The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which small to medium-sized building contractors beneficially utilise the financial management function in their enterprises to improve and ensure business sustainability. Financial management focuses on the principles of decision-making, which requires action, without perfect knowledge of the outcome. To effectively execute the financial function, using the primary inputs in decision-making, financial management requires the ability to: understand and interpret financial statements and reports; make reasoned and objective decisions in controlling the operations of the enterprise; have a thorough knowledge of the internal functioning of the enterprise; and have a thorough knowledge of current and expected future economic conditions in the external environment. To do this, requires an effectively applied financial management function in the enterprises, which includes the utilisation of the financial management criteria to ensure business sustainability. However, without an appreciation of what financial management is, how important financial management is, and how financial management must be applied in the enterprise, small to medium-sized building contractors will find it difficult to effectively perform the financial management function and its different activities. It was therefore important to determine how well owners and construction managers of the average small to medium-sized building contractor deal with and utilise the financial management function in their enterprises. Consequently, a survey was carried out amongst small to medium-sized building contractors in the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Municipal (NMMM) area, which revealed information that was used to come to certain conclusions: Firstly, it can be concluded that the financial management function is generally exercised superficially. This is supported by the responses of small to medium-sized building contractors, which implied that more than half the contractors do not fully perform financial management tasks. Secondly, it was concluded that the financial management criteria generally do not play a role in the business sustainability considerations of small to medium-sized building contractors. This is supported by the results, which imply that more than half the contractors do not fully utilise the financial management criteria.

Botswana was left underdeveloped in 1966 when it gained its independence from Great Britain. However, with the discovery of diamonds in the late 1970s, the economy of the country changed and two decades later the construction industry had experienced phenomenal growth. A growth propelled by the dominance of foreign contractors and the few citizen contractors available at the time resulted in a competitive environment in the industry. However, citizen contractors were unable to compete on the same level with their foreign counterparts, which was attributable to various factors such as a lack of resources and of business and technical experience. Being a major player in the construction industry, and realising the need to equip and encourage its own base of citizen contractors to actively participate in construction activities, the government of Botswana adopted new measures and policies that were meant to address the imbalances in the construction industry much to the advantage of citizen contractors. The rationale behind this study is to investigate the performance of citizen building contractors following the introduction of preferential procurement policies by the government of Botswana. This research study adopted the descriptive and analytical survey method which entailed the use of questionnaires and a review of the related literature for gathering relevant data. The sample strata included building contractors, consultants, and clients in the Botswana construction industry in Gaborone, Francistown, Selebi-phikwe, Maun, Serowe, and Lobatse. The empirical findings revealed that there is indeed a need to review some of the government assistance programs for citizen contractors in order to avoid the abuse of government resources and to further increase the citizen contractor’s knowledge base, skills, resources and capacity through mentorship and workshops. vi It is therefore incumbent upon government to protect those beneficiaries who genuinely require such assistance by critical assessment of the ineffective policies for the benefit of the whole industry

Targeted Procurement strategies are widely used in government contracts to achieve contractor performance and development objectives in the South African construction industry. However, there have been reports of poor performance and high attrition rate of contractors in contractor development programmes. There is little or no objective empirical evidence informing the implementation of SMC-friendly policies in South Africa. The study fundamentally set out to empirically validate the pre-existing assumption that targeting small and medium-sized contractors, and increasing their participation in government contracts stimulates their growth performance and development. The research further examines whether the quality of relationships in the project supply chain mediates the relationship between targeted procurement strategies used and contractor development. An embedded mixed methods research approach was adopted, that primarily employed quantitative (survey) means of data collection, and supported by secondary qualitative data (focus group interview) which was conducted concurrently. A sample size of 307 contractors registered on Grades 3 to 6 of the Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) Register of Contractors that have executed targeted procurement projects and been part of a cidb-registered contractor development programme within a five-year period (2011 – 2015) constituted the focus of the research. Data collected was subjected to both descriptive and inferential statistical analyses. The empirical model developed was validated using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. Findings from the study reveal that Targeted Procurement strategies influences the quality of relationships in the project supply chain, and is a statistically significant predictor of the growth performance and development of targeted contractors. Moreover, relationship quality emerged to be an important mediator of the relationship between Targeted Procurement strategies and contractor development. These findings demonstrate that Targeted Procurement has the potential to achieve its intended results of improving the performance and development of historically disadvantaged contractors where the quality of relationships in the project supply chain has significant elements of trust, communication, collaboration, joint problem-solving and risk allocation. The study contributes to the existing body of knowledge recognizing the importance of social and relational dimensions of inter-firm relationships within the context of project management and particularly relating to public-sector procurement and small contractor development. The findings imply that the government as a key construction sector client should continue to invest in Targeted Procurement or affirmative action policies that benefit historically disadvantaged SME contractors. The recommendations made calls for the establishment of a framework on Targeted Procurement for ease of application by the government and accountability. This also implies further research into more measurable criteria for the proposed Targeted Procurement framework. The policy implication of the findings from this study is the need for policymakers, state entities, and public-sector client departments to recognise their role in shaping construction supply chains. They should encourage the design and implementation of strategies and policies that enable adequate relationship management to be entrenched in the supply chain, and consider including relationship management as a relevant criterion for participating in public contracts.

Government spending is essential for the US economy, and the amount of capital that flows from the government to US firms has increased substantially in recent years. Despite the economic importance of the corporate-government contracting relationship, we know little about the firm-level financial outcomes associated with government contracts. In this study, I investigate whether the corporate government contracting relationship affects firm-level financial reporting quality. Using a sample of 58,988 US publicly-traded firms from 2001 through 2017, I find that federal government contracting firms are associated with a lower level of discretionary accruals, lower probability of internal control material weaknesses, and lower probability of restatement and fraud as compared to non government contractors. However, this association is weaker when industry competition on government contracts are lower, and government switching costs in which the cost to find new suppliers are higher. Collectively, my empirical results suggest that having the government as a customer has a positive impact on the quality of financial reports. / Includes bibliography. / Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020. / FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection

A computer simulation model was developed to represent a logging contractor's harvesting and trucking system of wood delivery from the contractor's in-woods landing to the receiving mill. The Log Trucking System Simulation model (LTSS) focuses on the impacts to logging contractors as changes in truck turn times cause an imbalance between harvesting and trucking systems. The model was designed to serve as a practical tool that can illustrate the magnitude of cost and productivity changes as the delivery capacity of the contractor's trucking system changes. The model was used to perform incremental analyses using an example contractor's costs and production rates to illustrate the nature of impacts associated with changes in the contractor's trucking system. These analyses indicated that the primary impact of increased turn times occurs when increased delivery time decreases the number of loads per day the contractor's trucking system can deliver. When increased delivery times cause the trucking system to limit harvesting production, total costs per delivered ton increase. In cases where trucking significantly limits system production, total costs per delivered ton would decrease if additional trucks were added. The model allows the user to simulate a harvest with up to eight products trucked to different receiving mills. The LTSS model can be utilized without extensive data input requirements and serves as a user friendly tool for predicting cost and productivity changes in a logging contractor's harvesting and trucking system based on changes in truck delivery times. / Master of Science

No / Improving the effectiveness of projects, particularly in construction, is of interest and concern to practitioners and academics alike. To this end, the use of partnering, now commonplace in a variety of industry sectors has been encouraged in the UK construction industry. However, in many respects project environments represent the antithesis of current thinking in partnership development and an unusual and difficult application, particularly at the lower levels in the supply chain. This paper, therefore, is concerned with evaluating the progress the UK construction industry has made in its adoption of partnering, how it is likely to develop in the future and what the implications might be for the industry¿s suppliers. The partnering experiences of Main Contractors with Main Subcontractors for structural steel products are examined and a conceptual framework of the success factors presented and discussed. Critically, clients and not suppliers were found to be major barriers to the industry¿s adoption of partnering.

by Law Ka-ming, Michael, Cheuk Yue. / Bibliography: leaves 168-169 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1986

by Law Kee-leung, Peter, Wong Chi-sing, Anthony. / Bibliography: leaf 69 / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1983

by Chow Wang-Lin. / Thesis (M.B.A.)--Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1987. / Bibliography: leaves 75-76.

One of the challenges faced by many government decision-makers today relates to the need for a construction development programme that comprehensively addresses the challenges faced in delivery of building and infrastructure projects. Investment into such programmes should be justified and measured by increased contractor capacity to execute projects and grow their businesses. The Eastern Cape Development Corporation (ECDC) intends to develop and pilot an emerging contractor development programme with the assistance of the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR). In implementing the project, the CSIR and the ECDC will assume the role of the project managers, responsible for planning, executing and coordinating the entire training and mentorship programme. Suitably qualified training providers and mentors have been sourced from private enterprises and individuals. Sixty contractors throughout the province will be selected to form part of the program. Training providers and mentors will provide high quality inputs to enable a group of selected contractors to be assessed and accredited by the Construction Education and Training Authority (CETA) in terms of the National Qualifications Framework (NQF). This dissertation addresses the requirements that an integrated development model needs to be effective in terms of emerging contractors’ further development and sustainable growth.