Non-Pecuniary Factors Affecting The Success Of Construction Projects In United Arab Emirates

The Construction Industry is a highly important contributor to the GDP of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). This research study aims to explore the factors that affect the success of construction projects in UAE. This study is focused not only on the positive factors but also the limiting factors that prove to be an obstacle to the growth of the construction industry in UAE. Secondary analysis has critically analysed literature pertaining to the subject and primary analysis employed is a mixed method of both qualitative and quantitative analysis also known as triangulation methodology, Thus, using qualitative and quantitative data analysis techniques, using structured questions as the research instrument and interviews as the method information was collated from five randomly selected construction companies in UAE. For quantitative analysis, the sample selected primarily comprises 30 project management personnel and for Qualitative Analysis 5 senior managers such as project general manager and director of projects and other senior positions, have been selected for the interview. Through Data Analysis and the various responses collated from the respondents it was identified that timely allocation of quality and competent resources combined with a longer-term vision of the leadership is a critical success factor for the construction industry. Application of project management tool and interdepartmental collaboration seemed to have a limited role to play in the success of the projects. It was also identified that the major limitation regarding factors affecting construction projects in UAE is the extreme weather conditions. Non-prescriptive and unclear labour as well as health and safety regulations seem to be causing delays in applying the mandated requirements and causes hindrances in terms of non-compliances and violation notices from authorities. Having employees from various cultural backgrounds and nationalities is also another limiting factor that creates difficulty in streamlining the construction process.

REFERENCES

[1] Ahadzie D., Proverbs D. and Olomolaiye P. (2008) ‘Critical success criteria for mass
[2] housing building projects in developing countries’ International Journal of Project Management vol. 26, issue 6, p. 675-687
[3] Ashmos, D.P., Duchon, D. & McDaniel, R.R. 2000, "Organizational responses to
[4] complexity: the effect on organizational performance", Journal of Organizational
[5] Change Management, vol. 13, no. 6, pp. 577-594.
[6] Abd El-Razek, M., Bassioni, H.Mobarak, A. (2008) Causes of Delay in Building Construction Projects in Egypt. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management. 134(11), 831-841.
[7] Assaf, S. A., & Al-Hejji, S. (2006). Causes of delay in large construction projects. International Journal of Project Management, 349-357.
[8] Bryman, A. and Bell, E. (2007). Business Research Methods. Second Edition. London: Oxford University Press.
[9] Cooper, D. and Schindler, P. (2003). Business Research Methods. Seventh Edition.
[10] McGraw Hill International Edition. Statistics and Probability Series.
[11] Chin, C. and Spowage, A. (2012). Cite a Website - Cite This For Me. [online] Cibw117.com. Available at: http://cibw117.com/journal/index.php/performance-info-and-value/article/viewFile/75/73 [Accessed 3 Jan. 2017].
[12] Elkington P. and Smallman C. (2012) “Managing Project Risks: a case study from the utilities sector”. International Journal of Project Management, Vol. 20, 49-57.
[13] Hillebrandt, P M (2012) Economic Theory and the Construction Industry. Macmillan, London.
[14] Julie Stal-Le Cardinal, F. M. (2005). The just necessary structure to reach your goals. International Journal of Project Management.
[15] Lifson M. W. and Shaifer E. F. (2011) “Decision and Risk Analysis for Construction Management”. John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA.
[16] Laufer, A., Shapira, A. & Telem, D. 2008, "Communicating in Dynamic Conditions: How Do On-Site Construction Project Managers Do It?", Journal of Management in Engineering, vol. 24, no. 2, pp. 75-86.
[17] Muhammad Saqib, Rizwan U. Farooqui, Sarosh. H. Lodi, August 4-5, 2012, "Assessment of Critical Success Factors for Construction Projects in Pakistan", First International Conference on Construction in Developing Countries, Karachi, Pakistan.
[18] Odeh, A.M. & Battaineh, H.T. 2002, "Causes of construction delay: traditional contracts”, International Journal of Project Management, vol. 20, no. 1, pp. 67-73.
[19] Oryx Middle East report, 2010, “Construction Industry in the UAE, Strategic Assessment”.
[20] Okumbe, J., & Verste, J. (2008). Construction industry perspective of causes and effects of delays in South Africa. Dublin: Dublin Institute of Technology.
[21] Pmi.org. (2016). PMBOK Guide and Standards | Project Management Institute. [online] Available at: https://www.pmi.org/pmbok-guide-standards [Accessed 3 Nov. 2016].
[22] Sambasivan, M., & Soon, Y. (2007). Causes and effects of delays in Malaysian construction industry. International Journal of Project Management, 517-526.
[23] Sanvido, V., Grobler, F., Parfitt, K., Guvenis, M. & Coyle, M. (1992) Critical Success Factors for Construction Projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management Projects. 118(1) March. pp.94-111.
[24] Takim, R.Akintoye, A. (2002) PERFORMANCE INDICATORS FOR SUCCESSFUL CONSTRUCTION PROJECT PERFORMANCE. www.arcom.ac.uk. [online]. Available from: http://www.arcom.ac.uk/-docs/proceedings/ar2002-545-555_Takim_and_Akintoye.pdf [Accessed August 4, 2016].