Poor labour productivity is an endemic global problem in the construction industry. In the past two decades, it has been observed over the different sectors of the construction industry that the labour productivity expended on projects has reported a decline, particularly in the building and civil sectors. This research explores the variables that affect labour productivity on construction sites and whether the estimation practices used considers the various circumstances in which buildings and infrastructure are produced. Literature review aided in the identification of contextual factors classified in four categories that affect labour productivity on construction projects. These categories were; site environment factors, organisational factors, technical factors and social factors. These factors were used in the development and design of the questionnaire to analyse the impact of these factors on construction labour productivity. The population of the study comprised of directors, contracts managers, project and construction managers, quantity surveyors and estimators who are employees of construction firms listed in Grades 2-9 of the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) Register of Contractors in South Africa. The study area covered nine provinces of South Africa. At the end of the survey period, 117 valid responses were received and analysed. The findings of the study revealed that at the pre-construction phase of a construction project, social factors, complexity of the project and organisational factors are not considered in the estimation practices and techniques. Results further revealed that four core factors that affect productivity of labour are; lack of experience amongst workers, delays in the wages of labourers, change orders from designers/consultants and the relationships between labourers and their supervisors. The study established a relationship between the contextual factors and labour productivity on construction projects. Motivation and training emerged as significant changes needed to improve labour productivity on projects. Based on these findings, the study concludes that labour productivity is impacted by contextual site factors such as lack of experience, delays in labour payment and that these are not considered by estimators at the project pre-construction phase. The study recommends that these site factors need to be considered during the preconstruction phase of a project in order to allow for their impact on labour productivity during construction. Furthermore, a benchmark and standard of what constitutes effective labour productivity needs to be developed on construction sites, especially one that is project specific and considering all the four categories of contextual factors and their probable impacts.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / Effective provision of water services to informal settlements in Zambia has, andcontinues to challenge policy makers and those mandated to provide this service.Despite effecting widespread reforms for the sector in the mid to late 1990’s witha prime intent of rapidly reinvigorating the sector, problems still remain as vastnumbers of the informal settlement populace continue to live without adequateand sustained access to clean water. The complex nature of these informalsettlements has been cited as one of the key factors responsible for this situationin that the housing units are constructed devoid of any municipal planning andcontrol; are poorly constructed; and, not laid out in a systematic geometric arraywhich is essential for effective provision of modern water reticulationinfrastructure. Other factors include challenges by the service providers tomobilise resources required to install the network infrastructure and also theirinability to fully meet and recover their operational costs. The literature reviewquestioned whether other actors should be willingly allowed to participate in orderto augment service provision and also whether provision of incentives to theservice providers would serve to eradicate this condition of poor service delivery.The research was undertaken using a grounded theory approach within thesocial constructivist paradigm which is most suited where there is an absence oftheory to underpin the research area, or where the existent knowledge base inthe particular area is devoid of any theoretical foundation. The methods of datacollection included focus group discussions and in-depth semi-structuredinterviews. The research revealed that existing service delivery approaches tothese areas needs to be remodelled primarily through overhaul of the existentpolicy framework, if they are to fully cater for the various operational impedimentsinherent in informal settlements. Other findings included the requirement ofoperational incentives to entice the service providers to service these areas andthe formation of ‘quad partnerships’ through which to render services. Thetheoretical propositions (key cornerstones) for informal settlement water supplystated in this research were derived and assembled from these key findings.

The construction of infrastructure projects is characterised by cost overruns and time delays. Scholars view that the estimation approach and inappropriate tools and techniques used to forecast possible uncertainty in the construction processes are a primary cause of cost overruns and time delays on construction projects. Uncertainties encountered in the construction process are underestimated and these impact on the final cost and time of construction projects through a combination of individual construction activities. The study, therefore, examines the initial and final cost of construction activities, towards developing a hybrid tool that captures and models’ different sources of uncertainty in infrastructure projects and their effect on cost and time underestimation. The study adopted a sequential exploratory mixed method research approach that went beyond the basic mixed method approaches, employing a combination of sequential and concurrent aspects of mixed methods. Data was gathered through a series of expert panel estimation sessions, technical brainstorming of experienced professionals (with 30 years’ experience and more) in the construction of infrastructure projects, and a structured self-administered questionnaire survey distributed to project managers of South African highway projects. The developed hybrid tool models the main structures from the activity level to the entire highway project. Consequently, three identified uncertainties in the construction process of infrastructures, namely variability in the construction process, correlations between the costs, times and cost-time of construction activities and disruptive events, are modelled jointly at the construction activity level. Data obtained from both qualitative and quantitative approaches were analysed using various techniques. The probability distribution function of cost and time were modelled using the lognormal and triangular probability distributions; while Monte Carlo Simulation (MCS), Copula analysis technique, the Markov processes, and Adaptive Neuro-Fuzzy Inference System (ANFIS) analytical technique were used in modelling the variability of the cost and time activity, correlation between costs, time and cost-time activities, and to model the occurrence of disruptive events, so that the impact size of disruptive events on the cost and time of activities respectively, can be intelligently assessed. The developed uncertainty model was validated against the final cost and time of a project case study, as well as against historical data of construction cost overruns and time delays in infrastructure projects. The study found that the different uncertainties had a distinct influence on construction cost and time of different project structures. Furthermore, the comparison of the deterministic estimates with the uncertainty estimates shows that the accumulated impact of the three uncertainty sources significantly increases the construction cost and time of infrastructure projects. Based on these findings, the research concludes that the disruptive event is the main cause of cost overruns and time delays in infrastructure projects. In the scale of activity, the correlation between the costs of different activities in the same structure causes the largest increase in the cost of activity, while the correlation between the times of repeated activity in the same structure causes the largest increase in time of the activity. Furthermore, the study concludes that the improvement in the accuracy of cost and time estimation of infrastructure projects depends on a combination of probability analysis and intelligent machine learning. The contributions of the study to construction management knowledge include a clear definition of uncertainty and the sources of uncertainties in the construction of infrastructure projects; an in-depth understanding of the construction process of linear infrastructure projects; and an improvement in the quality of data used (combination of experts’ estimation and historical data) for research in the area of project performance. The developed uncertainty model based on three sources of uncertainty at the activity level provides infrastructure project planners with a hybrid dynamic tool to accurately model and predict the construction cost and time of infrastructure projects at any stage of the project. Also, the uncertainty model has three other purposes: it is the preparatory point for allocation of budget, it facilitates the update of the impact of uncertainties and evaluates the effectiveness of countermeasures to mitigate against the threat of uncertainties.

Includes bibliographical references. / The overall objective of this study is to identify the spatial distribution of vandalism and the causes of vandalism variance within a specific geographical area. The study concentrates on the impact of the built environment, particularly the design of the built environment as a motive for vandalism and has sought to identify the design elements of the built environment which encourage vandalism. The investigation for this study is limited to Manenberg, a residential township in the Western Cape. The methodology adopted for the study involves the collecting and interpretation of official police statistics of vandalism over a seven-year period. The statistical data is combined with the 1996 population census for the area. A GIS program is adopted in order to graphically represent the data. The statistical data is examined and presented in three focus areas: the frequency of vandalism, the nature of vandalism and the area and target of vandalism. Following the initial presentation, the data is compared to factors of the built environment specifically the design of the built environment. The study then presents the association between the design of the built environment and vandalism levels.

Bibliography: leaves 185-194. / This thesis investigates the impact of the introduction of alternative project delivery systems to the traditional on the competitive strategies of construction firms. The work focuses on project delivery systems from a construction company perspective, and draws from the experiences an over the world for its findings. A literature review of project delivery systems, their evolution and introduction was undertaken in depth. This showed the types of delivery systems: their advantages and disadvantages and the reasons they were preferred. A review of strategy was then undertaken to introduce and discuss the concepts that influence competing firms. The construction industry has unique characteristics that differentiate it from other industries. A short discussion of these characteristics and how they influence strategy in construction companies was therefore done. This then led to a review of strategy in the construction industry. The concepts of project delivery and strategy in construction companies were then linked to show, with illustrations, how delivery systems are used as competitive strategy. To investigate the topic further construction companies were surveyed to find out the connection between the two concepts. It was found that alternative delivery systems are increasingly being used by the firms. They were also familiar with concepts of formal strategy and were actively using such concepts. Firms were found to be using delivery systems specifically as a competitive strategy and intended to do so more in future. The findings suggest that the use of delivery in such a manner was not the result of a deliberate plan but more a reaction to the changes in the industry. Construction firms need a greater appreciation of the role of project delivery systems in their strategy as this will help them achieve their objectives better, and result in a more efficient industry.

The South African construction industry has not responded effectively to address the high HIV-prevalence rate within its workforce. The Western Cape construction industry is the least responsive. No formal studies have examined how the construction industry's unresponsiveness to the pandemic has impacted Eskom's capital construction projects. Central to the fight against the spread of the disease is voluntary testing and counselling (VCT). AIDS-related stigma and discrimination are impediments to VCT. The aim of this study is to explore how stigmatisation and discrimination of HIV/AIDS positive persons negatively impacts site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programmes implemented at Eskom construction sites. The three main objectives are: to determine the current attitude and views Koeberg employees have towards HIV/AIDS; to determine if the stigma of HIV/AIDS prevents Koeberg employees from accessing HIV intervention programmes offered at Koeberg; and to determine the percentage of Koeberg employees utilising the HIV intervention programme at Koeberg. A self-administered questionnaire gathered data from 296 site-based employees, mostly contract construction workers, at Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, located in Cape Town. The data were analysed using Pearson's product-moment correlation, the test for differences in means, the chi- square test for independence, and multiple regression analysis. These statistical analyses were conducted to determine relationships among 'demographic' variables (age, gender, ethnicity, employment type, marital status and education level) and 'cognitive ' and 'behavioural' factors ('lifestyle risk', 'condom non-compliance', 'substance use', 'HIV/AIDS knowledge', and 'attitudinal fear of testing') - to predict HIV/AIDS-related stigma. The results indicate that: (1) age predicts lifestyle risk, condom non-compliance and alcohol consumption - younger workers i.e., under 30 years, consume more alcohol , partake to a greater extent in riskier sexual affairs , but practice safer sex than older workers; (2) gender predicts lifestyle risk and alcohol use, and directly influences attitudinal fear of being tested for HIV – younger men, particularly contract construction workers, tend to be more fearful of being tested for HIV, lead riskier sexual lifestyles, and consume greater amounts of alcohol; (3) ethnicity predicts condom non- compliance and alcohol consumption – 'White', 'Indian' and 'Coloured' men are less likely to use condoms and consume more alcohol than 'Black' African men; and (4) HIV/AIDS knowledge and attitudinal fear of testing predicts stigmatised views toward HIV/AIDS - those with lower levels of education and possessing poor knowledge about HIV/AIDS, coupled with high attitudinal fear of testing, hold highly stigmatised views towards HIV/AIDS persons. 'Coloured' employees living with HIV have higher levels of felt-stigma and enacted stigma than 'Black' African employees living with HIV. The Koeberg site-based HIV/AIDS intervention programme should increase its focus on communicating the benefits of being tested for HIV/AIDS, and encourage younger men, particularly contract construction workers, to undergo testing. Effort should also be focussed on reassuring employees about their confidentiality and dispel misinformation and myths associated with the disease. Finally, Koeberg senior management should pledge their support, influence and guide construction firms employed at Koeberg to utilise the Eskom HIV/AIDS intervention programme.

This research investigates the impact of technological innovations (TIs) on the social sustainability of facilities management (FM) employees in South Africa. The rationale for the study is that no empirical evidence shows how the adoption of TIs impacts the social sustainability of FM employees. The study adopts the sequential mixed-methodology approach. The quantitative phase makes use of a questionnaire survey which formed the foundation for the qualitative interview phase. The relative importance index (RII) is used to analyse different questions, such as (1) the factors influencing the adoption of TIs in FM organisations (2) the impact of the TIs on FM practice, (3) the localisation of the employee social sustainability factors and (4) the determination of the impact of TIs on the social sustainability of FM employees. An Interpretive Structural Model (ISM) approach is used to determine which social sustainability factor(s) should be prioritised while promoting the social sustainability of the FM employees. The findings of this study show that cloud-based TIs, ICT-based TIs and sensor-based TIs are the most popular in FM organisations in South Africa. Furthermore, the impact of TIs on the core business factors in FM organisations have a mean score of between 3.00 to 3.19 depending on the factor of interest. The RII analysis led to the development of the initial FM employee social sustainability framework which identified “job security”, “remuneration” and “professional status” as the three most important FM employee social sustainability factors. However, the ISM analysis which considered hierarchy, driving power and dependence of the factors identified “organisation policy” as main factor in level five that drives other employee social sustainability factors. Furthermore, “overwork”, “autonomy”, “interpersonal relationship”, “work and home-life balance” and “retirement development plan” were the root factors in level four that must be prioritised by facilities managers to promote employee social sustainability. The study contributes to knowledge by identifying the most popular TIs that are adopted by FM organisations in South Africa, and determining the interrelationship, hierarchical importance and dependences of the various employees’ social sustainability factors in FM organisations. Through the development of the framework for FM employee social sustainability, facilities managers have the knowledge of the factors to prioritise when they need to promote the social sustainability of their employees. The study recommends that FM organisation policies on TI adoption must align with the overall socio-economic wellbeing program to contribute to social sustainability in South Africa.

The study investigates the underlying causal mechanisms behind the outcomes in the affordable housing market in South Africa. The rationale for this study is the persistence of unfavourable outcomes in terms of location, density, integration and affordability of affordable housing developments. The post-apartheid government adopted housing policies, supporting planning policies and directed financial investment towards the development of integrated affordable housing at appropriate locations and densities. However, more than 20 years after democracy, there is no evidence that affordable housing is integrated and being developed at higher densities and appropriate locations, despite the principles of densification, integration and the creative use of town planning tools bestowed in the housing policies. This study, using structure and agency theory, investigates how structural variables (planning system and policy framework, resources for housing development and ideological perspectives) influenced the agency of role players in producing the current outcomes in the affordable housing market. The study investigated two interrelated questions. Firstly, how have the ideals of planning incentives, densification and integration reflected in the housing policies influenced the post-apartheid planning systems? Secondly, how do the planning system and other structural variables impact on the property and housing market and how does this, in turn, produce the current outcomes regarding the location, density, integration and affordability of affordable housing. Corresponding to these questions were two hypotheses. The first was that the principles of planning incentives, densification and integration espoused in housing policy have not been sufficiently reflected in the planning system, leading to failure in stimulating the private sector to supply affordable housing. The second hypothesis was that the planning system fails to counteract the tendencies of private developers to locate housing at inappropriate densities and locations. Using the conceptual framework designed from structure-agency theory, this study adopted a comparative case study method to investigate how the interactions of role players with the structural variables led to the outcomes in terms of location, density, integration and affordability of five affordable housing developments in the City of Cape Town metropolitan area. The case studies of affordable housing developments were categorised in terms of the type of developers, tenure options and land ownership. The empirical data were collected using household surveys and semi-structured interviews. A household survey of 395 beneficiaries was conducted in the affordable housing developments. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with developers and planning consultants in the private sector, state policy makers and policy-implementers at the City of Cape Town and the provincial Department of Human Settlements, housing activists and housing policy specialists. The study finds that while the principles in housing policies are reflected in the planning system, there is no clear indication on the meaning and expected outcomes, leading to a disjuncture in policy intent, implementation, and failure to stimulate the private sector to supply affordable housing. Furthermore, the study finds that the planning system has lagged behind in providing adequate legislative and planning tools to support the development of affordable housing. The study finds that the planning system and policy framework has constrained the development of affordable housing and failed to successfully curb the tendencies of developers to develop at inappropriate locations and densities. The study finds that while the structural variables such as the resources for housing development and planning system and policy framework impacted on the location, density, integration and affordability of affordable housing; the ideological perspectives of role players have impacted on the roles and distribution of resources towards the development of affordable housing. The study concludes that while the housing policy has been progressive, it is not sufficient to address the challenges in the affordable housing market. It is recommended that policy interventions targeted at enhancing the location, density, integration and affordability be implemented through the three areas that constitute the structural environment, namely the planning and policy framework, resources for housing development, and ideological perspectives of role players in order to impact on the agency of role players to create an environment conducive to the development of integrated affordable housing at higher densities and appropriate locations.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / In examining the evolution of entrepreneurial networks of owner-managed Small medium scale enterprises (SMEs) firms, this dissertation investigates the networking behaviour of South African built environment professionals, by observing the network composition adopted over the duration of their respective businesses.

Includes bibliographical references. / The research investigates the relationship between the constructs: organisational characteristics, resources, capabilities, competitive strategies, business environment and performance of large construction organisations in South Africa. It examines whether the synthesis of different theoretical views - industrial organisation, contingency approach, resource-based view and dynamic capabilities theory situated in the strategic management paradigm can be used in explaining the differentials in construction company performance. The rationale for the study stems from the dearth of literature within construction management and in the context of South Africa on the factors causing differentials in the performance of construction companies.