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1 – 10 of 627Rick Forster, Andrew Lyons, Nigel Caldwell, Jennifer Davies and Hossein Sharifi
The study sets out to demonstrate how a lifecycle perspective on complex, public-sector procurement projects can be used for making qualitative assessments of procurement policy…
Abstract
Purpose
The study sets out to demonstrate how a lifecycle perspective on complex, public-sector procurement projects can be used for making qualitative assessments of procurement policy and practice and reveal those procurement capabilities that are most impactful for operating effectively.
Design/methodology/approach
Agency theory, institutional theory and the lifecycle analysis technique are combined to abductively develop a framework to identify, analyse and compare complex procurement policies and practices in public sector organisations. Defence is the focal case and is compared with cases in the Nuclear, Local Government and Health sectors.
Findings
The study provides a framework for undertaking a lifecycle analysis to understand the challenges and capabilities of complex, public-sector buyers. Eighteen hierarchically-arranged themes are identified and used in conjunction with agency theory and institutional theory to explain complex procurement policy and practice variation in some of the UK’s highest-profile public buyers. The study findings provide a classification of complex buyers and offer valuable guidance for practitioners and researchers navigating complex procurement contexts.
Originality/value
The lifecycle approach proposed is a new research tool providing a bespoke application of theory by considering each lifecycle phase as an individual but related element that is governed by unique institutional pressures and principal-agent relationships.
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Luqman Oyewobi, Taofeek Tunde Okanlawon, Kabir Ibrahim and Richard Ajayi Jimoh
The construction industry faces public criticism for issues like wastefulness, inefficiency, slim profits, scheduling setbacks, budget overruns, quality concerns, trust deficits…
Abstract
Purpose
The construction industry faces public criticism for issues like wastefulness, inefficiency, slim profits, scheduling setbacks, budget overruns, quality concerns, trust deficits, transparency, coordination, communication and fraud. This paper aims to assess the nexus between barriers and drivers for adopting blockchain in construction and its impact on construction lifecycle.
Design/methodology/approach
A quantitative research approach was used to collect data using a well-structured questionnaire survey. The survey, which used snowball sampling, included 155 Nigerian construction experts that included architects, builders, quantity surveyors and engineers in the built environment. The data were analysed using partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM), which allowed for a thorough evaluation of the proposed relationships as well as industry-specific insights.
Findings
The study's findings validate the conceptual framework established. The results indicate that implementing blockchain across all stages of construction projects has the potential to improve the construction process by 88.2% through its drivers. However, there were no significant relationships found between the barriers to adopting blockchain and the potential application areas in the construction lifecycle.
Research limitations/implications
This research was carried out in the South-western which is one of the six geo-political zones/regions in Nigeria, using a cross-sectional survey method. The study did not investigate the interdependence of the identified categories of drivers and barriers, limiting a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics and interactions influencing blockchain adoption in construction. The study is expected to stimulate further exploration and generate new insights on how blockchain technology (BT) can influence various stages of the construction lifecycle.
Practical implications
The findings will be immensely beneficial to both professionals and practitioners in the Nigerian construction industry in learning about the potential of BT application in improving the construction lifecycle.
Originality/value
This paper developed and assessed a conceptual framework by investigating the interrelationships between the constructs. The findings have important implications for the construction industry, as they offer opportunities to improve the construction process and overall lifecycle. The findings are useful for researchers interested in the potential impact of BT on the construction lifecycle and its wider implications.
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Jacques Yana Mbena, Susanne Durst, Sascha Kraus and Céline Viala
To overcome economic hardship and survival, informal entrepreneurs must continually activate specific resilience capabilities and reassess their entrepreneurial intentions (EI)…
Abstract
Purpose
To overcome economic hardship and survival, informal entrepreneurs must continually activate specific resilience capabilities and reassess their entrepreneurial intentions (EI). Accordingly, they may develop transformational characteristics to design a model supporting intersectorial business growth. This study aims to examine the EI ecosystem of change resulting from the above endeavors and proposes an entrepreneurial intention transformation model (EITM).
Design/methodology/approach
Using the EI questionnaire developed by Liñán and Chen, data was collected from street vendors in the main markets of the Cameroonian capital (N = 307) to capture the determinants of behavior reflecting the propensity to activate entrepreneurial events within informal ventures.
Findings
It was uncovered that perceived collective support, resilience, orientation capability and inferred policies influence the dynamics of EI in the informal sector. Additionally, while revisiting current entrepreneurial lifecycle models, the study distinguished between the entrepreneurial events of “renegare” and formalization. Furthermore, the construction of an informal entrepreneurial lifecycle model confirms the need to acknowledge the formalization and “deformalization” processes as integrative parts of an intersectorial entrepreneurial lifecycle model.
Originality/value
This study extends existing research by proposing an intersectorial entrepreneurial lifecycle to recognize the dynamics of EI on ventures’ formalization. The EITM encompasses the EI dynamic process model and the proposed entrepreneurial lifecycle.
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Hanbo Zhang, Yong Qi and Guiyang Zhang
The intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) is an important trend in automobile development, but little research has been conducted on the technological differences in the ICV…
Abstract
Purpose
The intelligent connected vehicle (ICV) is an important trend in automobile development, but little research has been conducted on the technological differences in the ICV industry across countries. In this regard, the authors select China, the United States (US) and the European Union (EU) as countries with developed ICV industries to reveal these differences based on the perspective of subdivision technology.
Design/methodology/approach
The authors use logistic regression to fit lifecycles at technology level and country level based on ICV-related patents from China, the US and the EU, then use the Revealed Technological Advantage (RTA) index, Fast-Growing Specialization Index (FGSI) and International Patent Classification (IPC) numbers to conduct comparison of national technology advantages, finally use the social network analysis to investigate the evolution of characteristics and intermediate nodes of each technology innovation network.
Findings
Technology lifecycles vary according to the subdivision technology and country. The global development of the ICV industry has reached the mature stage, and 2030 may be a watershed moment, ushering in a wave of new technology iterations. In various subdivision technologies, China and the US have more leading RTAs, and China and the EU have more leading FGSIs. Innovation networks in different countries expand with technology lifecycles, with that in China being the fastest. China's Universities, the US's enterprises and the EU's research institutes are active in cooperative innovation as intermediaries.
Originality/value
This is the first study to compare the development of the ICV industry in major countries from the perspective of subdivision technology and reveal characteristics of innovation networks in each.
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Pouya Amies, Xiaohua Jin and Sepani Senaratne
Dam industry projects have significant economic, social and environmental impacts. However, very little has been carried out to improve their lifecycle performance. The purpose of…
Abstract
Purpose
Dam industry projects have significant economic, social and environmental impacts. However, very little has been carried out to improve their lifecycle performance. The purpose of this study is to identify success criteria applicable to different stages of such projects.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopted a quantitative research design where the potential success criteria for dam engineering projects were evaluated. The applicable success criteria were determined for the four phases of project lifecycle by three rounds of Delphi technique with the participation of experts from dams industry in Australia.
Findings
The findings of this research suggest that project success is a multidimensional notion and varies over lifecycle of projects. This study on project success criteria shows that certain criteria can be applied to measure success in different phases over lifecycle of Australian dam industry projects.
Originality/value
The results of this research present the first exclusive quantitative assessment of success criteria for dams industry. The success criteria presented in this study enable project practitioners to measure success at various stages of dam industry projects. This can serve as a tool to put more management efforts into achieving success on those criteria.
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Mohammad Javad Zoleykani, Hamidreza Abbasianjahromi, Saeed Banihashemi, Seyed Amir Tabadkani and Aso Hajirasouli
Extended reality (XR) is an emerging technology, with its popularity rising in different industry sectors, where its application has been recently considered in construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Extended reality (XR) is an emerging technology, with its popularity rising in different industry sectors, where its application has been recently considered in construction safety. This study aims to investigate the applications of XR technologies in the safety of construction through projects lifecycle perspective.
Design/methodology/approach
Scientometric analysis was conducted to discover trends, keywords, contribution of countries and publication outlets in the literature. The content analysis was applied to categorize previous studies into three groups concerning the phase of lifecycle in which they used XR.
Findings
Results of the content analysis showed that the application of XR in the construction safety is mostly covered in two areas, namely, safety training and risk management. It was found that virtual reality was the most used XR tool with most of its application dedicated to safety training in the design phase. The amount of research on the application of augmented reality and mixed reality in safety training, and risk management in all phases of lifecycle is still insignificant. Finally, this study proposed three main areas for using the XR technologies regarding the safety issues in future research, namely, control of safety regulations and safety coordination in construction phase, and safety reports in the operation phase.
Originality/value
This paper inspected the utilization of all types of XR for safety in each phase of construction lifecycle and proposed future directions for research by addressing the safety challenges in each phase.
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Indria Handoko and Hendro A. Tjaturpriono
Along their journey to achieve exponential growth, startups must process a vast amount of information and make quick decisions, reevaluate and adjust strategies and simultaneously…
Abstract
Purpose
Along their journey to achieve exponential growth, startups must process a vast amount of information and make quick decisions, reevaluate and adjust strategies and simultaneously redesign their organization along with the venture lifecycle. This paper delineates the evolution of startups' organizational design and identifies the influencing factors in every phase of the lifecycle.
Design/methodology/approach
This study adopts an explorative qualitative approach using a multiple case study methodology for six Indonesian startups. Indonesia is chosen as an emerging country in Southeast Asia with tremendous growth in digital startup businesses.
Findings
The research findings suggest that, as they experience exponential growth, startups strive to manage the tension between being structured and being flexible and hence remain innovative by combining management-centric and employee-centric approaches. In particular, this study identified three main factors that potentially influence the evolution of startups' organizational design: founders, investors and the characteristics of business and market.
Research limitations/implications
The present study focuses mainly on Indonesian digital startups and does not fully explain how the influencing factors work in each phase of the venture journey.
Practical implications
This study offers practical contributions for startups pursuing business growth by focusing on the importance of balancing the tension between structured and flexible organizational design and placing more attention on founders, investors and business-market characteristics.
Originality/value
This empirical study is among the first to delineate nuances of organizational design evolution during the startup lifecycle by adopting an explorative qualitative method.
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Firehiwot Kedir, Daniel M. Hall, Sara Brantvall, Jerker Lessing, Alexander Hollberg and Ranjith K. Soman
This paper aims to conduct a qualitative assessment of synergies between information flows of a multifamily product platform used for industrialized housing and materials…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to conduct a qualitative assessment of synergies between information flows of a multifamily product platform used for industrialized housing and materials passports that can promote a circular economy in the construction industry.
Design/methodology/approach
Using a single case study method, the research assesses the availability and accessibility of materials passport-relevant information generated by a leading Swedish industrialized housing construction firm. Data is collected using semistructured interviews, document analysis and an extended research visit.
Findings
The research findings identify the functional layers of the product platform, map the information flow using a process diagram, assess the availability and accessibility of material passport relevant information by lifecycle stage and actor, and summarize the key points using a SWOT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) analysis.
Research limitations/implications
The three main implications are: the technical and process platforms used in industrialized construction allow for generating standardized, digital and reusable information; the vertical integration of trades and long-term relationships with suppliers improve transparency and reduce fragmentation in information flows; and the design-build-operate business model strategy incentivizes actors to manage information flows in the use phase.
Practical implications
Industrialized construction firms can use this paper as an approach to understand and map their information flows to identify suitable approaches to generate and manage materials passports.
Originality/value
The specific characteristics of product platforms and industrialized construction provide a unique opportunity for circular information flow across the building lifecycle, which can support material passport adoption to a degree not often found in the traditional construction industry.
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Azzam Raslan, Ali Cheshmehzangi, Dave Towey, Walid Tizani and Georgios Kapogiannis
Currently, owners find it difficult to manage their assets throughout their project life cycle. The fact that asset information models (AIMs) are mandatory as deliverables for…
Abstract
Purpose
Currently, owners find it difficult to manage their assets throughout their project life cycle. The fact that asset information models (AIMs) are mandatory as deliverables for building information modeling-driven projects makes it a key requirement for the client to understand in detail those factors affecting asset operation. Hence, because the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is the most significant market in the Middle East, this study aims to investigate those factors where blockchain and AIMs could impact the asset management (AM) life cycle.
Design/methodology/approach
Researchers used a hypothesis-based approach over a systematic literature review and a workshop (descriptive statistics) to understand the current challenges in AM. Later, a second workshop was run to understand the impact factor analysis affecting the operation of the asset life cycle by using asset information modeling and blockchain technology over a multiquantitative method.
Findings
Results found that factors affecting the operation of assets could be the improvement of trust and stakeholder’s influences; the availability of handover process products’ accurate data; manufacturers providing detailed product models; increasing the speed of preparing holistic and integrated AM systems; improving collaboration between stakeholders; and returning clients’ investments faster.
Originality/value
Understanding the factors affecting AM life cycle based on the utilization of AIMs and blockchain then allows investors and their team members to work in a secure and collaborative environment that helps them to pre-identify certain risks and improve decision-making in a more effective way, as is required by ISO55000.
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Li Si and Xianrui Liu
This research aims to explore the research data ethics governance framework and collaborative network to optimize research data ethics governance practices, to balance the…
Abstract
Purpose
This research aims to explore the research data ethics governance framework and collaborative network to optimize research data ethics governance practices, to balance the relationship between data development and utilization, open sharing, data security and to reduce the ethical risks that may arise from data sharing and utilization.
Design/methodology/approach
This study explores the framework and collaborative network of research data ethics policies by using the UK as an example. 78 policies from the UK government, university, research institution, funding agency, publisher, database, library and third-party organization are obtained. Adopting grounded theory (GT) and social network analysis (SNA), Nvivo12 is used to analyze these samples and summarize the research data ethics governance framework. Ucinet and Netdraw are used to reveal collaborative networks in policy.
Findings
Results indicate that the framework covers governance context, subject and measure. The content of governance context contains context description and data ethics issues analysis. Governance subject consists of defining subjects and facilitating their collaboration. Governance measure includes governance guidance and ethics governance initiatives in the data lifecycle. The collaborative network indicates that research institution plays a central role in ethics governance. The core of the governance content are ethics governance initiatives, governance guidance and governance context description.
Research limitations/implications
This research provides new insights for policy analysis by combining GT and SNA methods. Research data ethics and its governance are conceptualized to complete data governance and research ethics theory.
Practical implications
A research data ethics governance framework and collaborative network are revealed, and actionable guidance for addressing essential aspects of research data ethics and multiple subjects to confer their functions in collaborative governance is provided.
Originality/value
This study analyzes policy text using qualitative and quantitative methods, ensuring fine-grained content profiling and improving policy research. A typical research data ethics governance framework is revealed. Various stakeholders' roles and priorities in collaborative governance are explored. These contribute to improving governance policies and governance levels in both theory and practice.
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