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This paper presents three case studies of educators pioneering transdisciplinary project work within a UK College-Based Higher Education Institution, focusing on Education Studies, Counselling, and Fine Art. Through the CollaborArt Blackburn initiative, educators facilitated gallery visits, encounter spaces, and collaborative creation opportunities for students across these disciplines. These case studies highlight the educators' roles in fostering a transdisciplinary approach that transcends traditional disciplinary boundaries, emphasising experiential learning and collaborative engagement. The narratives illustrate the transformative impact of integrating diverse perspectives and methodologies, enriching both educators' and students' understanding and practice. The paper argues for the intrinsic value of educators' insights and expertise in initiating and sustaining transdisciplinary projects, encouraging peers to embrace innovative approaches in their pedagogical practices. This work contributes to the discourse on transdisciplinary education, advocating for its potential to create dynamic, inclusive, and holistic learning environments.

As an alternative housing approach, self-help housing has been implemented for many years, particularly in developing nations. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of self-help housing as a mitigation strategy for reducing homelessness in South Africa. The focus was on the perception that housing is commonly regarded as a fundamental necessity the government provides, even though beneficiaries ultimately construct their own homes. A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured interviews with 25 key informants involved in five projects located in the central region of South Africa. The objective was to assess the effectiveness of self-help housing in addressing homelessness, understand beneficiary perceptions, and identify the challenges associated with conventional and non-conventional housing delivery methods. The key findings revealed that while both methods present challenges, beneficiaries preferred self-help housing due to their involvement in the projects, the larger housing units they received, and their overall satisfaction with the outcomes. The study concluded that there is a need to reform self-help housing policies in South Africa to efficiently regulate and support incremental housing initiatives across the country.

Rotating (also termed continuous spin) detonation technology is gaining interest in the global research and development community due to the potential for increased performance. Potential performance benefits, thrust chamber design, and thrust chamber cooling loads are analyzed for propellant applications using liquid oxygen or high-concentration hydrogen peroxide oxidizers with kerosene, hydrogen, and methane fuels. Performance results based on a lumped parameter treatment show that theoretical specific impulse gains of 3–14% are achievable with the highest benefit coming from hydrogen-fueled systems. Assessment of thrust chamber designs for notional space missions shows that both thrust chamber length and diameter benefits are achievable given the tiny annular chamber volume associated with the rotating detonation combustion. While the passing detonation front drastically increases local heat fluxes, global energy balances can be achieved if operating pressures are limited to be comparable to existing or prior space engines.

Experience and anecdotal evidence indicate that first-year students experience challenges in terms of adapting to our university construction management course environment. The purpose of the study is to determine the impact of a team building event on first-year students’ skills, core competencies, ability to manage themselves, work as a team, interface with each other, strategize, plan, evolve tactics, and take action.. A quantitative approach using a questionnaire survey in a South African university post completion of the event determined the perceptions of the students. Findings include that the team building activities contributed to enhancing participants’ skills, their understanding and appreciation of core competencies and the development thereof, and their ability to communicate with first-year colleagues; built confidence in their abilities including that of completing a task, and enhanced participants’ alternative thought processes, ability to be creative, strategize, evolve tactics, take action, and plan. The students benefited from, enjoyed the team building activities and believed that it contributed to improving their time management skills. Based upon the findings, conclusions are that the one-day first-year orientation team-building event had the desired impact in terms of the development of the first-year students’ abilities. Recommendations are that the one-day first-year orientation team-building event is staged annually, and a study pertaining to the impact of the intervention on student performance be determined following the completion of a full academic year and again post-graduation.

The construction industry plays a major role in South Africa’s economic development. Despite its importance, the poor health and safety (H&S) performance and associated costs to the industry are a concern. The literature review indicates that improved H&S performance can be achieved on a project where there is a collaborative approach among all stakeholders during the six project stages. This study focuses on the impact of the Construction Regulations 2014 on a water utility’s projects’ H&S performance. It determines the H&S involvement of client representatives and internal project stakeholders during the six project stages. It also addresses their commitment towards H&S, measures taken by them during planning and design, in contracts to improve H&S, and to select conscious contractors, and the extent of their H&S participation in construction H&S. Mixed methods research (a questionnaire survey and four case study projects) was used to collect the data required for the study. A total of 67 responses were obtained from the five stakeholder groups from the water utility, namely client representatives, designers, quantity surveyors (QSs), project managers (PMs), and construction H&S (CHS) professionals to obtain information regarding their H&S involvement during the six project stages. Four case study projects (three pre- Construction Regulations 2014 and one post- Construction Regulations 2014) were obtained, using a stratified random sampling technique and a checklist to obtain information regarding the stakeholder H&S involvement during the six project stages and the overall project performance. The study found that the Construction Regulations 2014 are perceived to have had an impact on the water utility’s H&S performance. There is a direct relationship between stakeholder H&S involvement and project H&S performance. The integration of H&S in the initial project phases; early involvement of CHS professionals, and H&S training for stakeholders are among the recommendations arising from this study.

The South African Construction Regulations realise the contributions by each member of a project team to health and safety (H&S) improvement. These Regulations amplify the roles and contributions of clients to project realisation. The tenets of the Regulations conform with the observation that clients’ H&S leadership and behaviours are an effective means of improving construction H&S performance in the industry. This article reports on a study that examined current clients’ leadership approach and expectations in terms of H&S in South African construction. The review of relevant literature provides the platform for the research survey, which was conducted among selected clients of the industry. The findings show that clients’ H&S leadership roles and behaviours have a significant influence on construction H&S performance in South Africa. Findings reveal that unethical behaviour, in terms of procurement and contract awards, is a serious challenge to the improvement of H&S performance in the industry.

Construction projects are facing problems that impede their expected performance. Time, cost, quality, and competition limitations place constraints on projects. These challenges require incisive risk-management (RM) practices. This article presents the findings of a multiple case study, which determined how and why public sector construction projects are failing in terms of contemporary RM practices that appear to be lacking in Lesotho construction. The article investigates the stakeholders’ perceptions regarding risks’ likelihoods and impacts (P-Is) on three public sector construction projects. A 5-point Likert measurement scale was used to collect data for the P-I grids. The data are analysed and presented with Scatter plots. The results obtained through cross-case synthesis show that the interviewees perceive the level of risks’ P-Is on the examined construction projects to be high. Moreover, the level of RM practice is found to be inconsistent with best practices. To enhance RM practices in Lesotho, the management of public sector construction projects should promote the use of competent project managers.

This paper investigates the perceptions of built environment professionals with respect to the benefits of green buildings and identifies the benefits regarded as the most important to promote the adoption of green building. The primary data was collected from 106 green building-accredited professionals in both the public and private sectors who are registered with the Green Building Council of South Africa (GBCSA). Response data was subjected to descriptive and inferential statistics, namely factor analysis (FA), ANOVA test, and the paired sample test. The benefits of green buildings emanating from the findings were categorised as socio-economic, financial, and health and community benefits. The paired sample test indicated a statistically significant difference between paired samples: financial benefits, health and community benefits, and socio-economic benefits. However, the test revealed no statistically significant difference between financial benefits and socio-economic benefits. There was no statistically significant difference with respect to the perceptions of respondents concerning financial benefits and health and community benefits. It is important to note that the benefits identified in this research may be limited to the time of the research, since the opinions of people relative to green building consciousness and conditions may change over time. It is anticipated that the most significant benefits identified by built environment stakeholders will create an enabling environment to enhance the adoption of green building. Therefore the findings emanating from this study can be used as a support tool for identifying the most significant benefits that enhance the decision of stakeholders to adopt green building and to provide continuous improvement that is essential for green building to gain competitive advantage over the traditional construction methods.

The construction industry produces a high rate of accidents. Despite evidence that up to 50% of accidents can be avoided through mitigation of hazards and risks in the design phase of construction projects, architectural designers do not adequately engage in designing for construction health, safety, and ergonomics. The article reports on the development of an architectural design-oriented model toward a reduction of construction hazards and risks. The research intertwined a range of secondary data with four provisional studies undertaken in the Eastern Cape Province considered representative of South Africa, and involved quantitative and qualitative methodologies directed at architectural designers registered with the South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP). These served to provide local insight and a line of structured questioning for use in the main study, which was positioned in the action research (AR) paradigm and used focus-group (FG) methodology to solicit vast qualitative data from SACAP-registered participants. Synthesis of the FG data with literature and the provisional studies gave rise to a provisional model comprising six main model components and a range of subcomponents. The provisional model was validated and refined. The evolved model includes a core model embedded in a greater process model, and implementation and use of the core model relies on appropriate knowledge of architectural designers. It is recommended that tertiary architectural education institutions and those involved in architectural CPD programmes take ‘upstream design ownership’ and use the model as a basis for designing and implementing appropriate education and training programmes.

Full-time or part-time construction health and safety officers (CHSOs) are a requirement in terms of the South African Construction Regulations. Previous research findings and anecdotal evidence indicate that CHSOs are lacking in various competencies, are excluded from contributing to the management of health and safety (H&S) and sites, could be more effective, and require development. The objectives of the study were to determine the performance of CHSOs, barriers to the contribution of CHSOs to construction and construction H&S, and the potential of interventions to contribute to an improvement in CHSOs’ contribution to and impact on construction and construction H&S. A descriptive survey method was adopted for gathering and processing data obtained through self-administered questionnaires. The sample stratum included a convenience sample of delegates attending a two-day construction H&S summit. The findings indicate that the contribution of CHSOs to H&S could be improved. Various factors constitute a barrier to CHSOs contributing to H&S. These include exclusion from decision-making, non-consultation by site management, lack of authority, and exclusion from managing sites, which constitutes marginalisation. This is underscored by the low ratings of CHSOs in their understanding and appreciation of various aspects, composite knowledge areas and skills, and the extent to which interventions could contribute to an improvement in the contribution of CHSOs to H&S and construction. Conclusions include that the function of CHSOs is important, and that the “CHSO” requirement in terms of the Construction Regulations is justified, that inadequate ‘construction’ knowledge and experience contributes to the exclusion of CHSOs from managing sites, and the actual barrier of CHSOs contributing to H&S, and that formal qualifications would empower CHSOs to contribute optimally to H&S and construction.

The Construction Industry Development Board (cidb) register of contractors shows that small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) outnumber established firms in South Africa. However, the failure rate of SME businesses, which has increased in recent years, constitutes a source of concern in the industry. This situation is reflected in the limited number of successful construction SMEs as a percentage of the total registered firms in the industry. The research design for the study reported on entailed semi-structured and unstructured interviews, which were conducted over an extensive period of time to gather sufficient information from the research participants. However, the preliminary findings that form the nexus of this paper are based on the reviewed literature, and a pilot study that was conducted among a purposive sample of construction SMEs - Grades 1 to 5 on the cidb register. It is notable that the initial findings suggest that construction SMEs often encounter difficulty in securing projects, fail to realise core organisational objectives and goals, and are unable to gain cost advantages over their immediate rivals, which affects their business performance. Thus it appears that more effort is required to improve the business performance of construction SMEs in South Africa.

The construction industry as a whole has been suffering from mental stress due to a range of stressors imposed on the work force, resulting in behavioural habits which are not conducive to a healthy lifestyle, physical symptoms signalling burnout, chronic stress, and depression. An empirical study was conducted among medium to large civil engineering contractors in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole the sample stratum including site agents and foremen. The salient findings include: using unreliable and old tools, using dirty toilet facilites, and working on an untidy site are the most significant physical stressors; limited time spent with loved ones, tight deadlines, inadequate reward system, and work-life imbalance are the most significant organisational stressors; headaches, tense muscles, and smoking cigarettes are the most significant behavioural activities and physical sensations experienced;tired, weak and no energy, restless and on edge, and irritable are the most significant sensations of stress; feeling sad or down, restlessness, and decrease / increase in appetite are the most significant symptoms of depression. The objective of the study was to ascertain what stressors are imposed on a sample of site agents and foremen in the civil engineering sector of the construction industry. Further to the aforementioned, the study intended to identify what forms of strain, as also, the degree of stress and depression experienced by the work force. It can be concluded that a vast array of stressors negatively affect the civil engineering sector of the construction industry. Subsequently resulting in stress, depression, and mental /physical strain.

Performance improvement of Health and Safety (H&S) in the construction industry is invariably a result of a joint effort of the project team members. Clients and their consultants play an important role in ensuring that H&S is addressed throughout the project stages. The objective of the paper is to assess the roles of clients and consultants in improving H&S in the construction industry at the tendering and construction stages, and the pre-requisites thereto. Respondents were randomly selected from delegates of the Construction Industry Forum and data was collected using self-administered questionnaires and a review of literature. Findings indicate that with the exception of the role of ensuring that the contractor is complying with the H&S plan during construction, which is often done, other roles are fulfilled less frequently. Furthermore, it was revealed that those respondents that were more experienced in terms of H&S were more involved in H&S and contributed more to the improvement of H&S than those who were less experienced. The paper concludes that many consultants and their clients are not fully participating in H&S. The paper therefore recommends that current laws and regulations be reviewed and amended to include duties of clients and consultants, and that clients and consultants to be sensitized and empowered to fulfill their roles.

In recent times, project performance improvement, especially in developing countries, has captured the interest of a number of construction management researchers, as indicated in notable journals and conferences in the domain. The quest for excellence, waste elimination, and value creation underpins such research endeavours that encompass the interest of clients, consultants, and contractors so that cost overruns, low productivity, and poor quality can be reduced in the industry. The driving force behind this discourse is the need to examine management strategies that could engender performance improvement in infrastructure construction from the South African perspective. The survey was conducted among general contractor (GC) members of the South African Federation of Civil Engineering Contractors (SAFCEC), consulting engineer members of Consulting Engineers South Africa (CESA), and selected public sector clients. Using inferential statistics such as Cronbach’s alpha, t test and Cohen’s d effect size measures for data analysis led to a range of findings. Such findings show that inadequate coordination between project partners may indeed result in high levels of defects, rework, and non-conformances in construction; poor interface between multidisciplinary designers could lead to delays in projects, and inefficient and unstable logistics management may, in fact, lead to haphazard processing of orders, storage of materials, and poor inventory management. In essence, it can be argued that being quality focused, managing construction logistics optimally and making sure that consultants who are working on a project are collaborating effectively offers significant scope for performance improvement in the construction of infrastructure projects in South Africa.

A large number of fatalities and injuries occur in the South African construction industry. Traditionally, the print media have dedicated editorial, published news, articles and letters, and have exposed abusive or non-conforming conditions and practices in terms of H&S. Literature also indicates that the print media can influence and has an impact on H&S.Given the level of fatalities and injuries and the potential role of the print media, a postal survey was conducted among editors of construction and related magazines. Findings indicate that: the print media do contribute to and play a role in construction H&S; industry has the capacity and needs to promote H&S on a wider basis; there is a need to improve construction H&S; to a degree, editors are aware of what constitutes unsafe acts and unsafe conditions, and the print media can play an increased role through the review of articles, advertisements, advertorial, editorial and phototgraphs to prevent the depiction of unhealthy and unsafe practices and conditions

The paper reports on a study which investigates the influence of project managers (PMs),independent agents engaged by clients to manage and co-ordinate the design and constructionprocesses, on construction health and safety (H&S).Based upon a literature review and descriptive survey of PMs, the study determined thatPMs prioritise the traditional project parameters of cost, quality and time, consider andrefer to H&S more frequently during construction, than during procurement and designrelated occasions, generally consider and refer to H&S relative to various design relatedactivities, encounter design and procurement related situations which negatively affectH&S more frequently than situations which complement H&S. It also found that the potentialexists for various design, procurement and related aspects and actions to contribute toan improvement in H&S performance, and inadequate H&S negatively impacts on otherproject parameters and increases project risk.

The estimation of contract completion time has always been inaccurate despite there being a need for certainty regarding the completion of projects. This article reports on an investigation of the relationship between initial and final contract time with the aim of developing an equation for reasonably estimating project period. Data for the study was secured from a total of eighty-eight questionnaires and sixty-five projects. The sample population consisted of architects, contractors, quantity surveyors, structural engineers and clients. Five metropolitan cities in the provinces of the Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Western Cape, namely Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg and Port Elizabeth, constitute the geographical area in which the study was conducted. Inferential statistical analysis, including regression analysis, was used to evolve, inter alia, a model and linear equations for estimating building construction time. The equations involved in the respective phases of the study are Y = 9.9 + 1.0586x for phase one, and Y = 13.1159 + 1.1341x for phase two. During phase two of the study, it was determined that 35.3% additional time needs to be added to the amount of the initial contract period in order to estimate final contract time. It is recommended that either the equation Y = 13.1159 + 1.1341x be used, or that 35.3% additional time be added to the amount of initial contract time to estimate the final contract time.

A number of low-income houses recently built in South Africa are reportedly defective. The sheer number of low-income houses that failed to conform to quality expectations, especially in certain provinces, has become a source of concern for the national Department of Human Settlements (DHS) and other construction industry stakeholders. This article assesses issues related to non-conformance to quality requirements in low-income houses from the perspective of both owners and contractors. A quantitative survey was conducted among housing beneficiaries in a post-1994 township in Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape. The initial findings were further complemented with the perceptions of contractors registered with the National Home Builders Registration Council (NHBRC). Selected findings suggest that the principal causes of defects in low-income houses is perceived to be related to the use of emerging contractors who are presumably not experienced enough, and to the use of unskilled labour by the contractors. By implication, the respondents were of the opinion that poor workmanship could be the primary cause of defects in low-income houses. It can, therefore, be argued that, apart from adequate monitoring and inspection of projects, stakeholders in the form of emerging contractors and their labour should endeavour to improve their competencies pertaining to quality.

The relevance of managing technology to architectural practices in South African construction cannot be overemphasised. As major stakeholders in the construction industry with particular significant contributions in the property sector, practising architects cannot afford not to exploit old technologies, and embrace new technologies with a view to improving their business and competitiveness. The thrust of the issue addressed in this article is the assessment of the status accorded to issues relating to technology in the form of a technology audit and/or management in architectural practices. In furtherance of this issue, a quantitative survey was conducted among Eastern Cape-based South African Council for the Architectural Profession (SACAP) registered architects. Selected findings include that respondents perceived that there are no barriers to communication in organisations as technology does not only form part of the organisational business strategy, but also benefits project partners during implementation. In addition, with the use of office technologies, management is able to forecast and plan future requirements for their practices, while marketing-related technologies allow the closing of identified performance gaps as well as the development of best practices by the firms. Therefore, periodical technology audits are recommended for practices intending to remain competitive in the market.

t is obvious that the performance of firms and their market competitiveness hinge on project delivery time. Many approaches have been used to reduce the effect of the potential factors of delay on project delivery time. In this study, the systems approach has been employed and validated. Inferential statistical analysis was conducted to analyse eighty-eight questionnaires returned during the primary study and twenty-four during the validation phase. The holistic role of professionals in the construction industry was illustrated with the aid of causal loop analysis, showing cause and effect relationships. Based on the findings that eight out of the twelve categories of problems of delays are construction-related, the study identified seven stages of construction project delivery and various activities in these stages that could reduce the negative influence of delay factors on project delivery time. The interventions category, which has the most influence on the elimination of delays in project delivery, occurs during the construction stage, followed by interventions during the briefing/design stage. The interventions category with the least influence is pre-qualification of suppliers. The study recommends that adequate planning, pre-qualification of suppliers, provision of work schedule, and prompt payment of interim certificates be focused on to mitigate delays in project delivery time. Furthermore, the following courses should be included in all built-environment education programmes: operational planning; quality; design, and generic management.

The end of the apartheid era in South Africa ushered in a new institutional environment through changes to legislative frameworks in government depart-ments. A key aspect of the transformation is the economic empowerment of the mainly historically disadvantaged groups in the country through procurement. The thrust of the issue is the assessment of the extent of compliance with Act No. 5 of 2000: Preferential Procurement Policy Framework Act (PPPFA), 2000 at government departments, with particular focus on the Amathole region of the Eastern Cape Province. The assessment was undertaken in a qualitative and quantitative research study conducted among key construction industry stakeholders such as public-sector clients, architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors based within the Amathole region. Selected findings include that there is a perceived low level of awareness of preferential procurement in the public sector as the majority of the institutions investigated have not completely implemented procurement responsibilities as a dedicated function within their organisations. Another significant finding arising from the study is that there are conflicting perceptions among consultants regarding procurement strategies for different types of project.

A large number of fatalities and injuries occur in the South African construction industry.Traditionally, the print media have dedicated editorial, published news, articles andletters, and have exposed abusive or non-conforming conditions and practices in termsof H&S. Literature also indicates that the print media can influence and has an impacton H&S.Given the level of fatalities and injuries and the potential role of the print media, a postalsurvey was conducted among editors of construction and related magazines. Findingsindicate that: the print media do contribute to and play a role in construction H&S;industry has the capacity and needs to promote H&S on a wider basis; there is a needto improve construction H&S; to a degree, editors are aware of what constitutes unsafeacts and unsafe conditions, and the print media can play an increased role through thereview of articles, advertisements, advertorial, editorial and photographs to prevent thedepiction of unhealthy and unsafe practices and conditions

Construction Health and Safety (H&S) is of significant importance to the improvement and sustainability of the construction process. This is why at various levels of the construction process, clients, project managers, architects, engineers, contractors, subcontractors, suppliers, and manufacturers have endeavoured to improve H&S management practices in construction. However, the implementation of H&S in construction has not resulted in a commensurate improvement in the industry. The thrust of the issue is the assessment of the level of knowledge of legislation through the devolution of responsibilities to stakeholders; and perceptions relative to H&S in Malawi. Therefore, for objectivity purposes, a quantitative survey was conducted among key construction industry stakeholders such as clients, architects, engineers, project managers, and contractors. Selected findings include that the status of H&S in Malawian construction is sub-optimal, and that the contributions of clients, project managers, architects, engineers, building and civil engineering contractors have been sporadic, rather than significant. Notably, poor H&S recurs in construction, and H&S is perceived to be the duty of site managers.

The background of corruption dates back to 2000 years ago. Corruption takes the form of bribery, extortion, cronyism, nepotism, graft, and embezzlement. The main medium of corruption is poorly functioning institutions, with policies that undermine free trade and competition. The objectives of this article are as follows: first, to establish the impact of corruption regarding tender procurement; secondly, to evaluate corrupt practices which create dominance of particular contractors over others, and lastly, to examine corruption regarding the maintenance of the built environment. The survey was limited to community development projects based in and around the Blantyre commercial district. The respondents were sampled for their knowledge, experience, education and expertise regarding community development projects. The findings indicate that all tender board officials are imminently enticed into corrupt practices relating to their respective positions held in the organisation; oligopolism is the main factor in the dominance of contractors over others in the Malawian construction industry, and corruption leads to relatively lower fund allocation for the maintenance of the built environment. The article concludes that corruption does impact on the Malawian construction industry in various ways. Recommendations to limit corruption include the implementation of the following corruption-mitigating measures: break the taboo against discussing corruption; demonstrate how corruption occurs; mobilise key constituencies, and implement anti-corruption policies.

The purpose of this article is to present findings of a preliminary survey on contractors’ perceptions of clients’ attitude relative to health and safety (H&S) implementation in the construction industry of Botswana and Southern Africa. A questionnaire survey was conducted on construction projects to establish clients’ attitude towards H&S. Interviews were also held with contractors’ representatives on selected construction sites in and around Gaborone, Botswana. Findings from the survey include: clients do not perceive H&S to be very important on construction projects; the majority of clients do not address H&S adequately in contract documentation, and H&S is rarely a major item on the agenda of progress meetings. Findings also included that clients are not fully committed to H&S implementation. The client sets the tone for H&S culture. Client attitude is therefore very important for H&S performance improvement as all stakeholders are compelled to act in line with the client’s values. Various researchers have recognised the importance of the client to H&S performance improvement. The extent to which clients are involved in H&S implementation has, however, not been researched extensively, especially in Southern Africa. This article therefore provides an insight into the clients’ attitude towards H&S and explains the reason for the current state of H&S in Botswana’s construction industry.

Construction management competencies are essential to realise sound practices among and to realise optimum performance by, inter alia, emerging civil engineering contractors. Such competencies enable the success of the business of construction and the management of projects, with increased efficiency and reduced costs as a benefit. The article presents the findings of a Masters study, the objectives in general being to determine the current practices and performance of emerging civil engineering contractors in the Nelson Mandela Bay Metropole. The descriptive method was adopted in the empirical study. The salient findings of the study are: most of the emerging civil engineering contractors do not possess civil engineering related qualifications; construction resources are inappropriately managed leading to construction failures; skills programmes are not well structured and supported; there is a lack of capacity at all management levels of the organisations in terms of managing the business of construction and projects; the nine functions of organisations in the form of general management, technical or production, procurement, marketing, financial, human resources, public relations, legal, and administration and information technology, are not comprehensively represented; and self-ratings indicate inadequacy relative to the controlling function of management work, and relative to certain activities of the organising function. The article concludes that emerging civil engineering contractors lack the requisite competencies and resources to realise sustainable contracting organisations. The article recommends that formal civil engineering and construction management education and training should be promoted throughout the industry for all categories of civil engineering contracting organisations. The article further recommends that all nine functions should be adequately staffed with suitably qualified people in order to manage and undertake the work successfully. Organisations should have the requisite construction-related resources, and owners and managers should market their organisations to ensure the sustainability thereof.

Irrespective of all the efforts made by the Department of Labour (DoL) and other relevant stakeholders to improve construction occupational health and safety (OH&S) performance, there is still a very high level of accidents and fatalities in South Africa. Injuries and accidents to workers help no community in any nation. The construction industry in South Africa is generally known to be one of the most hazardous and has one of the most dismal OH&S records among all industrial segments with an unacceptably high level of injuries and fatalities resulting in considerable human suffering. A doctoral study was recently conducted with the aim of investigating the effectiveness and performance of the DoL OH&S Inspectorate in South Africa. Information was sought and obtained from various respondents including civil and building contractors, OH&S consultants, project managers, DoL inspectors, and designers by means of questionnaires. The research identifies interventions which could contribute to a significant reduction in the number of accidents, which in turn is likely to result in: a reduction in the cost of accidents (CoA); a reduction in the cost of workers’ compensation insurance; alleviation of fatalities, injuries, pain and suffering, and a reduction in the indirect CoA to society and the national health care system. The salient findings of the study are presented and elucidate that the DoL OH&S Inspectorate is not effective in terms of OH&S relative to the construction industry in South Africa. Conclusions and recommendations included reinforce the need for a reviewed OH&S Inspectorate model framework. The structured normative model consists of fundamental elements which guide to improve the effectiveness of the DoL OH&S Inspectorate. The findings of the study with recommendations are included.

Having an effective mentoring programme in place in the construction industry is critical to the development and growth of emerging contractors as well as the industry as a whole. A survey was undertaken among the mentees who attended a specific mentoring programme in the Eastern Cape to establish the need for training, mentoring and monitoring of emerging contractors. Primary data was collected by means of a telephonic survey of the emerging contractors as well as the mentors and service providers regarding the mentoring programme. Secondary data was obtained from the survey of the literature. The main findings were that there is a huge need for training and mentoring of emerging contractors and that monitoring after completion of the programme is a necessity. Furthermore, although it was determined that all facets of training and mentoring are important, in order to ensure the overall development of emerging contractors, the development of financial and management skills on site requires the most attention.

Property development constitutes one of the largest business enterprises and gross domestic product contributors of the world. The business of property development however incurred substantial losses over the centuries as a result of non-compliance to good governance in terms of considering all factors influencing perceived success of property development projects. The primary objective of this study was to develop a business process model for perceived success of property development projects, enterprises and role players. This model should guide role players, enterprises and actors within the property development business towards pro-active, effective and relevant decision making in achieving success in property development. To address the primary objective, a number of secondary objectives were raised whereby a conceptual model constituting identified variables was developed based on a comprehensive survey of the related literature. Appropriate hypotheses were formulated constructing a path diagram between the dependant variable and subsequent anteceding and intervening variables. Data was gathered using an electronic survey measuring primary data sourced from the identified international population of property development practitioners. This data was empirically analysed by means of structural equation modelling. The factors were namely financial risk forecast, consumer confidence and ability, procurement, urban planning, financial feasibility and practical viability considerations and professional feasibility and viability reporting, identified in the business process model affecting success of property development projects. This research broke new ground relative to the profession of property development in introducing the business process model for perceived success of property development.

Top management in an enterprise has decisive roles to play in terms of health and safety (H&S) management. A key role in this context pertains to leadership. The study that is reported upon assessed the H&S leadership styles and behaviours of managers in South African construction. The study, which follows the phenomenological approach, obtained information that highlights H&S practices in terms of leadership styles, behaviours and attitude of managers in the construction sector. The themes of the findings show that managers play critical leadership roles in managing workers’ H&S on site; managers’ leadership styles and behaviours have considerable influence on workers’ at-risk work practices, and managers have the capability to drive team performance by creating an enabling environment for zero tolerance for H&S failures on project sites. Thus, the leadership styles and behaviours of construction managers is undoubtedly an important factor in shaping workers’ H&S behaviours in the workplace. In promoting and sustaining optimum H&S in construction, managers should endeavour to appropriate management skills that embrace transformational leadership styles, commitment to H&S, and qualities that will help them to instil and maintain a positive H&S culture.

Self-regard, emotional self-awareness, flexibility, problem solving, and stress tolerance, inter alia, constitute attributes that affect how well activities are carried out by individuals. Thus, construction activities that are people intensive require a measure of emotional quotient (EQ) to enhance project performance, especially with regard to health and safety (H&S). EQ is important due to: intrapersonal EQ; relationship with one self; interpersonal EQ; stress management; adaptability, and general mood of employees. The aforesaid in due course impact on performance related to the project parameters in the sector, inter alia, cost, H&S, time, quality, and productivity. The purpose of the paper is to present the findings of an exploratory study that was conducted to determine the perceived importance of EQ in terms of managing construction H&S and the extent to which EQ contributes to optimising H&S performance on projects in South Africa. This is aimed at contributing to the enhancement of H&S performance in construction.