Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects success is the ultimate goal of practitioners and government organizations. In this regard, the last decade has seen considerable research into the critical success factors (CSFs) for PPP projects. However, a very important subject which has received very little attention in the normative literature is the success criteria for PPP projects. This paper examines the general perception of purposively sampled international PPP experts on a set of 15 PPP projects success criteria derived from literature. The survey results show that all the success criteria are critical; however seven are very critical. These include: effective risk management; meeting output specifications; reliable and quality service operations; adherence to time; satisfying the need for public facility/service; long-term relationship and partnership; and profitability. The findings of this study are impactful because they inform practitioners on the key measures to consider when evaluating the success of PPP projects. More research should be conducted to further develop a composite success index that could be used to objectively assess the success levels of different PPP projects. In addition, the perceptions of different stakeholders on PPP projects success criteria and the causal relationship between CSFs and success criteria for PPP projects should be investigated.

In many countries, it is common practice to attract and employ ethnic minority (EM) or migrant workers in the construction industry. This primarily occurs in order to alleviate the labor shortage caused by an aging workforce with a lack of new entrants. Statistics show that EM construction workers are more likely to have occupational fatal and nonfatal injuries than their local counterparts; however, the mechanism underlying accidents and injuries in this vulnerable population has been rarely examined. This study aims to investigate relationships among safety climate, safety behavior, and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. To this end, a theoretical research model was developed based on a comprehensive review of the current literature. In total, 289 valid questionnaires were collected face-to-face from 223 Nepalese construction workers and 56 Pakistani construction workers working on 15 construction sites in Hong Kong. Structural equation modelling was employed to validate the constructs and test the hypothesized model. Results show that there were significant positive relationships between safety climate and safety behaviors, and significant negative relationships between safety behaviors and safety outcomes for EM construction workers. This research contributes to the literature regarding EM workers by providing empirical evidence of the mechanisms by which safety climate affects safety behaviors and outcomes. It also provides insights in order to help the key stakeholders formulate safety strategies for EM workers in many areas where numerous EM workers are employed, such as in the U.S., the UK, Australia, Singapore, Malaysia, and the Middle East.

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to investigate the complex interdependence of the factors in driving or hindering construction productivity at the industry, project and activity levels in a systemic manner. Design/methodology/approach: A mixed-methods design, which combines a critical literature review, an interview-based survey with 32 industry experts and five focus group meetings participated in by 109 representatives of a wide range of industry stakeholder groups, was employed to identify the drivers for and constraints on construction productivity enhancement in Hong Kong and explore the interrelated insights into the drivers and constraints. Findings: The study conceptualised and validated a systemic framework for examining construction industry productivity, and developed three causal loop diagrams (CLDs) for illustrating the dynamic structures that underpin the complex systems of the drivers and constraints. Research limitations/implications: Although the scope of the study was limited to Hong Kong, the results could be interpreted for critical learning in other urban contexts. Practical implications: The systemic perspective of construction productivity and the CLDs of the drivers and constraints support the systems thinking of industry stakeholders in the formulation of holistic strategies for long-term construction industry productivity enhancement. Originality/value: The study conceptualises construction productivity from a systemic perspective and provides empirically supported CLDs to facilitate future investigations into the complex system of construction productivity.

The construction industries of developed countries are faced with an aging workforce and a shortage of recruits. It is common for migrant workers/ethnic minorities (EMs) who are already part of the society to join the construction industry. With increasing involvement of EMs in the construction industry, effective strategies for improving their safety and health are urgently needed. The existing body of knowledge is mainly derived from research conducted in English-speaking countries with Western cultures. Research on safety of migrant/EM construction workers in multidialect Asian countries with Eastern cultures has been lacking. This study aimed to identify various strategies for improving the safety and health of EM construction workers from the Asian perspective. Twenty-two face-to-face semistructured interviews were performed with safety professionals in Hong Kong followed by two rounds of Delphi survey with 18 safety experts to verify the interview findings and rank the relative importance of...

Purpose: With increasing employment of ethnic minority (EM) workers from different nationalities to mitigate the growing demand for a construction workforce, the safety and health problems of these workers have become a significant concern. The purpose of this paper is to identify and rank according to severity the safety and health-related problems confronted by EM construction workers. Design/methodology/approach: Grounded theory approach was employed to construct the main categories and subcategories of the construction safety and health problems of EM workers. A two-round Delphi survey of 18 experts, who are highly experienced in managing EM workers, was conducted to rank the relative severity of the identified safety and health problems. Findings: A total of 14 subcategories and 4 categories of construction safety and health problems of EM workers were identified. Among the 14 subcategories, the most urgent and serious ones were insufficient safety materials and training in their native language, insufficient safety staff from EM origin, and safety communication barriers. In addition, safety and health problems at the corporate and governmental levels are also worth paying attention. Originality/value: This study contributes to the update on the existing body of knowledge on safety and health problems encountered by EM construction workers and revelation of their peculiar situation in Hong Kong. Findings of the study will be of value to various stakeholders in formulating safety and health measures for EM construction workers.