Includes bibliographical references. / Small building contractors in South Africa often struggle to produce quality work on time and have a high rate of business failure. In an effort to improve the effectiveness and viability of smaller construction firms in South Africa, this research investigates key operational variables affecting their corporate financial performance. Operational variables relevant to financial performance were identified through a literature review. A questionnaire was then designed to assess the extent to which these variables are perceived to influence the financial performance of construction companies. The study participants were technical and management staff at small and medium-sized building and civil engineering construction companies categorized from grades 2 to 6 on the South African Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) registers, in four provinces of South Africa. Sixty-two valid responses were received. Based on how the respondents rated the variables in the study, it appears that contractors generally perceive four factors as having the greatest impact on corporate performance: technical ability (the possession and effective use of plant and equipment), financial management skills (in order to accumulate financial capital), training of staff in organizational knowledge in skills transfer and networking with industry stakeholders. Contractors across the five cidb grades did not differ significantly in their ratings of the importance of the operational variables and their indicators. The study also found that the perceived importance of three key operational variables (technical ability, financial capacity and networking) was positively related to the actual financial performance of companies, as measured by turnover, net assets and profit margin. The study concludes that construction companies need to prioritize the development of these key factors to improve their corporate performance. The findings will be of significance to contractors, industry practitioners, project managers and members of the research community in understanding the key operational variables that are crucial to construction firms’ success and effective project delivery.

This study investigated the phenomenon whereby settlements with ostensibly similar socio- economic status exhibited significantly different physical outcomes, such as in the quality of houses, spatial arrangements and available services. The study investigated three related questions. Firstly, given the similarity in the levels of incomes, what is the relationship between property rights and physical development outcomes in low income settlements? Secondly, what are the underlying mechanisms and processes by which these physical developments are produced? Thirdly, what is the relationship between formal and informal institutions and organisations in the production of the built environment? Corresponding to these questions were three hypotheses. The first hypothesis was that, at any given level of average incomes, different strengths of property rights have differential effects on physical development outcomes. The second hypothesis was that different property rights are associated with different mechanisms and processes in the physical development process and thirdly that situations of extra-legal property rights require State mechanisms in the production of the built environment. Using a theoretical, conceptual and analytical framework provided by the new institutional economics, the study employed the comparative institutional analysis methodology to determine the influence of three types of property rights on the production of the built environment in Zambia. These rights were categorised as informal, semi-legal and legalised, and are to be found respectively in Mindolo North, Chipata and Ipusukilo, three settlements in Kitwe selected as case studies. Empirical data was collected using household surveys, focus group discussions, semi-structured interviews and observations. The study finds that stronger property rights are associated with better quality physical development outcomes. Furthermore, the study finds that different types of property rights are associated with different mechanisms and processes for the production of the built environment. Finally, the study finds that where property rights are extra- illegal or informal, successful development requires that there be facilitative interaction between formal institutions of the State at one hand, and informal institutions and organisations at the other.

The delivery of construction projects in Ethiopian is accused of non-optimum performance. With this poor performance of the delivery of projects as the instigator, this study set major objectives of exploring the current practices of the management of the construction processes in Ethiopia and investigating the major drawbacks of the practices as seen in the context of 'accepted practices' and theoretical principles. As part of the approaches to achieve these objectives, the study first developed a conceptual framework for improved project performance. It identified the processes executed in project delivery, the resources used in executing these processes and the governance/management system through which the processes and resources are brought together and managed; contextualized to the peculiar conditions under which the projects are implemented, as the basic pillars of construction project management. Then, the study used the concepts and principles associated with these basic pillars and 'accepted practices' in the management of the construction processes both to inform the data collection and analysis and serve as reference against which the Ethiopian practices are compared. The study adopted post-positivist inclined case study research methodology whereby the Ethiopian Roads Authority's (ERA's) project delivery approaches are taken as case in point. It employed data collected from documents and through interviews. Using content analysis technique, the study explored and evaluated ERA's project delivery processes and their management. It also explored and analyzed the major challenges experienced by ERA in its project deliveries.

Includes abstract. / Includes bibliographical references. / HIV/AIDS poses a threat to the productivity and growth of organisations. The construction sector not only stands to be threatened by the disease, but also poses as a contributor to the spread of the HIV virus. A combined survey and case study approach was employed to determine the responses to HIV/AIDS of construction companies in the Western Cape area.

Corporate social and environmental responsibility (CSR/CER) are terms that are often used to brand a company in a positive light. This does not necessarily mean that every organisation implements social and environmental initiatives with the same degree of vigour and commitment. South African property owning organisations are becoming increasingly aware that being socially and environmentally responsible can encompass the design and operation of their buildings. It is for this reason that these types of organisations are searching for ways to implement green building initiatives in their property portfolios. The implementation of environmentally friendly/green initiatives is viewed as Socially Responsible Property Investments (SRPI). Green building initiatives are slowly being adopted by some property owning organisations in South Africa, especially after the formal establishment of the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA) in 2007. Implementation of green building initiatives have been met with multiple barriers by property owning organisations, such as lack of education by the professional team with regards to cost of green features and the processes involved in gaining green certification. Three prominent property owning organisations in Cape Town, two corporate and the other an academic institution were chosen as suitable case studies and analysed. Multiple respondents were interviewed for each case study and asked questions regarding their social and environmental initiatives and to what degree, if at all, they are attempting to implement green building features in their buildings. These questions were used to compare the organisation's actions to the content of its CSR policy. It was found that the adoption of green building initiatives was based on the type of property owning organisation, be it corporate or non-corporate. The property owning type has resulted in differing motives for implementation of green initiatives; however there are some common motives regardless of the company type, such as the financial feasibility of implementing said initiatives. The final results of this research revealed that although there is a small gap between a property owning company's CSR policy to that of its stated social and environmental initiatives, the gap between the CSR policy and its green building initiatives is still relatively large.

The study identified CSFs and their prioritisation in ERP implementations in the Zimbabwean electricity energy sector context. This research paper discusses key recommendations for improving future Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) implementations based on insights from an exploratory qualitative single case study in the Zimbabwean electricity sector. The design was an interpretive case study research with the data collected using face to face and telephonically interviews from eighteen participants belonging to four project role groups of project managers, module owners, supper (key) users and end users. The researcher conducted in depth interviews with four role groups. The following critical success factors were identified and discussed: Business Plan and Vision, Business Process Reengineering, Change Management, Communication, ERP System selection, ERP Team composition and competence, External Expertise, IT Infrastructure, Project Management, Top Management Support and Commitment, Training and Education, User Involvement and Vendor Support. The findings from this study can be used to contribute additional insight on the implementation of ERP systems in the electricity energy sector in the Zimbabwean context. This paper is significant because identification and prioritisation of critical success factors help organisations institute appropriate strategies to enhance the successful implementation of ERP system and increase the realisation of the benefits of ERP systems. Management must be able to use the rankings of the CSFs for resource allocation and improved human management.

Bibliography: p. 269-301.

When the African National Congress (ANC) assumed power in 1994, its main economic policy was to overturn over three Hundred (300) years of black economic exclusivity which were intensified by the institutionalization of racism through Apartheid in 1948. The new dispensation adopted the policy of Affirmative Action which had been practiced in other parts of the world and contextualized it to South Africa through Black Economic Empowerment (BEE). The policy was designed to permeate every aspect of state and the private sector, especially companies which deal with government as providers of goods and services. The new government realized that because of former Apartheid privileges the established companies contain high specialist knowledge tacitness and management acumen, which would need to be utilised to benefit the new black-owned companies and assist in their development. Through the Targeted Procurement Policy the government compelled the established companies to unbundle their work packages to accommodate, small black-owned Affirmable Business Enterprises (ABEs) as sub-contractors or Joint Venture partners. This relationship between the government and the established companies is a typical Principal Agent (PA) relationship, and has quintessentially been beset with moral hazard and adverse selection problems militated by asymmetric information favoring the established companies. The identification of the construction industry as the flagship empowerment environment was due to its peculiarities of yielding more employment for a given capital flow and the low entrance barriers advocating for its amenability for a farreaching BEE inclusiveness. However, the opportunistic behaviours of established companies indicated through strategic misrepresentation of the true BEE beneficiaries has hampered the effectiveness of the BEE implementation. It is in this context that Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) were identified as a iv suitable vehicle to provide an incubatory environment to nurture the up-andcoming black owned Small, Medium and Micro Enterprises (SMMEs). This research uses PA theory to assess the efficacy of the PPPs in mitigating different forms of fronting which are indicative of opportunistic behaviours by established companies. The research also evaluates the effectiveness of the PPP environment in according ABEs access to complex and idiosyncratic information due to a PPP's longevity and strict monitoring regimen. A critical case is deployed in this study using the basic tenets of PA theory as lenses to study the behaviours of three major parties; the government, BEE beneficiaries and established companies. The limitations of Principal Agent theory are augmented by the introduction of Principal Steward (PS) theory to account for agent (established companies) post-contractual behavioural 'anomalies' not accommodated in the classic PA theory postulation. The observed bipolar agent character yields a new theory encompassing both the PA and PS theories demonstrative of a positive agent character transition akin to a Steward, which is yet intrinsically containing basic agent characteristics. This character transition is found to have been induced by robust PPP contractual arrangement, which in the end benefits BEE.

Includes bibliographical references (leaves 84-90). / In an environment of constrained public budgets and poor service delivery, private sector participation through Public Private Partnerships is increasingly being utilised as a vehicle to deliver public infrastructure. However, implementation is often problematic with varying degrees of success in different countries and sectors. To overcome a crippling power supply deficit, the government of Uganda is implementing strategies to encourage and incentivise private sector participation in the development of hydropower generation facilities. Notwithstanding the sector reforms and government commitment, private sector investment is still limited and many proposed projects have not materialised.

Includes bibliographical references. / The aim of this research is to establish a base level understanding of the influence of preferential procurement policies on construction firms with a view to contributing to theory development. The fundamental premise of this thesis is that preferential procurement polices are not neutral, but have distributed consequences.