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Studies focusing on the growth of indigenous construction firms (ICFs) are getting dated, and unreflective of recent policy changes in developing countries. This study sought to analyze critical barriers to the growth of ICFs and obtain an unsupervised parsimonious grouping of the barriers for policy improvements.

A mix of quantitative and qualitative research methods was adopted for the study. ICFs in Nigeria were cross-sectionally surveyed based on a set of firm growth barriers obtained from literature and refined by focus group discussion. Descriptive (means, standard deviations, percentages) and inferential (Kruskal-Wallice and Mann-Whitney U test) statistics were used in the analyses of the data. Factor analysis was used to group the variables.

Results showed that “declining” ICFs are more negatively impacted by low construction mechanization/use of labor intensive methods, inadequate geographical reach of operations, and inadequate flow of jobs/low demand than “stunted” and “growing” ICFs. The three main domains of critical barriers to the growth of ICFs were identified in descending order of importance as low patronage, difficulty accessing funds, and business management incapacity.

The study recommends improvements in access to funds for ICFs by increasing the percentage of advance payments, and creating a pool of equipment for easy hire by ICFs. ICFs are advised to seek information on tendering opportunities outside their regions of domicile in order to increase their patronage.

This study reveals differences in the impacts of growth barriers on ICFs at different growth levels. This study also clarifies persisting barriers to the growth of ICFs [primarily construction micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs)] from a developing country perspective using a longer list of variables.

This study aims to (1) develop a structural equation model in understanding the relationships between corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance and contractor competitiveness and (2) test the moderating effect of firm sizes on this relationship.

A literature review showed an urgent need to investigate the relationship between CSR implementation and contractor competitiveness holistically. CSR and contractor competitiveness variables were identified through the literature review and discussions with experienced professionals. Using a survey questionnaire, a total of 252 completed questionnaires were received. A structural equation modeling technique was then applied to analyze the data collected. Multigroup analysis was employed to test the moderating effect of firm sizes on the relationship between CSR implementation and contractor competitiveness.

The results indicated a strong relationship between CSR implementation and contractor competitiveness. This relationship is not moderated by firm size.

This research is one of the first studies to holistically explore the linkages between CSR implementation and contractor competitiveness. The findings can be served as a solid foundation to promote CSR performance in construction firms. Contractors of different sizes are suggested to implement CSR activities to foster competitiveness.

This study focuses on identifying key principles for implementing strategic changes in design and construction companies interested in successfully using offsite construction (OSC) in multifamily housing projects, considering the need for more affordable and sustainable multifamily housing in the United States of America (USA).

Using mixed methods, the study involved three phases of data collection and data analysis: (1) delphi survey, (2) online survey, (3) proposition of principles and validation interviews.

The key principles identified by the present research are (1) develop product-oriented business model, (2) promote leadership and mindset engagement with OSC principles, (3) engage in partnerships and more innovative contractual models, (4) shift toward digital transformation, (5) develop training and knowledge management strategies, (6) adopt lean construction (LC) practices, (7) develop training and knowledge management strategies and (8) integrate logistics and supply chain management with AEC (architecture, engineering and construction) processes.

The implementation of the principles and strategic changes identified in this study aims to prepare design and construction companies, especially small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), to embrace the increasing use of OSC in multifamily projects in the USA, which will make them more efficient and resilient and, ultimately, will contribute to the construction of more affordable and sustainable multifamily housing projects in the USA.

This is the first research to address holistic strategies to support design and construction companies in adopting OSC.

The South African construction industry appears to be lagging behind other industries in the country in terms of implementation and adoption of innovative technologies. Moreover, sufficient empirical data on the adoption of innovative technologies, especially, in developing countries are not readily available. The aim of this study is therefore to assess the adoption and implementation of innovative technologies in the South African construction industry with a view to improving the industry's performance.

A survey was undertaken using a questionnaire, administered to construction professionals primarily in project management, quantity surveying and architectural firms.

The key findings show that there are some innovative technologies such as building information modelling, 3-dimensional mapping, drones, 3-dimensional printing and virtual reality that have been deployed. However, limited adoption of innovative technologies within the industry and low levels of knowledge of its benefits among the respondents were reported. This low implementation of innovative technologies was due to critical barriers such as high cost, limited knowledge, time requirement, fear of change, lack of interest, nature of construction processes and lack of team dynamics. Key drivers of innovation were found to include globalization and competition.

The current level of implementation of innovative technologies indicated that they are not yet optimized in the South African construction industry and suggests implications for change, adaptation and growth. The study recommends that firms should consider investing in research and development in order to exploit the potential of innovation for organizations and the industry at large.

The drivers and barriers indicated will help to prioritize the direction of adoption and growth which could help to improve the industry.

Building information modelling (BIM) and augmented reality (AR) are unique technologies in the digitalized construction industry. In spite of the numerous benefits of BIM-AR, its adoption has been at a relatively slow pace. The purpose of this study is to investigate how the factors within technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework influence the adoption of BIM-AR in the context of construction companies in a developing country.

By using a mainly deductive quantitative design, survey data were collected from senior management of built environment companies in Ghana using questionnaires. The study adopted a mixture of both purposive and snowball sampling approaches. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to analyse how the factors within the TOE framework explain BIM-AR adoption in Ghana.

Findings from the study show that the top three factors within the TOE framework that facilitate the adoption of BIM-AR include ICT infrastructure within construction firms; the size of the construction firm, which may influence the financial capacity to accommodate BIM-AR; and competitive pressure. The inhibitors of BIM-AR at the company level included external support and trading partners’ readiness.

Implicit is that the significant factors will be useful to policymakers and companies in developing programs that appeal to non-adopters to aid in mitigating their challenges and further enhance BIM-AR adoption.

The value of this paper has been the use of the theoretical framework TOE to explain the adoption factors of BIM-AR in the Ghanaian construction industry. The originality of the paper is further anchored in consideration of BIM-AR, which is quite nascent in emerging countries.

This paper aims to explore how open innovation communities contribute to the adoption of building information modelling (BIM) in the construction industry.

The paper presents a cross-case analysis of two construction communities, buildingSMART Norway and the BIM Vietnam Community. Data were collected based on 21 semi-structured interviews conducted with industry experts actively engaged in these two communities. The theoretical basis for the study was open innovation and the institutional intervention model, which delineates institutional actions related to the adoption of new information technology.

The findings show both similarities and differences in the way in which the communities contribute to industrial practice. Both communities use similar knowledge channels and repositories but apply different approaches to innovation creation and diffusion. In addition, trust can support BIM innovation in the community context.

The comparison of buildingSMART Norway and the BIM Vietnam Community in accelerating BIM innovation allows for exploring how open innovation communities support BIM adoption in the construction industry. The findings provide insights for construction communities into creating and diffusing BIM innovation. In addition, the examples of gaining benefits from community innovation activities are useful for construction firms and practitioners.

This study aims to establish marketing practices which predict business performance of architecture firms within the Nigerian Construction Industry (NCI) to address the sustained poor business performance of firms, which affects allied professionals as many projects in the built environment depend on design proposals from architects.

Survey responses from 86 firms were used to model business performance measured as total revenue of the firms from 40 commonly deployed marketing practices in construction.

Two-thirds of the marketing practices most used by architectural firms were ineffective in predicting business performance. The model also explains up to half the variance in business performance (37.4–49.9%), supporting the view that marketing in the CI affects business performance. Researching client needs and competitors emerged as the only significant positive predictor of business performance (β = 0.827, p = 0.043). Using social media (β = −1.247, p = 0.004), regular participation in awards/competitions (β = −1.420, p = 0.013) and inclusion of political offers in bids (β = −1.050, p = 0.016) negatively predicted business performance.

Architecture and allied professional bodies in Nigeria need to rethink existing restrictions regarding marketing based on traditional code of ethics in light of present-day realities of digital and internet business environments. Principals and management of architecture firms require a paradigm shift in deploying the appropriate marketing practices, especially as it relates to research regarding changing client expectations and current competition within the NCI.

The study established marketing practices which model business performance and demonstrate their value in a framework for improving the financial sustainability of architecture firms within the NCI.

Considering the substantial benefits derived from the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) in construction projects, governments and its related sectors have introduced mandatory policies requiring the use of BIM. However, little is known about the impact of mandatory policies on BIM-based project performance. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide a systematical understanding on the impact of policy interventions on the implementation practice of innovative technologies.

This paper utilizes the propensity score matching and difference in differences (PSM-DID) method to investigate the impact of policy interventions on BIM-based project performance. Using the panel data collected from 2015 to 2021 in the Hong Kong construction industry, this paper explores the impact of the first mandatory BIM policy on the BIM-based project performance of three key stakeholders.

The subjective BIM performance and BIM return on investment (ROI) have significantly improved after implementing the mandatory BIM policy. The promotion effect of mandatory BIM policy on BIM-based project performance gradually increases over time. Moreover, the promotion effect of mandatory BIM policy on BIM performance shows significant heterogeneity for different stakeholders and organizations of different sizes.

This study examined the impact of policy interventions on BIM-based project performance. The research findings can provide a holistic understanding of the potential implications of innovative mandatory policy in performance improvement and offer some constructive suggestions to policymakers and industry practitioners to promote the penetration of BIM in the construction industry.

Corporate social responsibility (CSR) performance is critical to address construction activities’ environmental and social impacts. This study aims to evaluate the level of CSR implementation across various categories within the context of the Vietnamese construction industry.

The literature review and semi-structured interviews were conducted to determine Vietnamese construction organizations’ most commonly implemented CSR activities. A total of 252 valid responses were then obtained through a questionnaire survey. In addition, the fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE) method was used to evaluate the extent to which CSR categories have been implemented in construction companies.

The findings revealed 31 commonly implemented CSR activities of the Vietnamese construction firms, which were grouped into four categories. Of the four categories, the FSE analysis showed that stakeholder CSR was the most critical category, followed by ethical CSR, philanthropic CSR and environmental CSR.

This research provides valuable CSR activities to construction companies that intend to develop sustainably. Moreover, the proposed prioritization methodology offers practitioners a reliable and easy-to-use evaluation tool that clearly understands CSR performance within their organizations.

The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) on the outcome of construction projects and explore the moderating effects of emerging technologies on the relationship between COVID-19 and construction project outcomes.

Data for the study was collected through a Web-based, semistructured questionnaire. The responses of 62 construction practitioners were analyzed using a hierarchical linear regression model. The model consists of 16 independent variables, three control variables (organization size, organization type and project size), one moderator (adoption level of emerging technologies) and three dependent variables (project time, project cost and project quality).

The study confirms the negative significant impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the performance of construction projects. It also identifies the significant moderating effects of emerging technologies in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on construction projects. Further, it shows a significant increase in the application of emerging technologies in construction projects during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the findings related to the moderating impact of the technology, this study provides a clear set of recommendations for construction firms, public sector and research community in combating the unavoidable situation similar to the COVID-19 pandemic in the future.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to identify the moderating role of technology on the impact of COVID-19 on the performance of the construction sector in Pakistan. The findings can also be used for the construction sectors of other developing countries.