Call for Papers

COST MANAGEMENT IN CONSTRUCTION

- SPECIAL ISSUE OF JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION & COST MANAGEMENT

JANUARY 1st, 2024 - JUNE 1st, 2024

 

Invited contributions

The Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management (JCICM) aims at publishing high-quality original research concerning innovations and cost management of the operations, processes and products of the construction industry.

We invite researchers in the built environment and those who are interested in publishing quality research work on a special issue with focus on cost management. The broad objective of the special issue is to avail a platform for discussing edge-cutting and futuristic research in cost management in the built industry. Submitted papers should not have been published elsewhere or under consideration for publication elsewhere.

 

Cost management in construction cost management:

• Cost Control and Quality Control
• Innovations in Cost Management
• Advances in Construction Life-Cycle Cost Management
• Construction Life-cycle Cost Optimization
• Incentivising Sustainable Construction Cost
• Novel perspectives in Life-Cycle Cost Management
• Socio-cultural Influences on Construction Cost Management
• Business Practices, Corporate Governance and Cost Management
• Artificial Intelligence and the Digitization of Knowledge in Cost

Management

• Risk and uncertainty
• Post Covid-19 Construction: Implications and Disruptions
• Conventional Approaches in Real Estate Project Finance

Submission procedure

All submissions should be made using the online submission system of JCICM and follow the submission guidelines (http://jcicm.unilag.edu. ng/), and a copy should be concurrently sent to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng. Kindly indicate ‘Special issue _Last name” as the subject of the email in all correspondences to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

Submission format

The paper should be written and arranged in a style that is succinct and easily followed. Simple language, short sentences and a good use of headings all help to communicate information more effectively. Discursive treatment of the subject matter is discouraged. Figures should be used to aid the clarity of the paper. The reader should be carefully guided through the paper. Writers are encouraged to be reader- focused.

 

Manuscripts

Length: while there is no limit on length, papers should normally be between 5,000 - 8,000 words in length including references and appendices. Longer, more discursive papers are welcomed where the topic and approach warrants a longer paper. To be clear about the distinction, these are referred to as Extended Papers. These papers will be expected to deal with real theoretical contributions, and draw on wider literature than usual papers. Short papers or notes should not be longer than 5,000 words. The manuscript must be in English language. It must be typed double spacing on one side of A4 paper only, with 1-inch margin round. The pages should be numbered sequentially. The manuscript should be arranged under headings and sub-headings. There should be no loose addenda or notes or other explanatory material. Title page: the cover/first page of the manuscript must contain the full title, the affiliation(s) and address (es) of the author(s), a word count, and the name and address of the author who will be responsible for correspondence and correcting proofs. The aspects handled by individual authors in Joint research works must be explicitly indicated.

 

Abstract: an abstract and up to five keywords for the purposes of indexing should be included. The abstract must not exceed 250 words. The abstract must be written in prose form to indicate the problem, the purpose, procedure, products/results and policy/recommendations. Keywords: keywords must be carefully selected

 

to facilitate readers’ search. Author(s) must ensure that the first page of the paper includes the title, the abstract and the keywords, but not authorship, affiliation or address details.

Illustrations: any illustrations (Photographs, charts, tables, etc.) should not be included in the text, but separately. Photographs, standard forms and charts should be referred to as ‘Figure 1’, ‘Figure 2’, etc., numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the text.

Tables: Tables should be included at the end of the manuscript or uploaded as separate files. Tables should not be included in the main body of the text. They should be referred to in the text as ‘Insert Table 1’ here. The author should thereafter indicate the order in which the tables will appear at the end of the manuscript (e. g. ‘Table1’, ‘Table 2’ etc.)

Measurements: metric units should be used; if other units are used then metric equivalents should be given in parentheses.

References: the Journal accepts American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition. Author(s) are advised to consult the template as guide and comply with the provisions accordingly.

 

Proofs

Proofs will be sent by email attachment a s a PDF file t o t he corresponding author for correction. Amendments at proof stage are difficult and expensive to make; any alterations to the original text are strongly discouraged. Rapid publication will be helped if authors provide good copy, and return their proofs as quickly as possible.

 

Reprints

Corresponding authors will receive free online access to their article through Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management)

Copyright

It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright or license the publication rights in their articles, including abstracts, to the Department of Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and of course the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors are severally and jointly responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.

 

Contact: jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

Journal website: http://jcicm.unilag.edu.ng/

 Indicate “Special issue _Last name” as the subject of the email in all correspondences to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

 

Tentative timeline

Call for paper: January 1st, 2024.

Submission of manuscripts: January 1st – June 1st, 2024

 

 

 

Editor in Chief: Prof. O.S Oyediran

Department of Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Managing editor:           Dr. W. A. Bello

Department of Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Editors:                         Dr. Alfred O. Olatunji

Construction Management Discipline, School of Design and the Built Environment, Curtin University, Perth, Australia

Dr. J. A. Babalola

Department of Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos, Nigeria

Sub- editor:                   Onososen Adetayo

Department of Quantity Surveying and Construction Management,

University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg, South Africa

 

Call for Papers

INNOVATION IN CONSTRUCTION:

CURRENT INSIGHT AND FUTURE DIRECTIONS

- SPECIAL ISSUE OF JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION INNOVATION & COST MANAGEMENT

January 1st, 2024 - June 1st, 2024

 

 

Invited Contributions

The Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management (JCICM) aims at publishing high-quality original research concerning innovations and cost management of the operations, processes and products of the construction industry.

We invite researchers in the built environment and those who are interested in publishing quality research work on a special issue with focus on Innovation in construction. The broad objective of the special issue is to avail a platform for discussing edge-cutting and futuristic research in construction innovation in the built industry. Submitted papers should not have been published elsewhere or under consideration for publication elsewhere.

 

Innovations in construction:

current insights and future directions

innovation in:

• Entrepreneurship in Construction contracting business
• Construction consulting entrepreneurship
• Construction product and materials
• Construction technology
• Construction procurement systems and management
• Construction support systems
• Construction project funding and financing
• Digital process in construction
• Robotics/Extended reality applications in construction
• Innovations in real estate development
• Facilities procurement and management systems
• Land management for real estate development
• Construction education
• Regulatory activities
• Physical development laws
• Sustainability
• Green and smart

Submission procedure

All submissions should be made using the online submission system of JCICM and follow the submission guidelines (http://jcicm.unilag.edu. ng/), and a copy should be concurrently sent to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng. Kindly indicate ‘Special issue _Last name” as the subject of the email in all correspondences to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

Submission format

The paper should be written and arranged in a style that is succinct and easily followed. Simple language, short sentences and a good use of headings all help to communicate information more effectively. Discursive treatment of the subject matter is discouraged. Figures should be used to aid the clarity of the paper. The reader should be carefully guided through the paper. Writers are encouraged to be reader- focused.

 

Manuscripts

Length: while there is no limit on length, papers should normally be between 5,000 - 8,000 words in length including references and appendices. Longer, more discursive papers are welcomed where the topic and approach warrants a longer paper. To be clear about the distinction, these are referred to as Extended Papers. These papers will be expected to deal with real theoretical contributions, and draw on wider literature than usual papers. Short papers or notes should not be longer than 5,000 words. The manuscript must be in English language. It must be typed double spacing on one side of A4 paper only, with 1-inch margin round. The pages should be numbered sequentially. The manuscript should be arranged under headings and sub-headings. There should be no loose addenda or notes or other explanatory material. Title page: the cover/first page of the manuscript must contain the full title, the affiliation(s) and address (es) of the author(s), a word count, and the name and address of the author who will be responsible for correspondence and correcting proofs. The aspects handled by individual authors in Joint research works must be explicitly indicated.

Abstract: an abstract and up to five keywords for the purposes of indexing should be included. The abstract must not exceed 250 words. The abstract must be written in prose form to indicate the problem, the purpose, procedure, products/results and policy/recommendations. Keywords: keywords must be carefully selected.

to facilitate readers’ search. Author(s) must ensure that the first page of the paper includes the title, the abstract and the keywords, but not authorship, affiliation or address details.

Illustrations: any illustrations (Photographs, charts, tables, etc.) should not be included in the text, but separately. Photographs, standard forms and charts should be referred to as ‘Figure 1’, ‘Figure 2’, etc., numbered in the order in which they are referred to in the text.

Tables: Tables should be included at the end of the manuscript or uploaded as separate files. Tables should not be included in the main body of the text. They should be referred to in the text as ‘Insert Table 1’ here. The author should thereafter indicate the order in which the tables will appear at the end of the manuscript (e. g. ‘Table1’, ‘Table 2’ etc.)

Measurements: metric units should be used; if other units are used then metric equivalents should be given in parentheses.

References: the Journal accepts American Psychological Association (APA) 7th Edition. Author(s) are advised to consult the template as guide and comply with the provisions accordingly.

 

Proofs

Proofs will be sent by email attachment as a PDF file to the corresponding author for correction. Amendments at proof stage are difficult and expensive to make; any alterations to the original text are strongly discouraged. Rapid publication will be helped if authors provide good copy, and return their proofs as quickly as possible.

 

Reprints

Corresponding authors will receive free online access to their article through Journal of Construction Innovation and Cost Management)

 

Copyright

It is a condition of publication that authors assign copyright or license the publication rights in their articles, including abstracts, to the Department of Quantity Surveying, University of Lagos. This enables us to ensure full copyright protection and to disseminate the article, and of course the Journal, to the widest possible readership in print and electronic formats as appropriate. Authors are severally and jointly responsible for obtaining permission to reproduce copyright material from other sources.

 

Contact: jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

Journal website: http://jcicm.unilag.edu.ng/

For submission: Kindly indicate “Special issue _Last name” as the subject of the email in all correspondences to jcicm@unilag.edu.ng

 

Tentative timeline

Call for paper: January 1st, 2024.

Submission of manuscripts: January 1st – June 30th 2024

 

EDITORIAL

The vision for this Journal was borne out of the need for publication of high-quality research papers on innovation and cost management. This comes at a time when myriads of journals have become a dump site for falsified, misleading and arbitrarily researched projects.  This brings a need for a journal driven by scientific competency, editorial integrity and ethical rigor- JCICM prides itself in filling this gap. With cities becoming mega and smart, infrastructures are facing increasing needs to innovate and transform in an era of volatility and disruption. JCICM is committed to dissecting, discussing and disseminating research outcomes that can inform strategic policies, business decisions and research directions, in the age long tradition of academic writing with flavour of local and global value.

Famakin, Oshodi and Ibironke have carried out a study into the Performance of Quantity Surveying Firms.  Strategic Learning Assessment Map (Slam) Framework is utilized to assess the knowledge stock-learning-flow-performance (KS-LF-P) in quantity surveying firms. The authors collected data from quantity surveyors through a firm wide Cross sectional survey. The SLAM model was tested using exploratory factor analysis, correlation analysis and multiple regression analysis. A strong positive relationship between knowledge stocks, learning flows and the performance of quantity surveying firms was indicated. Also, it was discovered that the level of individual performance in an organization is influenced by the feed forward learning flow which ultimately shows that performance of Quantity surveyors at organizational level is strongly tied to provision of learning strategies to improve their knowledge base, skill sets and competencies.

        Leadership, team capability, firm structure and strategy as parameters of multi-cultural team management in small and medium-sized construction firms are largely underdeveloped areas in the body of knowledge. Zakariyyah, Dada, Ijaola, Ameh and Olaniyan observed that the top dimensions of leadership capability, organizational structure and strategy and team capability are creativity in designs/construction processes; periodic site meeting to monitor and review performances and clear roles and responsibilities respectively. A convenience sampling technique through field survey was carried out with the aid of questionnaires to test the Multi-Cultural Team Management parameters. With the aid of descriptive and inferential statistics, they established that multi-cultural team management could be better improved if indigenous construction firms work on having good leadership that can identify the different parameters and dimensions to project and organizational management and devise means of instituting, reviewing and maintaining such to the advantage of the firm.

        Onukwube and Oyewo contend that Site management is a key occupational category in the construction industry. In a study of predominant performance criteria and its influence on time performance, they conducted a simple random survey of 78 respondents to identify performance measure of construction site managers. It was revealed that, Contract Managers or Owners of firms scored construction site managers averagely as regards their performance. The study therefore proposed planned training to improve productivity, communication skills, work ethics and team building of construction site managers.

        Total Quality Management has been suggested as a strategy to solve performance problems in the construction industry. Bello, Zakariyyah, and Soyingbe critically assesses the understanding of this novel concept for proper implementation by identifying factors pivotal to defining quality, assessing construction stakeholders’ perception of quality as culture and the evaluation of prevalent barriers to quality culture implementation for the purpose of improved quality performance. A survey of forty-one construction stakeholders comprising of clients, consultants and contractors were selected using purposive sampling to test their underlying quality culture. The study discovered that quality culture criteria involve conformity to specification used on a project, beating client’s expectations and elimination of defects in the product and process. Also, a lack of standardisation in processes and arbitral solutions to issues rather than a holistic solution could serve as a constraint to implementation of the total quality management system. Bello, Zakariyyah and Soyingbe concluded that culture must be imbibed into the DNA of a firm’s policy and process for it to be functional and effective; it must not just be on paper but diligently executed and consistently monitored.

        Public Procurement is essential as it is a route to provision of developmental infrastructure which is a vital organ in developing the economies of developing countries such as Nigeria. Nigeria’s failing projects and high abandon rate has been blamed on the flawed procurement system- examining the quality and frequency of use of prequalification criteria on public procurement projects is a step in solving a National dilemma. Ajayi, executes this undertaking with a survey of 373 construction professionals particularly in the public procurement sector and discovered that the prequalification criteria vital to selection of competent contractors are; current fixed asset, professional and technical expertise, past project experience, Health and Safety regulation and work currently executed by the contractor.

      Prefabrication has been touted as the required solution to assuaging the dearth of housing facilities and help reduce overcrowding on current housing facilities in Nigeria. Oloto, Adebayo and Iweka give an overview of the state of the art of Prefabrication in Nigeria. From their systematic literature review of recent publication on Prefabrication, they established that financial factors, training availability, government incentive and leadership, managerial and expertise issues could serve as inhibitors to the adoption of prefabrication or modular housing units. However, a concerted effort between the private sector and a sincere public sector leadership would drive the process and enable a rapid adoption of the novel building concept.

        Health and Safety is an ever-important discourse in construction as it concerns human wellness which is vital to human performance and sustainability. The recent trend in building collapse during construction calls for a urgent overview of health and safety insurance policies in the Nigerian construction industry. Ameh and Farinde noted that despite availability of regulations and laws on site safety and health of workers, fatalities and injuries remain unabated. Ameh and Farinde thereby investigate contractor’s compliance with available health and safety regulations. They discovered that there is a significant difference in compliance with health and safety regulations by multinational/foreign firms, and indigenous firms. They consequently recommended enforcement of safety regulations by the government as that is crucial to enabling the available law. Continuous aggressive awareness campaign is also suggested to ensure clients and contractors alike understand health and safety requirements for workers.

        Akinsiku and Oyediran opined that the construction business environment holds constraint to healthy competition against the Nigerian Indigenous contractors. They maintained that the majority of high net worth projects in the country are executed by foreign contractors who form only 5% of the contractors in the country. The study in investigating the causes of inability of Nigerian Indigenous Construction Contractors to undertake massive construction projects discovered that factors such as; poor monitoring, controlling and funding challenges, bankruptcy and cost overruns, technical issues, site organization and layout, and materials and construction methods are debilitating factors beating down the competitiveness of Nigerian contractor as against their counterparts from foreign nations.

        Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) inflow is critical in developing and diversifying the Nigerian economy, which is dependent on the state of infrastructure within the country. Babalola and Fayomi investigated the influence of macroeconomic variables on FDI inflows in the Nigerian construction sector. An ex-post facto survey using secondary data based on annual time series data of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) was used for the study. It was discovered that the exchange rate has a positive but significant impact on FDI inflows and that FDI inflows influence the construction sector in Nigeria. Invariably, improving the infrastructure base of the country is vital in attracting FDI inflows which is also imperative in boosting the construction industry’s opportunity to meet infrastructure deficit.

                 Saka and Ogunsemi examined the causal relationship between the Nigerian Construction Sector (NCS) output and Gross Fixed Capital Formation (GFCF) and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) using Nigerian Time Series Data (TSD) from 1970 through 2013. Vector error correction Model (VECM) framework was utilized in carrying out the empirical investigation and results showed that NCS positively causes GFCF and GDP growth which invariably implies that Nigeria can accelerate its GFCF and GDP growth by increasing investment in NCS.