Exploring the Critical Barriers to and Enablers of Sustainable Material Management Practices in the Construction Industry

2021 ◽  
Vol 147 (9) ◽  
pp. 04021102
Author(s):  
Santu Kar ◽  
Kumar Neeraj Jha
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Material Management ◽  
Sustainable Material

scholarly journals Innovation Performance and Its Impact on Profitability Among Different Sectors in the Australian Construction Industry

2012 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mary Hardie ◽  
Graham Miller ◽  
Karen Manley ◽  
Stephen McFallan
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Innovation Performance ◽  
Research Centre ◽  
Research Information ◽  
Cooperative Research ◽  
Building Research ◽  
Evaluation Systems ◽  
Formal Evaluation ◽  
Industry Sectors

The BRITE (Building Research Information Technology and Environment) project was established by the Australian Cooperative Research Centre for Construction Innovation to encourage innovation in the construction industry. While innovation is generally perceived to be broadly beneficial, there has been little formal study of its occurrence or impact in Australian construction or of the factors which foster an innovative atmosphere within an enterprise. In order to benchmark innovation performance, the BRITE project conducted a survey in 2004 into the nature, incidence and variety of technological and organisational innovations in various sectors of the industry. With some exceptions, the survey found that clients and consultants engaged in significantly higher levels of innovation than did suppliers, main contractors or trade contractors. Within the industry sectors those organisations classified as high innovators favoured the adoption of advanced management practices and had formal evaluation systems in place to judge their progress. They reported significant positive impacts on their profitability from innovation and can therefore provide instructive examples for the rest of the industry to follow.

scholarly journals Building Information Modelling (BIM) in Managing Construction Claims: Now and Beyond – A Review (Jordan Perspective)

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 1099-1115
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Cost Savings ◽  
Cycle Phase ◽  
Change Orders ◽  
Construction Claims ◽  
Building Information ◽  
Life Cycle Phase

As the intricacy of construction projects is amassed, prospects for tribulations are mounting, depicting negative impact on projects’ cost, time and excellence. Thus, eliciting claims that aredisruptive to projects, time consuming and exorbitant. BIM holds enormousprobable in prosperous claim management practices. The progression of BIM can enrich knowledge sharing for information of a building or facility. It forms a vitalbase for decision making throughout the life cycle phase from the conceptual design to demolition. BIM is also, a valuable multidisciplinary cohesive source of information technology that posts benefits and disputes in the construction industry. The main aspiration of this paper is to appraise how and to what magnitude BIM can help evading and plummeting claims in Jordan construction industry.The paper ran a literature review on recent research, industry reports, and other sources to seehow they identified claims, its classifications, benefits, impacts and challenges of BIM on construction projects.Also, the paper acknowledgedcontemporaneous challenges in the claims field and the construction industry as whole. The attained outcomes have shown that BIM overtakes traditional claim management practices in many aspects including recognizing and investigating claims, where the benefits are comprehended in time and cost savings, less change orders, less rework. Moreover, the information and knowledge management that BIM postulates can improve many aspects of claim management.

Analysing the benefits, techniques, tools and challenges of knowledge management practices in the Malaysian construction SMEs

2017 ◽  
Vol 15 (6) ◽  
pp. 803-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap ◽  
Anna Lock
Keyword(s):  
Knowledge Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Small And Medium Enterprises ◽  
Cultural Issue ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Klang Valley ◽  
Knowledge Management Practices ◽  
Company Identification

Purpose Knowledge management (KM) is the central know how for the construction industry. However, the delivery of construction projects is often plagued by schedule delays and cost overruns due to lack of working knowledge of project personnel. Hence, the need to appraise the practices of knowledge management in the construction industry has become all the more germane. This paper aims to determine the awareness of KM practices in Malaysia-based construction small and medium enterprises, and to investigate the benefits, tools and techniques, and challenges associated with knowledge management implementation so that effective measures can be devised to address them. Design/methodology/approach The research data were gathered using a structured questionnaire survey disseminated in the Klang Valley region in Malaysia. Responses were collected from 107 industry practitioners. The quantitative data are subjected to descriptive statistics, and the ranking with category of significance of the hypothesised variables is determined using the relative importance index (RII) technique. Findings The key benefits of KM practices are predominantly raising efficiency, quality, productivity and decision-making. The most preferred KM techniques are “face-to-face interaction”, “mentoring” and “documents and reports”. The highly significant tools are “groupware” and “telephone”. The major organisational issue hampering the implementation of knowledge management practices is “lack of motivation” while the critical cultural issue is relating to “bureaucracy and hierarchical”, and the vital people issue concerns “lack of trust”. Research limitations/implications The respondents were limited to only small and medium construction enterprises located in the Klang Valley region in Malaysia, which makes generalisation challenging. Practical implications KM provides not only a pragmatic but also a proactive approach to raising the competitive edge and capabilities of a construction company. Identification of the critical attributes of KM provides the basis for project managers in formulating KM strategies to enhance the chances of successful delivery of future projects. Originality/value The study contributes to the debate on the knowledge agenda in the construction industry, particularly from a fast developing economy’s perspective, where an effective KM can further contribute to realising a reasonable level of competitiveness operation.

Effects of financial management practices on technical performance of building contractors in northeast Nigeria

2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-223
Author(s):  
Abdulmalik Sa'eed ◽  
Nuru Gambo ◽  
Ibrahim Ibrahim Inuwa ◽  
Innocent Musonda
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Best Practices ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Financial Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Small Scale ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Technical Performance ◽  
Practical Implications ◽  
Northeast Nigeria

Purpose The purpose of this study is to assess the effects of financial management practices of small-scale building contractors on the technical performance of the contractors in the northern part of Nigeria with international best practices. Previous studies argued that the technical performance of small-scale building contractors in developing countries is poor because of insufficient cash to acquire strategic resources at the outset of a project. This continues to pose a challenge to the sustainable development of the construction industry, particularly in developing countries like Nigeria. There is, therefore, a need to identify, assess and compare the effects of financial practices of the contractors with technical performance best practices. Design/methodology/approach The technical performance of each contractor was evaluated using a five-point Likert scale. This is used to obtain the mean technical performance levels of the contractors. A questionnaire survey was administered to the professionals in the industry who were selected by using a proportionate stratified random sampling technique. The contractors’ performance was compared using ANOVA with post hoc, and the effects of contractors’ financial management practices were determined using multiple regression analysis. Findings The results of this study indicated that the contractors in Nigeria were average technical performers and there were large effects of financial management practices on the technical performance of contractors in building projects. Research limitations/implications This study is limited to small-scale building contractors in northeast Nigeria. One of the implications of this study is that it provides the criteria for an evaluation of small-scale building contractors’ technical performance in Nigeria and other developing countries that faced similar problems. Practical implications The practical implications of this study are that it establishes the current level of contractors' technical performance and serves as an awareness of contractors' current financial practices. Social implications This study created bases for self-evaluation of contractors’ technical performance and competition among small-scale contractors in Nigeria for the enhancement of productivity particularly in rural areas for national development. Originality/value This study emanated from the government reports and past studies in the area of performance management based on the persistence of poor technical performance of small-scale contractors in the construction industry.

scholarly journals Talent management in the South African construction industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sydwell Shikweni ◽  
Willem Schurink ◽  
Rene Van Wyk
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
South African ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Talent Management ◽  
Research Approach ◽  
The South ◽  
Business Outcomes ◽  
Global Competitiveness ◽  
Managerial Implications ◽  
Value Add

Orientation: The South African construction industry is constrained by the shortage of a skilled workforce due to global competition and insufficient graduate output. There is a need to evolve attract and retain the most valuable talent.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate talent management in a prominent South African internationally operating construction company. The objective is to develop a framework for enhancement of talent management practices.Motivation for the study: The South African construction industry’s inability to retain talent, hampers global competitiveness and productivity. Talent shortages need to be addressed at a strategic level to remain competitive.Research approach/design and method: A qualitative research approach examined a single South African construction organisation in the Gauteng Province. Grounded theory was used to analyse data generated from interviews, participant observations and company documents.Main findings: Firstly, talent management in the construction industry supposes mutual actions from the organisation and its talented employees. Secondly, internal enablers drive business outcomes by in alignment with a well-crafted strategy. Thirdly, a regulatory framework should acknowledge labour market dynamics and diversity. Fourthly, internal and external enablers should be taken into consideration. Finally, effective implementation of talent management practices yields talent sustainability and competitiveness.Practical/managerial implications: The two conceptual frameworks developed indicate: (1) key factors that play a role in talent management, and (2) the interface between talented employees and the organisation.Contributions/value-add: The findings provide two proposed frameworks that could guide leadership to devise an enabling global competitive talent management environment in the construction industry.

Dimensions for improvement of construction management practice in Ethiopian construction industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-39 ◽  
Author(s):  
Desalegn Girma Mengistu ◽  
Gangadhar Mahesh
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Management ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Management Practice ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organization Management ◽  
Project Management Organization ◽  
Industry Needs ◽  
Improvement Intervention

Purpose The state of the different practices in construction industry determines its performance level. Hence, improving performance of construction industry needs assessing state of the practices in the industry and devising improvement intervention. The purpose of this paper is to measure improvement requirement level of different construction management practice areas and to identify the underlying improvement dimensions in Ethiopian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach Questionnaire survey was developed for data collection based on a thorough literature review which yielded 28 construction management practice areas. Purposive sampling method was used to select respondents for the survey. Mean score was used to identify the required improvement level, and one sample T-test was carried out to identify significance of improvement requirement. Factor analysis was conducted to identify the underlying dimensions of the construction management practice areas. Findings Findings indicate 27 areas need significant improvement. This shows the low level of adoption of good construction management practices in Ethiopian construction industry. Factor analysis resulted in the areas being grouped to four broad improvement dimensions, namely, project management, organization management, knowledge and risk management and project development and contract management. Originality/value The findings provide information for appropriate action by the stakeholders to raise standards of adopted construction management practices. It also show areas of construction management which require more focused research in the context of Ethiopian construction industry. Considering the similarity of nature of construction industry problems in developing countries, the findings can be extended to similar countries.

scholarly journals A Safety Climate Framework for Improving Health and Safety in the Indonesian Construction Industry

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (20) ◽  
pp. 7462 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Lestari ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo ◽  
Martin Loosemore ◽  
Yuni Kusminanti ◽  
Baiduri Widanarko
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Safety Climate ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Occupational Injuries ◽  
Health And Safety ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Cultural Norms ◽  
Safety Communication ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Safety Research

The Indonesian construction industry is the second largest in Asia and accounts for over 30% of all occupational injuries in the country. Despite the size of the industry, there is a lack of safety research in this context. This research, therefore, aims to assess safety climate and develop a framework to improve safety in the Indonesian construction industry. Quantitative and qualitative data were collected from 311 construction workers. The results show a moderately healthy safety climate but reflect numerous problems, particularly around perceived conflicts between production and safety logics, cost trade-offs being made against other competing project priorities, poor safety communication, poor working conditions, acceptance of poor safety as the norm, poor reporting and monitoring practices, poor training and a risky and unsupportive working environment which prevents workers from operating safely. Two new safety climate paradoxes are also revealed: contradictions between management communications and management practices; contradictions between worker concern for safety and their low sense of personal accountability and empowerment for acting to reduce these risks. A low locus of control over safety is also identified as a significant problem which is related to prevailing Indonesian cultural norms and poor safety policy implementation and potential conflicts between formal and informal safety norms, practices and procedures. Drawing on these findings, a new integrated framework of safety climate is presented to improve safety performance in the Indonesian construction industry.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document