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This study aims to endeavor to shed light on the underlying causal mechanisms behind the failure of startups by examining the failure process in such organizations. To achieve this goal, the study conducted a comprehensive review of the literature on the definition of failure and its various dimensions, resulting in the compilation of a comprehensive list of causes of startup failure. Subsequently, the failure process was analyzed using a behavioral strategy approach that encompasses rationality, plasticity and shaping, as well as the growth approach of startups based on dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The proposed research methodology was a case study using process tracing, with the sample being a failed platform in the ride-hailing technology sector. The causal mechanism was further explicated through the combined application of the behavioral strategy approach and interpretive structural modeling analysis.

The findings of the study suggest that the failure of startups is a result of interlinked causes and effects, and growth in these organizations is driven by dialectic, teleology and evolution theories.

The outcomes of the research can assist startups in formulating an effective strategy to deliver the right value proposition to the market, thereby reducing the chances of failure.

This study aims to present the results of a comparative study on the most key reasons for the failure of sustaining activities of operational improvement (OI) methodologies from the different types of manufacturing enterprises that located in Vietnam.

This study presents survey results from 30 local manufacturing enterprises and 21 foreign direct investment (FDI) enterprises located in Vietnam – a developing country. The authors utilize a combination method to collect data, including online and direct survey. The targeted interviewees selected to answer the questionnaire are manufacturing managers and top managers working in productivity, quality, engineering and other departments in respective firms. The developed questionnaire is verified by five experts to ensure the validity and soundness.

The study uncover that 21 local enterprises (70%) have not issued standard forms for OI deployment and supervision, while 17 foreign enterprises (81%) have adopted a systematic management and clearly indicators for evaluation of OI outputs. In addition, the top three reasons for OI failure are differences between local and foreign enterprises. In term of OI methodologies, most of participated enterprises implemented Lean tools and principles while only 7.8% of the participated enterprises applied Six Sigma. Three vital findings are uncovered, including, first, 30% of local enterprises standardize and supervise forms of OI.

There is a limitation in sample size, with the number of participants of 51 enterprises. Among the participants, 27% of local enterprises are small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) while 60% of FDI enterprises from large-sized group. This was limited to making a generated conclusion in the comparison of failure factors between two types of enterprises. This partly affects the radical comparison of failure factors between local and FDI enterprises.

To the best of the authors' view, this is the first empirical study that compares the reasons for the failure for sustaining OI between local and foreign enterprises in a developing country. The result from this study will make contributions for further research in considering OI failure factors and then enhance effectiveness of OI methodologies in manufacturing companies.

The purpose of this global study is to investigate the critical failure factors (CFFs) in the deployment of operational excellence (OPEX) programs as well as the key performance indicators (KPIs) that can be used to measure OPEX failures. The study also empirically analyzes various OPEX methodologies adopted by various organizations at a global level.

This global study utilized an online survey to collect data. The questionnaire was sent to 800 senior managers, resulting in 249 useful responses.

The study results suggest that Six Sigma is the most widely utilized across the OPEX methodologies, followed by Lean Six Sigma and Lean. Agile manufacturing is the least utilized OPEX methodology. The top four CFFs were poor project selection and prioritization, poor leadership, a lack of proper communication and resistance to change issues.

This study extends the current body of knowledge on OPEX by first delineating the CFFs for OPEX and identifying the differing effects of these CFFs across various organizational settings. Senior managers and OPEX professionals can use the findings to take remedial actions and improve the sustainability of OPEX initiatives in their respective organizations.

This study uniquely identifies critical factors leading to OPEX initiative failures, providing practical insights for industry professionals and academia and fostering a deeper understanding of potential pitfalls. The research highlights a distinctive focus on social and environmental performance metrics, urging a paradigm shift for sustained OPEX success and differentiating itself in addressing broader sustainability concerns. By recognizing the interconnectedness of 12 CFFs, the study offers a pioneering foundation for future research and the development of a comprehensive management theory on OPEX failures.

This paper investigates the overall system risk for a foodgrains supply chain capturing the interrelationship among the risk factors and the effect of risk mitigation strategies.

This paper first calculates the weight of risk factors using an integrated approach of failure mode, effects analysis and fuzzy VIKOR technique. Next, the weights are utilized as input for the weighted fuzzy Petri-net (WFPN) approach to calculate the system risk.

Two different WFPN models are developed based on the relationships among the risk factors, and both models demonstrate a higher risk value for the overall system.

The proposed methodology will help practitioners or managers understand the complexity involved in the system by capturing the interrelationship behaviour. This study also considers the concurrent effect of risk mitigation strategies for calculating the overall system risk, which helps to improve the system’s performance.

The concept of lean and ISO 14001 as a combined approach is an evolving strategy for streamlining operational processes and attaining environmental sustainability in the manufacturing context. This paper explores the critical success factors (CSFs) for a combined lean and ISO 14001 implementation in the manufacturing industry for achieving the operational and environmental benefits.

A systematic literature review (SLR) based on Scopus and Web of Science databases is conducted to present peer-reviewed articles on the CSFs for lean and ISO 14001 implementation in manufacturing operations. This article applies the CSF theory to classify the CSFs for a joint lean and ISO 14001 adoption.

Numerous CSFs are synthesised from the SLR across seven theoretical contexts of industry, competitive strategy, managerial position, environmental, temporal, internal/external, monitoring and building/adapting factors for a combined lean and ISO14001 implementation.

Numerous CSFs are synthesised from the SLR across seven theoretical contexts of strategic direction, competitive strategy, leadership and management, environmental, temporal, internal/external, monitoring and continuous process improvement factors for a combined lean and ISO 14001 implementation.

This paper contributes to academic scholarship by providing a theoretical perspective through classification of CSFs for a combined lean and ISO 14001 implementation to achieve operational and environmental performance. This paper also contributes to practitioners and policymakers who can use the emergent theoretical framework for application in practice for a more efficient and effective deployment of both strategies in the manufacturing industry.

To the best of author's knowledge, this study is the first to propose a theoretical framework of CSFs for a combined lean and ISO 14001 implementation based on the CSF theory and SLR findings in the manufacturing industry.

Hospital building maintenance management constitutes a pertinent issue of global concern for all healthcare stakeholders. In Malaysia, the maintenance management of hospital buildings is instrumental to the Government’s goal of providing efficient healthcare services to the Government's citizenry. However, there is a paucity of studies that have comprehensively explored all dimensions of hospital building defects in relation to maintenance management. Consequently, this study seeks to evaluate the defects of hospital buildings in Malaysia with the aim of proffering viable solutions for the rectification and prevention of the issue.

The study utilised a quantitative approach for data collection.

The findings indicated that cracked floors, floor tile failures, wall tiles failure, blocked water closets, and damaged windows were some of the flaws that degrade hospital buildings. The study’s outcomes reveal that defects not only deface the aesthetic appearance of hospital buildings but also inhibit the functionality of the buildings and depreciate the overall satisfaction.

Considering the indispensable role of hospital buildings in the grand scheme of healthcare service provision and ensuring the well-being of people, the issue of defects necessitates an urgent re-evaluation of the maintenance management practices of hospital buildings in Malaysia. Previous studies on the maintenance management of hospital buildings in Malaysia have focused primarily on design, safety, and construction.

This is particularly important because defects in hospital buildings across the country have recently led to incessant ceiling collapses, fire outbreaks, ceiling, roof collapses, and other structural failures. These problems are typically the result of poor maintenance management, exacerbated by poor design and construction. These disasters pose significant risks to the lives of hospital building users.

This study offers invaluable insights for maintenance organisations and maintenance department staff who are genuinely interested in improving hospital buildings’ maintenance management to optimise staff's performance and enhance the user satisfaction of hospital buildings in Malaysia and globally.

Early termination of public–private partnerships (PPPs) in China is caused by various risk factors, resulting in significant losses. This study aimed to clarify the key factors and identify the causal relationships among these factors.

Social network analysis (SNA) was used to analyze 37 risk factors that were summarized from 97 early terminated PPP cases and to identify the relationships among these key risk factors. Interpretive structural modeling (ISM) was conducted to explore the causal relationships. Data were collected from case documents, questionnaires and interviews.

A total of 17 key risk factors were identified and distributed in a hierarchical structure with six tiers. Among these key risk factors, the root causes affecting the early termination of PPP projects were government oversight in decision-making, local government transition, policy and law changes and force majeure. The direct cause was insufficient returns. Furthermore, local government and private sector defaults were essential mediating factors. Local government transition and the low willingness of the private sector were highlighted as potential key risks.

The cases and experts were all from China, and outcomes in other countries or cultures may differ from those of this study. Therefore, further studies are required.

This research provides knowledge regarding the key risk factors leading to the early termination of PPP projects and guidance on avoiding these factors and blocking the factors' transmission in the project lifecycle.

This study contributes to the knowledge of risk management by emphasizing the importance of local government transition, the low willingness of the private sector and project cooperation and operation, whose significance is ignored in the existing literature. The proposed ISM clarifies the role of risk factors in causing early termination and explains their transmission patterns.

The purpose of this study is to present the systematic literature review (SLR) on Lean Six Sigma (LSS) by exploring the state of the art on growth of literature on LSS within the manufacturing sector, critical factors to implement LSS, the role of LSS in the manufacturing sector from an implementation and sustainability viewpoint and Industry 4.0 viewpoints while highlighting the research gaps.

An SLR of 2,876 published articles extracted from Scopus, WoS, Emerald Insight, IEEE Xplore, Taylor & Francis, Springer and Inderscience databases was carried out following the protocol of systematic review. In total, 154 articles published in different journals over the past 10 years were selected for quantitative and qualitative analysis which revealed a number of research gaps.

The findings of the SLR revealed the growth of literature on LSS within the manufacturing sector. The review also highlighted the most cited critical success factors, critical failure factors, performance indicators and associated tools and techniques applied during LSS implementation. The review also focused on studies related to LSS and sustainability viewpoint and LSS and Industry 4.0 viewpoints.

The findings of this SLR can help senior managers, practitioners and researchers to understand the current developments and future requirements to adopt LSS in manufacturing sectors from sustainability and Industry 4.0 viewpoints.

Academic publications in the context of the role of LSS in various research streams are sparse, and to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is one of the first SLRs which explore current developments and future requirements to implement LSS from sustainability and Industry 4.0 perspective.

This paper aims to identify the different system approach using Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology that is equipped with decision making processes. Maintenance planning and management are integral components of the construction sector, serving the broader purpose of post-construction activities and processes. However, as Precast Concrete (PC) construction projects increase in scale and complexity, the interconnections among these activities and processes become apparent, leading to planning and performance management challenges. These challenges specifically affect the monitoring of façade components for corrective and preventive maintenance actions.

The concept of maintenance planning for façades, along with the main features of information and communication technology tools and techniques using building information modeling technology, is grounded in the analysis of numerous literature reviews in PC building scenarios.

This research focuses on an integrated system designed to analyze information and support decision-making in maintenance planning for PC buildings. It is based on robust data collection regarding concrete façades' failures and causes. The system aims to provide appropriate planning decisions and minimize the risk of façade failures throughout the building's lifetime.

The study concludes that implementing a research framework to develop such a system can significantly enhance the effectiveness of maintenance planning for façade design, construction and maintenance operations.

The Afghan construction industry faces resource shortages and heavily relies on foreign aid to fund public projects on the path to recovery and reconstruction. While the resource constraints demand cost-efficient delivery of construction projects, many Afghan public projects experience delays and cost overruns. This study aims to evaluate various attributes and factors influencing cost performance in public construction projects in Afghanistan.

The literature review and Delphi method identified 30 cost performance attributes relevant to the context of Afghanistan. Next, a questionnaire survey was conducted with construction management professionals working in the public sector in the Afghan construction industry to evaluate these attributes.

This study found that the lack of resources, poor project management skills and corruption in procurement are the leading causes behind cost overruns in Afghan public projects. This study also identified five latent factors influencing cost performance in public projects in Afghanistan: competency of the project team, socioeconomic and political support, governance and public procurement, planning and risk management and project characteristics.

The exploratory factor analysis did not reveal the relative significance of different cost performance success factors. Moreover, the ranking of cost performance attributes is based on the responses from the public sector construction professionals only.

The construction industry in Afghanistan significantly contributes to the country’s social and economic growth and employment. This study’s findings will help researchers, project sponsors, government departments and industry practitioners interested in improving the cost performance in Afghan public projects.

Given the scarcity of research in war-affected and conflict-sensitive regions, this study fills a research gap on project cost performance by providing insights into the cost performance success factors in public projects in Afghanistan.