Relevance of the Research
Infrastructure has become part and parcel of the lives of people in different parts of the world. Therefore, projects have become a routine and a norm, and this is because they are utilized in the process of maintaining and advancing the infrastructure. The construction field is an agent in the infrastructure, and it deals with different aspects as well as clients. Stakeholders in any infrastructure project come in handy because their absence can lead to the failure of infrastructure projects. Therefore, the essentiality of making sure that the stakeholders are maintained cannot be overlooked in any infrastructure project. To maintain the infrastructure stakeholders in the construction industry needs some strategies as well as considering some factors. The research will be looking at some of the critical factors that successfully help in maintaining the stakeholders in the infrastructure project in Australia and especially in the field of construction.
Why it is a relevant work?
The literature that was chosen was essential in different ways. The first way is associated with the aspect of solving the research problem. The research is aimed at solving the problem at hand, and that cannot be achieved without measures in place (Ascioglu, Eroglu, and Ulker, 2015). The best measure, in this case, was a literature review that helped in answering the essential question of the factors to maintain stakeholders successfully (V?duva, Alistar, Thomas, Lupi?u, and Neagoie, 2016). To answer the question, the essence of collecting data from different studies comes in handy. A literature review brings together different pieces of evidence that back up the research question. It also helps to prove the hypothesis right or wrong. With this in mind, it is evident that the literature is relevant and essential to the research.
Yang, Wang, and Jin, (2014), state that the stakeholders in the field of construction have different attitudes, behaviors, and decision-making patterns. They do so because they are essential components in the construction field. The best way to maintain them is to understand them. The attitudes of the stakeholders are supposed to dictate their expectations. Negative attitude symbolizes dissatisfaction and positive attitudes are a symbol of satisfaction. Therefore, it is evident that the attitude of the stakeholders is an essential factor that should be considered to maintain him or her (Su and Tsang, 2015). The behaviors of the stakeholders are also factors that should be considered. The reason behind it is because the behaviors of people are influenced by the environment (V?duva et al. 2016). Therefore, when the project delivers in line with the expectations of the stakeholders, it is evident that their behaviors would be positively affected. Therefore, in maintaining the stakeholders, there is a need to consider their behaviors. When the behaviors depict a character of a person who is not satisfied, it is essential to look into ways of improving the level of satisfaction.
Factors for Maintaining Stakeholders in Infrastructure Projects
Yang, Shen, and Ho, (2009), address the issue of stakeholder management and the implications that come along with it. The stakeholders are not very different from consumers, and therefore there is an essential need to manage them to make sure that their levels of satisfaction are boosted. Failure to have strategies in place, the stakeholders, might feel neglected thus not being committed to construction projects (Schiozzi, Jugovi?, and Smojver, 2018). Previous studies show that the management of the stakeholders has different implications. The first implication is positive, and it is dictated by the type of the management that is in place. The management in place must consider the desires of the stakeholder (Doloi, 2012). One essential factor that can maintain a stakeholder for a long time is considering the needs and the desires of the stakeholder. In many cases and especially in the construction field, the stakeholders need to feel as part and parcel of the projects. Therefore, it is evident that the only way to maintain them is by considering their interests and going a step further to meet their needs. The second implication is negative, and this is associated with little or no concern for the interests and needs of the stakeholders.
The aim/objective of the research
The research has two aims, and they are both significant. The first aim is associated with the process of making sure that the research has answered the research question. The second aim is associated with the utilization of the research findings in the field of construction (Amar, Armitage, and O’Hare, 2017). The research question needs to know the factors that ought to be considered in maintaining stakeholders in the construction industry. Therefore, its objective is to utilize essential research methods, gather the relevant data, and make an efficient analysis that will help to answer the research question (Starik, Sharma, Egri, and Bunch, 2017). The research has been associated with the construction field. Therefore, it is evident that the findings can be essential to the people in the construction industry. The research aims to provide a solution that is detailed on the factors that ought to be considered when it comes to maintaining the stakeholders in the construction field during infrastructure projects.
The method was chosen to address the aim/objective
The method that has been chosen is the systematic review. A systematic review is a method that is used to collect data that is supposed to help in answering a research question. The method is effective, and it has been used in many kinds of research that have provided conclusive findings which have helped in answering the research question. The method entails the process of collecting findings of other studies and analyzing them (Bridoux and Stoelhorst, 2014). However, different factors must be considered. The first factor is associated with the aspect of the credibility of the study. Considering that this is a method that relies on secondary data, it is essential to make sure that the credibility of the primary research is not compromised. The second factor is associated with the connection between the findings and the research question. The findings that are gathered during a systematic review must be in line with the research question, and this is to enhance relevancy.
The findings of research
Importance of Interest, Quality, and Risks in Stakeholder Maintenance
A total of ten articles were reviewed, and each of the articles revealed gave different findings. The findings showed that numerous factors need to be considered when trying to maintain the stakeholders in a project. The first factor was the interest of the stakeholders. A project manager must know that a project cannot be complete without the contribution of the stakeholders. It is for this reason that there is a need to make sure that the stakeholders are considered. In the infrastructure industry, it is paramount to note that the outcomes of projects benefit a lot of people (Leung, Chong, Ng, and Cheung, 2004). As a result, there is a dire need to balance the interests of all stakeholders and make sure that there is no stakeholder who feels that he or she has been left behind. Maintaining stakeholders especially in a competitive industry can be a challenge. It is for this reason that there would be a dire need to make sure that the stakeholders are maintained by making sure that their interests are factored in during the whole process.
The second finding in line with the research question showed that the quality and scope of the project is a factor to be considered in the case of maintaining the stakeholders. In every project there are expectations. The expectations of the project are dictated by the process, and they come in handy to influence the stakeholders. Stakeholders assume that role because they want to be associated with results that are positive (Evans, Jones, and Smithson, 2014). Therefore, there is no possible way that a project can maintain the stakeholders if the results of the project are not positive. It is therefore imperative for the project manager to consider the results of the project if he or she wants to maintain the stakeholders. The aspect of scope comes in handy, and it also affects the results of a project. A wider scope is likely to attract essential and powerful stakeholders, and this is because the results are likely to be huge. The scope of the research should be a factor that should be considered when it comes to maintaining the stakeholders.
The risks involved in a project were also factors that ought to be considered in maintaining the stakeholders (Succar, 2009). There are different types of stakeholders; some of them are always ready to be part of the project, and they demonstrate that by investing in the project. Such stakeholders should be maintained at all cost, and this is because of their essential role in the project (Mok, Shen, and Yang, 2015). However, before thinking of ways to maintain the stakeholders, it is imperative to consider the aspect of the risks that are involved in the project (Lawrence and Weber, 2014). When many risks are being involved with the project, it means that the stakeholders are likely to be affected. Therefore, most of them are likely to back down or turn down the offers of being stakeholders. To maintain the stakeholders, it is essential to consider the aspect of the risks that are involved with the project.
The achievements and limitations of the work
Achievements and Limitations of the Research
The research made different achievements, and one of them was to answer the research question. The essence of any research is to make sure that the research question is reasonably answered. The second achievement was associated with the process of obtaining data that was relevant and essential to the research. In research, the process of obtaining data is one of the essential processes, and this is because without data the findings cannot be obtained(Succar, 2009). The data that was obtained was relevant to the research, and above that, it was helpful to the research. The third achievement of the research was that an applicable research method was identified and employed. A research method is essential because it helps in the process of obtaining findings.
The research had its fair share of achievements, and at the same time, there were limitations. The first limitation was the unavailability of time to conduct semi-experimental research. Relying on findings that have already been provided can be a challenge in research because the research team is limited to accessing raw data (Sinha and Sharma, 2016). In the case of the research, the systematic analysis method was used, and that means that only the findings that had already been obtained were used. The research would have been more detailed if the data was collected using the semi-experimental design (Succar, 2009). The second limitation was the lack of materials that strictly focused on the construction industry in Australia. The research was aimed at looking at the issue of maintaining the stakeholders, and the center for attention was Australia. Many studies seemed to provide information that was general. However, the information would turn out to be helpful later.
The findings of the research indicated that several factors must be considered if the stakeholders were to be maintained. Each of the materials that were accessed had outlined the different factors that had to be considered. Some of the articles agree with each other, and some of the articles presented new information, and it was helpful to the research. Some of the limitations were associated with the aspect of lack of enough time to research from scratch. At the same time, there was the limitation of lack of materials that focused on the case from the perspective of Australia (Winterton and Hulme Chambers, 2017). However, the knowledge gap was filled using the information that was provided. The construction industry in most of the advanced nations has similarities. Therefore, it means that factors which affect people on one end affect others on the other. As a result, the data that was collected came in handy to help in making the conclusions. The knowledge of the research helped to interpret some of the information in a way that it could be associated with the happenings in Australia. The strategy helped in bridging the knowledge gap and completing the research.
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