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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to develop a prioritisation framework that can guide the provision and management of on-campus student housing facility (SHF) services of southern Ghana Universities. Design/methodology/approach The paper adopted a phenomenological research strategy. Data was collected by means of focus group discussions (FGDs); a total of ten FGDs were conducted. Observations were also done during the site visit to augment the FGDs. The data were analysed thematically. Findings The study found that some services are perceived as “extremely important” and “basic” while others are seen as “unimportant” and “indifferent”. Services including; electricity, water, security, internet, cleaning service, maintenance service, generator, ventilation (fan), health service, library service, electric socket, study furniture, refuse collection, pest control and fire extinguisher were perceived by students as “extremely important”. However, not all of these services were perceived as “basic” requirements. Practical implications The framework can be used as a guide by facility and hostel managers to effectively prioritise and manage the services required in a university SHF. Moreover, when designing, constructing and adapting student housing facilities, the framework can be used as a guide to ensure that all critical services are provided in the student housing facilities. Originality/value Although several studies have been conducted on student housing, studies that specifically focuses on the services required in a SHF and the prioritisation of such services is lacking. This study combines students’ requirements, importance levels of requirements, and classification of requirements to develop a prioritisation system for student housing services.

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The construction industry plays a central role in the creation of any nation's wealth. For developing economies, it forms the backbone of most industries. However, cost escalation, schedule overruns and quality shortfalls on construction projects often offset the intended contribution of the industry to the economy. The aim of the study reported in this paper was to highlight major causes of cost escalation, schedule overruns and quality shortfalls in the context of the Zambian construction industry. Using a questionnaire survey, the results of the study confirmed the prevalence of cost escalation, schedule delays and quality shortfalls on construction projects in Zambia. Clients, consultants, contractors and financiers identified 'insufficient initial analysis of costs' and 'change orders' as the most frequent and severe factors that caused cost escalation. 'Change order changes' and 'financial difficulties on the part of the contractors' were ranked as the most frequent and severe causes of schedule overruns. On the other hand, 'poor financial management' was established to be the most common and severe factor that caused quality shortfalls on construction projects. Appropriate project management practices and training have been recommended for construction projects to be executed successfully, especially in developing economies like Zambia.

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to determine the nature and extent of the current practice of logistics in the construction industry and to investigate the utility of reverse logistics in a construction context.Design/methodology/approachA pilot study was utilised to devise a method for the identification and measurement of parameters for incorporation within a process of construction site logistics optimisation. Data on vehicular movements were collected from seven sites in Cape Town. The data were used to design a flow model of material delivery and waste removal vehicular movements.FindingsThe results showed that in terms of transport distribution, of all vehicle movements observed, 62.6 per cent were classified as material delivery and 26.3 per cent as construction and demolition (C&D) waste removal. This ratio approximates to 2.4 materials delivery journeys to one waste removal journey. An optimised integrated materials delivery and waste removal logistics model is presented.Practical implicationsThe research has highlighted the potential for integration of building materials and C&D waste logistics. Based on the ratio of 2.4:1, up to 26.3 per cent of vehicular movements transiting sites could be eliminated by allowing material delivery vehicles to back‐haul waste to points of disposal, reuse or reclamation.Originality/valueThe potential use of “reverse logistics” in a construction context is demonstrated, as is the scope for the utilisation of spare capacity through the application of the reverse logistics concept and the possible reduction in unit costs and numbers of empty vehicular movements.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the nature and occurrence, and peculiarities and dynamics, if any, of perceived challenges to the adoption of information and communication technologies (ICT) in construction site management; using South Africa as context for empirical study. Design/methodology/approach Literature on the constraints to technology transfer and ICT adoption in construction is used as basis for the study. A national survey of registered persons in South Africa was used to collect qualitative data. A robust multi-stepped analytical approach was used to derive results. Findings Findings suggest appreciable similarity between literature and primary data, in types of individual challenges and their categories. Lack of technology and management support, and knowledge and information related issues, are relatively more prevalent in site management. There is a fair level of commonality in perception of technical barriers among the various categories of respondents who are active in site management. However, project managers seem to be more sensitive to some inhibiting factors, more than other respondent groups. Research limitations/implications Inherent limitations of survey strategy were experienced, but highly qualitative data were collected at a national level. The study highlights the range of barriers to ICT in site management, and compounding effects of technology-, knowledge- and management-related constraints. Practical implications The possibility of knowledge-based factors remotely manifesting in other categories was highlighted. There is need to consider all challenges in planning for ICT in projects, and prioritise technology-, knowledge- and management-related challenges. A classification for exploring challenges to ICT in the site management process is also proposed. Social implications Appreciable paucity remains in research focused on ICT in the site management process, as opposed to the popular operations/application focus of IT/ICT studies. Furthermore, there is still scarcity of ICT research in Africa, with regard to the built environment and specifically site management. Originality/value This study contributes to research in ICT innovation adoption in the construction industry, by developing a better understanding of the dynamics of perceived challenges to ICT adoption in the site management process; according to types and classifications of challenges, and roles and age groups of stakeholders. The study further sets a baseline for future studies in this area by proposing a frame of categorisation that is focused on site management.

Twenty-first century human behaviour continues to escalate activities that result in environmental damage. This calls for environmentally friendly solutions, such as waste recycling and handling, to deal with the increased amount of waste, especially plastics. The plastic materials manufacturing sector is booming, particularly packaging; while only a fraction of its waste is recycled, another fraction is destroyed, and the larger part continues to pollute the environment. In addition to other waste disposal activities, destroying plastic or incineration (which could be for energy recovery) is usually subjected to strict legal requirements because of its effect on the environment. However plastic is destroyed or disposed of, it poses a serious challenge in both the short term and the long term to humans and their natural environment if the process is not efficiently managed. This article describes how a growing amount of plastic waste is disposed of haphazardly in South African townships, while most of the inhabitants are not aware or do not care about the adverse environmental and health effects of these actions. This article examines the environmental and health effects of poor plastic disposal in South African townships as it is in other developing countries to sensitise the citizens to the significance of reducing plastic waste quantities, which will downplay their impact on human health and the environment.

Amidst increasingly constrained public budgets and inadequate service delivery, private sector participation through public private partnerships is increasingly being used as a means for delivering physical infrastructure. The government of Uganda, which is currently grappling with a crippling electricity power deficit, has over the years, pursued a number of strategies to encourage private sector participation in the electricity sector, but with limited success. This paper presents the findings of research into the relative importance as perceived by sector stakeholders, of factors that hamstring private sector participation in the development of hydropower generation facilities through public private partnerships in Uganda. The stakeholders considered in this paper are those representing the government and private sector entities in the development of the partnerships. A review of literature and project documents enabled the identification of relevant factors. Data was collected from the respondents by means of a self administered structured questionnaire and quantitative methods used for data analysis. Key findings from the research indicate that the respondents regarded the regulatory and legal frameworks as being attractive for private sector participation and this business environment is further enhanced by their confidence in the government’s commitment to honour its contractual obligations. In contrast, difficulties in structuring and obtaining finance together with issues over the cumbersome approval process and resistance from environmental groups were identified as the most significant constraints to the development and implementation of public private partnerships in the Ugandan electricity sector. Recognizing the importance of an adequate and reliable supply of power in Uganda, as in so many other sub-Saharan countries, it is anticipated that the identification of the relative importance of the constraints as perceived by stakeholders, will inform the process of developing measures and strategies to mitigate the constraints thus facilitating the speedy implementation and deal closure of public private partnership initiatives with the ensuing benefits.