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The increasing pressure from clients and global construction trends have led the construction industry to seek better options for overcoming the emerging challenges and critical issues battling construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to assess the factors affecting the performance of partners in joint ventures construction projects in Nigeria.

Primary data were collected through the administration of questionnaire to partners and consultants who have engaged in joint venture construction project in partnership with the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation. The data obtained were analyzed using Mean Item Score, Wilcoxon‐Mann‐Whitney (U‐test) test, Kruskal‐Wallis (H‐test) test and factor analysis.

The study revealed that all the factors identified were significant to the performance of partners in joint venture construction with communication, compatibility of objectives and mutual understanding among partners ranked as the most important to the performance of partners in Joint Venture Projects. A KMO value of 0.743 was also derived indicating the suitability of the data for factor analysis.

The research could be beneficial to potential investors for deciding the factors that contribute significantly to the performance of Partners in Joint Venture Construction Projects for inclusion in the drafting of Joint Venture Agreements. The five groupings from factor analysis and their relationship will also help in developing a framework for Joint Venture Construction Projects.

The extracted factors and values will help to identify prioritized factors which could be used as an assessment tool to evaluate the performance of partners and thus identifying areas for improvement.

The social inclusion of youth is addressed from the perspective of goal-directed action in order to understand and foster it effectively. Conceptualized from the perspective of contextual action theory (CAT), the specific understanding of action as levels, perspectives and systems provides the basis to unpack the complexity of human action. One pertinent action system is identified as project. It refers to a series of actions over time with the same goal. Using this understanding, the social inclusion of youth is described though the joint actions and projects between youth and non-familial adults. These joint actions and projects include advocating for youth, providing instrumental knowledge and encouraging community involvement and civil engagement. CAT is also used to conceptualize and conduct research on the social inclusion of youth. Specifically, the action project method was used to describe the joint projects of both youth with disability and immigrant youth as these projects involved the youth’s social inclusion.

International and joint R&D projects have been gaining due attention from large‐scale companies all over the world, especially with the development of new production concepts and technologies and internationalization of operations such as manufacturing, projects, and services. The major issues that confront the international R&D projects are the management focus, the strategic approach and methods for improving the effectiveness of international and joint R&D projects. In this paper, a conceptual model is developed to discuss these issues. Then, the experiences of Finnish large‐scale companies on international R&D projects are presented with help of the conceptual model. Based on the literature review and the experiences of Finnish international firms, a framework has been offered for successfully managing international and joint R&D projects.

This chapter addresses the criticisms that escalation of commitment research has focused only on individual (as opposed to team or group) decision-making. It has been suggested that research findings of individual-based decision on managers’ escalation behaviors may not be applicable in today’s business environment which is increasingly dominated by team or group-based decision. Specifically, this chapter examines the effects of information availability (public vs. private information) and type of responsibility (sole and joint responsibility) on managers’ project evaluation decisions. A laboratory experiment was conducted to test the hypotheses developed for this study. The results indicate that, consistent with prior research, project managers exhibited a greater tendency to continue a failing project under private information than public information conditions. In addition, in the private information condition, project managers with joint responsibility for an investment project expressed a greater tendency to continue a failing project than those with sole responsibility. Implications of our results for the design of management control systems are discussed.

The purpose of this paper is to look beyond the data and findings of a joint practitioner-research project to illustrate how joint practitioner-research can influence practice and stimulate meaningful partnership working from the bottom up within a social care setting. The impact of this integrated approach to practice and learning can enable improved outcomes for people.

The authors outline the research and explore the reflective process underlying the project including the subsequent phase of implementation. This examines what the authors, as practitioner-researchers, understood from the practice, heard from carers and fellow workers, and learnt from each other.

The authors consider the project in the wider context of evidence-based practice. Key enablers and challenges are identified to the production of joint practitioner-research and more broadly to outcomes for carers. The authors also examine the reflective process of joint working between individuals and the impact this can have on facilitating integrated working, at both a practice and service level.

The learning from this project evidences the value of meaningful joint working between practitioners and the impact this can have at different levels of integration. It also looks beyond the practitioner-research project to the stages of implementing findings and planning for ongoing joint working. It is therefore pertinent to many organisations looking to integrate and orientate towards a focus on outcomes for people.

The purpose of this paper is to review and discuss the role of the project champion and the project champion's experience in a business capacity building project in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia. The project champion mentored and fostered joint enterprises between and across actors engaged in the production, processing, distribution, retailing and exporting of lamb meat and cheese derived from sheep milk. The article aims to analyse and compare the experiences and knowledge from this project with that of knowledge in extant studies on demand chain integration and inter‐firm alliances.

A case study was crafted from information accessed from the project champion, key informants and information about the project presented in the web sites of the United States Agency for International Development and the project champion. The experiences presented in the case study were critically examined and evaluated with the findings in extant studies on inter‐firm alliances.

Demand chain strategy based on customer orientation and seamless integration of all actors in the value chain through a joint enterprise fosters relationship bonding, structural cohesion and transaction efficiencies. The role of a third party project champion in facilitating and mentoring the value chain actors contributed to the success of the joint‐enterprise.

The findings are based on a single case study, the unique characteristics of the study context limits the scope of generalising the findings.

Knowledge from this study is transferable to other industry sectors and can also be adapted in other environments in which individual small‐to‐medium‐scale enterprises experience competency and capacity constraints in developing their business.

Adopts a whole‐of‐chain capacity building approach. The dynamics of the study context (small‐to‐medium scale enterprises in all segments of the chain, niche high value products, transitional economy which recently adopted a free enterprise business model) are unique and this influenced project initiatives and outcomes. The study provides valuable insights into developing small‐to‐medium‐scale food enterprise capacity building projects.

This paper aims to describe how knowledge management (KM) in planning can support the sustainability of innovation in a hybrid, joint-use facility. The case study research studies ImaginOn, a 15 year-old children’s library and theater for young people in Charlotte, NC.

This research used KM model analysis of qualitative data about tacit-explicit knowledge, intellectual capital (IC) and cognitive modes of collaboration. Both historic documents and primary data (from field study observations, interviews and a questionnaire) were analyzed for informal KM practices. Semi-structured and unstructured interview questions about innovation were used.

This study found evidence of tacit knowledge sharing, the growth of IC and the operationalization of collaboration to promote innovation. Although traditional KM terms were not used by staff, an integrated model framework demonstrates how KM practices promote innovation in planning joint-use facilities.

Although a study of a diverse cultural collaboration rather than two libraries, the KM practices that supported innovation and collaboration in this hybrid, joint-use facility might be applied to libraries. Future KM model research on joint-use organizations could investigate merged businesses, government programs and non-profits.

The library and theater institutions in ImaginOn impact the lives of children and parents in meaningful ways that support community understanding, art, diversity and social interaction.

Research on joint-use libraries began in the 1960s. This case study provides unique model analysis of KM practices in a hybrid, joint-use facility (a library and theater). The innovative success and sustainability of ImaginOn illustrates the application of KM for strategic planning and aligning IC and business assets.

The challenge of unforeseen uncertainties in exploratory projects requires the lead firm in a project alliance to effectively manage exploratory co-innovation. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the types of capabilities a lead firm required in exploratory projects and how these capabilities enable the exploratory innovation of the project alliance.

A multiple-case study was done to provide empirical evidence for the rationale of the capabilities of the lead firm. The provided analysis used abductive reasoning of two typical exploratory projects in China.

This paper identifies two types of capabilities: innovation-related capabilities and network-related capabilities. Furthermore, a process model of the capabilities of the lead firm is developed that enables exploratory co-innovation in a project alliance. The capabilities of the lead firm input varied at four different stages.

Innovation-related capabilities and network-related capabilities could form the foundation for the lead firm in an exploratory project alliance. This will enable an exploratory co-innovation and collaboratively overcome the barriers of exploratory projects.

Although exploratory project attracts extensive attention for its unique characteristics and universal value, there is limited amount of research on the context of joint exploratory projects. This study starts from the role of lead firm in an exploratory project alliance, contributes toward the comprehension of the link between the lead firm’s capabilities and the process of exploratory co-innovation. The findings will be of value in supporting the management of exploratory innovation in a project alliance.

Development and implementation of new process equipment within the process industries frequently necessitate strong collaboration between process firms and their equipment suppliers in joint process development projects. However, collaboration in this setting entails significant challenges over the lifecycle of these projects. Accordingly, the purpose of this article is to explore the problems and opportunities faced by equipment suppliers during collaboration with process firms, throughout the various lifecycle stages of process development projects.

The article synthesizes results from 22 interviews in a multiple case study of eight equipment suppliers in the process industries and a comprehensive review of relevant literature to identify critical problems of opportunities during the lifecycle. In total, data were gathered from firms in six different countries.

A deficient pre‐study may create problems due to miscommunication during development when close interaction is required. Purchasing discussions can be done simultaneously to development when a supplier has been selected, although uncertainty is a problem. It is important to get end‐user feedback and commitment during development and later stages. During assembly and installation and start‐up, a variety of actors are working simultaneously which requires coordination and planning from an early stage. Close interaction and education with end‐user is critical for the technology transfer in the start‐up stage. Sharing of experiences enhances operational performance during production.

This study contributes by employing information rich case study data to describe the problem and opportunities faced over the full lifecycle in joint process development projects in the process industry. In particular, key issues over the lifecycle have been identified and described (e.g. purchasing, start‐up, education). Moreover, the adoption of a lifecycle perspective has indicated how activities, issues, and managerial challenges in specific stages are interconnected and affect the joint work in the following stages.

The findings of this article serves as guidelines to managers in equipment supplier firms and their customers by highlighting the problems and opportunities for improvement that occur during the interconnected stages of process development projects.

By focusing on the collaborative activities in different stages, this study higlights the critical problems and opportunities in the lifecycle of process equipment. In addition this article outlines how joint process development activities can facilitate enhanced operational performance, by means of collaborative design, installation and operation of new process equipment – i.e. “open operation”.