Resilience of Firms in Management and Business Fields
Conz, E. and Magnani, G., 2020. A dynamic perspective on the resilience of firms: A systematic literature review and a framework for future research. European Management Journal, 38(3), pp.400-412.
The researchers reviewed existing literature to analyze perspective definitions in management and business fields. They sought to respond to a recent desire for a thorough conceptualization of and definitions of resilience and resilience of firms. This research became relevant because of the recent uncertainties in business environments and the effects of frequent environmental hazards. Hence, there is a shift in research related to management and business field from profit-related frameworks to resilience-related frameworks because most businesses are currently trying to survive the harsh spaces of operations rather than making profits.
The outcome of this study is that it results in a proposed paradigm that eliminates existing definitional fragmentation and emphasizes the temporal dimension in firm resilience conceptualization. The researcher added to the existing business and management literature on firm resilience by presenting a model that articulates two key approaches for explaining organizational resilience, namely absorptive and adaptive resilience. Also, they define a set of critical qualities that are required to be resilient at various phases along with the two approaches. Future research can focus on finding how firms can attain resilience and how this helps establish the firm’s competitive advantage. Finally, future research should consider the outcomes of various building paths of a firm’s resilience.
Ogunnusi, M., Omotayo, T., Hamma-Adama, M., Awuzie, B.O. and Egbelakin, T., 2021. Lessons learned from the impact of COVID-19 on the global construction industry. Journal of engineering, design and technology.
The researchers analysed the impacts of Corona Virus Pandemic on the global construction industry. Their quest was central on how Covid-19 impacted on the government’s income which subsequently led to the cancellation and or delay of delivery of the expected public projects. In order to achieve, the researchers carried out survey interviews in the global arena on the lessons learned on the covid-19 pandemic especially in the construction sector which helped them to carry out their qualitative analysis therein.
Significantly, the construction industry areas which manifested positive, negative and lessons learned include contract administration, construction supply chain, construction project management, health and safety management, changes in working environment and finances of individual employees and construction organisations. Notably, COVID 19 resulted in positive impacts in these industry was seen through lower interest rate and virtual alternatives. On the other hand, negative impacts were manifested as skill shortages, site delays, project suspensions and cash flow issues. The limitation of this study was lack of the responses from South America and only one respondent from Australia. Future research can improve on this to include large-scale qualitative findings across the globe.
Elghaish, F., Hosseini, M.R., Matarneh, S., Talebi, S., Wu, S., Martek, I., Poshdar, M. and Ghodrati, N., 2021. Blockchain and the ‘Internet of Things’ for the construction industry: research trends and opportunities. Automation in construction, 132, p.103942.
The researchers reviewed existing literature to find out the integration of Blockchain and Internet of Things (IoT) in the construction industry. This research was focused on exposing the limited integration of these technologies in the construction sector which on the other hand have been highly exploited and applied in the other sectors such as construction sector. The scope of their work is they carried out scientometric analysis in 648 papers to identify the application of Blockchain and IoT in engineering and research in construction. Subsequently, their narrowed their research to scope to 88 paper where they critically reviewed successful integration of these two technologies in the construction sector while identifying challenges and limitation therein.
Impact and Lessons Learned from Covid-19 on the Global Construction Industry
Conclusively, the use of Blockchain and IoT has gain prominence in the last few years to ensure automated data processing, security, traceability and visibility. These features are crucial in enhancing the adoption of industry 4.0 in the construction. Variably, the use of IoT has more prominence in this sector as compared with Blockchain since IoT has been under consideration since 2013 while Blockchain was theoretical research since 2017. Further research is required to include more journals to gather case applications of IoT and Blockchain. Also, more research is required to transform proposed concepts to real-life solutions.
Aitchison, M., 2017. A house is not a car (yet). Journal of Architectural Education, 71(1), pp.10-21.
The researcher researched to establish current trials by manufacturers to compare and converge the production process into the housing to that of a car. The research problem that the researcher hinged on this research quest is the possibility of locking the house construction industry in a perpetual state of amnesia through the reliance on car manufacturing thought processes, design, and manufacturing frameworks.
Indeed, car and house manufacturing processes are distinct. Therefore, to release housing technologies and industry from the norm of a better car-related concept, there is a need for a thorough understanding of the housing specificities versus other industries. Such irrational forced relationships lead to disappointing results. In addition, a car and a house need to be accorded more technical in-depth understanding, which helps to chart a better course for the future housing industry. These radical research lines are crucial as it helps release the building industry and allow for innovation and development of truly disruptive solutions to contemporary challenges. More research is needed to clarify the distinct differences between car and house industries and independent chart pathways for both.
Chih, Y.Y., Hsiao, C.Y.L., Zolghadr, A. and Naderpajouh, N., 2022. Resilience of Organizations in the Construction Industry in the Face of COVID-19 Disturbances: Dynamic Capabilities Perspective. Journal of Management in Engineering, 38(2), p.04022002.
The researchers analyzed the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on construction organizations globally. Their focus was to have an in-depth insight into the effects of Covid-19 on construction organizations in the construction sector and propose a bankable roadmap toward the survival and recovery of these firms.
The findings showed that the Covid-19 pandemic varied across the regions from time to time at a pace that is in coherence with the variations in spread and severity of the Covid-19 pandemic. This implies that regions and times with peak Covid-19 prevalence recorded disparaging financial, economic, and operational metrics on construction organizations. As a result, an evidence-based roadmap was developed to help these organizations sense, seize, and reconfigure themselves in such dynamic unprecedented operating times presented by the pandemic. Limitations to this study can be countered through further research on the required responses from government and other external sector players in such times of crisis.
Kamal, E.M., Yusof, N.A. and Iranmanesh, M., 2016. Innovation creation, innovation adoption, and firm characteristics in the construction industry. Journal of Science & Technology Policy Management.
Trends and Opportunities of Blockchain and IoT for Construction Industry
The researchers carried out an analysis on the innovation orientation and adoption by construction firms and how this relates to the firm characteristics. The research problem here is the trifling productivity and efficiency of construction sector relative to the other sectors. Hence, research focus was made on the construction firms’ innovation creation and innovation adoption.
The result of this research is that innovation inclination and adoption by construction firms is highly influenced by their business scale and age. Those firms that have stable capital base, diversity of skills and talents and long-term experience in the industry are more inclined to create innovative ideas on construction as opposed to the small scale firms with weak capital capabilities and few skills and talents as well as small experience in the industry. This research has limitations. First, the research findings are limited to those firms Penang, Malaysia hence the need for future research to test hypothesis in other regions. Second, there is no consideration of managerial impacts on innovation which needs consideration by future research.
Thaheem, M.J., Baber, A.J. and Bakhtawar, B., 2022. Cumulative sustainability performance index of contractors and consultants: toward a prequalification system. Journal of Legal Affairs and Dispute Resolution in Engineering and Construction, 14(1), p.05021007.
The researchers carried out an analysis to develop the Sustainable Performance Rating Index (CSPI) for developing sustainable buildings. Their research has been informed by the lacked sustainable criteria for carrying out a prequalification process to ensure sustainable procurement of contractors and consultants. Furthermore, the adoption of these criteria is crucial in improving stakeholder agreement on the end goals and objectives of the project and generally engaging projects on green building construction that have vast experience in sustainable project delivery.
Notably, construction can be unsustainable if novel approaches are not adopted. The current desire for sustainable projects and the development of green buildings requires incorporating sustainability protocols from procurement to execution phases of project delivery, including sustainable rating systems. Water and energy were identified as critical factors of sustainable construction through an extensive survey and literature review. CSPI was developed as a quantitative model for ensuring a sustainable-led procurement process.
Figueiredo, K., Pierott, R., Hammad, A.W. and Haddad, A., 2021. Sustainable material choice for construction projects: A life cycle sustainability assessment framework based on BIM and Fuzzy-AHP. Building and Environment, 196, p.107805.
The researchers analyzed the impacts of material choice on the sustainability of construction projects. The problem which informs this research is the gap that existed in the framework for consideration of sustainable material choices to ensure the overall sustainability of the building. This paper breaks and exposes the misconception which has been held for a long time that sustainability is only begged on environmental issues without considering the three fundamental factors around, which are social, economic, and social issues.
As a way of ensuring sustainability by considering material choice based on the resultant footprint, the researchers proposed an integrated framework that combines Life Cycle Sustainability Assessment (LCSA), Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA), and Building Information Modeling (BIM) to be used for material choice sustainably. Researchers foresaw and solved the challenges characteristic of material choices, such as ambiguity and uncertainty, using the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process in the MCDA method.
Singh, V., 2019. Digitalization, BIM ecosystem, and the future of built environment: how widely are we exploring the different possibilities? Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management.
The researcher carried out reflective research and a qualitative review of the available literature on the construction industry’s future in the era of technology. The focus was to critique the proposed visions for the future of the construction industry. The problem under quest herein is whether the construction industry will be able to make the necessary transformative leap even despite the otherwise suggestion of the history of technology in this industry. It also critiques the contribution of academic research in this regard.
This research serves to appreciate the dynamic and paradigm shift in the technologies applied in the construction sector. This conversation is meant to appreciate every progress and innovation and enhance the creation of strategic thought lines to avoid a herd mentality. It helps to ensure a multi-disciplinary approach to reviewing various spontaneous approaches. Therefore, individuals or organizations seeking to create and adopt disruptive solutions in the sector can materialize on this research.