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Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
[SJR: 0.541] [H-I: 28] [14 followers] Follow

Hybrid journal (It can contain Open Access articles)
ISSN (Print) 0969-9988
Published by Emerald

[335 journals]

Stakeholder competency in evaluating the environmental impacts of
infrastructure projects using BIM
- Pages: 718 - 735
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 718-735, September 2017.
  Purpose Building information modelling (BIM) literature reveals a growing interest in the development of a competency-based approach to manage the long-term goals of BIM implementation in infrastructure projects. One long-term goal is mitigation of environmental impacts (EIs). It is proposed that by integrating environmental systems within the BIM model, the technology can act as an early warning indicator to assist stakeholders identify and evaluate EIs before they become critical to delivery. The purpose of this paper is to assess the effectiveness of BIM in identifying EIs on infrastructure projects and investigate the correlation between stakeholder competency and evaluation of EIs. Design/methodology/approach In all, 71 informants that have relevant experience in infrastructure projects were investigated using a two-stage methodology comprising a questionnaire to determine the BIM indicators used to identify EIs and the stakeholder competencies required to assess and evaluate EIs and Behavioural Event Interviews (BEIs) to validate the competencies identified. Findings The findings showed that risk assessments are the most critical early warning indicator in identifying EIs specifically when implemented within the cost management process. The key stakeholder competencies required to successfully evaluate EIs were identified as project organisation and building equitable relationships. BEIs showed these stakeholders to also have high levels of behavioural and contextual awareness. This suggests that, contrary to perceived perception, successful management of EIs is more dependent on collaborative working than the acquisition of technical skills. Findings also indicated that Croatian BIM stakeholders are less experienced than UK BIM stakeholders in project implementation and delivery and that less experienced BIM stakeholders require more emphasis on technical knowledge whilst the importance of “soft skills” is more apparent in experienced stakeholders, notably amongst the UK participants. Originality/value The implications for infrastructure projects show that effective management of EIs can be achieved through alignment of the BIM model with the cost management plan implemented by stakeholders working collaboratively. Hence, the strategic focus for AEC companies working on infrastructure projects should be the development of staff interpersonal competencies rather than solely on project goals and/or an over-emphasis on technical skills.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:05Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-07-2015-0106
Managing the expectations of external stakeholders in construction
projects
- Pages: 736 - 756
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 736-756, September 2017.
  Purpose The consideration of external stakeholders has proven to be more critical than internal stakeholders in construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to present the diverse expectations of external stakeholder groups, i.e. governmental authorities, general public, and affected local communities, in construction projects. The practical steps to manage the expectations are also outlined. Design/methodology/approach A three-stage methodology was adopted for the review. The primary terms “stakeholder,” “project participants,” or “project environment” were first searched in four popularly search engines and eight top journals that publish construction research to retrieve publications. After a second-stage filtering process, the selected data were then analyzed and reviewed in line with the objectives. Findings In total, 49 common expectations were identified and classified. The results indicate that each stakeholder group pursues expectations in line with the social, environmental, and economic sustainability objectives. For effective management, project managers (PMs) must know stakeholder opportunities and threats, fulfill social responsibilities, establish common goals, apply appropriate strategies, and enhance stakeholder satisfaction. Research limitations/implications The identified expectations are only based on the selected publications. Even though the expectations have been categorized in line with the triple bottom line model, the relative importance of the expectations cannot be ascertained since there is no empirical support. Practical implications PMs can play safe by acknowledging the stakeholder expectations and employ such strategies to curtail resulting impacts and maximize mutual benefits. The list of expectations could also be used to promote equitable value optimization in projects, enhance needs fulfillment, and facilitate the evaluation of external stakeholder satisfaction. Originality/value This study provides a comprehensive checklist of construction stakeholder expectations which hitherto, is lacked in the literature. Moreover, practical steps to manage the expectations of external stakeholders have been discussed.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:17Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-07-2016-0159
Critical factors affecting schedule performance
- Pages: 757 - 773
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 757-773, September 2017.
  Purpose Time overrun is one of the most significant issues being faced by Ethiopian construction industry today. For effective time performance, the successful execution of construction projects and keeping them within prescribed schedule is very important. The purpose of this paper is to determine the factors responsible for impacting performance of Ethiopian public construction projects. Design/methodology/approach Based on the literature and personal interviews of key construction professionals in Ethiopia, a list of 35 project performance attributes having strong effect on performance of the projects were identified and a questionnaire using these attributes were prepared and administered in Ethiopia. Statistical analysis of responses on the attributes segregated them into distinct sets of success attributes and failure attributes. The attributes were also subjected to factor analysis separately for better understanding and it resulted into six success factors and six failure factors. The relative importance of these factors was established with multiple regression analysis. Findings It is concluded that the success factor “owners’ competence” can significantly contribute to schedule performance of Ethiopian public construction projects. On the other hand, “conflict among project participants,” “poor human resource management,” and “project manager’s ignorance and lack of knowledge” are detrimental to schedule performance of Ethiopian public construction project. Research limitations/implications As with any other opinion-based study, the present study also has some limitations. The majority of respondents have evaluated the projects in their execution stage only and very few have evaluated the performance of projects in planning and operation stages and also the study has been carried out in the Ethiopian context. Hence the study has a limitation in these regard. Originality/value The results presented in this study provide sufficient evidence and useful understanding to researchers and industry practitioners to focus on a few factors than giving attention to all the factors and take proactive measures for the timely delivery of public construction projects.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:50:58Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-03-2016-0062
Implementation of best-value procurement for highway design and
construction in the USA
- Pages: 774 - 787
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 774-787, September 2017.
  Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate procedures and practices to promote transparency in best-value procurement for the design and construction of highway projects with the goal of improving this evolving procurement method. Design/methodology/approach The review of published empirical studies, a national survey of transportation agencies, and case studies of highway agencies form the basis of the conclusions in this research. In addition to the national survey, with 46 of 52 agencies participating, the research presents case studies from seven highway agencies in the USA including: California, Florida, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Oregon, and Utah. These seven case studies were selected from agencies that employ mature best-value procurement methods. The case studies involved a thorough procedural review and structured interviews of agency personnel. The agencies then validated the results and conclusions. Findings The results showed that evaluation committees should include technical members who do not have a personal interest in the outcome of the selection to maintain transparency in best-value projects. The committees should receive best-value procurement training, which necessitates the development of consistent and transparent best-value selection procedures. Debriefing meetings should be conducted to provide comments about strengths and weaknesses of each proposal to enhance fairness and transparency of the best-value selection process. Research limitations/implications Knowledge of the best-value procurement procedure will allow researchers to better understand the impact of procedures and practices on transparency in selecting best-value projects. The chief limitation of this research is that the primary data were collected from highway agencies in the USA. Any future research should include more data to enhance the validity of this study outside of the public transportation sector. Practical implications The result of this research will help transportation agencies and other public owners to improve their best-value procurement procedures. The findings of this research also address the construction and consulting industry’s concern about transparency and fairness of a best-value selection process. Originality/value This research is the first attempt to examine the impact of the evaluation committee, best-value training, and debriefings on transparency of best-value selection.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:15Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-03-2016-0073
Integrating Indigenous enterprises into the Australian construction
industry
- Pages: 788 - 808
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 788-808, September 2017.
  Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the barriers to entry for Indigenous businesses into the Australian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A national survey was conducted with 33 Indigenous businesses operating in the Australian construction industry. Findings The findings show that Indigenous enterprises face similar challenges to many small non-Indigenous enterprises wishing to enter the industry. These include adjusting to unique construction industry cultures and practices, breaking into existing business networks and building social capital and being under-cut by industry incumbents and competitors when tendering for projects. These barriers are similar to those faced by other non-Indigenous social enterprises, although Indigenous enterprises do appear to experience relatively greater difficulty in starting-up their businesses and in securing sufficient capital, finance and assistance to enable them to scale-up and tender for normal work packages at a competitive price. Research limitations/implications The results are limited to Australian Indigenous businesses. The survey does not allow a comparison of non-Indigenous and Indigenous businesses, although comparison of results with existing non-Indigenous research into small to medium-sized firms in construction does allow some tentative insights. These need to be explored further. Practical implications These results indicate that there are significant barriers to be addressed within the Australian construction industry if government indigenous procurement policies are to achieve their stated aims of increasing the number of Indigenous firms in the industry. The results also have important implications for Indigenous businesses and for non-Indigenous firms operating in the Australian construction industry. Social implications This is an important gap in knowledge to address if countries like Australia are to redress the significant inequalities in income and health suffered by Indigenous populations. Originality/value In countries like Australia, with significant Indigenous populations, governments are seeking to address persistent disadvantage by using new social procurement initiatives to create quasi construction markets for Indigenous enterprises to participate in the construction industry. While there is an emerging body of research into the barriers facing mainstream small to medium-sized enterprises and, to a lesser extent, social enterprises in construction, the barriers to entry facing Indigenous construction enterprises have been largely ignored.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:27Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-01-2016-0001
Modeling schedule overrun and cost escalation percentages of highway
projects using fuzzy approach
- Pages: 809 - 827
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 809-827, September 2017.
  Purpose Modeling represents the art of translating problems from an application area into tractable mathematical formulations whose theoretical and numerical analysis provides insight, answers and guidance useful for the originating application. The purpose of this paper is to determine the causal causes of schedule overrun and cost escalation of highway projects in Egypt in order to be used as independents variables in mathematical models for predicting the percentages of schedule overrun and cost escalation of such projects in Egypt. Design/methodology/approach A survey of a randomly selected samples yielded responses from 40 owners, 15 consultants and 56 contractors. The survey includes 38 schedule overrun factors and 26 cost escalation factors. The effectiveness degree of the identified factors has been identified by the triangle fuzzy approach. Findings The results of the survey show that “contractor’s technical staff is insufficient and ineligible to accomplish the project” is the most important cause of schedule overrun, while the major cause of cost escalation is inadequate preparation of the project concerning planning and execution. Originality/value The main contribution of this study is predicting the percentages of schedule overrun and cost escalation of highway projects in Egypt. Through the application of the linear regression analysis method and statistical fuzzy theory, four predictive models have been developed and it has been noted that the linear regression-based model shows prediction accuracy better than statistical fuzzy-based model in predicting percentages of schedule overrun and cost escalation.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:00Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-03-2016-0084
The professionals’ perspective on the causes of project delay in the
construction industry
- Pages: 828 - 841
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 828-841, September 2017.
  Purpose Construction project delays are described as a universal problem, which has led to many empirical studies. However, most of these studies were based on the rankings by respondents, and they were rarely verified. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore professional perspectives on the causes of delay in the construction industry, where there has been little explicit consideration on this subject in recent decades. Design/methodology/approach A critical literature review and a qualitative approach was considered for a deeper and fresh understanding of the causes of delays, rather than recycling the existing themes and the risk of a statistically biased approach. A total of 41 interviews were undertaken which included the London Olympic 2012 project team. Findings In all, 32 themes were identified, which were categorised into 15 categories of causes of delay in the construction projects. Almost two-thirds of the main themes are not ranked top 15 causes of delay. These include knowledge and competence shortage, poor commercial decisions, unnecessary health and safety restrictions, poor risk management and poor space and logistics management. Research limitations/implications Due to the qualitative nature of the study, the findings might not be considered as representative. Practical implications The findings provide consideration of the causes of delay in the construction industry as seen by practitioners, which should provide guidance to enhance performance. Originality/value The study contributes to the better understanding of the causes of delays by using qualitative research strategy which is limited in the construction management literature. This study is an empirical investigation into the causes of delay in the twenty-first century and it represents an important edition to the body of knowledge within the subject area.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:02Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-03-2016-0085
Dynamic interactions between sustainability and competitiveness in
construction firms
- Pages: 842 - 859
  Abstract: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Volume 24, Issue 5, Page 842-859, September 2017.
  Purpose Sustainability and competitiveness have received extensive attentions. Despite a large number of studies on sustainability and competitiveness in the construction industry, little research has been conducted to holistically explore the interactions between these two concepts. From a dynamic transition perspective, the purpose of this paper is to link sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms by developing a Sustainability-Competitiveness Dynamic Interaction Framework (SCDIF). Design/methodology/approach Conceptual theory-building approach was adopted to develop the conceptual framework. It is an iterative analysis and synthesis process, which involves reading literature, identifying commonalities and differences, synthesizing, proposing an initial framework, collecting additional literature, and revisiting and revising the framework. Findings There are complex interactions between sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms. This leads to uncertain relationships between sustainability and competitiveness, which is context dependent. Under evolving economic and socio-political environments, sustainability and competitiveness of construction firms could transition from mutually exclusive to mutually supportive, and finally merge into “sustainable competitiveness.” Research limitations/implications A SCDIF proposed in this study demonstrates that the interactions between sustainability and competitiveness evolves according to the evolving economic and socio-political environments and firms’ strategies, and thus the relationships and interactions between sustainability and competitiveness are context dependent. This framework helps corporate managers to understand how corporate sustainability and competitiveness interact with each other, thereby informing their decision-making of sustainability strategy. Similarly, the framework provides useful references for policymakers to understand the mechanisms of transitioning industries toward sustainable competitiveness. Originality/value The proposed framework offers a new perspective for understanding sustainability and competitiveness. From the dynamic transition perspective, this study effectively illustrates that the interactions between sustainability and competitiveness evolves according to the evolving economic and socio-political environments and firms’ strategies. Compared to existing approaches, the dynamic and holistic approach proposed in this paper provides the capacity to capture the complexity of sustainability and competitiveness.
  Citation: Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management
  PubDate: 2017-09-18T01:51:21Z
  DOI: 10.1108/ECAM-01-2016-0025