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1 – 10 of over 30000Nadira Binti Ahzahar, Siti Zubaidah Binti Hashim, Intan Bayani Bin Zakaria, Norehan Norlida Mohd Noor and Nur Anis Bt Abdul Rahman
Malaysia is still very much lacking behind in green building developments as compared to other countries such as Australia, Japan, and Singapore. Nevertheless, in order to…
Abstract
Malaysia is still very much lacking behind in green building developments as compared to other countries such as Australia, Japan, and Singapore. Nevertheless, in order to strengthen the development of green building in Malaysia, government has provided and offers several initiatives to the construction key players in implementing green building such as investment tax allowance for the purchase of green technology equipment and income tax exemption on the use of green technology services and system, etc. Despite of all the incentives introduce, the implementation of green building construction still does not boast as expected and still relatively low. Therefore, this study will identify barriers, issues, and challenges faced by construction key players in implementing green building concepts especially related to green building incentives in their project. The opinions and views of related parties in building industry were obtained from structured interviews and questionnaires to key personnel in construction industry to give a clearer picture of the current situation. This study is succeeded in identifying the barriers and challenges, which mainly categorised into financial incentives, fiscal incentives, and structural incentives. The main issues identified are excessive cost of construction, tax exemption is limited and only for qualified person and legislative challenges. Nonetheless, this study also suggests various ways to overcome the barriers in promoting green building concept in Malaysia towards greener environment.
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Mohammed Arif, Charles Egbu, Abid Haleem, Dennis Kulonda and Malik Khalfan
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a workshop organized in New Delhi to assess the current state of green construction in India and highlight the major…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to present the findings of a workshop organized in New Delhi to assess the current state of green construction in India and highlight the major drivers and challenges faced by the construction sector.
Design/methodology/approach
The data collection for this paper is conducted through two sources; a survey and a facilitated brainstorming session. The survey provides an opportunity to compare practices in India to global trends and the facilitated sessions provides a platform to collect data on more subjective, experiential knowledge about green construction in India.
Findings
Some of the major findings of this endeavour are: there is an awareness about green construction in India; It is primarily driven by the governmental and international regulations; with the current energy crisis customers in India are actually willing to pay extra for going green; and there is a lack of accurate lifecycle cost assessment models which results in misconceptions about associated costs of going green.
Originality/value
This paper has provided a brief overview of green construction in India. It has also provided a list of major challenges and drivers for implementation of green. This list of challenges and drivers can provide practitioners, regulators, and academics knowledge about means to focus their future efforts in implementation of green.
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Mansour Soufi, Mehdi Fadaei, Mahdi Homayounfar, Hamed Gheibdoust and Hamidreza Rezaee Kelidbari
The construction industry contributes to economic development by providing physical equipment and infrastructures. However, it also generates some undesirable outputs such as…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry contributes to economic development by providing physical equipment and infrastructures. However, it also generates some undesirable outputs such as waste and environmental pollution, especially in developing countries. Due to the importance of the green supply chain management (GSCM) philosophy, for solving these problems, the current study aims to evaluate the drivers of GSCM adoption in the construction industry of Iran.
Design/methodology/approach
This research uses a descriptive and practical methodology. The participated experts in the study include senior managers of the construction department in Rasht municipality who had relevant academic education and suitable experiences in urban and industrial construction. The experts took part in both qualitative and quantitative phases of the research, namely verification of the drivers extracted from literature and ranking them in ascending order. In the quantitative phase, Step-Wise Weight Assessment Ratio Analysis (SWARA) as a new multi-criterion decision-making (MCDM) method is used to evaluate the drivers of GSCM adoption using MATLAB software.
Findings
The results show that environmental management systems, green product design and innovational capability with weights of 0.347, 0.218 and 0.143 are the most significant sub-drivers, respectively. The less important factor is an investment in environmental technology.
Originality/value
This study evaluated the motivational factors of GSCM in the construction industry. The findings help governments, companies and green supply chain (GSC) managers to improve their knowledge about GSCM and make the best decisions to decrease environmental pollution.
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Xingwei Li, Xiang Liu, Yicheng Huang, Jingru Li, Jinrong He and Jiachi Dai
The green innovation behavior of construction enterprises is the key to reducing the construction industry's carbon emissions and realizing the green transformation of the…
Abstract
Purpose
The green innovation behavior of construction enterprises is the key to reducing the construction industry's carbon emissions and realizing the green transformation of the construction industry. The purpose of this study is to reveal the evolutionary mechanism of green innovation behavior in construction enterprises.
Design/methodology/approach
This study is based on resource-based theory, Porter's hypothesis and signaling theory. First, a measurement model of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises was constructed from three aspects: environmental regulation, enterprise resources and public opinion through hierarchical analysis. Then, the state values of the measurement model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises were calculated through the time series data from 2011–2018. Finally, the Markov chain model was used to predict the evolutionary trend of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises, and the accuracy of the prediction effect of the Markov chain model was verified using the time series data of 2019.
Findings
The Markov chain model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises constructed in this study has high accuracy. This model finds that the transition of the growth state of green innovation behavior in China's construction industry is fluid and predicts the evolution trend of the innovation behavior of construction enterprises. In the future, the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises has a probability of 70.17% to be in a continuous growth state and 40.27% to be in a rapid growth state.
Originality/value
Based on the Markov chain model of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises, this study finds that the transition of the growth state of green innovation behavior of construction enterprises in China has the characteristics of liquidity. In addition, it reveals the development process of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises from 2011–2018 and predicts the evolution trend of the green innovation behavior of construction enterprises.
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Bon-Gang Hwang, Xiaojing Zhao and Jane Lim
Green building is a promising approach to improve resource efficiency and achieving sustainable development. The success of green construction projects is closely associated with…
Abstract
Purpose
Green building is a promising approach to improve resource efficiency and achieving sustainable development. The success of green construction projects is closely associated with the performance of project managers (PMs), while job satisfaction plays a major role in the performance of PMs. However, the emphasis placed on the job satisfaction of PMs in green construction projects remains minimal. The purpose of this paper is to identify the relationships between the job satisfaction of PMs and its key influencing factors in green construction projects, and to propose feasible strategies to improve the job satisfaction of PMs.
Design/methodology/approach
A questionnaire survey is conducted, data collected from 105 construction PMs are analysed using structural equation modelling. Interviews with five industry experts are further conducted to substantiate the results.
Findings
The results identified four major components of job satisfaction, namely, “job content”, “resource adequacy”, “work context” and “the personality and competence of jobholders”. The analysis also found that “technical requirement” and “split incentive” condition of green construction projects, “the expertise and awareness of PMs” and “demand and support from stakeholders” has significant impacts on PMs’ job satisfaction. Furthermore, this study developed eight strategies to improve PMs’ job satisfaction, including “increase recognition opportunities for PMs”, “government incentives and financial support” and “introductory and training courses on green construction legislation and processes”.
Originality/value
The findings assist construction companies in formulating measures to improve the job satisfaction and performance of PMs in green construction projects.
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Ying Li, Lei Xu, Tao Sun and Ronggui Ding
Scholars and practitioners have recognized the significance of integrating environmental practices into project context. This paper focuses on project environmental practices…
Abstract
Purpose
Scholars and practitioners have recognized the significance of integrating environmental practices into project context. This paper focuses on project environmental practices (PEP) and identifies PEP from the life cycle perspective, which includes green design, green procurement, green construction and investment recovery. The purpose of this paper is to empirically investigate the relationship among the four aspects of PEP and their effects on environmental performance and organizational performance.
Design/methodology/approach
A theoretical model was established and several hypotheses were developed. This study applied a survey method to test the hypothesized relationships. Based on a sample of 159 respondents, partial least squares structural equation modeling analyses were conducted.
Findings
The results show that green design has a positive impact on green procurement, green construction and investment recovery. Green procurement is also confirmed to positively influence green construction. Further, green construction and investment recovery have a direct and positive impact on environmental and organizational performance, whereas green design and green procurement influence environmental and organizational performance indirectly through green construction. Environmental performance has a significant impact on organizational performance.
Originality/value
This study enhances the understanding on PEP by revealing the inter-relationships among its four aspects and establishes the links between PEP and performance outcomes. The findings will contribute to the literature on the integration of environmental principles and project context.
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De-Graft Owusu-Manu, Prosper Babon-Ayeng, Ernest Kissi, David J. Edwards, Derek Okyere-Antwi and Hatem Elgohary
Construction firms worldwide are increasingly taking pragmatic steps towards addressing environmental problems arising from their activities. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of…
Abstract
Purpose
Construction firms worldwide are increasingly taking pragmatic steps towards addressing environmental problems arising from their activities. Nonetheless, there is a paucity of studies focused on the nexus between green construction and environmental performance. Hence, this study aims to examine the linkages between green construction practice and environmental performance.
Design/methodology/approach
An extensive literature review was conducted to identify the relevant dimensions of green construction practice and indicators for measuring environmental performance. Variables collated were then subjected to pre-assessment and pre-testing processes. The pre-assessment was used as a preliminary content validation where experts assessed the various dimensions of green construction practice and indicators for measuring environmental performance proposed and determine if indeed the variables represent what the study set out to measure. Data were collected from construction professionals within the Ghana's Kumasi Metropolis. The sample size for the study was 100 experts in sustainable construction methods in the construction industry. A total of 63 responses were received out of the 100 target respondents, accounting for a 63% response rate. Data generated was analysed using mean score analysis and one-sample t-test to determine the level of significance of the various green construction practices and indicators for measuring environmental performance. A Pearson correlation analysis was undertaken to ascertain the relationships that exist among the various dimensions of green construction practice and indicators for measuring environmental performance. Finally, multiple linear regression analysis was utilised to ascertain the effect of the adoption of green construction practice on environmental performance.
Findings
The results indicate that all the green construction practices and the indicators of environmental performance identified from the literature were significant at p = 0.05. The study's findings revealed that energy management is the most significant construct of green construction practice followed by storm-water management. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the preservation of water is the most significant environmental performance indicator followed by sanitation. The regression model developed also explained that 75% of the variations in environmental performance are explained by green construction practice.
Research limitations/implications
Notwithstanding the study's achievements, one major limitation the research faced was the relatively small sample size.
Practical implications
This study provides sufficient data for construction professionals to identify the various green construction practices that could enhance environmental performance. The study's results showed that environmental performance could be improved by adopting the key green construction practices identified in this study. Pragmatic directions are also provided to stakeholders in the construction industry to take a critical look at the environmental performance indicators that were significant.
Originality/value
This pioneering research attempts to investigate the linkages between green construction practice and environmental performance in Ghana. Key results provide a critical evidential influence of green construction on environmental performance and make a crucial contribution to the current body of knowledge.
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Stuart Palmer and Nilupa Udawatta
Sustainable construction is widely considered to be the best practice in construction, helping to create a healthy built environment. Social media is identified as a valuable data…
Abstract
Purpose
Sustainable construction is widely considered to be the best practice in construction, helping to create a healthy built environment. Social media is identified as a valuable data source for research on sustainable construction, and Twitter is a popular social media platform in relation to the construction. Green Building construction is identified as one of the methods that promotes sustainable construction. The purpose of this study is to characterise “Green Building” as a topic in Twitter.
Design/methodology/approach
Social network analysis methods were applied to a large set of Twitter data related to “green building”. Time sequence analysis and network visualisation were used to characterise Twitter activity and to identify influential users. Text analytics and visualisation methods were applied to the same data set to visualise the text content of Twitter posts relating to green building.
Findings
Peaks in Twitter activity were associated with physical “green building” events. The network visualisation of the Twitter data revealed a complex structure and a range of types of interactions. The most “influential” users depended on the ranking method used; however, a number of users had high influence in all measures used. The tweet text visualisation showed evidence of a global and interactive audience on Twitter engaged in conversations about green building. Also, it was found that external links, emoji and popular terms related to a particular topic can be used to increase the engagement of Twitter users on that topic.
Originality/value
Certain Green Building events were observed to be associated with high levels of Twitter activity. The virtual was found to be closely linked to the physical, and for the promotion of green building construction, their respective impact is potentially the most powerful when used in conjunction. The most influential Twitter accounts did not belong to one class of user, including both individuals and organisations. Twitter offers a platform for a range of stakeholders in the area of green building construction to reach a substantial audience and to be influential in the public sphere. The findings of this research provide a valuable reference for industry practitioners and researchers to deepen their understanding of the application of Twitter to green building construction, and the methods of using Twitter to promote important information related to sustainable construction.
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Yeong Liang Sim and Frederik Josep Putuhena
The purpose of this paper is to identify mechanisms and approaches involved in the local construction industry to enhance environmental concerns and the adoption of capacity…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify mechanisms and approaches involved in the local construction industry to enhance environmental concerns and the adoption of capacity development model to manage the environment and up keeping of the quality in Malaysian construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper describes an innovative approach to understanding the role of internal and external influence through LEGO® concept. This approach builds on the theory of change management, in which includes learning about the domain of enabling environment, organisation, individual and knowledge management process. New ideas, practices or technologies occur through integration of efforts particularly from the above mentioned domains. The approach also analyses the challenges faced by construction stakeholders. It draws on findings from different studies including some other countries of sustainability in which the engagement of previous research has been incorporated to further enhance the construction and environmental quality in the Malaysian construction industry.
Findings
Environmental sustainable development construction requires a holistic thinking and decision making and more innovative solutions that enhance sustainability and result in mutually benefited outcomes for all stakeholders. A dedicated effort especially government and government link company is in strong demand. A valid reason for capacity development to develop in organisations and individuals to perform functions needed to keep green management operating and evolving to meet new challenges. The construction sector will benefit from learning advances in capacity development which are designed to improve and enhance construction and environmental quality governance. The coverage of LEGO® conceptual framework at which capacity development operates was identified in each domain of change management.
Research limitations/implications
A limitation of the study was the relatively little literature information provided and thus affects the expounding and reliability of data. For this reason, these findings cannot be generalised to the other countries based on this study alone. The access to information is limited as public and private organisations hesitate to share information on their strategic planning and tactics.
Originality/value
Development of capacity development model will contribute to the understanding of environmental sustainability through identifying gaps in the understanding and pursuit of construction and environmental quality in the Malaysian construction industry. This paper suggests the future prospect that integrates several dimensions towards green management practice in Malaysia.
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Abimbola Olukemi Windapo and Jack Steven Goulding
The purpose of this paper is to examine green building legislation requirements and practices in the construction project execution stage within the context of the South African…
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to examine green building legislation requirements and practices in the construction project execution stage within the context of the South African construction industry. The rationale for this examination rests with the perception that the implementation of green practices (per se) has been recognised as being “behind” the legislation enacted to control the design and construction of green buildings.
Design/methodology/approach
The research process consisted of a literature review to identify existing green building legislation and practices applicable to the project execution phase. This was supported by a sequential mixed-method research approach, which involved a survey of contracting companies based in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Purposive sampling was used to undertake focused interviews with management staff and site operatives.
Findings
Research findings established a number of issues, not least: a gap between green building practices and legislation requirements; a high degree of unawareness of green building legislation/practices by construction company stakeholders; selective implementation of health and safety legislative requirements; that management staff had a more “positive” attitude to green building practices than site-based staff who tended to be less motivated and open to such practices.
Research limitations/implications
Results from this study are considered generalisable with the sample frame only. Research inference and projections should therefore only be made within this set, and not to the wider population of South African contractors (as this study was limited to the Western Cape Province).
Practical implications
Implications from this research are applicable to construction company stakeholders within the population set. Practical considerations include the need to acknowledge a formal commitment to developing a sustainable built environment – especially cognisant of the gap between practices on site and green building legislation requirements. Moreover, this lack of awareness in respect of green building practices and legislation requirements impinges upon several wider areas, not least: construction company stakeholders’ positioning, health and safety practices; managerial and operational staff perceptions, and stakeholders’ willingness and motivation to proactively address these gaps.
Social implications
Government bodies and allied professionals in charge of construction industry development are encouraged to consider the implementation of green building legislation requirements on construction sites. This reflection should encourage engagement through formative legislative provision and transparent awareness campaigns.
Originality/value
This work is original insofar as it directly addresses the alignment of legislation to current practices within the context of the South African construction industry. However, similar exercises have been undertaken on green building legislation in other countries such as USA, UK and Australia.
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