School of Construction Economics and Management (Conference Proceedings)
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Browsing School of Construction Economics and Management (Conference Proceedings) by SDG "SDG-9: Industry, innovation and infrastructure"
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Item A Digital Skills Gap Analysis of Building Inspectors: The Case of The City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Authority(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-07) Gethe, Faranani; Simbanegavi, Prisca; Awuzie, Bankole; Chiloane, Maruping Broderick; Laryea, Samuel; Li, Baizhan; Essah, Emmanuel Adu; Mensah, Sarfo; Liu, Hong; Yao, RunmingThe utility of digital technologies in improving building inspection functions has been elucidated by relevant literature. However, the ability of building inspectors to deploy these technologies remains contentious as a paucity of studies, highlighting the digital capabilities possessed by these cohort has been observed. To bridge this gap, this study conducts a digital skills gap analysis of building inspectors in Johannesburg, South Africa. The study adopts a case study research strategy with a selected building inspectorate unit in South Africa’s Gauteng province serving as the case study. Data was elicited within case surveys, 41 building inspectors responded out of 70 total population sampling sent out. Data was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics in SPSS. Results show substantial levels of digital illiteracy among building inspectors in the City of Johannesburg yet little drive-in adoption of the digital technologies in conducting building inspections. It is clear from this study that essential competencies required for the adoption of digital technologies are not at the acceptable level for practical application in the case of Johannesburg. Besides elucidating the growing importance of digital technologies in the execution of building inspection functions in developing countries, the study provides considerable insight into the existence of a skills gap which limits the ability of building inspectors to engage in the increased uptake of these technologies.Item Bibliometric review of social value in construction literature(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-07) Laryea, Samuel; Kwasafo, Oscar Kwame; Mensah, Sarfo; Laryea, Samuel; Li, Baizhan; Essah, Emmanuel Adu; Mensah, Sarfo; Liu, Hong; Yao, RunmingThe construction industry plays a leading role in the provision of infrastructure projects that promote not only the primary objectives for which a project is intended but also the secondary objectives which relate to wider socio-economic development and social value aspects, as shown in the International Organization for Standardization (ISO 10845…2022) 10845 family of standards for construction procurement. While most papers in the construction literature have focused on the primary objectives of infrastructure projects such as costs, time, and quality, relatively little attention has been focused on the secondary objective aspects like economic, environmental, and social sustainability objectives. There has been an increasing focus on the social value aspects of infrastructure projects in recent years. This trend seems likely to increase and directions for future research can be generated from examining the current literature. This paper examines 78 articles relating to social value in construction to explore current understanding and key emerging themes in this area. The 78 articles were identified through a systematic search in Scopus and Google Scholar, then analysed using temporal co-word analysis to generate four key bibliometric themes: social sustainability, social procurement, social value, and employment. Two preliminary conclusions are presented from the bibliometric review. First, while using the ‘social value’ terminology may show this as a relatively new concept flowing from the social sustainability discourse, earlier studies and practices in this area precede the ‘social value’ terminology and appropriate linkages to earlier knowledge should be properly established. Secondly, different terminologies are used to refer to the same concept, creating duplication and significant overlaps across the different terminologies. It would be necessary to consolidate and align the various terminologies for consistency.Item Perceptions of tender document quality and its impact on construction estimates(University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2024-07) Nezambe, Bruce; Laryea, Samuel; Govender, Neil; Laryea, Samuel; Li, Baizhan; Essah, Emmanuel Adu; Mensah, Sarfo; Liu, Hong; Yao, RunmingConstruction experts have noted the persistent concern about the quality of tender documents and its impact on the construction sector. Poor specification writing continues to be a weak link in the information chain that degrades the quality of tender documents and causes disputes, particularly in a competitive market where construction professionals strictly interpret the documents to prepare a competitive bid. The impact of tender document quality on the accuracy of project estimates is assessed to determine the determinants of good tender-quality documents. Additionally, interventions that can be implemented to improve tender document quality and the implications of poor tender document quality were also analyzed. Qualitative data was collected from construction professionals using an interview. Data was analyzed by Atlas-ti using thematic analysis where six key themes were extracted. The study concluded that poor quality tender documents compromise the accuracy of project estimates and delivery of projects within the South African construction industry. The consequences of poor tender document quality included reduced project profitability, incomplete projects, project termination due to funding issues, misunderstanding of boundaries, misalignment of the programme, increased costs and a negative impact on construction estimates.