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Article
Publication date: 22 June 2021

Johnson Adafin, Suzanne Wilkinson, James O.B. Rotimi, Casimir MacGregor, John Tookey and Regan Potangaroa

This study aims to examine how innovation can be accelerated within the New Zealand (NZ) building industry to improve the productivity and efficiency of the industry.

Abstract

Purpose

This study aims to examine how innovation can be accelerated within the New Zealand (NZ) building industry to improve the productivity and efficiency of the industry.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a mixed philosophical approach combining interpretivism and post-positivism. Data for the study were obtained through a focus group of 50 practitioners that were selected using a stratified sampling procedure. All focus group data were audio-recorded, notes of the discussions were taken and then transcribed, de-identified and managed using NVivo software. Data analysis was undertaken using thematic analysis and inductive reasoning consistent with interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Findings

The study findings revealed that the industry could benefit from the adoption of new and emerging technologies to improve its performance, especially its productivity and efficiency. Key drivers for the adoption of innovative practices included the adaptation of “local best practices” from case studies that would consist of stories of successful innovations that could foster confidence in future innovation. It was also identified that Government and industry should nurture innovation through collaborative contracts, policies and regulations. Further, it was highlighted that a culture of innovation needed to be developed to help nurture competencies and capability within the industry workforce.

Research limitations/implications

This study provides an in-depth examination of the need for innovation from the point of view of building industry practitioners. This study provides a useful starting-off point for further research and for the creation of policies that could help to support and accelerate innovation within the NZ building industry.

Practical implications

NZ’s building industry productivity and efficiency have been sub-optimal relative to other industries. But using evidence from the experiences and knowledge of industry practitioners, strategies can be developed to accelerate innovation within the NZ building industry that could help reverse industry performance. Further, the research findings can help inform government policies to develop support mechanisms that could encourage innovation in the industry in NZ. In addition, it is anticipated that the findings will provide a useful set of guidance for other countries that have similar market and physical constraints as those encountered by NZ.

Originality/value

There is a dearth of empirical studies on innovation in the NZ building industry which the current study contributes to. By sharing industry practitioners’ experiences and knowledge of innovation, the paper seeks to counteract more technocratic and technological optimist accounts of innovation within the building industry. Further, the paper provides insights into how the NZ building industry can transform its performance through innovation.

Details

Construction Innovation , vol. 22 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1471-4175

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 11 June 2018

Jared Michael Noynaert and Regan Potangaroa

This paper aims to examine accurate cross-sector assessment of true relative need in affected populations and the net human impact of disaster response programmes.

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to examine accurate cross-sector assessment of true relative need in affected populations and the net human impact of disaster response programmes.

Design/methodology/approach

A psychometric assessment method using the DASS-42 is presented, and its practicality and value are shown through field studies in Afghanistan and Vanuatu.

Findings

Psychometric quality of life assessments are robust, rapidly deployable, culturally and sector-agnostic, and imminently useful for targeting disaster aid and measuring programme effectiveness.

Research limitations/implications

This research provides a baseline for further investigation into identifying which aid interventions are necessary without using technical assessments.

Practical implications

The demonstrated method is more effective in many situations than traditional technical assessments or assumption of which demographic factors place groups at risk.

Originality/value

The identified approach builds on previous work by combining psychometric indications of disaster effect with specific areas of need self-identified by the assessed communities. Its effectiveness for enabling humanitarian action at both large and small scales is also proven.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 9 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 15 August 2019

Behrooz Balaei, Suzanne Wilkinson and Regan Potangaroa

In March 2015 Vanuatu experienced Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam, a category 5 cyclone with estimated wind speeds of 250 kph and one of the worst disasters in Vanuatu’s history. Prior…

Abstract

Purpose

In March 2015 Vanuatu experienced Tropical Cyclone (TC) Pam, a category 5 cyclone with estimated wind speeds of 250 kph and one of the worst disasters in Vanuatu’s history. Prior to the cyclone, one-third of water in Vanuatu was collected by means of rainwater harvesting systems; around one quarter of these systems were damaged due to the cyclone and no longer functional. The purpose of this paper is to investigate social and organisational complexities in the resilience of water systems in Vanuatu following TC Pam, focussing on rural areas.

Design/methodology/approach

The resilience of water supply in rural responses to TC Pam was examined using the three following approaches: review of existing documents, a case study of a village and interviews with specialist local and international non-governmental organisation staff working in Vanuatu.

Findings

People’s reaction to the cyclone and its consequences at the village or community level in Vanuatu was impressive. The capacity of the locals, their involvement in the community and the low level of violence and high level of trust within society contributed to a quicker water supply restoration than expected. Despite severe shortages of water in some areas due to physical vulnerability of the system, the communities dealt with the issue calmly and the country did not experience any chaos due to water shortages.

Originality/value

The research results provide a benchmark for planners and decision makers in the South Pacific based on the social, organisational and technical dimensions of rural areas in Vanuatu that can be generalised to other countries in the region. This study also recommends potential tools to improve assessment of the role of social capital in fostering water supply resilience.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 28 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 17 February 2012

Yan Chang, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa and Erica Seville

There is a need to understand resourcing issues when reconstructing the built environment in a post‐disaster situation. The purpose of this paper is to determine the resourcing…

3078

Abstract

Purpose

There is a need to understand resourcing issues when reconstructing the built environment in a post‐disaster situation. The purpose of this paper is to determine the resourcing difficulties that are likely to face the international practitioners in post‐disaster reconstruction by identifying and comparing the factors that affected resource availability following natural disasters in Indonesia and China respectively.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology included field‐based questionnaire surveys, semi‐structured interviews and observations. A comparative analysis was used to extract similarities and differences with regard to resourcing approaches in Indonesia and China.

Findings

Despite the different resourcing approaches adopted in Indonesia and China in their recovery from large‐scale disasters, there are common issues facing post‐disaster reconstruction stakeholders, including competence of the implementing agencies, capacity of transportation, governance and legislation, and market conditions. Specifically, community‐related housing features played a dominant role in donor‐driven resourcing practice in post‐Indian Ocean tsunami reconstruction in Indonesia, whereas factors related to project control and management primarily contributed to resourcing performance of Chinese reconstruction specialists following the Wenchuan earthquake.

Research limitations/implications

To solve resourcing problems, countries need to create an enabling environment and build institutional capacity. The cross‐cultural comparative analysis encourages policy makers and practitioners to exchange experiences from recent recovery operations.

Originality/value

The paper illustrates the infrastructural and institutional weaknesses that hindered effective resource procurement during post‐disaster reconstruction in Indonesia and China. The research findings show common areas in need of improvement in other disaster prone countries, along with the issues to be addressed in the donor‐led or contractor‐led resourcing practice in the two studied countries.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 April 2013

Yan Chang‐Richards, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa and Erica Seville

The purpose of this paper is to identify resourcing challenges that face housing rebuild following the 2009 Victorian “Black Saturday” bushfires in Australia and to examine the…

1285

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify resourcing challenges that face housing rebuild following the 2009 Victorian “Black Saturday” bushfires in Australia and to examine the impacts of resource shortages on longer term community recovery.

Design/methodology/approach

The research methodology included a longitudinal study which consists of a questionnaire survey, field‐based interviews and observations to track trends evident in the survey.

Findings

A total of 28 months after the bushfires, reconstruction in the worst‐affected area, the Shire of Murrindindi, was proceeding slowly despite the institutions and procedures set up for recovery. This slow reconstruction was due to the unavailability of building resources. Changed Building Standards, increased building markets outside the bushfire zone, lack of economic incentives, combined with home owners’ socio‐economic vulnerabilities, created a chain of impacts on households’ ability to get resources.

Research limitations/implications

The evidence in this paper points to emergent resource issues that impeded recovery progress in the bushfire zone. These issues primarily come from technical decisions on building controls, economic conditions, and risk perceptions of construction professionals. Findings from this longitudinal study will inform the recovery planning of government agencies in future events.

Originality/value

This paper makes the case for a new approach to looking at resourcing problems following a major disaster. This study demonstrates that recovery planning needs to include a resource perspective which explains both impacts of recovery polices on resource availability and impacts of resourcing dynamics on the wider recovery environment.

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 22 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 19 June 2009

Kelvin Zuo, Regan Potangaroa, Suzanne Wilkinson and James O.B. Rotimi

The purpose of this paper is to explore the alternative procurement procedures that will address the complexity of issues surrounding timber procurement for housing reconstruction…

2753

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the alternative procurement procedures that will address the complexity of issues surrounding timber procurement for housing reconstruction after the Tsunami in Banda Aceh. It reviews construction supply chain management (SCM) and procurement philosophies with a project management (PM) perspective to facilitate the logistics of post‐disaster reconstruction.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on two fieldtrip experiences in Banda Aceh in 2006 (one month) and 2008 (two months) with the housing reconstruction program of an international non‐governmental organisation, this paper examines the modern literature on SCM and analyses this process associated with construction material procurement in practice, reviews the problems inherited in the Indonesian context and analyses the proposed procedures of local and international procurement of timber to streamline the supply for reconstruction in Banda Aceh, Indonesia.

Findings

The incorporation of sustainable considerations into the design of procurement routes in the overall PM process for post‐disaster construction should be well recognized. The paper shows that basic SCM philosophies of ensuring stakeholder integration and collaboration could reduce the problems in timber procurement in Banda Aceh. Sustainable construction and triple bottom lines criteria are proposed to ensure a value creation process for a wider stakeholder engagement and overall reconstruction project delivery.

Originality/value

The paper provides useful PM insights into SCM and sustainable construction literature. The case study reviews the timber procurement problems and goes further to present two alternative procurement models that could be implemented as more sustainable responses to post‐disaster reconstruction in Banda Aceh.

Details

International Journal of Managing Projects in Business, vol. 2 no. 3
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1753-8378

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 31 August 2012

Yan Chang, Suzanne Wilkinson, Regan Potangaroa and Erica Seville

The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for the construction professionals and stakeholders to understand the critical factors influencing resource availability in a…

2967

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to provide a basis for the construction professionals and stakeholders to understand the critical factors influencing resource availability in a post‐disaster situation. The study reported in this paper is part of ongoing research concerned with developing a methodology to improve the outcomes of resource availability for projects in post‐disaster environments. This study attempts to address the following questions: what factors impinge upon the availability of resources in a disaster recovery project and what are the common resource availability determinants across different recovery environments?

Design/methodology/approach

The method of analysis in this investigation is a comparative case study. The researchers took part in disaster field trips to Indonesia, China and Australia during their recovery from natural disasters. By using case studies and a triangulation method, critical factors that affected resource availability in the three examined countries were identified and compared.

Findings

A comparative analysis shows that specific cultural elements, the socio‐economic environment and the political agenda in the three countries influenced their resourcing problems and the solutions they adopted. Despite different resourcing approaches in the three cases, competence of construction professionals, and government response and intervention were identified as common determinants to resourcing disaster recovery projects.

Research limitations/implications

The research findings contribute to the project management methodology to post‐disaster reconstruction.

Practical implications

From this research, decision makers and construction practitioners can have a clearer direction for improving their resourcing effort in a post‐disaster situation. This study provides a basis for the construction professionals and stakeholders to understand the critical factors influencing resource availability in a post‐disaster situation, with a view to enhancing their capability of managing disaster recovery projects.

Social implications

A comparative analysis of three cases provides a multi‐perspective view of the resourcing issues in a post‐disaster situation. As many problems are faced in disaster recovery projects, resource availability intrinsically links to chronic conditions of vulnerability in existence in the broader social system prior to a disaster. The five aspects of resourcing discussed in the paper show the key areas of recovery planning in relation to resource availability.

Originality/value

In large and complex disaster recovery operations, the availability of resources is bound to be limited. Identified resourcing problems are likely to be universal and can be anticipated and pre‐planned for, irrespective of the environment when a disaster happens. The paper provides a basis for the construction professionals and stakeholders to understand the critical factors influencing resource availability in a post‐disaster situation.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 19 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 26 February 2010

Yan Chang, Suzanne Wilkinson, Erica Seville and Regan Potangaroa

The purpose of this paper is to understand the resourcing issues that concern the provision of resources required for reconstruction projects after a disaster and to enable them…

4664

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to understand the resourcing issues that concern the provision of resources required for reconstruction projects after a disaster and to enable them to be integrated into a holistic planning process.

Design/methodology/approach

Triangulation methodology is adopted in this paper including both quantitative and qualitative methods. The quantitative approach, namely statistic analysis with the aid of questionnaires and SPSS is employed to identify the key factors affecting resource availability in post‐disaster reconstruction situations. The qualitative semi‐structured interviews and desk reviews of government and media documents are conducted to further interpret outcomes in the questionnaire session.

Findings

Based on empirical research, the major finding of the paper is that in order to arrive at a resilient and sustainable built environment after a disaster, resourcing efforts should be made around four components – resourcing facilitator: legislation and policy; resourcing implementer: construction industry; resourcing platform: construction market; and resourcing access: transportation system.

Originality/value

The original part of this paper is in raising the importance of resourcing for achieving a resilient post‐disaster built environment, and in presenting a thorough overhaul of the resourcing components. The paper also offers a vision of comprehensive planning and preparedness to facilitate resourcing operations in post‐disaster reconstruction; pinpoints possible constraints inherent in post‐disaster resourcing environment; and provides a direction‐setting framework to achieve the vision with built environment resilience considerations incorporated.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 1 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

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Article
Publication date: 20 February 2009

675

Abstract

Details

Disaster Prevention and Management: An International Journal, vol. 18 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0965-3562

Content available
Article
Publication date: 24 February 2012

294

Abstract

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 3 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

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