Factors affecting construction productivity: a 30 year systematic review

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (7) ◽  
pp. 916-937 ◽  
Author(s):  
Abid Hasan ◽  
Bassam Baroudi ◽  
Abbas Elmualim ◽  
Raufdeen Rameezdeen
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Construction Productivity ◽  
Wide Range

Purpose A significant amount of work has been performed in the area of identification of factors affecting construction productivity. Previous studies have tried to determine the most important factors affecting construction productivity in different countries for a long time. As a result of continuous effort in this direction, researchers have identified a wide range of factors. While the subject area has matured, no general agreement could be made on the factors affecting construction productivity. To fill this gap, the purpose of this paper is to undertake a comprehensive systematic review of mainstream studies on factors affecting construction productivity published in the last 30 years (1986–2016). Design/methodology/approach A total of 46 articles from different sources such as journals, conference proceedings, dissertation and PhD theses were identified and thoroughly reviewed. Findings Gaps in research and practices are discussed and directions for future research have been proposed. The literature review indicates that despite noticeable differences in the socio-economic conditions across both developed countries and developing countries, an overall reasonable consensus exists on few significant factors impeding productivity. These are, namely, non-availability of materials, inadequate supervision, skill shortage, lack of proper tools and equipment and incomplete drawing and specifications. Nevertheless, implications of technology, site amenities, process studies, project culture, and impacts of physiological and psychological factors were not adequately covered in existing literature. The study also found that traditional construction projects have remained the main focus of these studies while green construction projects have been generally overlooked. Research limitations/implications The review does not include studies that report productivity at the organisational or industry level as well as total factor productivity. The scope of the review is limited to work on identification of factors affecting productivity at the activity level in construction projects. Practical implications The outcomes of this study would help researchers and practitioners by providing the findings of previous studies in a concise manner. It is also expected that presenting a deeper and wider perspective of the research work performed until now will direct a more focussed approach on productivity improvement efforts in the construction industry. Originality/value This review paper undertakes a comprehensive systematic review of studies on identification of factors affecting construction productivity published during the last three decades.

Productivity monitoring in building construction projects: a systematic review

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Wesam Salah Alaloul ◽  
Khalid M. Alzubi ◽  
Ahmad B. Malkawi ◽  
Marsail Al Salaheen ◽  
Muhammad Ali Musarat
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Small Sample ◽  
Machine Learning Algorithms ◽  
Building Construction ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Productivity ◽  
Automated Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Tools ◽  
Meta Analyses

PurposeThe unique nature of the construction sector makes it fall behind other sectors in terms of productivity. Monitoring construction productivity is crucial for the construction project's success. Current practices for construction productivity monitoring are time-consuming, manned and error prone. Although previous studies have been implemented toward reducing these limitations, a gap still exists in the automated monitoring of construction productivity.Design/methodology/approachThis study aims to investigate and assess the different techniques used for monitoring productivity in building construction projects. Therefore, a mixed review methodology (bibliometric analysis and systematic review) was adopted. All the related publications were collected from different databases, which were further screened to get the most relevant based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) criteria.FindingsA detailed review was performed, and it was found that traditional methods, computer vision-based and photogrammetry are the most adopted data acquisition for productivity monitoring of building projects, respectively. Machine learning algorithms (ANN, SVM) and BIM were integrated with monitoring tools and technologies to enhance the automated monitoring performance in construction productivity. Also, it was observed that current studies did not cover all the complex construction job sites and they were applied based on a small sample of construction workers and machines separately.Originality/valueThis review paper contributes to the literature on construction management by providing insight into different productivity monitoring techniques.

Family firms and collaborative innovation: present debates and future research

2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 334-358 ◽  
Author(s):  
Barbara Bigliardi ◽  
Francesco Galati
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Family Firms ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Future Research Agenda ◽  
Collaborative Innovation ◽  
Relevant Topic ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose The purpose of this paper is threefold: first, to identify the unique characteristics of family firms in terms of the ability to manage and the willingness to engage in collaborative innovation; second, to investigate the existence of contingent factors affecting the heterogeneity of family firms’ behavior regarding these dimensions; and third, to propose a future research agenda. Design/methodology/approach This study consists of a systematic literature review. Findings Based on the results of a systematic review, the authors explain why family firms have a different behavior in terms of collaborative innovation if compared to the non-family counterparts and, following the contingent-based perspective, the authors also explain how different contingent factors can contribute to cause the heterogeneity of family firms’ behavior when facing collaborative innovation. Finally, the authors present a research agenda aimed at stimulating and guiding future research. Research limitations/implications The main limitation of the review is the wide definition of collaborative innovation provided at the beginning of the manuscript, in the introduction. In fact, with the aim of including all the studies dealing with collaborative innovation in the family firms’ context, the authors adopt a broad definition of external collaborative innovation that encompasses each process by which organizations work together to achieve an innovation outcome. Originality/value To the knowledge, this is the first systematic review addressing this relevant topic and proposing a future research agenda. The authors believe it could represent an important guide (but also a stimulus) for scholars interesting in the topic.

The transpiring journey of customer engagement research in marketing

2016 ◽  
Vol 54 (8) ◽  
pp. 2008-2034 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jamid Ul Islam ◽  
Zillur Rahman
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
Research Area ◽  
Customer Engagement ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Customer Base ◽  
Current Scenario ◽  
Definition Of

Purpose To understand how customer engagement has been researched in the last decade, the purpose of this paper is to provide a systematic review of customer engagement research in the existing literature, derive a comprehensive definition of customer engagement and summarize few important and basic issues that future research should address. Design/methodology/approach An extensive literature review was carried out on customer engagement spread over 38 journals identified from online academic databases of Scopus, Emerald, EBSCOS and Science Direct. A total of 66 conceptual and empirical articles on customer engagement research spanning from 2005 to 2015 were analyzed based on different classification schemes. Findings Customer engagement is becoming a key concept in marketing. Customer engagement is a multi-dimensional concept comprising of cognitive, emotional, behavioral and social dimensions. The theoretical foundations of this concept predominantly lie with relationship marketing and service-dominant logic. Research on customer engagement has gained a significant pace in the last six years (2010-2015) but most of the articles on customer engagement have come from developed countries. Research limitations/implications By providing the distribution schema of customer engagement articles based on different criteria and by highlighting the future research avenues, this study is believed to serve as a valuable tool for researchers to understand the current scenario of customer engagement research in the marketing discipline and take this research area forward. This study acknowledges limitations with respect to its exclusive search criteria, which might affect its generalizability. Practical implications This study exhibits the favorable outcomes organizations can derive by building and managing an engaged customer base. The more an organization knows about how to engage its customers, the better adept it will be to enact so. Therefore, understanding customer engagement is imperative in that regard; this review will help organizations comprehend that better. Originality/value This is the first systematic review of customer engagement that provides a detailed understanding of the current state of customer engagement research on a single platform and also draws a comprehensive customer engagement conceptualization.

Environmental training: a systematic review of the state of the art of the theme

2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (7) ◽  
pp. 2048-2076 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nelson Oliveira Stefanelli ◽  
Adriano Alves Teixeira ◽  
Jorge Henrique Caldeira De Oliveira ◽  
Marco Antonio Ferreira ◽  
Simone Sehnem
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Environmental Management ◽  
Research Agenda ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
State Of The Art ◽  
Developed Countries ◽  
The State ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Maturity Stage ◽  
Content Type

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to carry out a systematic review of the state of the art of the environmental training theme and to propose a research agenda to shed light on this subject by suggesting new research in the area. Design/methodology/approach This is a systematic review of the state of the art of the environmental training theme. Findings The authors’ main contribution is the proposal of a research agenda with 11 recommendations for future research, such as conducting research in developed countries; research focusing only on environmental training; qualitative research using case studies; research that explores the co-evolution of environmental training practices with environmental management practices and with the maturity stage of environmental management in organizations; and research that addresses all aspects of environmental training phases proposed by ISO 10015: 2001. Originality/value This is the most recent research which conducts a systematic review of the state of the art on environmental training and proposes a research agenda with several suggestions that can guide researchers in human resources, environmental management, sustainability and supply chain management.

scholarly journals Barriers and Facilitators to the Uptake of New Medicines into Clinical Practice: A Systematic Review

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kristina Medlinskiene ◽  
Justine Tomlinson ◽  
Iuri Marques ◽  
Sue Richardson ◽  
Katherine Stirling ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Organizational Factors ◽  
Barriers And Facilitators ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Framework Analysis ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Wide Range

Abstract Background: Implementation and uptake of novel and cost-effective medicines can improve patient health outcomes and healthcare efficiency. However, the uptake of new medicines into practice faces a wide range of obstacles Earlier reviews provided insight into determinants for new medicine uptake (such as medicine, prescriber, patient, organization, and external environment factors), but the methodological approaches used had limitations (e.g., single author, narrative review, narrow search, no quality assessment of reviewed evidence).This systematic review aims to identify barriers and facilitators affecting the uptake of new medicines into clinical practice and identify areas for future research. Method: A systematic search was undertaken within seven databases. Eligible qualitative, quantitative, and mixed-methods studies focused on adult participants (18 years and older) requiring or taking new medicine(s) for any condition, in the context of healthcare organizations and identified factors affecting the uptake of new medicines. The methodological quality was assessed using QASTDD tool. A narrative synthesis of reported factors was conducted using framework analysis and conceptual framework was utilised to group them. Results: A total of 66 studies were included. Most studies (n=62) were quantitative and used secondary data (n=46) from various databases, e.g., insurance databases. The identified factors had a varied impact on the uptake of the different studied new medicines. Differently from earlier reviews, patient factors (patient education, engagement with treatment, therapy preferences), cost of new medicine, reimbursement and formulary conditions, and guidelines were suggested to influence the uptake. Also, the review highlighted that health economics, wider organizational factors, and underlying behaviours of adopters were not or under explored. Conclusion: This systematic review identifies additional factors affecting new medicine use not reported in earlier reviews, which included patient influence and education level, cost of new medicines, formulary and reimbursement restrictions, and guidelines. Further research employing determinant frameworks or implementation theories is needed to gain a better understanding of factors, especially patient, prescriber, and organizational, affecting the uptake of new medicines into clinical practice.Registration: PROSPERO database (CRD42018108536)

Trust and productivity in Australian construction projects: a subcontractor perspective

2016 ◽  
Vol 23 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathew Chalker ◽  
Martin Loosemore
Keyword(s):  
Supply Chain ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
New Technologies ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Good Communication ◽  
Construction Productivity ◽  
Economic Boom

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore the association between trust and productivity from a subcontractor perspective. More specifically it investigates: the perceived level of trust that currently exists between subcontractors and main contractors; the factors affecting trust at the project level; the relationship between trust and productivity. Design/methodology/approach – An on-line survey was undertaken with of 112 senior construction managers working for tier-1 and tier-2 subcontractors in the Australian construction industry. The survey was based on a combination of validated questions from Lau and Rowlinson’s (2009) interpersonal trust and inter-firm trust in construction projects framework and Cheung et al.’s (2011) framework for a trust inventory in construction contracting. Findings – In contrast to the large number of research projects which have highlighted a lack of trust in the construction industry, the findings show that level of trust that Australian subcontractors have in main contractors is generally high. However, bid shopping is a continuing problem in the Australian construction industry which acts to undermine trust. The findings also provide strong evidence that high levels of trust influence productivity on site by enabling greater collaboration, better communication and greater flexibility, agility and informality in project relationships. Research limitations/implications – This research was undertaken in the Sydney metropolitan area in Australia and within an economic boom. It is quite possible that outside this regional context which tends to dominated by larger construction firms and in an alternative economic context that the results of this research could be quite different. This possibility needs to be investigated further. Practical implications – The results indicate that this relatively healthy level of trust is down to good communication and empathy on the part of main contractors to the subcontractor’s welfare. While the results showed that bid shopping is clearly a continuing problem in the Australian construction industry, subcontractors also felt that their contracts were clearly defined and that they were given sufficient time to innovate on their projects. This suggest that new communications technologies can be used to build trust through the supply chain. Given that much of the construction supply chain is made up of small- to medium-sized businesses, the challenge of diffusing these new technologies into this business environment should be a priority. Social implications – Trust in basis of effective collaboration which has been shown to produce numerous social benefits such as greater equity and justice in business relationships and higher levels of productivity and safety. Originality/value – The originality of this research is in using theories of trust to give subcontractors a greater “voice” in the construction productivity debate.

A systematic review of mental stressors in the construction industry

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bashir Tijani ◽  
Xiaohua Jin ◽  
Robert Osei-kyei
Keyword(s):  
Systematic Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Data Extraction ◽  
Working Environment ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Organizational Stressors ◽  
And Gender ◽  
Mental Stressors

PurposeStressors emanated from construction projects are causative factors for occupational stress inherent in the construction industry. Concomitant implications of stressors ignite a burst of empirical evidence, which necessitates a systematic review to capture the state of art of the extant literature. Therefore, this paper addresses this significant gap by conducting a systematic review of mental stressors.Design/methodology/approachA three-stage screening and data extraction method were employed to retrieve 38 papers that met the inclusion criteria for the study.FindingsThe annual publication trends and contributions of selected journals were elucidated. Moreover, this review identified 49 stressors from 38 selected peer-reviewed journals between 1997 and 2020. The most frequently reported mental stressors include work overload, home-work conflict, poor working environment, role ambiguity and poor working relationships. The 49 stressors could be classified into five main categories, namely; organizational stressors, task stressors, personal stressors, physical stressors and gender-related stressors.Originality/valueThe findings of the study broaden the understanding of the practitioners and policymakers on the dynamics of stressors for the development of stress interventions. Future research should focus on exploration of mental stressors specific to construction projects and different occupational trades.

The implications of the construction industry to national wealth

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (5) ◽  
pp. 779-793 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard Glenn Fulford
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Economic Performance ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Labour Productivity ◽  
Economic Value ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Productivity Improvement ◽  
Strong Argument ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Productivity

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how construction projects should be conceived and how the productivity of the construction industry impacts upon a nation’s wealth. Design/methodology/approach The approach has been to marshal the extant literature about the construction industry, construction industry productivity and the economic value of the built environment. Whilst there are many lenses that are used to understand the industry, different ways to measure productivity performance and differing practices between nations, it has been determined that construction industry productivity improvement significantly lags behind other industries. Findings There is a strong argument that construction productivity improvement correlates to advances in a nation’s economy. Nonetheless, it is the decisions about the nature of infrastructure, the standardisation of infrastructure and the effect upon labour productivity that will have the greatest implications for a nation’s economic future. These economic improvements will be inhibited by legacy infrastructure, particularly in densely populated areas. If substantial innovation occurs, the nations currently holding the highest stock of infrastructure might be economically constrained. Research limitations/implications The construction industry is highly fragmented and has the uncertainties of a cyclic industry. It is, therefore, necessary for governments to identify standards and facilitate innovation. The implications for short- and long-term economic performance require that the industry is a fundamental at the highest level of government. Originality/value Scholars can use the propositions to further analyse construction productivity improvement and the provision of different types of infrastructure with regard to a nation’s economic performance. Hypotheses are offered to support future research.

A review of enabling factors in construction industry productivity in an Australian environment

2014 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 210-228 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rami Hughes ◽  
David Thorpe
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
The State ◽  
Background Information ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Relative Importance ◽  
Enabling Factors ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Construction Productivity

Purpose – The purpose of the research discussed in this paper is to ascertain the perception, from the project manager's viewpoint, of factors affecting construction productivity in the State of Queensland, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – The research was conducted by a structured questionnaire that was sent to 89 randomly selected construction project managers in Queensland, Australia. This questionnaire requested background information about the respondents and then sought a score, using a 0-4 Likert scale, from each of them with respect to the importance of 47 factors identified from the literature that were considered likely to affect construction productivity. The factors were stratified into primary factors and secondary factors contributing to three of the primary factors. There were 36 responses. These factors were rated by the respondents and then ranked using a relative importance index approach. Findings – The research evaluated the relative importance of the primary factors with respect to their effect on construction productivity. The 15 highest ranking factors are discussed. Three factors – rework, poor supervisor competency, and incomplete drawings – were ranked as having a strong effect on construction productivity. There was also an analysis of the secondary factors in relation to three of the primary factors. Research limitations/implications – The research focused on the State of Queensland in Australia. It had a response rate of 40 per cent. It provides insight into the factors affecting productivity on construction projects in Australia. Further research to investigate the identified factors in depth, using targeted interviews of expert project management professionals, is currently being undertaken. Practical implications – The construction industry can use the findings in this paper as a basis for improving the productivity of construction projects. Originality/value – This research is original research, which has highlighted a number of key areas of which construction productivity can be improved.

scholarly journals Recommendation Systems for Education: Systematic Review

Electronics ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (14) ◽  
pp. 1611
Author(s):  
María Cora Urdaneta-Ponte ◽  
Amaia Mendez-Zorrilla ◽  
Ibon Oleagordia-Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Machine Learning ◽  
Systematic Review ◽  
Formal Education ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Hybrid Approach ◽  
Recommendation Systems ◽  
Educational Resources ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Collaborative Approach ◽  
Developmental Approach

Recommendation systems have emerged as a response to overload in terms of increased amounts of information online, which has become a problem for users regarding the time spent on their search and the amount of information retrieved by it. In the field of recommendation systems in education, the relevance of recommended educational resources will improve the student’s learning process, and hence the importance of being able to suitably and reliably ensure relevant, useful information. The purpose of this systematic review is to analyze the work undertaken on recommendation systems that support educational practices with a view to acquiring information related to the type of education and areas dealt with, the developmental approach used, and the elements recommended, as well as being able to detect any gaps in this area for future research work. A systematic review was carried out that included 98 articles from a total of 2937 found in main databases (IEEE, ACM, Scopus and WoS), about which it was able to be established that most are geared towards recommending educational resources for users of formal education, in which the main approaches used in recommendation systems are the collaborative approach, the content-based approach, and the hybrid approach, with a tendency to use machine learning in the last two years. Finally, possible future areas of research and development in this field are presented.

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