Proverbs, D G (1998) A best practice for high-rise insitu concrete construction based on French, German and UK contractor performance measures. PhD thesis, University of Wolverhampton, UK.
Abstract
This thesis addresses construction contractor performance for high-rise insitu concrete building forms. The principal aim of the research was to evaluate and compare the performance of contractors in three European countries; and from such evaluation develop best practice model(s) to engender improved construction contractor production performance. Initial investigations confirmed that in the evaluation of contractor performance, the common approach is to measure the extent to which the three 'superlative' client objectives (time, cost and quality) are satisfied. Due to the lack of a clear uniform evaluation standard in defining construction quality, this research focused on two of these performance aspects, namely, time and cost. A tri-country survey of contractors' planning engineers (implementing a novel methodology for generating comparable contractor performance data), revealed a consistent performance ranking. In the context of construction time and (labour) cost performance, French contractors were most effective, followed by German and then UK firms. An appraisal of performance-impacting construction methods and practices revealed disparity between the solutions preferred by contractors of the three countries. Analysis of variance and correlation tests identified significant contractor performance factors, from which two principal best practice models were developed, namely, a cost minimisation model and a construction time optimisation model. 'European', UK, French and German versions of these models were produced from corresponding contractor performance data. Ultimately, the generic concepts developed and best practice recommendations of the two principal models were validated two-dimensionally incorporating internal and external validation methodologies. The opinion of experts in France, Germany and the UK concurred, thus confirming the reliability and robustness of the two models proffered. Contractors seeking to improve their production performance may wish to consider the generic concepts and construction 'best practices' identified in the two models. Clients may observe the performance implications when selecting contractors.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | best practice; high-rise; France; Germany; UK |
| Index terms: | minimization, France, survey, construction method, Germany, validation, methodology, concrete construction, cost performance, construction quality, construction contractor, appraisal, variance, contractor performance, engineer, investigation, best practice, construction time, disparity |
| Subjects: | practitioner, business, profession, data collection methods, contract management, professional development, Geography, economics, research methods, algorithms, factor and component analysis, quality assurance, measurement and scaling, social justice, building construction, project controls |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Ethics, Quality Management, Site Management, Time Control, Contract Administration, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Geographical Context, Research Practice, Information Management, Engineering Principles, Roles and Professions |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here