Browsing by Subject "Construction Economics and Management"

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    A collective self-governance framework for urban facilities management settings: application at public transport interchanges in economically depressed areas in Cape Town
    (2024) Miller, Mxolisi; Michell, Kathleen
    Government investment in urban infrastructure and facilities, such as public transport interchanges, benefits local communities. However, the literature suggests that equivalent investments in governance and management of public transport interchanges must accompany the infrastructure investment to avoid physical and functional obsolescence. This study examined the willingness of the users of public transport interchanges, such as minibus taxi operators and informal traders, to participate in the collective self-governance of their public transport interchanges. Furthermore, this study closed the knowledge gap regarding the psychosocial-economic factors motivating minibus taxi operators and informal traders' willingness to participate in public transport interchange collective self-governance institutions. This research is approached from the perspective of integrating the three pillars of facilities management: people, place, and process, with special focus on the last pillar (in the context of collective self-governance). This study merged the Social Identity Model for Collective Action (SIMCA), Place Attachment Theory, and Elinor Ostrom's Design Principles for Self-Governance of Common-Pool Resources to form the theoretical framework. The merging of these three theories produced five critical constructs that were utilised to develop the conceptual framework: place attachment, group-based anger, group identification, group efficacy, and collective selfgovernance. Furthermore, the conceptual framework postulated eight hypothesised relationships for this study. These hypotheses were quantitatively tested using survey questionnaires and convenience sampling methods. The surveys were carried out at four public transport interchanges in economically depressed areas of Cape Town: Dunoon, Mitchell's Plain, Nyanga, and Khayelitsha. The survey targeted the minibus taxi operators and the informal traders at these public transport interchanges. A total of 316 questionnaires were found suitable and included in the study. The survey data was analysed using Partial Least SquaresStructural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM), Smart PLS Version 3 software. The study findings revealed that all eight hypothesised relationships were statistically significant. As a result, it was determined that each of the theorised relationships were crucial for the functioning of the collective self-governance framework; consequently, they were all retained. In addition, the study found that users' emotional attachment to public transport interchanges leads to their willingness to participate in collective self-governance institutions. However, the framework developed in this study argues that while this relationship exists it is mediated by three psychological and cognitive factors, namely, 1) users identify themselves as part of a collective; 2) users' willingness to preserve, maintain and protect the public transport interchange; and 3) users' beliefs in their collective abilities to resolve public transport interchange challenges. The study findings further show that the collective self-governance framework has significant explanatory and predictive power (R2 and Q2 values, respectively). These findings provide empirical evidence that confirms that the minibus taxi operators and informal traders who responded to this study showed a strong willingness to participate in collective selfgovernance institutions at the public transport interchanges. In addition, the reliability and validity collective self-governance framework was confirmed by testing it at multi-public transport interchanges and with multi-groups of minibus taxi operators and informal traders using PLS-SEM and One-Way ANOVA. Finally, this study makes several original contributions to the urban facilities management literature. Firstly, merging The Social Identity Model for Collective Action (SIMCA), Place Attachment Theory, and Elinor Ostrom's Design Principles for Self-Governance of CommonPool Resources into one framework is a major theoretical contribution. Secondly, the psychosocial-economic factors motivating minibus taxi operators and informal traders' willingness to participate in public transport interchange collective self-governance institutions constitute an original contribution. Thirdly, the development and testing of the eight hypotheses in this study, also represent a unique empirical contribution. Fourthly, this study makes a significant methodological contribution to the urban facilities management literature using PLS-SEM and One-Way ANOVA using multi-site, multi-group study areas. Lastly, this study will likely encourage practitioners and policymakers to consider collective self-governance as one of the governance modes for public transport interchanges. This study suggests that minibus taxi operators and informal traders would consider collective self-governance of their public transport interchanges if policymakers and practitioners presented them with the opportunity to do so.
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    A study of the impact of technological innovations on the social sustainability of facilities management employees in South Africa
    (2019) Adama, Unekwu Jonathan; Michell, Kathy
    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.
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    Affordable rental housing delivery in Kenya
    (2021) Olonde, Victor Otieno; Mooya, Manya Mainza; Rajaratnam, Kanshukan
    Rental housing sector remains a significant housing option and an essential component of a vibrant housing market and construction industry as a whole. However, rental housing markets in most developing countries have been characterized by market failure because of the inability to provide adequate rental units commensurate with the urban population's demand. One of the major reasons for the inefficiency is attributed to the little attention by the private developers/landlords towards the rental housing development, yet they are perceived to be the major players on the supply side. The main objective of this research is to critically examine the rental housing market in Kenya and determine why despite the high demand for affordable rental housing, there has not been adequate corresponding supply of good quality housing units, a phenomenon which denotes market failure. This research aims at exploring the institutional environment to find out what has hindered delivery of adequate affordable rental housing despite high demand. This study has been guided by critical realism philosophical perspective and combines the conceptualisation in the Institutional Analysis and Development (IAD) framework and the theoretical richness in the New Institutional Economics (NIE) to develop the conceptual framework for analysing market failure in the rental housing market. The study utilizes mixed methods research design where both qualitative and quantitative research approaches have been employed, comprising a combination of cross-section survey of lower-middle income tenants and interviews of existing landlords, developers, key informants from the relevant public and private sector stakeholders. The main findings of this study underscore the significance of institutional environment in influencing the outcomes of the housing market, and note that as currently constituted, the institutional framework is not practically well-matched to support delivery of affordable rental housing units and as such discourages developers from the rental sector. The frameworks ranging from policy, regulatory and financial systems coupled with inferior performance of rental sector compared to development for sale systematically, but inadvertently lead to market failure in the rental housing market. This study recommends formulation of a distinct Rental Housing Policy and consequently Rental Housing Act complete with implementation framework to deal with issues intrinsic to the rental sector. It has made various and diverse contributions to the existing body of knowledge which comprise theoretical, contextual, empirical and policy perspective.
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    An evaluation of the contextual factors that affect labour productivity in the South African Construction Industry
    (2019) Lefoka, Mochelo Mackson; Windapo, Abimbola Olukemi
    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.
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    An Investigation of the Utilisation and Barriers to the Social Acceptance of Alternative Building Technology in Housing Construction in South Africa
    (2022) Adetooto, Johnson Damilola; Windapo, Abimbola Olukemi
    Social acceptance and the adoption of Alternative Building Technology (ABT), with a focus on Sandbag Building Technology (SBT) in housing delivery, are imperative to bridging the ever increasing deficit in housing provision in South Africa, which stands at about 2.2 million units. However, ABT's adoption is influenced by issues, and its promotion is a difficult task in South Africa. This dissertation investigates the extent of use and the barrier to the social acceptance of ABT, focusing on SBT in housing construction in South Africa. It develops a framework to promote the social acceptability of ABT in housing delivery in South Africa. Specifically, this study has five objectives: (1) to determine the actor's perceptions of SBT as a sustainable and affordable housing solution in South Africa; (2) to identify and establish the critical drivers of social acceptance of SBT in South Africa; (3) to identify and establish the concomitant impediment to the social acceptance of SBT in South Africa; (4) to identify and establish the major strategies for the social acceptance of SBT in South Africa, and (5) to develop a framework for the uptake and social acceptance of SBT in South Africa. The objectives were achieved through a mixed research method that began with two focus group sessions with thirteen (13) randomly selected South African housing market players and end-users. Also, a questionnaire survey was conducted across South Africa's nine provinces and yielded 228 valid responses. The data were analysed using various methods such as inductive content analysis with NVivo, the Shapiro-Wilk test and Cronbach's Alpha, a mean score rating, the Kruskal-Wallis H Test, the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) sample adequacy measure and Bartlett's sphericity, and factor analysis. The hypotheses developed for the study were tested using the Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis technique. The findings revealed that the government-investor-related barrier, comprised of the government's lack of promotion of sandbags, their lack of interest and lack of finance schemes (bank loans, grants), is significant in impeding the social acceptance and use of SBT in South Africa. The study revealed that to promote the social acceptance of SBT there is a need for stakeholder integration; and that the government and the other South African housing market players need to support the adoption of SBT through the formation of strategic policy. More so, there is a need for effective education, training, availability of sandbag demonstration projects in all provinces, and knowledge sharing among South African housing stakeholders and end-users. The major benefits of SBT, which include its economic, construction and health- related benefits, should be communicated to South African housing stakeholders and the general public to promote its acceptance. This study provides a comprehensive framework for the social acceptance and adoption of sandbag technology in housing projects by drawing on the diverse opinions and practical experience of ABT experts and housing industry stakeholders in South Africa. In addition, this is the first and only effort to establish a framework for effectively adopting sandbag technology in South Africa, to provide inexpensive and sustainable housing. If completely implemented and approved, the framework will contribute to resolving South Africa's housing shortfall problem. Furthermore, the findings can be used as a policy tool and useful guidelines for government agencies, international organisations, and advocates interested in promoting a variety of ABTs such as sandbags in South Africa, to achieve more sustainable and affordable housing delivery.
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    Compensation assessment practices in expropriation of customary land rights in Malawi
    (2021) Kabanga, Lucky; Mooya, Manya Mainza
    Providing various public infrastructure requires a lot of land that is normally expropriated from private and/or customary owners as government may not have it, in return for compensation to cover the expropriatory losses occasioned. Commonly, such compensation is assessed based on market value. While private land is tradable, customary land is conceptually and statutorily not. Essentially, the study examines how expropriated customary land is valued for compensation purposes. It argues that existing compensation valuation practices for expropriation presupposes private property and functional property markets, thereby realising inadequate compensation for customary land. By doing so, the study analyses applicability of indemnity and taker's gain compensation theories and methodologies that are founded on private land, to customary properties and in different social settings, to achieve desired compensation goals. The study uses three case studies in Malawi to collect empirical data through face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions from sixty respondents that included key informants, expropriatees, government officials, government valuers, private valuers, local leaders, development partner and civil society organisations representatives. Qualitative data were analysed qualitatively through thematic analysis and simple descriptive analysis for quantitative data. The study finds that Malawian compensation law derives from indemnity compensation theory but that its applicability to customary land is challenged by various factors including inadequate and unsupportive laws, underdeveloped or non-existent land markets to support adopted market value-based methodologies, customary land prevalence, absence of assessment methodologies for non-tradable or rarely exchanged properties and noncompensation of various expropriatory losses. The study concludes that indemnity compensation is fundamentally applicable to customary land as it desires to protect land rights from arbitrary takings and prevent expropriatees from impoverishment, but that current compensation practices obtain inadequate compensation that impoverishes expropriatees. This calls for other non-market dependent compensation assessment methodologies such as Contingent Valuation Methodology. The study makes a contribution to knowledge regarding the compensation of customary land acquired compulsorily, in the areas of theory, empirical data and policy development.
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    Competitive strategies in construction firms : the impact of alternative project delivery systems
    (2001) Mbuthia, George; Hindle, Bob
    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.
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    Component unit pricing theory
    (2009) Cattell, David William; Bowen, Paul
    Building contractors are often commissioned using unit price based contracts. They, nevertheless, often compete on the basis of their overall project bids and yet are paid on the basis of these projectsâ constituent item prices. If a contractor decides these prices by way of applying an uneven mark-up to their estimates of their costs, this is known as unbalanced bidding. This research provides proof and explanation that different item pricing scenarios produce different levels of reward for a contractor, whilst exposing them to different degrees of risk. The theory describes the three identified sources of these rewards as well as provides the first explanation of the risks. It has identified the three types of risk involved and provides a model by which both the rewards as well as these risks can now be measured given any item pricing scenario. The research has included a study of the mainstream microeconomic techniques of Modern Portfolio Theory, Value-at-Risk, as well as Cumulative Prospect Theory that are all suited to making decisions that involve trading-off prospective rewards against risk. These techniques are then incorporated into a model that serves to identify the one item pricing combination that will produce the optimum value of utility as will be best suited to a contractorâs risk profile. The research has included the development of software written especially for this purpose in Java so that this theory could be tested on a hypothetical project. A test produced an improvement of more than 150% on the present-value worth of the contractorâs profit from this project, if they apply this model compared to if they instead price the project in a balanced manner.
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    Constraints to the implementation of public private partnerships for hydropower generation : the case of Uganda
    (2007) Emmanuel, Akampurira; Root, Dave; Shakantu, Winston
    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.
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    Cultural-historical investigations into the dialectics of skills development implementation and occupational identity in the informal construction Small and Micro Enterprise workplace
    (2022) Hammond, Sylvia Frances; Bowen, Paul; Muthivhi, Azwihangwisi; Cattell, Keith
    This study explores the development of identity and agency on the part of young construction workers and work-seekers within the informal workplace environment of the South African post-apartheid construction industry. The study provides an exploration of the contradictions manifested in, and through, labour relations and skills development practices, via the daily struggles of the workplace participants. Ethnographic data are collected from the small and micro enterprise (SME) contractors and their workers; the work-seekers, who daily line the roadside identifying their skills via display of construction tools and signs; and skills development specialists. The rich data enables a cultural-historical analysis of the contradictions within the associated labour practices, and South Africa's post-apartheid skills development regime. These contradictions inevitably give rise to the struggles for identity development and agency on the part of the informal workplace participants The ground-breaking research of post-Vygotskian researchers such as Anna Stetsenko and leading Activity Theory scholars such as Yrjö Engeström and Annalisa Sannino, focus the analysis of workers' struggles. The research illustrates how skills development practices in South Africa fail to address the critical needs of informal workers and the unemployed work-seekers. In particular, the research finds that the ideology informing skills development practices in South Africa emphasises Western-centric notions, and precludes indigenous practices, specifically, the culturally relevant values of collective solidarity, extended family, and community relationships. These values are embodied in the ethos of ubuntu, mirroring the Vygotskian essence, and expansive learning, which identifies the relevance of the social to the individual's learning, and occupational identity development. As a result, the analysis unriddles the material structures of skills development and labour practices that perpetuate the exclusion and marginalisation of many young South Africans, thereby limiting access to skilled employment, and active participation in the country's post-apartheid socioeconomic activity. Therefore, employing these conceptual and analytic tools, the study posits a theory-informed model for transforming the prevailing structures, and the related practices. Primary recommendations are to clearly differentiate skills development from education; and to utilise skills development as a mediational tool for agency, in a workplace format tailored to the construction informal sector. The object being fulfilment of redress, with an outcome of disrupting post-apartheid South Africa's overwhelming poverty, unemployment, expanding inequality, and socioeconomic marginalisation of youth.
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    Determination of the key operational variables of construction companies that impact on their corporate performance
    (2014) Tucker, George Cyril Dauda; Windapo, Abimbola; Cattell, Keith
    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.
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    The evolution of entrepreneurial networks a case of the networking behaviour of South African Built Environment Professionals
    (2011) Letsie, Rethabile; Marks, Jonathan
    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.
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    Gender narratives in the professional trajectories of women architects in South Africa
    (2023) Ellmann, Ann-Marie; Le Jeune, Karen
    In South Africa, women represent just over half of the population, yet in the architectural student body, more women are registered than men. However, in the professional realm, just over a quarter are female registered architects, of which only a fraction is black. This raises questions about what happens to young women architects as they enter their profession, as there is little information in South Africa about the possibility that they may face, as women. The research explores this possibility through engagement with the lived experiences of women architects who have been practising architecture for a minimum of five years. South Africa is a developing country and thus the role of the architect is important as a key role player in the development of its spaces. The architect is entrusted to represent and design for a diverse set of people to cater and provide solutions for the spaces they will occupy. A qualitative research study was undertaken, and in-depth one-on-one interviews were held with nine women practising architecture in South Africa. Thematic analysis was used to corral points of consensus, variation, and critical salience concerning the operation of gender as a dynamic within the data. The women, through sharing their experiences, supported the notion that being gendered as a woman as an identity is in competition with the identity of the architect. Both identities require long hours and a full-time commitment to live, eat, breathe. Compared to international studies, in South Africa this tension of gender and the professional identity in architecture has not been addressed, probably due to the emotive historical and political background of the country. The research study supports the findings in international literature that women architects often become community architects. Most women believed that an individualistic architectural identity was unattainable for a more Starchitect culture. The nine participants revealed that they endured the prescribed gendered script for “women” as a distraction and obstacle in their careers that left them exhausted. The current gendered script is a complex map that is integrated with intersectional aspects of age, position in society, position in career/company, access to opportunities of mentorship/sponsorship, grasping one's own understanding of gendering, and role player engagement in different contexts. Keywords: Women, narrative, experiences, architecture, architect, gendering, professional career, South Africa
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    HIV/AIDS responses in the Western Cape: the implementation of treatment programmes in construction companies
    (2012) Dondo, Chido Francisca; Bowen, Paul A
    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.
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    HIV/AIDS-related stigma in the South African construction industry: the case of ESKOM
    (2015) Fredericks, Cameron; Bowen, Paul
    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.
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    Identifying the critical success factors in the implementation of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) in the Zimbabwe electricity energy sector
    (2021) Chipanga, Fibian; Tuan, Nien-Tsu
    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.
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    Institutional mechanisms for water supply to informal settlements in Zambia a grounded theory approach
    (2013) Banda, Ian Nzali; Michell, Kathy; Cattell, Keith
    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.
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    An investigation into how value is created through water sensitive urban design
    (2017) Mallett, Gregory David; Viruly, Francois; Michell, Kathy
    A key challenge facing developing countries is the rapid increases in urbanisation and the effect this has on their water systems. Water sensitive urban design (WSUD) is a process that considers the entire water system with the aim of achieving a water sensitive city (WSC). However, little is known about how value can be created through WSUD in terms of the sustainability of urban precincts in South Africa. The researcher therefore considered the well-established literature highlighting the relationship between WSUD and sustainable urban development. To understand the value derived from these concepts, two case studies were assessed, namely the Victoria & Alfred Waterfront (V&A Waterfront) and Century City. However, it should be highlighted that due to the uniqueness of these cases, no generalisations from the findings can be generated. The methodology implemented for the case studies was social constructivist in nature and to satisfy the research objectives, semi-structured interviews were conducted, documentary material was gathered, and photographic evidence was collected. Moreover, a diverse collection of data was assessed, which was extracted through various methods of data collection, thereby resulting in an in-depth understanding of the case studies. This research concludes there is a relationship between WSUD, sustainable urban development and value. It further argues that the underlying principles of facilities management (FM) and more specifically urban FM provide a managerial framework that can connect these concepts to achieve sustainability for urban precincts. Furthermore, the study uncovered the need for value capture mechanisms as a form of infrastructure financing and value creation for urban precincts. However, it was established that neither case study make use of such mechanisms, so future research is required in this regard.
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    An investigation into the mechanisms that are steering large property owning organisations to implement green building features
    (2012) Nurick, Saul; Cattell, Keith S
    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.
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    An investigation into the responses of the construction industry to preferential procurement in South Africa
    (2007) Kajimo-Shakantu, Kahilu
    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.