• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.39-47
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• 2010

Top-notch global construction firms have been responding strategically in order to survive in a rapidly-changing market environment by training and securing excellent human resources. The purpose of this study is to propose a guideline for establishing a strategic human resources management system for the Chinese construction sector. Specifically, this study intends to suggest an overall strategic plan for improving the human resources management system based on the research outcomes obtained through an analysis of the Chinese construction market and human resource management practices. To meet the proposed research purpose, questionnaire survey and in-depth interviews were conducted in China. The analysis results indicated that Chinese construction firms are generally not prepared to carry out efficient training programs. In addition, the available contents and materials for education and technical training are extremely limited. Based on the problems drawn from the analysis results, an overall plan for the improvement of the education system is suggested.

• Proceedings of the Korean Institute Of Construction Engineering and Management
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• 2006.11a
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• pp.245-248
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• 2006

This paper presents the results from a survey on root causes that led to fatal accidents in construction projects In Vietnam. The survey was conducted by means of structured questionnaires and interviews with relevant individuals such as Foremen, field engineers, and project managers working in construction companies located in Ho Chi Minh City, the largest city of Vietnam. The survey sample consists of in total 91 fatal accident cases that occurred in construction projects during the years 1996-2005 and were recorded in a report at the Vietnam Department of Labor-Invalids-Social Affairs. The current effort is aimed at determining the essential measures for avoiding fatal accidents that have been increasingly taking place in Vietnam construction firms. The findings from the survey provided a necessary basis for determination of critical factors to be used as safety indexes in developing a checklist for preventing fatal accidents in future construction project

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
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• 2015.10a
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• pp.210-212
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• 2015

The growth-share matrix is a portfolio planning tool developed by the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) to assist competitive positioning in the international market including those in the construction industry. This matrix is helpful in balancing the firm's cash-flow, and it can suggest strategic directions for each business unit. However, its effectiveness and applicability have long been debated in the academic field due to the complex and unique industrial context of construction. To solve the dispute, this research clarifies the applicability of theories underlying the growth-share matrix to the construction industry. Empirical research based on actual financial data of Korean construction firms is adopted for the statistical analysis including one-way analysis of variance and correlation analysis. The results of this research show that empirical findings on the relationship between performance variables. In this context, this research can provide important insights on the concept of portfolio management in the construction industry.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.145-153
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• 2011

Since the early 1990s, Korean construction companies have strived to evolve into global Engineering Construction (EC) companies. However, such efforts have been unsuccessful, partly due to a lack of clear objectives and a misunderstanding of the direction that needed to be taken for such a change. A better understanding is required with respect to the need to transform into an EC company in the context of the rapidly changing global construction environment. This research investigates major EC companies from around the world, and assesses the status of domestic companies' efforts for EC transition. The results of these investigations revealed that domestic firms need to better prioritize their strengths for different markets, i.e., decide whether to implement directly, outsource or limit to process management. In addition, the investigations showed that the global market is shifting from monolithic projects to more complex projects. Such projects require firms with the ability to develop and implement high front-end investment strategies, planning capabilities, and pre-design management skills. Accordingly, we recommend that firms differentiate themselves by developing such a skill set required for specific products.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.35-44
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• 2011

Business performance measurement is used as an important tool to evaluate management performance, control human resources, and implement strategies. It can be measured simply in terms of finance including net profit, return on investment, and return on equity, but this is not sufficient because the performance outside of finance such as internal business process and informatization cannot be examined. Therefore this study defined a KPI(Key Performance Indicators) applicable to local construction companies ranked in the top 30 in construction capability, and also introduced differentiated results from the earlier studies by reflecting more realistic corporate management based on the existing studies and interviews with business experts.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.23 no.4
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• pp.485-496
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• 2023

Precise construction cost estimation is paramount to determining the total construction expense of a project prior to the initiation of the construction phase. Despite this, manual quantification and cost estimation methods, which continue to be widely used, may result in imprecise estimation and subsequent financial loss. Given the fast-paced and efficiency-demanding nature of the construction industry, trustworthy quantity and cost estimation is essential. To mitigate these obstacles, this research is focused on establishing an automated quantity estimation algorithm, particularly designed for the main rebar of beams which are recognized for their complicated reinforcement configurations. The exact quantity derived from the proposed algorithm is compared to the manually approximated quantity, reflecting a variance of 10.27%. As a result, significant errors and impending financial loss can be averted. The implementation of the findings from this research holds the potential to significantly assist construction firms in quickly and accurately estimating rebar quantities while adhering strictly to applicable specifications and regulatory requirements.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.118-126
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• 2016

International construction market have quantitatively increased and have reached up to 700 Bil. US$ through active effort of construction firms and government. In spite of this increase, substantiality issue has been constantly disputed due to qualitative problems such as lack of capability and technical shortage. To overcome these problems, many methods in performing quantitative growth and qualitative substantiality of overseas construction are being researched which showed that selection of subcontractors in general contractor is regarded as a very important success factor. However, it is difficult to make a reasonable decision for selecting the subcontractors due to the lack of evaluation standards and reliability. This study proposes an improved evaluation system through adjustment of the evaluation indicators using correlations analysis and multiple regression analysis with pre-qualification and performance evaluation of 121 firms in 6 countries.

• Korean Journal of Construction Engineering and Management
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• v.12 no.3
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• pp.53-61
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• 2011

After several collapse accidents of large structures in the early 1990s in Korea, the government enacted a law that architectural, engineering and construction firms are obliged to have insurance for projects over a certain size. Particularly, with regard to insurance in design and construction supervision works (i.e. engineering insurance), although several operation-based problems were pointed out from practitioners, still little research has been done on analyzing current regnlartory and operational state and suggesting policy alternatives. Hence, this study applies Delphi technique to solicit current operational problems and propose a series of improvements on engineering insurance based on interview surveys targeting major market participants: municipalities, engineering firms, and insurance companies. Key findings culminate in adopting guarantee limits based on credit evaluation, abrogating joint surety, covering a loss of life, increasing insurance entrance fee, extending time covered, and etc. Reaching a consensus on the proposed alternatives between the market participants will form the foundation for sound developments of construction design and engineering industry.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.11 no.6
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• pp.609-617
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• 2011

For the past several decades, the residential housing market has been led by construction firms rather than consumers; in essence, it has been a suppliers' market. However, the market is experiencing a transition to a buyers' market, the implication of which is that there will be increased competition among the residential building suppliers. For this reason, it is necessary for construction firms to prepare new strategies to respond to the rapidly changing market environment. Furthermore, consumer satisfaction should be valued more highly than in the past, and should be a baseline in formulating construction product development strategy. For the pre-classified 13 apartment building segments, questionnaire surveys are conducted for the 50 CS (Customer Satisfaction) experts to evaluate their perceptions on the weighing of the quality of each apartment segment. Data obtained from a survey of experts was analyzed from an industry perspective utilizing the AHP technique. Analysis results indicate that the CS experts valued the kitchen & dining area more highly than all other segments. Specific analysis results and implications drawn from the study can be a valuable basis for marketing, product development, and quality management.

• Journal of the Korea Institute of Building Construction
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• v.15 no.4
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• pp.433-439
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• 2015

The aim of this study is to suggest basic data about efficient motivation plans for improving the image of the design and Construction Management (CM) field and enhancing professional consciousness of employees. The major findings and conclusions of this study are as follows. First, the employees in design firms had a relatively high level of dissatisfaction with the 'Reduction of work hours', and those in CM companies had a relatively high level of dissatisfaction with the 'Fringe benefit conditions'. Second, when the effects of the items of job satisfaction on overall job satisfaction were analyzed through factor analysis, job performance satisfaction had the biggest effect on the employees in design firms, and intrinsic reward and opportunity satisfaction had the biggest effect on those in CM companies.