Developing a safety climate factor model in construction research and practice

2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (6) ◽  
pp. 738-757 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tanvi Newaz ◽  
Peter Rex Davis ◽  
Marcus Jefferies ◽  
Manikam Pillay

Purpose Safety climate and its impact on safety performance is well established; however, researchers in this field suggest that the absence of a common assessment framework is a reflection of the state of development of this concept. The purpose of this paper is to propose a five-factor model that can be used to diagnose and measure safety climate in construction safety research and practice. Design/methodology/approach A systematic review was adopted, and following Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines, 574 articles were selected at the start of the study based on a developed review protocol for investigating safety climate factors. While examining the factor analysis of different studies, data reliability and data validity of the individual research findings were considered and frequency of factors uploaded was used to determine the significance as a quantitative measure to develop the ranking of safety climate factors. Findings The review identified that, from the established measures of safety climate in construction, there is little uniformity on factor importance. However, management commitment safety system role of the supervisor; workers’ involvement and group safety climate were found to be the most common across the studies reviewed. It is proposed these factors are used to inform a five-factor model for investigating safety climate in the construction industry. Originality/value The findings of this study will motivate researchers and practitioners in safety to use the five-factor safety climate model presented in this paper and test it to develop a common factor structure for the construction industry. The fact that the model is comprised of five factors makes it easier to be used and implemented by small-to medium-sized construction companies, therefore enhancing its potential use.

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (3) ◽  
pp. 462-478 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammad Tanvi Newaz ◽  
Peter Rex Davis ◽  
Marcus Jefferies ◽  
Manikam Pillay

Purpose Safety climate (SC) is considered a leading indicator of safety performance, but scholars suggest that a common SC assessment framework is yet to be developed. Following the debate between the importance of facet analysis and agent analysis, the purpose of this paper is to test a factor structure, developed by the authors in previous work and arising from their systematic literature review, highlighting the role of safety agents in a construction site setting. Design/methodology/approach Multi-level SC surveys were conducted at five construction sites in Sydney, Australia, collecting data from of 352 workers associated with a mega-construction project. While examining the factor analysis of different studies, data reliability and data validity of the survey findings were ensured and a goodness-of-fit of SC model was examined through structural equation modelling. Findings The systematic literature review of Newaz et al. (2018) suggested a five-factor model of: management commitment, safety system, role of the supervisor, workers’ involvement and group SC. However, empirical data indicated that the questionnaire used to measure “safety system” failed to pass scale reliability; thus, a four-factor model was proposed to develop an agent-specific SC factor structure in the construction industry. Originality/value The four-factor model indicates the role and level of influence of different safety agents to improve safety perceptions on construction sites. The findings of this study will encourage researchers in construction safety to use the simplified four-factor SC (agent-specific) model presented and test it to further develop a common factor structure for the construction industry. The fact that the model is comprised of four factors makes further implementation somewhat easier in the development of safety plans, and when considering the role of safety agents, therefore enhancing its potential value.


2014 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Narasimha Rao Vajjhala ◽  
Kenneth David Strang

Purpose – The researchers in this study reviewed the literature to locate the most relevant multicultural theories, factors, and instruments in order to measure Albania's national culture. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – An innovative combination of exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis was used to fit the multicultural construct to the sample data and then estimate the national culture (n=73). The multicultural indexes were calculated for five generally accepted national culture factors to compare with the benchmarks published in the literature. Findings – The multicultural indexes were calculated for five generally accepted national culture factors to compare with the benchmarks published in the literature. An asymmetric plot was created for critical comparison of Albania with five other theoretically selected countries, using the indexes for PDi, ICi, MFi, UAi, and LTi. Albania was found to be most similar to its Balkan and Turkish neighbors, as compared with Asian or Western cultures such as that of the USA. Research limitations/implications – The researchers discussed the implications of knowing Albania's national culture profile with reference to how other countries might collaborate and transact with this emerging transition economy. Practical implications – From a business standpoint, the multicultural indexes for Albania provide general indicators of the national beliefs, norms and values, which foreign organizations may compare to their own cultural profile when interacting with professionals in this country. The best use for such indexes is for benchmarking and comparison. Foreign government, private corporations, or nonprofit organizations may compare their own culture profile with that of Albania to be aware of the similarities and differences. Originality/value – Albanian national culture was estimated for the first time in the literature, using a five-factor model adapted from the work of Hofstede.


2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Antonio Garcia-Amate ◽  
Alicia Ramírez-Orellana ◽  
Alfonso A. Rojo Ramirez

PurposeThis study aims to examine the attractiveness of the regional Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes (DJSI) and several renewable energy indexes during December 31, 2010 to December 31, 2019. This study uses a risk-return analysis and a set of explanatory factors. Lastly, this study conducts a comparative analysis of these indexes with conventional indexes. Design/methodology/approachThis study uses data from Eikon, a Thomson Reuters database. To analyze the indexes’ behavior, this study uses the indexes’ annual return as of December 31 for each year. Next, this study estimates the Fama and French’s five-factor model using an ordinary least squares regression for regional DJSI and renewable energy indexes. FindingsThe results show that regional DJSIs delivered returns both above and below conventional indexes. In contrast, renewable energy indexes had high betas and negative returns, making them unattractive to investors. Practical implicationsThe results imply the need for public financing programs that support the transition to a sustainable economy and reduce risk and increase the return on private investment. Social implicationsThis study provides insights for policymakers regarding the importance of sustainability indexes in the transition to a green economy. Originality/valueThis study contributes to the growing literature on Fama and French’s five-factor model of sustainability indexes, especially in the current context characterized by intense green political changes. In particular, this study complements the few studies that have addressed the economic implications of renewable energy indexes in markets.


2019 ◽  
Vol 27 (1) ◽  
pp. 36-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mohammed Yasin Ghadi

Purpose Job crafting is recently argued to have five dimensions (Nielsen et al., 2017): increasing challenging demands, decreasing social demands, increasing social job resources, increasing quantitative demands and decreasing hindrance demands. The purpose of this study aimed to investigate the psychometric properties and construct validity of the five-factor model of job crafting, introduced by using a sample of Jordanian university employees. Design/methodology/approach A pre-determined survey on was used. Accordingly, 513 professional workers in several universities completed the survey. Cronbach’s alpha was used to assess the internal consistency of the scale, whereas series of confirmatory factor (CFA) analysis and exploratory factor analysis (EFA) were conducted to assess the scale’s factorial and discriminant validity. Other tests were also conducted. Findings As predicted, the proposed model best fit the data. Statistical analysis yielded several findings. First, the results of the reliability test revealed that the five sub-scales of job crafting had significant and sufficiently strong internal consistencies. Second, the results showed that the 15 items loaded significantly with a factor loadings more than 0.50. Third, the CFA results confirmed that the five-factor model best fitted the data in comparison to the one-factor model. Finally, the construct validity of JCRQ-15 was confirmed through its correlation with several validating variables. Research limitations/implications Some limitations need to be addressed. First, the sample came from participants working in specific Jordanian universities which may limit the generalization that could be made from the results to other occupations. Second, due to the cross-sectional design of the present study, the question remains whether the JCRQ-15 are stable overtime. Third, the common methods bias might be a problem because it is one of the main sources of measurement error in validation studies using self-reported scales. Originality/value The present study provided an early supportive evidence for the use of the JCRQ-15 as a valid measure of job crafting in the Jordanian context.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 201-213 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pedro Fontes Falcão ◽  
Manuel Saraiva ◽  
Eduardo Santos ◽  
Miguel Pina e Cunha

Purpose After a hiatus in the research on individual differences in negotiation, there has been a surge of renewed interest in recent years followed by several new findings. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects that personality, as structured by the five-factor model, have over negotiation behavior and decision making in order to create new knowledge and prescribe advice to negotiators. Design/methodology/approach This study replicates observations from earlier studies but with the innovation of using a different methodology, as data from a sample of volunteer participants were collected in regard to their personality and behavior during two computerized negotiation simulations, one with the potential for joint gains and the other following a more traditional bargaining scenario. Findings Significant results for both settings were found, with the personality dimensions of agreeableness, conscientiousness, and extraversion systematically reoccurring as the most statistically relevant, although expressing different roles according to the type of negotiation and measure being registered. The findings thus suggest a multidimensional relationship between personality and situational variables in which specific traits can either become liabilities or assets depending upon whether the potential for value creation is present or not. Originality/value The new findings on the impacts of personality traits on both distributive and integrative negotiations allow negotiators to improve their performance and to adapt to specific distributive or integrative negotiation situations.


2015 ◽  
Vol 19 (2) ◽  
pp. 23-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Wang ◽  
Ramudu Bhanugopan ◽  
Pamela Lockhart

Purpose – The aim of this paper is to examine the determinants of organizational performance (OP) of business enterprises located in China and to explore how individual demographic and organizational characteristics affect OP. Design/methodology/approach – This study applies quantitative methods to examine the OP. Data were collected from 405 managers across 306 organizations in China. Findings – The study finds that, overall, OP is related to five factors, namely, finance and customer, internal business, work satisfaction, pay and benefits and innovation and technology (INT). The results from this study provide new perspectives and support the overall validity of the nomological network of OP factors. The findings also provide guidelines on which perspectives of performance organizations should be enhanced. Practical implications – The five-factor model of OP provides benefit to any organization or individual who intends to examine OP in China. In addition, the findings suggest that organizations should explore ways to enforce their performance. The findings also inform organizational decision makers about practices for performance improvement. Originality/value – The present study was undertaken to advance understanding of OP in China in several ways. The most significant element of this study was the five-factor performance model generated from the structural equation modeling analysis. The results from MANOVA highlight the potential impact of organization theory on how demographic and organizational variables influence OP in China.


2018 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-513
Author(s):  
Seniz Özhan ◽  
Nevin Altug ◽  
Eylem Deniz

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the joint effect of two composite characteristics –openness to experience (OE) and nostalgia proneness (NP) – on product involvement (PI) and whether brand loyalty (BL) is a result of this PI. Design/methodology/approach In accordance with this purpose, a model suggesting that OE dimension of the five-factor model and NP influences PI and PI influences BL was developed and tested. The data used in the study were obtained from 1,392 participants from the Thrace region of Turkey. The authors use a structural equation model to test and confirm hypothesis. Findings OE influences PI and hence BL. On the other hand, it has been concluded that NP has no significant influence on PI. Research limitations/implications This is the first study to examine the influence of OE, one of the personality traits, and NP on BL. In this study, only OE, which is one of the five-factor personality traits, has been examined. Studies in the future may research the relationship between other personality traits and NP, PI and BL. Practical implications This paper provides managerial insights into why consumers’ personality traits and NP need to be taken into consideration in creating BL. Originality/value To the best of authors’ knowledge, the influence of OE and NP on BL has not been addressed in the current literature. Personality traits and NP are closely related to individuals’ behaviors as a consumer. Understanding the factors that influence consumer purchase decision processes is of crucial importance to managers and researchers alike. The paper is of great value for firms that consider enhance BL.


2020 ◽  
Vol 21 (2) ◽  
pp. 159-179
Author(s):  
Mashukudu Hartley Molele ◽  
Janine Mukuddem-Petersen

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to examine the level of foreign exchange exposure of listed nonfinancial firms in South Africa. The study spans the period January 2002 and November 2015. Foreign exchange risk exposure is estimated in relation to the exchange rate of the South African Rand relative to the US$, the Euro, the British Pound and the trade-weighted exchange rate index. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on the augmented-market model of Jorion (1990). The Jorion (1990) is a capital asset pricing model-inspired framework which models share returns as a function of the return on the market index and changes in the exchange rate factor. The market risk factor is meant to discount the effect of macroeconomic factors on share returns, thus isolating the foreign exchange risk factor. In addition, the study further added the size, value, momentum, investment and profitability risk factors in line with the Fama–French three-factor model, Carhart four-factor model and the Fama–French five-factor model to account for the fact that equity capital markets in countries such as South Africa are known to be partially segmented. Findings Foreign exchange risk exposure levels were estimated at more than 40% for all the proxy currencies on the basis of the standard augmented market model. However, after controlling for idiosyncratic factors, through the application of the Fama–French three-factor model, the Carhart four-factor model and the Fama–French five-factor model, exposure levels were found to range between 6.5 and 12%. Research limitations/implications These results indicate the importance of controlling for the effects of idiosyncratic facto0rs in the estimation of foreign exchange risk exposure in the context of emerging markets of Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Originality/value This is the first study to apply the Fama–French three-factor model, Carhart four-factor model and the Fama–French five-factor model in the estimation of foreign exchange exposure of nonfinancial firms in the context of a SSA country. These results indicate the importance of controlling for the effects of idiosyncratic factors in the estimation of foreign exchange risk exposure in the context of emerging markets.


Author(s):  
Fatma Lestari ◽  
Riza Yosia Sunindijo ◽  
Martin Loosemore ◽  
Yuni Kusminanti ◽  
Baiduri Widanarko

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.


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