scholarly journals Innovate or Perish? Exploring some of the Myths of Construction Innovation

2014 ◽  
Vol 2 (2) ◽  
pp. 44 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Loosemore
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Innovation Research ◽  
Global Innovation ◽  
The Face

The construction innovation literature suggests that managers face a stark choice. They can innovate or perish in the face of growing global competition and an increasingly uncertain and dynamic world. Innovation is presented as a key area of reform needed to raise business performance, yet at the same time it is argued that Australia is falling behind in the global innovation stakes. Evidence suggests that the Australian Construction sector is a poor innovation performer when compared to all-industry averages and contributes relatively little to the national innovation effort. Drawing on international innovation research, this paper argues that these views are overly simplistic and explores some of the myths that surround the process in the construction industry. Through interviews with some of Australia’s leading innovators and policy-makers it suggests that many of the factors that are said to drive innovation are not as straight forward as they may seem. There are important qualifications to consider and it would seem that construction innovation is a highly interactive and amorphous process, involving many people with multiple interests dealing with day-to-day challenges.Keywords: Innovation, opportunism, strategy, risk.

The Impact of Terrorism on Construction Industry in Iraq

2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 69-84
Author(s):  
Wadhah Amer Hatem ◽  
Samiaah M. Hassen Al-Tmeemy
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Historical Data ◽  
Terrorist Attacks ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Statistical Procedures ◽  
Qualitative Approaches ◽  
Suicide Attacks ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Impact

     Suicide attacks, bombings, explosions became the part of daily life in Iraq. Consequently, the threat of terrorism put the Iraqi construction sector in the face of unique and unusual challenges that not seen on other countries. These challenges can have extensive impact on construction projects. This paper seeks to examine the impact of the terrorist attacks on construction industry and determine the extent to which the impact of terrorism on construction projects in terms of cost, schedule, and quality. This study adapted quantitative and qualitative approaches to collect data using questionnaire survey and interviews, as well as historical data. The study focused on projects that have been the target of terrorist strikes in Diyala governorate. A variety of statistical procedures were employed in data analysis. The results revealed the extent to which terrorist attacks impact construction projects in terms of cost, time, and quality. The results of this study will enhance the awareness of all construction parties to the impact of the terrorist attacks against construction projects. Eventually, this can develop a risk management assessment and assist contractors to properly protect projects and buildings to minimize injuries and fatalities in the event of terrorism.

scholarly journals Evaluating critical success factors for implementing smart devices in the construction industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1625-1640 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manuel Alexander Silverio-Fernandez ◽  
Suresh Renukappa ◽  
Subashini Suresh
Keyword(s):  
Dominican Republic ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Construction Projects ◽  
Success Factors ◽  
Smart Devices ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Critical Success

Purpose The decentralisation of information and high rate of mobile content access in the construction industry provides an ideal scenario for improvement of processes via the implementation of the paradigm of the Internet of Things (IoT). Smart devices are considered as the objects interconnected in the IoT; therefore, they play a fundamental role in the implementation of digital solutions during the execution of construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to assess the critical factors for a successful implementation of smart devices in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach An empirical study was performed in the Dominican Republic. This country, located at the heart of the Caribbean, presents an economy that strongly relies on the construction industry. Following a systematic approach, a qualitative data collection and analysis was performed based on semi-structured interviews and content analysis to professionals of construction companies in the Dominican Republic, enquiring the concept of smart devices and critical success factors for implementing the devices in the industry. Findings The key success factors obtained from the contestants were leadership, technology awareness, company size, usability of proposed solution, cost of implementation and interoperability. Originality/value This paper provides information to clients of the construction sector regarding the benefits of embedding smart devices into their business activities. Furthermore, this study provides a better understanding of the key factors to be considered by construction organisations when embedding smart devices into their projects. This study also provides recommendations for distinct stakeholders of the construction sector, such as policy makers, clients and technology consultants. Policy makers should especially consider factors such as technology awareness and leadership to develop the right policies for the integration of the IoT in construction projects. Technology consultants should be aware of the latest case studies of successful implementation of smart devices and IoT systems in the world in order to adapt and implement smart devices and IoT in their projects.

scholarly journals UK CONSTRUCTION COMPANIES’ STRATEGIES IN THE FACE OF BUSINESS CYCLES

2014 ◽  
Vol 18 (3) ◽  
pp. 225-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Les Ruddock ◽  
Amir Kheir ◽  
Steven Ruddock
Keyword(s):  
Business Cycles ◽  
Human Resource Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Human Resource ◽  
Business Environment ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Economic Cycle ◽  
Construction Companies ◽  
The Face ◽  
The Uk

Firms in the construction industry have always had to deal with the challenges of the economic cycle and develop strategies to deal with the resulting fluctuations in their business environment. In the context of the 2008–2011 double-dip recession in the UK, the results of a survey targeting the top one hundred construction companies in the UK are reported here. This research is particularly intended to assess whether the strategies of large companies in the construction sector, when faced with the issues associated with the variation in the economic cycle, have changed since the previous business cycle (i.e. the 1986–1990 boom followed by the 1990–1991 recession). The survey reveals the challenges that companies have faced, reports on company behaviour and on the policies adopted. While there are many similarities between policies adopted during the recessionary periods of the two cycles, the research found notable changes in attitudes towards diversification, human resource management and price bidding.

scholarly journals POLICY MODEL FOR MANAGING STATE OWNED ENTERPRISE

2020 ◽  
Vol 3 (2) ◽  
pp. 204-233
Author(s):  
Riant Nugroho
Keyword(s):  
Developing Countries ◽  
Business Performance ◽  
Global Competition ◽  
State Budget ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Policy Model ◽  
State Owned Enterprise

State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) is a unique phenomenon of developing countries economy. Indonesia SOEs has come as a policy of MNC nationalisation post Independence. The policy then turn into savior of the nation's economy while in 1998/1999 crises. The next policy was turning the groups of industries into the profesionally managed corporation and become the leading national players in the global competition. The policy has been promoting by all administrations post reform, and the SOEs have a sound business performance. It raised the three questions for the next challenge: it is a need to keep the Ministry of SOEs, and how to make a perform policy on SOEs. The answer is, there is a t need o abolish the office. The second answer is there is a need to define the next mission of the SOEs. There are two critical new missions that need to be redrawn by policy makers. First, in the well-developed economy and liberalized market, SOEs act as �countervailing actor� toward market players rather than to dominate. Secondly, in the next 50 years, it is probable SOEs will be one of the principal contributors for state budget.

Measurement of Vulnerability of Financial Portfolio of Sharia Commercial Banks by Cardona Method

2017 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 109
Author(s):  
Paulina Harun ◽  
Atman Poerwokoesoemo
Keyword(s):  
Commercial Banks ◽  
Quantitative Research ◽  
Banking Sector ◽  
Banking Industry ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Section Data ◽  
Initial Stage ◽  
The Face ◽  
Asset Portfolio

his study aims to: (1) to know and analyze the extent of volatility (vulnerability) of sharia banking industry in Indonesia in the face of competition (2) to know and analyze factors affecting vulnerability of sharia commercial banks; (3) to know and analyze the extent of sustainable development of sharia banking industry to Indonesia's economic development.The research conducted to measure the vulnerability (volatility) of proto folio of syariah bank using observation period 2015, and the data used is cross section data. The research design used in this research is quantitative research, using asset dimension (asset portfolio, liability portfolio, equity portfolio) and stressor (pressure, including: credit risk, market risk, and liquidity risk).The activity plan of this research is: in the initial stage of conducting theoretical study related to the vulnerability related to banking especially BUS; The next step is to determine the asset and stressor dimensions associated with the BUS; Further determine the indicators related to assets and stressors; The next step performs calculations to determine the index of each BUS as well as the dimensions that affect the vulnerabilities faced by each BUS.Target expected outcomes can be generated from this research is: for the object of research (BUS) provide a solution for BUS to deal with and overcome the vulnerabilities encountered and policies that must be done. For policy makers, the results of this study are expected to provide input in decision-making and other policies.Measurement of vulnerability to be performed related to banking operations in the face of competition and the continuity of BUS in Indonesia. The outcomes of this study are expected to be included in Bank Indonesia journals, the selection of this journal is based on studies conducted in the banking sector, especially BUS in Indonesia.

scholarly journals Impact of Migrant Workers on Total Factor Productivity in Chinese Construction Industry

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 926 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gui Ye ◽  
Yuhe Wang ◽  
Yuxin Zhang ◽  
Liming Wang ◽  
Houli Xie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Construction Industry ◽  
Total Factor Productivity ◽  
Migrant Workers ◽  
Annual Report ◽  
Learning By Doing ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Factor Productivity ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Statistical Yearbook ◽  
The Impact

Total factor productivity (TFP) is of critical importance to the sustainable development of construction industry. This paper presents an analysis on the impact of migrant workers on TFP in Chinese construction sector. Interestingly, Solow Residual Approach is applied to conduct the analysis through comparing two scenarios, namely the scenario without considering migrant workers (Scenario A) and the scenario with including migrant workers (Scenario B). The data are collected from the China Statistical Yearbook on Construction and Chinese Annual Report on Migrant Workers for the period of 2008–2015. The results indicate that migrant workers have a significant impact on TFP, during the surveyed period they improved TFP by 10.42% in total and promoted the annual average TFP growth by 0.96%. Hence, it can be seen that the impact of migrant workers on TFP is very significant, whilst the main reason for such impact is believed to be the improvement of migrant workers’ quality obtained mainly throughout learning by doing.

scholarly journals The Dimension of Sustainability: A Comparative Analysis of Broadness of Information in Italian Companies

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (3) ◽  
pp. 1457 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sabrina Spallini ◽  
Virginia Milone ◽  
Antonio Nisio ◽  
Patrizia Romanazzi
Keyword(s):  
Business Performance ◽  
Univariate Analysis ◽  
Multivariate Regression Analysis ◽  
Global Reporting Initiative ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Mean Values ◽  
Regulatory Interventions ◽  
Development Goals ◽  
Key Dimensions ◽  
Positive Correlations

In recent years, sustainability has become one of the key dimensions of business performance. The results obtained in terms of sustainability must be adequately communicated in suitable reports, the quality of which is determined by several factors. One of these, the breadth of information provided, plays a significant role. The aim of this paper is to measure the broadness of non-financial information in sustainability reports and correlate this to some selected variables that refer to corporate governance, i.e., the presence of an internal sustainability committee and of female directors; the characteristics of the report e.g., Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) citation; company features, number of employees, revenues, and Return On Assets ROA. For this purpose, 134 Italian companies were studied and a score based on the conformity of the NFD (non-financial disclosure) with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standards was created. To test the research hypotheses, univariate analysis and multivariate regression analysis were performed. The results showed different behaviors by the companies in terms of sustainability policies. The GRISC (Global Reporting Initiative Score) has a greater concentration on mean values. Positive correlations were found between GRISC and the presence of an internal sustainability committee, SDG citation in the NFD and company size. This study offers support for policy makers and practitioners as it provides a measure of the breadth of sustainability information and relates this to the variables analyzed. The latter depend on regulatory interventions or company policies which are implemented, or could be implemented, to improve the extent of the NFD.

scholarly journals Construction Sector Contribution to Economic Stability: Malaysian GDP Distribution

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 5012
Author(s):  
Wesam Salah Alaloul ◽  
Muhammad Ali Musarat ◽  
Muhammad Babar Ali Rabbani ◽  
Qaiser Iqbal ◽  
Ahsen Maqsoom ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Pearson Correlation ◽  
Impulse Response Function ◽  
Equilibrium Analysis ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Causality Test ◽  
Vector Error Correction ◽  
The World ◽  
Pearson Correlation Test

The construction sector exerts an exceptional impact on economic development all over the world. Adequate buildings and infrastructures made by the construction sector ensure that a country reaches certain targets like social development, industrialization, freight transportation, sustainable development, and urbanization. This study aims to determine the construction sector’s connectivity with other sectors through complex linkages that contribute immensely to the economy and gross domestic product (GDP). The data were collected from the Department of Statistics Malaysia and the World Bank from the year 1970 to 2019, and the Pearson correlation test, the cointegration test, and the Granger causality test were conducted. The vector error correction model (VECM) was created for short-term and long-term equilibrium analysis and impulse response function (IRF) was performed to study construction industry behavior. Afterwards, the forecasting was done for the year 2020 to 2050 of the Malaysian economy and GDP for the required sectors. It was revealed that some sectors, such as agriculture and services, have forward linkages while other sectors, such as manufacturing and mining, are independent of construction sector causality, which signifies the behavior of the contributing sectors when a recession occurs, hence generating significant revenue. The Malaysian economy is moving towards sustainable production with more emphasis on the construction sector. The outcome can be used as a benchmark by other countries to achieve sustainable development. The significance of this study is its usefulness for experts all over the world in terms of allocating resources to make the construction sector a sustainable sector after receiving a shock. A sustainable conceptual framework has been suggested for global application that shows the factors involved in the growth of the construction industry to ensure its sustainable development with time.

scholarly journals National and regional trends in MRI utilization in the face of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Osnat Luxenburg ◽  
Mor Saban ◽  
Vicki Myers ◽  
Sharona Vaknin ◽  
Noga Boldor ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Waiting Times ◽  
National Level ◽  
Metropolitan Region ◽  
Third Wave ◽  
Policy Makers ◽  
Unequal Distribution ◽  
Elective Surgical Procedures ◽  
Regional Trends ◽  
The Face ◽  
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Mri

Abstract Background and purpose Marked reductions in imaging exams have been documented during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study aimed to examine the effect of the two waves of COVID-19 on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) utilization at the national and regional level. Materials and methods A retrospective-archive study was conducted in Israel, comparing March–December 2020 with March–December 2018 and 2019. Data on MRI utilization were obtained from the national MRI registry, while data on confirmed COVID-19 cases, by place of residence, were obtained from the Israeli Ministry of Health open COVID-19 database. Results The number and rate of MRI examinations decreased during the first COVID-19 wave, with the steepest drop in April 2020: 47.5% relative decrease compared to April 2019, and 42.2% compared to 2018. This was followed by a compensatory increase between the waves and a return to almost pre-pandemic levels of use, with just a modest decrease, during the second, more intense COVID wave, compared with the previous year. Existing differences between regions increased during the pandemic. The rate ratio of MRI exams between Tel-Aviv and the Northern periphery increased from 2.89 in April 2019 to 3.94 in April 2020. Jerusalem metropolitan region, with the largest burden of COVID disease, demonstrated only a modest decrease (1%) in MRI utilization during the first 10 months of the pandemic. Conclusions At the national level, time trends in reduced MRI utilization followed the first wave of COVID-19, and were accompanied by increased regional disparities. These changes were not explained by differences in the burden of COVID-19 disease but might be explained by unequal distribution of MRI scanners among regions. Reduced utilization was not evident during the second wave, nor at the beginning of the third wave, despite higher COVID-19 case load, demonstrating adaptation to the new normal. Patterns of MRI utilization might help policy-makers and healthcare managers predict the behavior of imaging as well as other sectors, such as elective surgical procedures, during an ongoing pandemic. This forecast might help to manage the lasting effects of the pandemic, including extended waiting times, in the months and years following its remission. In preparation for future national emergencies, timely and detailed data on MRI utilization can serve as a “sensor” for a wide array of diagnostic and interventional medical activities, providing policy-makers with an updated snapshot to guide their response at the regional and national levels.

USING PROJECT MANAGEMENT TOOLS TO IMPROVE THE EFFICIENCY OF INVESTMENT PROJECTS IN CONSTRUCTION

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
pp. 83-88
Author(s):  
Svetlana Mikhailovna SYCHEVA ◽  
◽  
Elena Yury’evna KUZMINA ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Project Management ◽  
Construction Industry ◽  
Integrated Approach ◽  
Construction Sector ◽  
Management Tools ◽  
Investment Projects ◽  
Key Characteristics ◽  
Project Costs ◽  
Team Project ◽  
Key Indicators

The article discusses the features of the implementation of investment projects in the construction industry, the main trends in project management in this area. The importance of the construction industry for the country’s economy is substantiated, the key indicators of the construction sector and its contribution to GDP are highlighted. The analysis of the development of the construction industry for the period from 2009 to 2020 is carried out. The reasons for the decrease in investment in construction are identified, among them the most important ones are highlighted. In the article discusses the key characteristics of the construction industry in our country. The conclusion is made about the need for a systematic and integrated approach to the management of investment projects. The authors propose to use the tools of project management to improve the efficiency of the implementation of investment projects. The main tools of project management (tools for defragmentation of work, tools for managing the time in the project, tools for managing resources for project implementation, tools for managing project costs) are named and examples of their use are given. The concepts of «team», «project management team», «matrix of responsibility» are considered.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document