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1 – 10 of 86Onaopepo Adeniyi, Niraj Thurairajah and Feyisetan Leo-Olagbaye
Practitioners have reported a minimal and non-use of building information modelling (BIM), especially in small and medium-sized organisations and BIM infant construction…
Abstract
Purpose
Practitioners have reported a minimal and non-use of building information modelling (BIM), especially in small and medium-sized organisations and BIM infant construction industries. This development calls for a reappraisal of organisations’ strength in capabilities required for BIM uptake towards the target of global construction digitalisation. This study aims to assess the BIM Level 2 uptake capability of organisations in a BIM infant construction industry and identify the underlying interactions between the capability criteria.
Design/methodology/approach
The study used a multivariable analysis of fifteen descriptors identified from the people, process, policy, finance and technology domain. Data collection was done in the BIM infant construction industry in Nigeria. Verification of the descriptors and an evaluation of BIM uptake capability in organisations was done. Seventy-three responses were received within the selected context, and data analysis was done with mean weighting and exploratory factor analysis. Maximum Likelihood extraction and Direct Oblimin rotation were used.
Findings
Factor analysis revealed three factors that explained 53.28% of the total variance in the BIM Level 2 uptake capability of construction organisations. The factors are workforce capacity and continuous development, an affinity for innovation and strength in physical and operational facilities.
Research limitations/implications
This study provides an overarching and insightful discussion on BIM uptake capability and construction digitalisation with evidence from a BIM-infant construction industry.
Practical implications
The findings of this study are a piece of valuable empirical evidence on Level 2 BIM uptake capability. This empirical situation analysis will inform the advocacy for the advancement of BIM and enhanced utilisation of building information. Evidence on the capability performance of the BIM infant industry has been revealed.
Originality/value
The outcome is expected to stir debate on the preparedness of organisations to further exploit the benefits of BIM in the BIM infant construction industry. Examination of the capability for a particular phase of BIM is scanty in the literature.
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Monika Sheoran and Devashish Das Gupta
India generates around two million tonnes of e-waste every year, and it is increasing at a very high rate of 30%. However, due to inefficient handling of infrastructure and…
Abstract
Purpose
India generates around two million tonnes of e-waste every year, and it is increasing at a very high rate of 30%. However, due to inefficient handling of infrastructure and limited number of collection centres along with the absence of proper incentive structure for producer and recyclers, 95% of e-waste reaches to unorganized sector for disposal. Consumers are not aware of the need of proper e-waste disposal and in absence of proper motivation and they are not inclined towards recycling process. Therefore, this paper aims to identify the best practices of e-waste take adopted all over the world to implement effective policy interventions for e-waste management in India and other emerging economies.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper has recommended preventive as well as curative policy interventions on the basis of best e-waste management practices of Germany, Italy and Japan; life cycle assessment of e-waste; and SWOT analysis of Indian electronic product industry.
Findings
Preventive measures include a deposit refund scheme wherein a consumer will be responsible for depositing a refundable fees during the purchase of the product. The amount should be arrived at keeping in mind cost involved in handling e-waste and ensure some motivation for the consumers to give back used product. To ensure proper tracking of the product, Radio frequency identification (RFID) tags can be used which will be activated at the time of sale of product and remain so until product reaches some designated recycling space or recycler and consumer is returned back his deposit fee. Subsidy to the producers and recyclers can also be provided by the government to further incentivize the whole process. An example of mobile phones has been used to understand the proposed deposit fees and associated cost structure. Curative measures to reduce the generation of e-waste in long run for managing the discussed issue have also been proposed.
Originality/value
This study is an initiative for proposing and implementing best e-waste take back techniques in a developing economy like India by acquiring learnings from best/advanced economies in terms of e-waste take back.
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Olivia McDermott, Kevin ODwyer, John Noonan, Anna Trubetskaya and Angelo Rosa
This study aims to improve a construction company's overall project delivery by utilising lean six sigma (LSS) methods combined with building information modelling (BIM) to…
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to improve a construction company's overall project delivery by utilising lean six sigma (LSS) methods combined with building information modelling (BIM) to design, modularise and manufacture various building elements in a controlled factory environment off-site.
Design/methodology/approach
A case study in a construction company utilised lean six sigma (LSS) methodology and BIM to identify non-value add waste in the construction process and improve sustainability.
Findings
An Irish-based construction company manufacturing modular pipe racks for the pharmaceutical industry utilised LSS to optimise and standardise their off-site manufacturing (OSM) partners process and leverage BIM to design skids which could be manufactured offsite and transported easily with minimal on-site installation and rework required. Productivity was improved, waste was reduced, less energy was consumed, defects were reduced and the project schedule for completion was reduced.
Research limitations/implications
The case study was carried out on one construction company and one construction product type. Further case studies would ensure more generalisability. However, the implementation was tested on a modular construction company, and the methods used indicate that the generic framework could be applied and customized to any offsite company.
Originality/value
This is one of the few studies on implementing offsite manufacturing (OSM) utilising LSS and BIM in an Irish construction company. The detailed quantitative benefits and cost savings calculations presented as well as the use of the LSM methods and BIM in designing an OSM process can be leveraged by other construction organisations to understand the benefits of OSM. This study can help demonstrate how LSS and BIM can aid the construction industry to be more environmentally friendly.
Swapnil Soni and Bala Subrahmanya Mungila Hillemane
In the process of industrial growth, when existing industries go for technology upgradation and new modernised industries emerge, both capital intensity and energy demand of…
Abstract
Purpose
In the process of industrial growth, when existing industries go for technology upgradation and new modernised industries emerge, both capital intensity and energy demand of overall industry tend to rise steadily. This poses a serious challenge for sustainable development objectives. Towards this end, enhancing energy efficiency of individual industries is the only remedy. Against this backdrop, the study aims to probe the trends in capital intensities and energy efficiencies of individual industries in India.
Design/methodology/approach
This study uses panel data regression analysis on data of two-digit industries from 1980/1981–2016/2017. The statistical analysis includes relevant macroeconomic variables derived from the literature to ascertain the drivers of energy efficiency in industries.
Findings
The results brought out that capital deepening due to technology upgradation and modernisation and capital productivity growth are the decisive determinants of energy efficiency growth. Furthermore, the ever-increasing fuel price motivated industries to conserve energy on a steady basis, supplemented by energy conservation-specific policy interventions.
Research limitations/implications
This study recommends policy initiatives to ascertain and address technology gaps industry-wise, so that its subsequent efficient capital utilisation, and energy conservation measures of industries would result in energy efficiency growth in industry. The policy must focus on energy-efficient capital intensification in fabricated metals, leather, textile and wood industries that are found less-energy-efficient despite being less-capital-intensive.
Originality/value
This study empirically explores the capital efficiency of industries by investigating the interaction between capital intensity and energy efficiency at a two-digit industry level. It explores the determinants of energy efficiency and proposes industry-specific policies for energy-efficiency-enhancement of the overall industry.
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Mubasher Iqbal, Rukhsana Kalim and Noman Arshed
This study has incorporated competitiveness by considering it a significant factor behind determining as well as moderating industrial value added in the environmental Kuznets…
Abstract
Purpose
This study has incorporated competitiveness by considering it a significant factor behind determining as well as moderating industrial value added in the environmental Kuznets curve (EKC) framework. This study aims to explore the moderating role of competitiveness policy in EKC with an aim to promote business led sustainability at national level.
Design/methodology/approach
Considering the environmental deterioration aspect of industrialization, this study tests the existence of EKC for SAARC countries using the data from 1996 to 2021 using second-generation static panel data model.
Findings
Estimated results have validated that moderating effect is responsible for improving environmental sustainability in SAARC countries. Furthermore, population density is responsible for increasing while trade openness is responsible for decreasing carbon emissions.
Originality/value
Higher industrial activities are a symbol of upward-moving economic growth. But its other impact is in the form of environmental deterioration. However, the relationship between industrialization and environmental quality can be identified through EKC.
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Ambra Galeazzo, Andrea Furlan, Diletta Tosetto and Andrea Vinelli
We studied the relationship between job engagement and systematic problem solving (SPS) among shop-floor employees and how lean production (LP) and Internet of Things (IoT…
Abstract
Purpose
We studied the relationship between job engagement and systematic problem solving (SPS) among shop-floor employees and how lean production (LP) and Internet of Things (IoT) systems moderate this relationship.
Design/methodology/approach
We collected data from a sample of 440 shop floor workers in 101 manufacturing work units across 33 plants. Because our data is nested, we employed a series of multilevel regression models to test the hypotheses. The application of IoT systems within work units was evaluated by our research team through direct observations from on-site visits.
Findings
Our findings indicate a positive association between job engagement and SPS. Additionally, we found that the adoption of lean bundles positively moderates this relationship, while, surprisingly, the adoption of IoT systems negatively moderates this relationship. Interestingly, we found that, when the adoption of IoT systems is complemented by a lean management system, workers tend to experience a higher effect on the SPS of their engagement.
Research limitations/implications
One limitation of this research is the reliance on the self-reported data collected from both workers (job engagement, SPS and control variables) and supervisors (lean bundles). Furthermore, our study was conducted in a specific country, Italy, which might have limitations on the generalizability of the results since cross-cultural differences in job engagement and SPS have been documented.
Practical implications
Our findings highlight that employees’ strong engagement in SPS behaviors is shaped by the managerial and technological systems implemented on the shop floor. Specifically, we point out that implementing IoT systems without the appropriate managerial practices can pose challenges to fostering employee engagement and SPS.
Originality/value
This paper provides new insights on how lean and new technologies contribute to the development of learning-to-learn capabilities at the individual level by empirically analyzing the moderating effects of IoT systems and LP on the relationship between job engagement and SPS.
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R.V. ShabbirHusain, Atul Arun Pathak, Shabana Chandrasekaran and Balamurugan Annamalai
This study aims to explore the role of the linguistic style used in the brand-posted social media content on consumer engagement in the Fintech domain.
Abstract
Purpose
This study aims to explore the role of the linguistic style used in the brand-posted social media content on consumer engagement in the Fintech domain.
Design/methodology/approach
A total of 3,286 tweets (registering nearly 1.35 million impressions) published by 10 leading Fintech unicorns in India were extracted using the Twitter API. The Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC) dictionary was used to analyse the linguistic characteristics of the shared tweets. Negative Binomial Regression (NBR) was used for testing the hypotheses.
Findings
This study finds that using drive words and cognitive language increases consumer engagement with Fintech messages via the central route of information processing. Further, affective words and conversational language drive consumer engagement through the peripheral route of information processing.
Research limitations/implications
The study extends the literature on brand engagement by unveiling the effect of linguistic features used to design social media messages.
Practical implications
The study provides guidance to social media marketers of Fintech brands regarding what content strategies best enhance consumer engagement. The linguistic style to improve online consumer engagement (OCE) is detailed.
Originality/value
The study’s findings contribute to the growing stream of Fintech literature by exploring the role of linguistic style on consumer engagement in social media communication. The study’s findings indicate the relevance of the dual processing mechanism of elaboration likelihood model (ELM) as an explanatory theory for evaluating consumer engagement with messages posted by Fintech brands.
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Patrick Kraus, Elias Fißler and Dennis Schlegel
In recent years, the robotic process automation (RPA) technology has increasingly been used to automate business processes. While a lot of research has been published on the…
Abstract
Purpose
In recent years, the robotic process automation (RPA) technology has increasingly been used to automate business processes. While a lot of research has been published on the potential and benefits of the technology, only a few studies have conducted research on challenges related to RPA adoption. Hence, this study aims to identify and discuss challenges related to RPA implementation projects.
Design/methodology/approach
Following an inductive methodology, interviews have been conducted with consultants who were involved in multiple RPA implementation projects. Hence, their extensive experience and views contribute to a detailed and in-depth understanding of the phenomena under research.
Findings
The results suggest that there are various process-related, technical, resource-related, psychological and coordinative challenges that must be considered when conducting an RPA implementation project.
Originality/value
This paper contributes to knowledge by presenting a new typology of challenges, as well as providing an in-depth discussion of the individual challenges that organizations face.
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Khalil Idrissi Gartoumi, Mohamed Aboussaleh and Smail Zaki
This paper aims to explore a framework for implementing Lean Construction (LC) to provide corrective actions for quality defects, customer dissatisfaction and value creation…
Abstract
Purpose
This paper aims to explore a framework for implementing Lean Construction (LC) to provide corrective actions for quality defects, customer dissatisfaction and value creation during the construction of megaprojects.
Design/methodology/approach
This paper presents a case study involving the construction of the Mohamed VI Tower in Morocco. It is the tallest tower in Africa, with 55 floors and a total height of 250 m. This study of the quality of the work and the involvement of the LC was carried out using the Define–Measure–Analysis–Improve–Control approach from Lean six sigma. It describes the Critical to Quality and analyses the root causes of quality defects, customer dissatisfaction and variation in the quality process.
Findings
Firstly, the results of this study map the causal factors of lack of quality as established in the literature. Secondly, the LC tools have reduced non-value-added sources of quality waste and, consequently, improved critical quality indicators.
Research limitations/implications
This document focuses on one part of the tower’s construction and is limited to a project case in a country where LC is rarely used.
Originality/value
This study reinforces the literature reviews, surveys and the small number of case studies that have validated the potential of LC and further clarifies future directions for the practical emergence of this quality improvement approach, especially for large-scale projects.
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