Future-ready project and facility management graduates in Singapore for industry 4.0

2019 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sui Pheng Low ◽  
Shang Gao ◽  
Eileen Wan Leng Ng
Keyword(s):  
Graduate Students ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
Local Construction

Purpose The disparity between employers’ expectations and the ability of graduates to meet them is an issue for employment. Industry 4.0, represented by technologies like big data and automation, permeate the construction industry, exacerbating the rift of changing expectations that future graduates must bridge. As sophisticated forms of technology emerge, the ways individuals work are also expected to change. Soft skills are needed to support, materialise, and enhance the workforce’s existing technical skills. The purpose of this paper is to explore the effect of Industry 4.0 on employability in the local construction industry from the viewpoint of employers and future graduates. Design/methodology/approach This study adopts mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, quantitative followed by qualitative. The questionnaire survey crosschecked the needs and expectations of employers in the local construction industry, regarding these nine soft skills and the extent to which students currently possess them, to determine whether students from the construction industry are Industry 4.0-ready. Qualitative interviews were also conducted with employers in the construction industry and PFM students to further understand the disparity between the survey results of the two parties. Findings Gap analyses and t-test results found six significant divides in nine soft skills – resilience, curiosity, adaptability, entrepreneurial thinking, pursuing convictions and vision – showing a significant difference between the mean expectations of employers and the soft skills capabilities of graduate students. Future graduate students thus lack the soft skills needed by Industry 4.0. The reasons for this significant difference and the barriers to improving soft skills are explored through interviews with employers and future graduates. Three parties – government, educational institutions and industry – were identified as crucial partners in change. Originality/value Little has been researched about the future strategies and mindsets required by the workforce to prepare for the changes brought by Industry 4.0. Likewise, the government’s and companies’ one-sided focus on promoting skill-upgrading leaves many to wonder about the soft skills needed to stay competitive. Hence, it is timely to examine the readiness of Singapore’s future graduates in the construction industry in adapting to Industry 4.0’s requirements in terms of soft skills.

Reading routines: strategies of recall in graduate education

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Alan Fine ◽  
Hannah Wohl ◽  
Simone Ispa-Landa
Keyword(s):  
Social Sciences ◽  
Graduate Students ◽  
Doctoral Students ◽  
Graduate Program ◽  
Graduate Training ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Doctoral Program ◽  
Note Taking ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Social

Purpose This study aims to explore how graduate students in the social sciences develop reading and note-taking routines. Design/methodology/approach Using a professional socialization framework drawing on grounded theory, this study draws on a snowball sample of 36 graduate students in the social sciences at US universities. Qualitative interviews were conducted to learn about graduate students’ reading and note-taking techniques. Findings This study uncovered how doctoral students experienced the shift from undergraduate to graduate training. Graduate school requires students to adopt new modes of reading and note-taking. However, students lacked explicit mentorship in these skills. Once they realized that the goal was to enter an academic conversation to produce knowledge, they developed new reading and note-taking routines by soliciting and implementing suggestions from advanced doctoral students and faculty mentors. Research limitations/implications The specific requirements of the individual graduate program shape students’ goals for reading and note-taking. Further examination of the relationship between graduate students’ reading and note-taking and institutional requirements is warranted with a larger sample of universities, including non-American institutions. Practical implications Graduate students benefit from explicit mentoring in reading and note-taking skills from doctoral faculty and advanced graduate students. Originality/value This study uncovers the perspectives of graduate students in the social sciences as they transition from undergraduate coursework in a doctoral program of study. This empirical, interview-based research highlights the centrality of reading and note-taking in doctoral studies.

Using virtual reality to facilitate communication in the AEC domain: a systematic review

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 509-542 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jing Wen ◽  
Masoud Gheisari
Keyword(s):  
Virtual Reality ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Dynamic Environment ◽  
Facility Management ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Research Directions ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Education ◽  
Future Research Directions ◽  
Aec Industry

Purpose The architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) industry exists in a dynamic environment and requires several stakeholders to communicate regularly. However, evidence indicates current communication practices fail to meet the requirements of increasingly complex projects. With the advent of Industry 4.0, a trend is noted to create a digital communication environment between stakeholders. Identified as a central technology in Industry 4.0, virtual reality (VR) has the potential to supplement current communication and facilitate the digitization of the AEC industry. This paper aims to explore how VR has been applied and future research directions for communication purpose. Design/methodology/approach This research follows a systematic literature assessment methodology to summarize the results of 41 research articles in the last 15 years and outlines the applications of VR in facilitating communication in the AEC domain. Findings Relevant VR applications are mainly found in building inspection, facility management, safety training, construction education and design and review. Communication tools and affordance are provided or built in several forms: text-based tools, voice chat tool, visual sharing affordance and avatars. Objective and subjective communication assessments are observed from those publications. Originality/value This review contributes to identifying the recent employment areas and future research directions of VR to facilitate communication in the AEC domain. The outcome can be a practical resource to guide both industry professionals and researchers to recognize the potentials of VR and will ultimately facilitate the creation of digital construction environments.

Development of waste occurrence level indicator in Vietnam construction industry

2015 ◽  
Vol 22 (6) ◽  
pp. 715-731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ha Duy Khanh ◽  
Soo Yong Kim
Keyword(s):  
Factor Analysis ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Quantitative Information ◽  
Mean Value ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Level Indicator ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Analysis Technique ◽  
Significant Difference

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the waste occurrence level in the construction industry. It includes: first, identifying the mean value of frequency of waste occurrence according to respondents’ characteristics; second, identifying the main predictive factors for waste occurrence based on latent relationships between initial waste factors; and third, identifying the waste occurrence-level indicator (WOLI) for the construction industry based on the main waste measurement factors. Design/methodology/approach – A total of 19 waste factors were sorted from the literature review. A structured questionnaire was adopted to carry out the survey. The respondents are professionals who have much experience in construction and management of project. Shapiro-Wilk test of normality, Levene’s test, ANOVA test, and factor analysis technique were used to analyze the collected data. Findings – Frequency of waste occurrence in construction projects is quite high. There was no statistically and practically significant difference in means for waste occurrence between selected population categories. Based on factor analysis technique, there were five principal components extracted with 56.7 percent of total variance. The WOLI in the construction industry was found as 61.55 per the scale of 100. Research limitations/implications – The non-probability sampling was applied to collect data because of several certain limitations and difficulties. The number of data sets is relatively small. This study has only examined the frequency of waste occurrence without quantitative information. Practical implications – This is another study of waste factors in the construction industry, which is different from traditional waste studies. Originality/value – The contribution of this study to the practical project management is that a proposed evaluation sheet for WOLI could be applied for any construction firm.

scholarly journals Academic research in emerging knowledge-based economies

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (4) ◽  
pp. 415-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chandanie Hadiwattege ◽  
Sepani Senaratne ◽  
Yasangika Sandanayake ◽  
Nirodha Gayani Fernando
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Academic Research ◽  
Knowledge Dissemination ◽  
Sri Lankan ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Knowledge Based ◽  
Research Collaborations ◽  
Knowledge Based Economy

Purpose Knowledge-based economies are popular in the present world. Simultaneously, universities are becoming more responsible for leading economic development through research. As a key contributor to the national economy, it is vital for the construction industry to move beyond outdated practices, and hence, reviewing the role of academic research in empowering the construction industry with knowledge is essential. The purpose of this paper is to focus on how relevant theories conceptualise the expected role of academic research in the innovative development of an industry and the specific location in the Sri Lankan construction industry. Design/methodology/approach Following a comprehensive literature review, empirical data were collected from the Sri Lankan context with a mixed approach informed by a pragmatist philosophical stance. The perspective of academia and industry practitioners were deductively obtained through surveys and inductively explored through qualitative interviews. Findings This study provides evidence that academic research in Sri Lanka does not contribute effectively to innovative construction management. Due to the absence of industry-focussed knowledge dissemination strategies, the academic–industry relationships are mostly non-research based. The industry lacks in research-informed-decision making, leading to lesser innovations. Research limitations/implications The research conclusions are more applicable to the developing country construction industry contexts. Practical implications The research urges the need for improved academic–industry research collaborations and strategic knowledge dissemination movements. Originality/value The research confirms that academic research is a major integral part of the developing construction industry in a knowledge-based economy. In establishing the expected role of academic research, the research revealed the current practice to be under-located. Hence, the research prescribes the necessary actions; research collaborations in major and subsequent requirements.

The career advancement of the professional women in the UK construction industry

2014 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-70 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nirodha Gayani Fernando ◽  
Dilanthi Amaratunga ◽  
Richard Haigh
Keyword(s):  
Literature Review ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Career Success ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Soft Skills ◽  
Training And Development ◽  
Professional Women ◽  
Content Type ◽  
The Uk

Purpose – This paper aims to explore and investigate the career success of professional women in the UK construction industry. Design/methodology/approach – The aim of the research was set following the literature review and synthesis, after which a multiple case study approach is adopted to conduct exploratory case studies among professional women in the UK construction industry. A mixed method design was used for data collection, whereby qualitative data were collected in the first study and quantitative data were collected in the second study. The researcher adopted this sequence in order to gather qualitative data and analysis of a relatively unexplored area of career success factors of professional women in the UK construction industry. The results from the qualitative method were used, along with a relevant literature review, to develop the focus and questions in the quantitative phase of the study. The individuals in the first stage of data collection were not the same participants as those in the second stage, because the purpose of the quantitative study was to generalise the results to a population. Findings – The results indicated that soft skills are very important for career success, while hard skills are essential thereafter for professional women in the UK construction industry. Accordingly, it is necessary to develop soft skills in order to advance the women's professional careers. Further, the results indicated that age and gender are the least important career success factors for women in construction. The ability to work with people, taking opportunities, confidence, adaptability, communication skills, dedication, competence, focus, supportive line management, integrity, leadership skills, ability to bring teams together, good mix of skills, honesty, networking, intelligence and logically approaching business problems identified as the critical career success factors. Research limitations/implications – The construction industry is limited to organisations that construct buildings and infrastructure, and those involved in property development. These organisations comprise client, contractor and consultancy organisations. Practical implications – The findings of the paper are useful to human resource development managers to understand and improve organisational training and development plans, which help to advance the career of professional women. By doing so, organisations could recruit and retain more professional women in the construction industry. Therefore, recruiting and retaining more professional women in the organisation helps to enhance productivity in the industry and to enhance their health and well being in society at large. Originality/value – The value of this paper is twofold. First, this study contributes to fill the knowledge gap in career success factors of professional women in the UK construction industry. Second, this empirical research will have implications in the identification of different training and development activities to advance the careers of women in the UK construction industry.

Understanding crisis resilience in manufacturing firms in the DACH region during the COVID-19 pandemic

2022 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Pilar Gil Fombella ◽  
Shaun West ◽  
Marleen Muehlberger ◽  
Thomas Sautter ◽  
Guenter Zepf ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Crisis Management ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Qualitative Interviews ◽  
Manufacturing Firms ◽  
Management Model ◽  
Italian Study ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Future Events ◽  
Survey Results ◽  
The Impact

PurposeThis paper describes the impact of COVID-19 on manufacturing firms in the DACH region of Europe (DACH is an acronym used to describe Germany, Austria and Switzerland). The purpose of the study was threefold: first to describe crisis resilience empirically through the actions taken by the firms using the elements of resilience; the paper then goes on to compare the DACH region with Northern Italy; finally, based on the findings, an existing crisis management model is expanded.Design/methodology/approachA mixed method of quantitative research based on survey data and qualitative interviews was applied for data collection. The findings are based on 57 survey results and 13 interviews from December 2020 to March 2021. The findings are presented based on the resilience elements and are discussed based on processes, technologies and people. The findings are compared with those from an Italian study made 6–9 months before this study. The comparison provides the basis for the adaptations to the crisis management model.FindingsThe findings describe the actions taken by firms in the DACH region to overcome the challenges posed by COVID-19. The findings were, in most cases, very similar to those from the Italian study. The most resilient firms had well-defined processes in place, adaptable employees who were well-led, and had (digital) technologies that could be quickly implemented.Originality/valueThe timing for the crisis was later in the DACH region and firms were able to learn from Italy. The crisis management model based on the Italian study was refined; the resulting model will support managers to face future crises. This model needs testing and extending to link to past and future events.

An overview of BIM adoption barriers in the Middle East and North Africa developing countries

2021 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Claudette El Hajj ◽  
Germán Martínez Montes ◽  
Dima Jawad
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Middle East ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
North Africa ◽  
Research Work ◽  
Information Modeling ◽  
Financial Barriers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Impact

PurposeIn an attempt to attain a better understanding of the research work on building information modeling (BIM) adoption, this study aims to examine the criticality of BIM adoption barriers in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) developing countries from the lens of the sociotechnical theory. Further, the study investigates the differences in the perceptions of various constructions players (owners, contractors and designers) to BIM barriers, as well as possible discrepancies in the perception of BIM users and non-BIM users to the significance of the perceived constraints.Design/methodology/approachTo reach this aim, the study starts with a systematic evaluation and a critical review of the literature on BIM barriers. A set of 22 BIM adoption limitations was drawn from the literature which was used to design the survey. To capture a broad perception, a mixed approach was used, and data were collected through an interview study and a survey involving Architecture, Engineering and Construction professionals in the MENA construction sector. The collected data were analyzed using the mean score, standard deviation and nonparametric tests. The further principal component analysis (PCA) grouped the barriers to uncover the latent factors of BIM barriers.FindingsThe actors ranked the barriers as follows: lack of knowledge and BIM awareness, commercial issues and investment cost, lack of skills and BIM specialist, interoperability and lack of client demand. The examination of the PCA resulted in four underlying BIM limitation factors namely: human, technological, structural and financial. The analysis of the ranking indicated that 16 of the 22 barriers are considered critical in the MENA area. The results of the Mann–Whitney test indicated that there is a statistically significant difference in perceptions of BIM users and nonuser for seven barriers, pointing out that users care most about the financial barriers; however, nonusers are mostly concerned with structural and technological barriers. However, the results of the Kruskal–Wallis test indicated that there is no statistically significant difference in the perceptions of the three categories of stakeholders in ranking all BIM barriers.Practical implicationsThe outcomes will back policymakers and construction participants with the knowledge to develop policy propositions that can positively affect BIM adoption in the construction industry. The significance of this study lies in being one of the very first explorative investigations that comparatively and empirically explored BIM adoption barriers across the whole MENA developing countries.Originality/valueWhile several research studies have examined BIM adoption barriers in various countries, none to the best of the authors' knowledge have attempted to study the whole MENA region as one entity, and none highlighted the impact of user's roles on their perception of adoption barriers within their community. The results contribute to the discussion of the relationship among practitioners' level of involvement in BIM projects and their perception of adoption barriers which is underrepresented in extant studies. The above can assist with prioritizing the barriers that are considered to be more significant given the characteristics of the community under study. The result revealed the value of the structural and human attributes in prioritizing BIM adoption barriers within the MENA construction industry.

Contractors’ opportunism: construction professionals’ awareness of influencing factors

2019 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 102-114
Author(s):  
Matthew Osivue Ikuabe ◽  
Ayodeji Emmanuel Oke
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Influencing Factors ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Design Methodology ◽  
Negative Impact ◽  
Item Score ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Post Hoc ◽  
Very High

Purpose Construction contractors serve as economic partners to owners of construction projects, but often times, they could depict opportunistic tendencies which are to the detriment of the client. This study aims to focus on the awareness of construction professionals with respect to influencing factors of construction contractors’ opportunism. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was adopted in eliciting responses from construction professionals, namely, architects, quantity surveyors, builders and engineers. In total, 337 questionnaires were distributed, of which 264 were retrieved and deemed fit for analysis. Methods of data analysis used are mean item score, factor analysis, analysis of variance, Kruskal–Wallis and Student Newman Kaul post hoc test. Findings The study revealed that the level of construction professionals’ awareness of contractors’ susceptibility of opportunism is very high. Equally, the most ranked factor is “No sanction for not reporting inconsistency of drawings.” The postulated hypothesis was subjected to a test, and the result showed that there is a significant difference in professionals’ perceived level of awareness of factors responsible for contractors’ opportunistic behaviors. Originality/value The study brings to the fore professionals’ knowledge of the awareness of influencing factors to contractors’ opportunism. The established level of its awareness portends a dangerous trend and has a large negative impact on the construction industry as this opens a vista to discouraging prospective investors, developers and owners, taking into cognizance the effect this would have on the economy.

scholarly journals Workplace training and generic and technical skill development in the Australian construction industry

2016 ◽  
Vol 35 (4) ◽  
pp. 486-504 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole Detsimas ◽  
Vaughan Coffey ◽  
Zabihullah Sadiqi ◽  
Mei Li
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Skill Development ◽  
Critical Factor ◽  
Tier 2 ◽  
Workplace Training ◽  
Skills Gap ◽  
Training Environment ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Construction Company ◽  
Survey Results

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to investigate the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. Design/methodology/approach – An internet-based survey was administered to collect the opinions of construction employees about the workplace-training environment and their perceptions towards training. The survey intended to address the following research questions, specifically in relation to the construction industry. Findings – The survey results reveal that whilst overall participation in workplace training is high, the current workplace training environments do not foster balanced skill development. The study reveals that in the current absence of a formal and well-balanced training mechanism, construction workers generally resort to their own informal self-development initiatives to develop the needed role-specific theoretical knowledge. Research limitations/implications – The findings of the research are based on the data primarily collected in the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. The data are limited to a single Tier 2 construction company. Practical implications – The findings of this study can be utilised to suggest improvements in the current (or develop new) workplace training initiatives. Social implications – The research suggests that workplace training has positive relationship with career growth. The results suggest that in the construction industry, employees are generally well aware of the importance of workplace training in their career development and they largely appreciate training as being a critical factor for developing their capacity to perform their roles successfully, and to maintain their employability. Originality/value – This paper is unique as it investigates the current skills gap in both generic and skill areas within the construction industry in Queensland, Australia. So far no work has been undertaken to identify and discusses the main method of workplace learning within the Tier 2 industry in the context of Queensland Australia.

Digital technology utilisation decisions for facilitating the implementation of Industry 4.0 technologies

2020 ◽  
Vol ahead-of-print (ahead-of-print) ◽  
Author(s):  
Samad M.E. Sepasgozar
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Technology Adoption ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Industry 4.0 ◽  
Active Role ◽  
Final Decision ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Adoption Decision ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
Multi Stage

Purpose Emerging Construction Industry 4.0 technologies raise serious questions for construction companies when deciding whether to adopt or reject emerging technologies. Vendors seek to understand what factors are involved in how construction companies make these decisions and how they might vary across different companies. This paper aims to present a systematic, technology adoption decision-making framework for the construction industry which includes the key steps required for the final decision being made by companies up to the commencement of the operation of the technology. Design/methodology/approach A total of 123 experienced practitioners were interviewed to identify a broad range of tasks relevant to decision-making. Participants known as customers or vendors were chosen to validate the findings of each group by using data triangulation methods. A systematic thematic analysis method was applied in the NVivo environment to analyse the data. Findings This study identifies the active role of vendors who need to understand how their customers arrive at decisions to increase the rate of technology adoption. This paper also provides insights to new companies and late adopters (reported greater than 50%) about how others arrived at their decisions. Originality/value Unlike other technology adoption models, this paper investigates vendors’ corresponding interactions during the decision-making process. This paper also goes beyond previous studies, which focussed on the individual customer’s intention to use a specific technology at a single-stage by developing a multi-stage framework to enable understanding the details of the decision process at the organisational level.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document