômico, os níveis de bem-estar e a competitividade da economia de um país. Num mercado com importante geração de receita, de grande competição e tradicionalmente conservador como é o da construção de edificações, acredita-se que investimento em inovação pode, entre outros benefícios, promover melhoria de desempenho e de qualidade dos produtos, redução de custo e prazo de construção, sustentabilidade e, por consequência, aumento da vantagem competitiva. Considerando-se a constante necessidade das empresas construtoras em melhorar seus resultados, o objetivo deste trabalho é a estruturação de um processo de gestão de inovação, aplicado à produção de edificações, para a empresa EZTEC. O desenvolvimento do trabalho baseou-se na revisão da literatura, em entrevistas com profissionais do mercado que atuam com desenvolvimento e inovação e nas características técnicas e organizacionais da EZTEC, onde o autor exerce o cargo de Gerente da Qualidade. O resultado deste trabalho é formado por um conjunto de orientações fundamentais para a estruturação de um processo de gestão da inovação na produção de edificações, que considera a cultura organizacional da EZTEC, e que, por isto, deverá ser de fácil implementação. Ainda que o foco do desenvolvimento tenha sido para uma empresa específica, acredita-se que a contribuição do trabalho possa se estender a outras organizações de características similares que pretendam evoluir organizacional e tecnologicamente, a partir da estruturação de um processo que as leve a inovar, desde que as especificidades intrínsecas a elas sejam devidamente consideradas. / The innovation capacity of companies is recognized as one of the main factors that foment the country\'s economic growth, welfare levels and the competitiveness of its economy. In a market with substantial revenue generation, of significant competition and traditionally conservative as the construction sector, it is believed that investment in innovation can amongst other benefits promote performance and quality of buildings improvements, cost and time reduction, sustainability and therefore increase of the competitive advantage. Considering the constant need of construction companies to improve their results the purpose of this paper is to structure a innovation management process, applied to buildings construction, in the company EZTEC. The development of this work is based on the literature review, interviews with innovation market professionals and on the EZTEC\'s organizational and technical characteristics, where the author holds the position of Quality Manager. The result of this work is composed by a set of fundamental guidelines for structuring the innovation management process in buildings construction, which considers the EZTEC\'s organizational culture, therefore it should be easy to implement. Although the focus of development has been addressed to a specific company, it is believed that the contribution of this work can be extended to other organizations with similar characteristics that intend to evolve organizational and technologically, based on the structuring of a process that leads to innovation, provided their intrinsic characteristics are properly considered.

Sob a ótica das empresas construtoras, a evolução do setor da construção civil e, particularmente da construção de edifícios, tem sido caracterizada pela necessidade de um melhor tratamento da interface cliente-fornecedor, seja em um ambiente inter-organizações (empresa construtora com seus fornecedores de materiais, de serviços de execução, de projetos etc.) seja em um ambiente intra-organização (entre os departamentos/funções da empresa). De fato, ao atuar na sua interface com seus fornecedores, a empresa construtora consegue melhor responder a diferentes critérios competitivos que permitem que ela se imponha face a seus concorrentes, num mercado cada vez mais disputado (qualidade, custos, prazo, tecnologias etc.). Dentre esses fornecedores, os de serviços de execução ou subempreiteiros aparecem como tendo um papel cada vez mais importante, devido a uma tendência marcante no sub-setor pela subcontratação de tais serviços. Nesse contexto de mudança de paradigmas, a busca por uma integração interna na empresa entre os diversos processos (ou departamentos) envolvidos no relacionamento com estes fornecedores acaba sendo uma condição a ser alcançada para que as empresas consigam melhorias (de qualidade, produtividade etc.) na forma de gestão dos subempreiteiros (SEs). O presente trabalho objetiva assim propor um Modelo de Processos para a Gestão de Subempreiteiros (MPGSEs) voltado às empresas construtoras de edifícios. Toda a pesquisa ocorre com base numa revisão bibliográfica e em três estudos de caso realizados em empresas construtoras. Num primeiro momento, focam-se os principais conceitos envolvidos na gestão por processos, comparando-a à pratica corrente de uma empresa estruturada por departamentos. Realiza-se também um estudo dos principais motivos que têm levado as empresas construtoras a adotarem a estratégia da subcontratação dos serviços de execução.Finalmente, são discutidas as principais atividades envolvidas numa gestão de SEs com o propósito de se estruturar um modelo de gestão, abrangendo o planejamento, a contratação e o gerenciamento da produção. A pesquisa revela que há em evidência nas empresas construtoras pesquisadas uma sistemática na forma de gestão dos SEs, principalmente em decorrência da implementação de sistemas de gestão da qualidade com base na série de normas NBR ISO 9000. No entanto, observa-se que ainda existe a possibilidade da proposição de melhorias, seja na compatibilização entre os processos de macroplanejamento & orçamento da obra, de seleção para contratação, de controle da qualidade e de medição dos serviços, ou numa definição mais clara entre as atribuições/responsabilidades que estejam envolvidas no processo de produção. / For the general contractor companies, the evolution of the Brazilian\'s building construction sector has been characterized by the need of a better treatment of the interfaces client-supplier. This concerns as well the inter-organizational environment (general contractor company with its suppliers, subcontractors, designers etc.) as the intra-organization environment (with regard to the company\'s departments). In fact, by improving the interfaces thanks to a functional integration with its suppliers, the general contractor company gets better to answer to different competitive approaches than its competitors, in a more and more disputed market (by quality, costs, time, technologies etc.). Furthermore, in the deeply changing scenario presently faced by the building sector actors, subcontractors become one of the main agents for such companies. In this context of news paradigms, this research aims to provide a better understanding of the internal functional integration\'s concerning the several processes (or departments) involved in the relationship of the general contractor company with its subcontractors. This integration is a new condition to be reached for the companies that are looking for improvements (of quality, productivity etc.) in the subcontractors\' management. In this scenario, this work proposes a Process Model for the Management of Subcontractors to be used by general contractor companies. The study is based on a literature review and also on a case study which illustrates how this practice is conducted in three building companies working in Sao Paulo - Brazil. Firstly, the discussion presented is about the process management concepts and its perceptions linked with departmental organizational structures aspects. Another point of the investigation that was approached concerns the best way to understand the strategy of subcontracting, which has been adopted by many construction building companies in Brazil and elsewhere.Finally, the main activities involved in the subcontractors\' management are discussed with the purpose of structuring a flow management model. This one involves all the steps of the planning, the procurement and the production control process. The research reveals that, in the three general contractor companies investigated, there is a systematic practice concerning subcontractors\' management, mainly due to the implementation of quality management systems (based on the ISO 9000 standards). However, it has been observed that the possibility of the proposition of improvements still exists, regarding the integration among the general planning and the budget process with the procurement process, as well as the lack of harmony between the quality control process and the payment process, or thanks to a clearer responsibility definition among the agents that are involved in the production process as a whole.

A construção de edifícios no Brasil sempre apresenta grandes desafios. Não diferente disso, os últimos anos foram marcados por altos índices de desemprego no setor e; consequentemente, parte do conhecimento existente, ou seja, parte do ativo intangível, foi embora junto com as pessoas que saíram das empresas. O aproveitamento dos conhecimentos existentes na organização é fundamental para que os colaboradores procurem, encontrem e possam utilizar e melhorar práticas e processos empregados pela empresa, ao invés de se tentar recriar o que fora criado em momentos anteriores, estagnando ou mesmo dificultando o processo de melhoria e inovação na construção. Para que isso ocorra, a Gestão do Conhecimento (GC) é primordial para auxiliar as empresas construtoras a manter sua competitividade e capacidade de inovar. Este trabalho aborda o conceito de GC para empresas construtoras, propondo soluções para uma empresa construtora (EC). Para tanto, foi realizada uma pesquisa sobre os principais conceitos do termo. Depois analisaram-se alguns modelos de GC propostos por teóricos e consultores. Em seguida foram avaliadas algumas ferramentas para mensuração do ativo intangível \"conhecimento\". Também foram levantadas as principais barreiras e oportunidades para implantação na GC em empresas construtoras. Após o levantamento bibliográfico, foram analisadas duas empresas de desenvolvimento de produtos complexos para compreender na prática como a GC de fato acontece nesta indústria e de que maneira as práticas poderiam ser replicadas na construção. Por fim, foram identificadas ações para implantação da GC em empresa construtora. Com este estudo, espera-se mitigar os riscos envolvidos no negócio da empresa construtora, bem como estimular um processo de inovação estruturado capaz de aumentar a competitividade da empresa e a perenidade de seus negócios. Apesar da proposição se dar especificamente para uma empresa, acredita-se que a mesma possa ser utilizada para outras empresas com características similares. / The construction of buildings in Brazil always presents great challenges. Not unlike this, the last years were marked by high unemployment rates in the sector and, consequently, part of the existing knowledge, that is part of the intangible asset, went away together with people who left the companies. The use of existing knowledge in the organization is fundamental for employees to seek, find and use and improve practices and processes employed by the company, rather than trying to recreate what had been created in previous times, stagnating or even hampering the improvement process and innovation in construction. For this to occur, Knowledge Management (KM) is paramount to help construction companies maintain their competitiveness and ability to innovate. This work approaches the concept of KM for construction companies, proposing solutions for a construction enterprise (CE). For that, a research was carried out on the main concepts of the term. Then, some KM models proposed by theorists and consultants were analyzed. Some tools for measuring the intangible asset \"knowledge\" were then evaluated. The main barriers and opportunities for implementation in the KM in construction companies were also raised. After the bibliographic survey, two studies were carried out to understand in practice how KM actually happens in the serial industry and in what way the practices could be replicated in the construction. Finally, actions were identified for the implantation of the KM in a construction company. With this study, it is hoped to mitigate the risks involved in the business of the construction company, as well as stimulate a structured innovation process capable of increasing the company\'s competitiveness and the perenniality of its business. Although the proposition is specifically for a company, it is believed that it can be used for other companies with similar characteristics.

The collapse of construction companies in the Nigerian housing sector continues unabated, even in the face of 17 million housing deficits. Many construction company leaders believe that lack of business opportunities and the recent world economic decline have been responsible for the collapse. This situation has resulted in limited business activities for 80% of the Nigerian construction companies. This multiple case study explored the strategies used by leaders to maximize profitability in the Nigerian housing sector. The RBV and Porter's model of competition provided the conceptual framework for the study. Findings were based on detailed reviews of the policies and procedures of the companies, coupled with semi-structured face-to-face interviews with 5 leaders of construction companies that have successfully completed and currently involved in several housing projects in 2 southwestern states in Nigeria. The research question examined the strategies construction company leaders used to maximize profitability in the Nigerian housing sector. Four themes representing strategy categories emerged from thematic analysis: planning, human capital development, leadership factor, and organizational location. The key outcomes from the findings include the need to plan with the available resources, employ and invest in competent staff, increase leadership influence, and improve knowledge of the business environment. The implication for social change includes a potential reduction in unemployment in Nigeria. Profitable organizations will construct more affordable housing through collaboration with public authority, and more low-income earners will be able to afford to live in a decent environment, thus reducing the populations of slum dwellers in the country.