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Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 October 2021

Yaser Gamil and Ismail Abd Rahman

The purpose of this paper is to develop a structural relationship model to study the relationship between causes and effects of poor communication and information exchange in…

15441

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to develop a structural relationship model to study the relationship between causes and effects of poor communication and information exchange in construction projects using Smart-PLS.

Design/methodology/approach

The first method of this research is to identify the causes and effects factors of poor communication in construction projects from the extant of literature. The data used to develop the model was collected using a questionnaire survey, which targeted construction practitioners in the Malaysian construction industry. A five-point Likert type scale was used to rate the significance of the factors. The factors were classified under their relevant construct/group using exploratory factor analysis. A hypothetical model was developed and then transformed into Smart-PLS in which the hypothetical model suggested that each group of the cause factors has a direct impact on the effect groups. The hypothesis was tested using t-values and p-values. The model was assessed for its inner and outer components and achieved the threshold criterion. Further, the model was verified by engaging 14 construction experts to verify its applicability in the construction project setting.

Findings

The study developed a structural equation model to clarify the relationships between causes and effects of poor communication in construction projects. The model explained the degree of relationships among causes and effects of poor communication in construction projects.

Originality/value

The published academic and non-academic literature introduced many studies on the issue of communication including the definitions, importance, barriers to effective communication and means of poor communication. However, these studies ended up only on the general issue of communication lacking an in-depth investigation of the causes and effects of poor communication in the construction industry. The study implemented advanced structural modeling to study the causes and effects. The questionnaire, the data and concluding results fill the identified research gap of this study. The addressed issue is also of interest because communication is considered one of the main knowledge areas in construction management.

Details

Journal of Facilities Management , vol. 21 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1472-5967

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 June 2022

Yaser Gamil, A.H. Al-Sarafi and Taoufik Najeh

COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedentedly shattered the entire world economy and development. Without exclusion, the construction industry has undergone very extreme disruption. Many…

Abstract

Purpose

COVID-19 pandemic has unprecedentedly shattered the entire world economy and development. Without exclusion, the construction industry has undergone very extreme disruption. Many projects have been suspended, many employees lost their jobs and many construction companies bankrupted. This study aims to explore the possible business continuity plans, a roadmap to recovery and strategies to revive the construction industry after COVID-19.

Design/methodology/approach

Mix mode method approach was used to address the research problem, and that includes interviews with 16 selected construction experts who have been working in the Malaysian industry for more than 10 years and a questionnaire with 187 construction practitioners. The aim of conducting the interviews is to get an insight into the current impact of the pandemic on the construction industry, and the questionnaire aims to statistically rank the importance of revival strategies using a Likert-type scale. Further, the data were analysed using a univariate approach by calculating the relative importance index to assess the importance of each strategy.

Findings

The findings showed that the pandemic has severely affected the Malaysian construction industry in many aspects and effective restoration strategies are necessary to cope with the changes. The strategies were categorized into four different aspects includes health and practice, technology, operational, legal and governmental strategies. The finding shows that the topmost ranked strategy in terms of importance is introducing COVID-compliant operating procedures and protocols on-site by adjusting current working procedures, urgent government stimuli (loan, financial aid to the affected firms) and other financial incentives, leveraging digital and online technology for virtual meeting and communication, comprehensive and revision study of the health guidelines to suit construction activities and digital transformation of work. The study suggests a more in-depth study to evaluate the impact and assess the success of strategies for the betterment of the future of the Malaysian construction industry.

Practical implications

The study presented a better understanding of the possible business continuity strategies for construction industry revival, which are important for decision makers and the government to reconsider for the revival of the industry. The findings also are of interest to the construction stakeholders.

Originality/value

There have been many research addressing the impact of the pandemic on the construction industry, but less are available on the possible strategies for continual and revival of construction industry amid and after the pandemic. It is, therefore, crucial to address this topic, especially the assessment of these strategies based on their importance.

Details

International Journal of Disaster Resilience in the Built Environment, vol. 14 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1759-5908

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 20 June 2019

Yaser Gamil and Ismail Abd Rahman Rahman

This paper aims to investigate the awareness of construction practitioners of the adoption of building information modeling (BIM) and identification of the dominant challenges of…

1848

Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to investigate the awareness of construction practitioners of the adoption of building information modeling (BIM) and identification of the dominant challenges of implementing BIM in the life cycle of a construction project.

Design/methodology/approach

This study was sequentially conducted in the following in three main phases: a preliminary study of archival literature, where a rigorous study of the literature was conducted to identify the challenges of adopting BIM in the construction industry which was to be applied later to the challenges in the case of the Yemen construction industry; data collection, where data were collected using a questionnaire survey targeting 123 Yemeni construction practitioners working in managerial and technical levels; and data analysis, where data were analyzed using descriptive analysis by calculating the average index and standard deviations. The data were analyzed using the SPSS software.

Findings

The results show that the most critical challenges to adopt BIM are financial restrictions, lack of BIM knowledge, improper introduction of BIM concepts, lack of awareness of BIM benefits and no governmental enforcement. The study recommends policymakers and construction players to consider the challenges for a better introduction of BIM in the Yemen construction industry.

Research limitations/implications

This research focuses on the awareness and challenges of implementing BIM in the Yemen construction industry.

Practical implications

The findings of this study will help policymakers develop more constructive strategies to reduce the challenges and introduce governmental agendas towards the widespread use of the BIM concept and technology in the Yemen construction industry. The study suggested an in-depth investigation into the current curriculum in the Yemen universities and recommended the introduction of BIM concept in engineering courses.

Social implications

This study focused on the challenges of implementing BIM and the role of the social aspect in the issue.

Originality/value

From the extensive review of previous findings, this paper concentrates on the challenged to the implementation of BIM in the Yemen construction industry. There are lack of investigative studies that focus on the introduction of new technologies to advance the Yemen construction sector. Therefore, the findings help the authority to diagnose and address the sources of these challenges and introduce new solutions to the industry.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 17 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Article
Publication date: 3 February 2020

Yaser Gamil, Majid A. Abdullah, Ismail Abd Rahman and Muhammad Mujtaba Asad

In this advanced era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, as an element of cyber physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been applied in many different industries; however…

3264

Abstract

Purpose

In this advanced era of Industrial Revolution 4.0, as an element of cyber physical systems, the Internet of Things (IoT) has been applied in many different industries; however, its adoption in the construction industry is still limited to a few applications. This study uncovers, identifies and assesses the challenges of adopting IOT in construction projects. The challenges have been identified through the briefed literature review and a survey instrument from construction industries in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

In this study, the quantitative research approach has been used and data have been collected through a questionnaire survey for construction practitioners. Whereas, respondents to the questionnaire are practitioners from the Malaysian construction industry. The method of sampling implied is random sampling technique whereby the final sample size is 132 participants. Moreover, the gathered data has been analysed using univariate approach via standard deviation and average index in SPSS Software 22.0.

Findings

The results of this study indicated the most dominant challenges are lack of safety and security, lack of documented standards, lack of benefit awareness, improper introduction of IOT and lack of robustness in connectivity. This study also examined that the awareness of construction practitioners toward the understanding of IOT and its possibility to be applied and extended in construction projects and determined that construction practitioners are aware of IOT benefits to improve the efficiency of construction projects.

Practical implications

The study presents a better understanding of IOT in the construction industry and their potential challenges, which helps the construction policymakers to avoid encounters related to challenges and provide education-based campaigns to educate construction practitioners on the concept and importance of using IOT in the construction sector.

Originality/value

This is a unique study because of its nature in this advance era of industry 4.0. Furthermore, it is specifying the latest trend associated with IOT in the construction industry and addressing the challenges of implementation, which is crucial to exploit and take advantage of the full potential of IoT benefits.

Details

Journal of Engineering, Design and Technology , vol. 18 no. 5
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 1726-0531

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 28 May 2024

Yi Tong Kum, Jeffrey Boon Hui Yap, Yoke Lian Lew and Wah Peng Lee

This study explored the ramifications of COVID-19 on construction operations in Malaysia.

Abstract

Purpose

This study explored the ramifications of COVID-19 on construction operations in Malaysia.

Design/methodology/approach

Following a detailed literature review, 37 ramifications are identified and divided into nine aspects. A self-designed survey is then employed to seek the perceptions of construction practitioners around the Klang Valley region regarding the significance of the ramifications. A total of 203 valid responses are subjected to statistical analyses to prioritise the ramifications.

Findings

All the potential ramifications are perceived to be significant, with the five utmost critical ramifications being rescheduling the project timeline, compliance with government SOP, delay in the handover project, compulsory COVID-19 test for all workers and the extra cost incurred to provide COVID-19 test for workers.

Practical implications

This study highlights the ramifications of COVID-19 on construction operations and deliberately informs construction organizations regarding the shortcomings of recent construction management. Besides, the insights suggested that industry practitioners devise corresponding strategies for project sustainability in future similar crises.

Originality/value

The findings serve as a valuable reference and are benign to industry professionals and researchers from developing nations, especially nations that share similar characteristics to Malaysia.

Details

Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, vol. ahead-of-print no. ahead-of-print
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-2499

Keywords

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 25 April 2022

Hooman Sadeh, Claudio Mirarchi, Farzad Shahbodaghlou and Alberto Pavan

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. government ensures that all health and safety regulations, protecting the workers, are enforced. OSHA officers…

1516

Abstract

Purpose

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. government ensures that all health and safety regulations, protecting the workers, are enforced. OSHA officers conduct inspections and assess fines for non-compliance and regulatory violations. Literature discussion on the economic impact of OSHA inspections with COVID-19 related citations for the construction sector is lacking. This study aims to investigate the relationships between the number of COVID-19 cases, construction employment and OSHA citations and it further evaluates the total and monthly predicted cost impact of OSHA citations associated with COVID-19 violations.

Design/methodology/approach

An application of multiple regression analysis, a supervised machine learning linear regression model, based on K-fold cross validation sampling and a probabilistic risk-based cost estimate Monte Carlo simulation were utilized to evaluate the data. The data were collected from numerous websites including OSHA, Centers for Disease Control and the World Health Organization.

Findings

The results show that as the monthly construction employment increased, there was a decrease in OSHA citations. Conversely, the cost impact of OSHA citations had a positive relationship with the number of COVID-19 cases. In addition, the monthly cost impact of OSHA COVID-19 related citations along with the total cost impact of citations were predicted and analyzed.

Originality/value

The application of the two models on cost analysis provides a thorough comparison of predicted and overall cost impact, which can assist the contractors to better understand the possible cost ramifications. Based on the findings, it is suggested that the contractors include contingency fees within their contracts, hire safety managers to implement specific safety protocols related to COVID-19 and request a safety action plan when qualifying their subcontractors to avoid potential fines and citations.

Details

Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, vol. 30 no. 8
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 0969-9988

Keywords

Abstract

Details

Journal of Intelligent Manufacturing and Special Equipment, vol. 4 no. 1
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2633-6596

Open Access
Article
Publication date: 16 April 2024

Richard Kadan and Jan Andries Wium

Due to the uniqueness of individual construction projects, identifying the dominant risk factors is needed for risk mitigation in ongoing and future projects. This study aims to…

Abstract

Purpose

Due to the uniqueness of individual construction projects, identifying the dominant risk factors is needed for risk mitigation in ongoing and future projects. This study aims to identify the dominant construction supply chain risk (CSCR) factors, based on studies conducted between 2002 and 2022.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopts the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis (PRISMA) procedure to identify, screen and select relevant articles in order to provide a bibliography and annotation of the prevalent risks in the supply chains. A descriptive analysis of the findings then follows.

Findings

The study’s findings have highlighted the three most prevalent risks in the construction supply chain (poor communication across project teams, changes in foreign currency rate, unfavorable climate conditions) as reported in literature, that project teams need to pay closer attention to and take proactive steps to mitigate.

Research limitations/implications

Due to limitations imposed by the chosen research methodology, tools, time frame and article availability, the study was unable to examine all CSCR-related papers.

Practical implications

The results will serve as a useful roadmap for risk/supply chain managers in the construction industry to take strategically proactive steps towards allocating resources for CSCR mitigation efforts.

Social implications

Context-specific research on the impact of social and cultural risks on the construction supply chain would be beneficial, due to emerging social network risk factors and the complex socio-cultural settings.

Originality/value

There is presently no study that has reviewed extant studies to identify and compile the dominant risk factors (DRFs) associated with the supply chain of construction projects for ranking in the supply chain risk management process.

Details

Frontiers in Engineering and Built Environment, vol. 4 no. 2
Type: Research Article
ISSN: 2634-2499

Keywords

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