Purpose -The purpose of this study is to identify how the newly emerging UK practice of "Collaborative Planning" (CP) for construction project delivery aligns with the advocated principles of the Last Planner System (LPS) of production planning and control. Design/methodology/approach -A mixed, qualitative, exploratory approach was adopted for the study. This entailed qualitative data through three techniques namely: semi-structured interviews, documents analysis, and structured observation. Thirty in-depth-interviews were conducted over a 12 month period with lean construction consultants, clients, main contractors, and subcontractors drawn from the building, highways and infrastructure and rail sector. Fifteen projects were visited where practices were observed. Findings -The study reveals that the current practice of CP in the UK partially aligns with the LPS principles. Where practitioners have heard of the LPS they believe it to be the same practice as CP. Limitation: This study is limited to 30 interviews, observation of 15 projects and document analysis. The aim of the study is not to generalise the findings, however, since the study examined top construction companies and practitioners in the UK and the findings were consistent across the sample, some conclusions could be made. The study is also limited to examining the construction phase only, future studies should incorporate the design phase. Practical Implication-A clear identification of the elements of current practice compared to the components of the LPS provides a contribution to the future practice of project production planning and management in the construction industry. Social implication -The study highlights a continuing resistance to collaboration within the industry. This resistance is subtly embedded within implemented practices even though they are based on collaborative working for their success. Originality and Value -This is among the first studies in the UK that comprehensively examines and reports the application of Last Planner System/Collaborative Planning practice in construction across the major construction sectors. Future studies could build on the findings from this work to develop an approach/methodology to improve the current practice.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to present the current knowledge surrounding social value (SV) and show how lean approach supports SV realisation in the delivery of construction projects. Design/methodology/approach A critical literature review was adopted, to gather the current knowledge surrounding SV from mainstream management sciences, construction management and lean literature. A total of 70 studies were critically reviewed. Findings The study establishes that the current level of awareness on SV is still low and there is a dearth of scholarly publications on SV especially in the construction management literature. The investigation reveals the potentials of lean approach in supporting the delivery of SV on construction projects. Social implications This study conceptualises the community and the physical environment around where the construction project is executed as customers using lean production approach. It shows that the transformation, flow and value view supports smooth workflow, which enhances the achievement of SV objectives. This creates a new insight into how SV can be realised in construction project delivery. Originality/value This study extends the on-going debate around the need for SV in construction project delivery and contributes to construction management and lean construction literature on SV. Future studies could build on this to obtain empirical data and develop an approach/method that would support the evidencing of SV delivery on construction projects.

PurposeIn recent years, there has been a tremendous increase in the number of applicants seeking placement in the undergraduate architecture programme. It is important to identify new intakes who possess the capability to succeed during the selection phase of admission at universities.Admission variable (i.e. prior academic achievement) is one of the most important criteria considered during selection process. The present study investigates the efficacy of using data mining techniques to predict academic performance of architecture student based on information contained in prior academic achievement. Design/methodology/approachThe input variables, i.e. prior academic achievement, were extracted from students' academic records. Logistic regression and support vector machine (SVM) are the data mining techniques adopted in this study. The collected data was divided into two parts. The first part was used for training the model, while the other part was used to evaluate the predictive accuracy of the developed models. FindingsThe results revealed that SVM model outperformed the logistic regression model in terms of accuracy. Taken together, it is evident that prior academic achievement are good predictors of academic performance of architecture students. Research limitationsAlthough the factors affecting academic performance of students are numerous, the present study focuses on the effect of prior academic achievement on academic performance of architecture students. Originality/valueThe developed SVM model can be used a decision-making tool for selecting new intakes into the architecture program at Nigerian universities.

Purpose Apprenticeship programmes are designed to provide young trainees with essential broad-based skills. Through apprenticeships, different sectors that are underpopulated can fill up their skills gaps. Apprenticeships are particularly useful to the construction sector which has a high ageing workforce and associated lower labour productivity. However, the completion rates of apprenticeship training programmes in the construction sector remain low in several countries across the globe. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to review the published research on apprenticeship training that is specifically focused on the construction sector, to determine the current status quo and suggest a direction for future research. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review approach was adopted. Based on a comprehensive search using SCOPUS databases, 33 relevant journal articles were identified and analysed. Findings It was found that monitoring and control is the most mentioned factor responsible for improvements in the completion rates of apprenticeship training. In contrast, the length of time required for going through the full training is the most common factor responsible for low completion rates. Three research gaps were identified, among which is the dearth of studies that has focused on apprentices training in developing countries. Research limitations/implications The gaps identified in the current knowledge on apprenticeship training would serve as a justification for future investigations. However, the scope of the review is limited to papers published in academic journals and citable through SCOPUS. Practical implications The outcomes of the study provide researchers and other relevant stakeholders with a concise report on the findings of previous studies. It also provides insight into strategies for improving the completion rates of apprenticeship training in the construction sector. Originality/value A systematic evaluation of the extant literature draws on theoretical evidence and highlights the factors that are more likely to influence the outcomes of apprentice training for craftspeople in the construction sector.

Research has shown that 57% of activities in a construction project is non-value adding (waste) which contributes to the poor performance of the sector. While other countries of the world such the USA, UK, Brazil, Nigeria and Israel among others are seeking to understand this challenge and deploy innovative ways and modern techniques to improve it, limited studies have explored factors that contribute to non-value adding activities (NVA) in the Gibraltar construction industry. The current study aims to identify the factors that contribute to NVA on construction sites in Gibraltar and to present an outlook on how this could be minimised using Last Planner System(LPS).A combination of quantative and qualitative research approaches were used. Thirtyone questionnaire responses were analysed and seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. The investigation reveals that the development of unrealistic schedules, lack of adequate training, delayed approval process and work interruption due to the community are the key factors that contribute to NVA. The study found that the suggestions offered by construction professional for minimising NVA align with some LPS principles. The study concludes that some of the current practices, could serve as justification for the introduction of LPS in the construction sector of Gibraltar.