Project Management Case Study: Exploitation of Foreign Workers

This case study examines a construction project in Queensland, Australia, where foreign stonemasons were severely exploited, leading to legal action and project delays. The analysis focuses on project management knowledge areas, specifically scope, risk, and cost management. The study reveals how inadequate scope management led to project delays, poor risk management failed to address worker-related issues, and cost management strategies resulted in exploitative labor practices. Recommendations emphasize improved stakeholder communication, robust safety and health programs, and ethical project management practices to prevent similar issues in future construction projects. The case highlights the importance of integrating ethical considerations into project management frameworks to ensure fair labor practices and project success.

Running head: PROJECT MANAGEMENT
Case Study 3: Severe Exploitation of Foreign Workers in Australia
Name of the Student:
Name of the University:

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Table of Contents
1. Introduction.........................................................................................................................2
2. Problem Description...........................................................................................................2
3. Research Methodology and Data Collection......................................................................3
4. Analysis..............................................................................................................................3
5. Findings..............................................................................................................................4
6. Recommendations...............................................................................................................5
7. Conclusions.........................................................................................................................5
References..................................................................................................................................6

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1. Introduction
The contextual analysis is focused on building of large complex in regional
Queensland. The stonemasons involved in the contract quoted lower prices which was around
50% cheaper as compared to other competitor’s tenders. The scheduled time to finish the
work is in six months. The Union advised that foreign stonemasons were living into the
shipping containers on construction site while they were working seven days in one week.
They were supposed to work five days in a week. In the group interview, men admitted that
they received $45 per month with $100 per week send to overseas families. This case was
taken to court, while it was revealed that there are various levels of the sub-contracting for
stonemasons (Huemann, 2016). The final result of court case was negotiated settlement with
back pay for four months of the underpayment at Australian wage.
The main aim of this study is analysing the knowledge areas with scope, risk as well
as cost elements.
The scope management is focused on work of the project plan. All development
processes are involved with the construction project work and it is needed to finish work
found in this knowledge area. The cost management is established estimation of project cost
as well as resources to ensure that the project can stay in approved cost (Nguyen &
Mohamed, 2018). As risk management knowledge area implied, the process is concerned to
identify and plan potential development risks that have negative impact on project
achievement.
2. Problem Description
i. The price which was saved by cheapest tenderer was lost due to causes of
court case as well as delays into the construction work. At cheapest price of
50%, the company made profits due to high exploitative situations.

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ii. There was six month delay of the project with further increase in project cost.
The business causes loss of business revenue and reputation within the
business organization.
iii. There was issue of health as well as safety of the workers as they were not
provided medical care as required by the top level management. The developer
is not concerned about the worker’s payments which received during working
on the construction site.
3. Research Methodology and Data Collection
The research methodology is a process to collect data from secondary sources to get
answers to research problem related to the case analysis of the large complex building
work. There is evaluation of project outcomes so that the scope, risk and cost are
analyzed in the study (Quinlan et al., 2019). It is one of the significant stage to conduct
the research work.
The secondary data are sources which are published in any kind of form. Review of
the case study is based on the secondary data. It is being collected by someone for other
purposes such as investigation (Fletcher, 2017). Organizational records as well as data
collected through using qualitative analysis is taken for collecting data.
4. Analysis
In this study, qualitative analysis is selected to describe the study in descriptive way.
It aims to address how and why the program is used unstructured methods to explore the
knowledge areas chosen. It is better for exploring effects as well as unintended consequences
of the project work (Kerzner, 2017). It plays a role to evaluate and provide useful information
for understanding the project procedures behind observed results and assess modifications in
perceptions of people.

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5. Findings
In this study, the scope management makes sure that there is defined project scope as
well as enabled the project manager to allocate the labor as well as cost required to finish
it. In the scope management, there are three processes such as planning, controlling and
closing. Due to undefined scope, it causes scope creep and the construction work is
delayed (Piercy, 2018). The scope management plan ensures that project is included work
needed to complete while excluding the work which is not required to be finished. It
provides details on defined in addition to verified project scope.
The risk management process ensures that the developer can reduce and eliminate
negative risks such that the project is to be completed on scheduled timeframe. It enables
the project manager to meet with estimated budget along with targeted purpose. The risk
handling activities are prearranged as compulsory across the project lifecycle. In this
study, risk management helps to overcome with worker’s issues and challenges so that
there is planning of activities across the lifecycle (Nielsen & Faber, 2017). It mitigates
huge consequences on getting the main aims of the construction work.
The cost management is allowed the manager to control over project cost, and
determine probability of the project procedures as well as activities. Into the planning
stage, there is projection of expected project cost as well as approved by the higher level
of management. The project manager is responsible to monitor as well as record the
project cost ensuring that it can keep the project on budget (Huemann, 2016). There is
gathering of information on operations and evaluating the project results. In this case,
there is measuring of operational project cost.

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6. Recommendations
Communicate with the stakeholders: There should be establishment of the project
plan from project starting with a way to prevent the team from getting project track. The
project manager should require best communicational tools to interact with the project
shareholders.
Safety and health programs: It should ensure that the safe as well as health workplace
should protect the worker from illness and it can provide medical care to the workers. It
helps to reduce turnover, rise in productivity as well as quality. It raises employee
morality where safety is better for business organization.
7. Conclusions
It is concluded that the knowledge areas helps the project manager to finish set of the
project concepts and activities that can make a professional field into the project
management. It works with process groups for defining the project processes. Scope and
cost management is defined as activities to plan plus control budget of project. There is an
effective cost management makes sure that the project is to be finished on estimated
budget and forecasted schedule. The knowledge areas helps to meet and achieve the
project success.

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References
Fletcher, A. J. (2017). Applying critical realism in qualitative research: methodology meets
method. International Journal of Social Research Methodology, 20(2), 181-194.
Huemann, M. (2016). Managing the project-oriented organization. In Gower Handbook of
Project Management (pp. 493-506). Routledge.
Kerzner, H. (2017). Project management: a systems approach to planning, scheduling, and
controlling. John Wiley & Sons.
Nguyen, T. S., & Mohamed, S. (2018). Stakeholder management in complex projects. In The
7th World Construction Symposium 2018: Built Asset Sustainability: Rethinking
Design, Construction and Operations (pp. 497-506).
Nielsen, L., & Faber, M. H. (2017). Survey and Design of Master Level Programs in Disaster
Risk Management. In 1 st International Symposium K-FORCE 2017 (pp. 230-247).
Higher Education Technichal School of Professional studies and University of Novi
Sad, Faculty of Technical Sciences.
Piercy, N. F. (Ed.). (2018). The Management implications of new information
technology (Vol. 41). Routledge.
Quinlan, C., Babin, B., Carr, J., & Griffin, M. (2019). Business research methods. South
Western Cengage.