Editorial

Once again, this issue accommodates papers from different parts of the developing world. And just as before, they dwell with various issues, some perennial some new: the plight of small- and medium-sized contractors, competitiveness of construction consultants, effectiveness of sustainable rural development programmes, implementation of post-evaluation, under-representation of women in the industry and subsidised housing mortgages for low-income households. The under-lying theme of all these papers is that customisation is necessary to accommodate local culture, context and operating environment. Small- and medium-sized (SME) contractors make up the majority of construction businesses, yet they have not received the scholastic attention they deserve. Using the case studies approach, Kamal and Flanagan identified the key characteristics of these contractors in rural Malaysia: survival as the greatest motivation, absence of policy for implementing new technologies and training, acceptance of all types of work, dominance of single owners, small pools of employees and heavily influenced by politics. Furthermore, there are different features between Bumiputera and Chinese companies, and between large and SME contractors. The findings can provide useful policy input for the betterment of the Malaysian construction industry.