Showing papers by "S. X. Zeng published in 2005"
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper investigated the implementation status of ISO 14001 and its impact on enterprises in China, and concluded that the Chinese government should take the lead in improving the legal framework, providing financial support and training to promote ISO 14Õ to the Chinese enterprises.
207 citations
TL;DR: In this paper, the conditions of implementation of ISO 9001 standard in design organizations, identify the critical factors affecting design quality, and explore the main threats to impair sustainability of design organisations in Chinese economy system transition.
Abstract: Purpose – This paper aims to unveil the conditions of implementation of ISO 9001 standard in design organisations, identify the critical factors affecting design quality, and explore the main threats to impair sustainability of design organisations in Chinese economy system transitionDesign/methodology/approach – Using a structured questionnaire survey, a structured questionnaire was sent to the senior management representatives of the 100 design organisations ISO 9001‐certified in building and civil engineering The relative importance index (RII) was employed to identify the factors affecting design quality and the major threats to sustainable development of design organisationsFindings – The result shows that the major motivation for implementing ISO 9001 was to seek to improve management and organisational culture The benefits resulted from the implementation of the standards were: standardisation for internal management for internal operations; increase confidence from clients for market effects,
20 citations
TL;DR: Zeng, Chen and Tam as mentioned in this paper investigated the industrial structure, the market distribution, and the size concentration of Chinese indigenous construction firms and published a letter to the editor on the same topic.
Abstract: The papers in the Architectural Science Review are refereed, but the journal contains sections that are not refereed, because they contain expressions of opinion which may not be scienti. cally veri. able. These are the Editorials, the Book Reviews, and Letters to the Editor. The following interesting paper by Zeng, Chen and Tam is also in that category, and it is therefore published as a Letter to the Editor. The Chinese construction market is, and will continue to be, attractive to construction firms of the world. When China joins the World Trade Organization, many foreign contractors can enter the construction market. This confronts the Chinese indigenous construction firms with unprecedented challenges. Due to the deep-imprint of the traditional planned economy, the industrial structure of construction has been severely distorted in China, which results in excessive competition and low profitability. This paper investigates the industrial structure, the market distribution, and the size concentration ...
12 citations
TL;DR: Most certified firms, as revealed from the survey, opined that implementing ISO 9000 alone did not add much to quality improvement, while a combination of ISO 9000 and Total Quality Management (TQM) would contribute the most as discussed by the authors.
Abstract: In December 2000, the new series of ISO 9000 standard was issued. This new quality management series carries some significant changes and modifications, bringing some impact and requiring adaptation for the current ISO 9000-certified organizations. This paper aims at investigating the problems in applying the new standard, with particular reference to the construction industry and its effects to the ISO 9000-certified organizations. Most certified firms, as revealed from the survey, opined that implementing ISO 9000 alone did not add much to quality improvement, while a combination of ISO 9000 and Total Quality Management (TQM) would contribute the most. The survey identifies that the main obstacle in reaping all the goodness of ISO 9000 standards is “the shortsighted goal of organizations in getting the certification”. Most Chinese construction firms, as unveiled in the study, describe that the most effective quality management system should be “ISO 9000 integrated with TQM”.
10 citations
01 Jan 2005
TL;DR: Wang et al. as mentioned in this paper conducted a structured questionnaire survey to discover the conditions of implementation of ISO 14000 in the construction industry, and concluded that the major motivation for implementing the system was to seek entry to the international construction market.
Abstract: The rapid growth of the Chinese economy sparked off a great volume of construction activities, but the damage caused by construction activities to the environment is indisputable and has alerted some large Chinese construction firms to seek effective environmental management. The ISO 14000 series offers a framework for managing construction operations to improve environmental performance. To discover the conditions of implementation of ISO 14000 in the construction industry, a structured questionnaire survey was conducted whose results show that the major motivation for implementing the system was to seek entry to the international construction market. Other motivations include standardization of the environmental management procedures for internal operations, obtaining social recognition, gaining confidence from clients and a better corporate image, enhancing the environmental awareness of subcontractors, and cleaner sites as a result of better housekeeping. However, some obstacles remain along the path, such as the financial burden, poor rates of return for most firms, low environmental awareness, and inadequate legal enforcement. Based on the analysis and discussion, the paper concludes that the government should take the lead in encouraging training, providing financial support, and improving the legal framework to promote ISO 14000 for the Chinese construction industry.
6 citations