UCT Open Access Journals (Univ. of Cape Town)
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Technical and Organisational Change in UK Construction
Get PDFThis paper examines the broad technological and organisational change trends in the UK construction sector. This uses the information from the input-output balances to track the key inputs to construction from the production and services sectors, along with self-input from construction. The inputs to the UK construction sector from 1997 through to 2020, based on the current supply and use tables, form the basis for the analysis. Changes in the inputs from the key commodity groups for materials and services are presented as a time series. Regression analysis is used to evaluate the relationship of the input coefficients against time to see if the slope is significantly different from zero. The changes in the material and service sector inputs are also discussed. The results demonstrate that most of the twelve material groups showed downward trends over the period studied, while most of the five service groups showed increases. This shows that materials provide a declining share of inputs to construction while most services sector inputs, along with self-input from construction, absorb higher shares. This is used to throw some light on changing trends in construction technology and organisational change in areas such as subcontracting, off-site prefabrication, and plant hire. The approach is limited because it can only identify changes between the various broad groups used in the supply and use tables. The analysis confirms certain of the well-documented technological changes in construction. These include the ongoing replacement of traditional brick-build structures with timber-framed technology. It does confirm the continued expansion of the use of subcontracting in construction. It also shows increased inputs from technology and information services and architectural and consultancy services. More surprisingly it does not indicate any rise in off-site prefabrication.
Keywords: Construction economics, input-output analysis, organisational change, technical change
Sustainable Improvement in Infrastructure Development in Developing Countries: Which way forward? Editorial June 2023
No full textInfrastructure development remains a key driver for improved productivity and economic growth globally, especially in developing countries. However, this encounters significant setbacks; hence, the United Nations has set relevant sustainable development goals. This may explain why the authors of the articles in this regular issue focus on construction tender price inflation, lean construction techniques, Crystalline Silica Dust, Sustainable Construction Transition (SCT) Policy, and building contract administration, demonstrating the challenges that infrastructure development globally faces but with a focus on developing countries. They argue that these challenges must be addressed for a sustainable improvement in infrastructure development in developing countries. For example, one of the authors (Musa et al. 2023) argues that a better understanding of the level of awareness and barriers to lean construction techniques in countries such as Nigeria will contribute to sustainable infrastructure development. However, the problems that developing countries face, including establishing a functional regulatory system that will facilitate such ambition, have been found to be complex by authors, for example, Umeokafor (2017). The question remains: 'Which way forward? How do developing countries ensure and sustain the development of their infrastructure? While the authors in this issue attempt to answer this question, they also highlight areas that require more attention for pragmatic and robust solutions.
Welcome to the eleventh issue of the Journal of Construction Business and Management and the collection of five articles by 18 authors from Kenya, Malaysia, Nigeria, South Africa, and Zambia. Following this introduction is the discussion of the papers, followed by the conclusion
Records of tail bifurcation in rainbow lizards Agama agama (Linnaeus, 1758) in Umudike, Nigeria
Get PDFThis paper reports sightings of rainbow lizards Agama agama with bifurcated tails in a community in Umudike, Nigeria. Five individuals (two males and three females) were sighted within one month at different occasions within approximately 1 km radius in a semi-urban habitat with high human activity. We consider this to be an unusual aberration among lizard populations in the tropical forest ecosystem in Nigeria. Hence, we believe that there could be a genetic or environmental connotation to the high frequency of occurrence of this aberration within the locality
Grey Herons Ardea cinerea hunting and eating Little Swifts Apus affinis
Get PDFThis note reports on Grey Herons' (Ardea cinerea) predation on Little Swifts (Apus affinis) at Bloemhof Dam Nature Reserve, North-West Province.
Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris breeding in Wadi Djedi at Ziban region, Algerian Sahara
Get PDFThis note reports the breeding of Marbled Teal Marmaronetta angustirostris at Wadi Djedi wetland at Ziban oasis, in the northeastern Algerian Sahara). On 14 May 2019, two females and their ducklings were observed. This breeding provides evidence that Marbled Teal may breed elsewhere in the region and provides the first information concerning the breeding strategy of this species in Algeria, especially in the northeastern Algerian Sahara Urgent measures and regular surveys are needed to protect this vulnerable species and their preferred habitats
A Guide to the Common Garden Birds of Cape Town, South Africa
Get PDFThis annotated picture booklet aims to provide a quick identification guide to the common birds in Cape Town’s urban gardens. This guide covers the 32 species you are most likely to encounter; though it is not comprehensive, the species included have been carefully selected to help you make a start
Knob-billed Duck Sarkidiornis melanotos moulting in the Free State
Get PDFSome Knob-billed Ducks Sarkidiornis melanotos in flightless moult were photographed on a farm dam in the central Free State Province of South Africa in May 2019. Although fairly common in the north-eastern quarter of southern Africa, this is apparently only the third record of this species moulting in the sub-region
Reptiles and Amphibians of the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve, Western Cape, South Africa
Get PDFThe status of all the reptile and amphibian species that have been recorded in the Cape of Good Hope Nature Reserve (the southern section of the Table Mountain National Park) is described. A total of 57 species has been recorded, comprising seven tortoises and turtles, 14 lizards, one chamaeleon, 20 snakes, two platannas, and 13 frogs and toads. The Reserve is an important stronghold of the IUCN-classified ‘Endangered’ Cape Platanna Xenopus gilli, and holds the discrete southern population of the range-restricted, ‘Near Threatened’ Cape Peninsula Moss Frog Arthroleptella lightfooti
A comparison of measurements of passerine species and subspecies in Namibia
Get PDFThis article serves to supplement published measurement data for Namibian passerine species and subspecies, where possible also by sex. It presents a summary of single observer sourced bird ringing in Namibia, between 2002 and 2022. This report collated data of 160 species, totaling 16 262 individuals and 64 475 measurements (head, culmen, tarsus, tail, wing and mass). Included in this list are measurements for five near-endemic species and 123 subspecies. A comparison between similar curated lists of southern African records was made, with significant differences being noted between many of the reported measurements
