Investigating social risks of construction projects in historic tourism sites in urban districts of developing countries: social network analysis approach
International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management
ISSN: 0959-6119
Article publication date: 27 October 2022
Issue publication date: 30 January 2024
Abstract
Purpose
Social risk management has recently come to the fore as a significant feature of project management. This prominence is particularly evident in urban construction projects that take place in cultural heritage and tourism historic sites. Accordingly, this study aims to adopt social network analysis (SNA) to investigate social risks in construction projects occurring in urban districts rife with historically and culturally significant tourism sites.
Design/methodology/approach
The present study analyzed a real case study in Iran as an emergent economy and a developing country. Primarily, the study reviewed previous literature on social risks and relevant stakeholders. Next, the judgments of experts through the content validity ratio analysis confirmed 12 social risks and 9 key stakeholders. Finally, SNA is used to determine the relations between the social risks and stakeholders as well as the significance of each risk.
Findings
The investigation demonstrated that the most important social risks in the construction projects of the case study are “Psychological disorders”, “Environmental pollution” and “Cultural conflicts”.
Practical implications
The findings could help policymakers, urban planners and project managers in developing countries with a rich cultural heritage to reduce social risks and improve the efficiency of their projects.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, the present study is one of the first instances to investigate construction projects implemented in densely populated urban areas hosting cultural heritage and historic tourism sites.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
Funding: This study did not receive any grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or non-profit sectors.
Citation
Jokar, S., Shojaei, P., Askarifar, K. and Haqbin, A. (2024), "Investigating social risks of construction projects in historic tourism sites in urban districts of developing countries: social network analysis approach", International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, Vol. 36 No. 2, pp. 358-378. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJCHM-03-2022-0282
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited