Between Cost Efficiency and Limited Innovation – A Scientometric Study of Business Process Standardization

While process standardization is a usual component in companies’ daily BPM toolkit research and practice still struggle to determine and realize the particular value and impact of process standardization for process performance especially independently from its drawbacks. As the basic idea of process standardization in research is spread across different fields a complete overview on this topic and its related benefits and drawbacks especially in Information Systems research is still missing. Therefore within this approach we provide a scientometric study including all publications of the JAIS ranking, the LSE ranking of IS top journals, the WKWI list for 2008 and the power publication approach for IS top journals. In total 80 peer-reviewed research articles of different fields such as information systems and management, different outlets, as proceedings and journals were identified and analyzed due to their methodology, relevancy, spreading and content

A holistic review of off-site construction literature published between 2008 and 2018

Off-site construction (i.e., OSC) has become an emerging research domain in the recent decade. Through a three-step holistic review approach incorporating bibliometric search, scientometric analysis, and in-depth qualitative discussion, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in OSC by critically reviewing and summarizing: 1) the latest research keywords and main research topics in OSC; 2) the performance of OSC compared to that of conventional construction approach; 3) current research gaps in integrating OSC with other emerging construction concepts; and 4) future research directions in OSC. OSC is a domain that can be extended to cross-disciplinary research from the perspectives of engineering, management, and technology. Existing research have been focusing on many research disciplines, such as structural behaviors and joint connections of prefabricated components, scheduling and planning of off-site activities, as well as performance evaluation of OSC. However, further research is needed in integrating the emerging digital construction technology, integrated project delivery method, lean construction, and issues of sustainability of OSC. There are still limited studies linking OSC to the concept of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. Future research should also adopt a larger database and allow for comprehensive evaluation of OSC performance

Scientometric analysis of BIM-based research in construction engineering and management

The purpose of this paper is to summarize the latest research of BIM adoption in construction engineering and management (CEM) and propose research directions for future scholarly work. During the recent decade, building information modeling (BIM) has gained increasing applications and research interest in the construction industry. Although there have been review-based studies that summarized BIM-based research in the overall architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) area, there is limited review that evaluates the current stage of BIM-based research specifically in the CEM sub-area. Design/methodology/approach CEM falls into the scope of AEC. It involves construction-related tasks, activities and processes (e.g. scheduling and cost estimates), issues (e.g. constructability), as well as human factors (e.g. collaboration). This study adopted a holistic literature review approach that incorporates bibliometric search and scientometric analysis. A total of 276 articles related to BIM applied in CEM were selected from Scopus as the literature sample for the scientometric analysis. Findings Some key CEM research areas (e.g. CEM pedagogy, integrated project delivery, lean and off-site construction) were identified and evaluated. Research trends in these areas were identified, and analyses were carried out with regard to how they could be integrated with BIM. For example, BIM, as a data repository for ACE facilities, has substantial potential to be integrated with a variety of other digital technologies, project delivery methods and innovative construction techniques throughout the whole process of CEM. Practical implications As BIM is one of the key technologies and digital platforms to improve the construction productivity and collaboration, it is important for industry practitioners to be updated of the latest movement and progress of the academic research. The industry, academics and governmental authorities should work with joint effort to fill the gap by first recognizing the current needs, limitations and trends of applying BIM in the construction industry. For example, it needs more understanding about how to address technical interoperability issues and how to introduce the integrated design and construction delivery approach for BIM implementation under the UK BIM Level 2/3 framework. This study contributed to the body of knowledge in BIM by proposing a framework leading to research directions including the differences of BIM effects between design-bid-build and other fast-track project delivery methods; the integration of BIM with off-site construction; and BIM pedagogy in CEM. It also addressed the need to investigate the similarities and differences between academia and industry toward perceiving the movement of BIM in construction field work

A holistic review of off-site construction literature published between 2008 and 2018

Off-site construction has become an emerging research domain in the recent decade. Through a holistic review approach incorporating scientometric analysis and follow-up in-depth qualitative analysis, this study contributes to the body of knowledge in off-site construction by summarizing the latest research keywords and main research topics. This study also identifies the current gaps in research and practice, as well as proposing future research directions in this research area. Off-site construction is a domain that can be extended to cross-disciplinary research from the perspectives of engineering, management, and technology. Existing research have been focusing on many research disciplines, such as structural behaviors and joint connections of prefabricated components, scheduling and planning of off-site activities, as well as performance evaluation of off-site construction. However, further research is needed in integrating the emerging digital construction technology, integrated project delivery method, lean construction, and the issues of sustainability of off-site construction. There are already limited studies linking off-site construction to the concept of Design for Manufacturing and Assembly. Future research should also adopt a larger database and allow for comprehensive evaluation of off-site construction performance

SUSTAINABILITY EN VOGUE: HOW CAN THE FASHION INDUSTRY BEGIN TO ACHIEVE SUSTAINABILITY?

Circularity and sustainability have become hot topics in the fashion industry, with corporations, brands, and designers all pledging to reduce their footprint, utilize more “natural” materials or even waste, and increase transparency. Despite not having methods to gauge and measure the sustainable impact of these commitments, fashion industry stakeholders strive to make and achieve incremental goals. Still, these stakeholders fail to consider the amassing amounts of textile waste that result from consumer practices in the fast fashion industry. Comparable sustainability measurements gauge the impact of sustainability initiatives and end of life alternatives allowing designers, brands, and corporations to plan for circularity and sustainability. This thesis explores the effectiveness of current sustainable impact measurements and proposes methods to improve the applicability of such calculators in driving sustainability transitions within the fashion industry. Through a literature review of academic life cycle assessments (LCA), this thesis examines the comparability and possible applications of comprehensive sustainability impact calculations on a sustainable, and more circular, future for the fashion industry. Sustainability advocates who expect major brands to stop production and corporations who rely on consumer behavior change to achieve sustainability outcomes alone are negligent; therefore, a measurement system would allow the industry to explore sustainability initiatives which integrate solutions across production, retail, and consumer use. Such measurements allow the fashion industry to plan for consumer use and offer alternatives to polluting processes which occur outside of the current ownership schemes. By mindfully choosing less impactful materials and utilizing alternative end of life options, the fashion industry may be able to begin achieving strong sustainability outcomes

Applications of Industry 4.0 Digital Technologies Towards A Construction Circular Economy: Thematic, Gap Analysis and Conceptual Framework

Purpose This paper aims to explore the emerging relationship between Industry 4.0 (I4.0) digital technologies (e.g. blockchain, Internet of Things (IoT) and artificial intelligence (AI)) and the construction industry’s gradual transition into a circular economy (CE) system to foster the adoption of circular economy in the construction industry. Design/methodology/approach A critical and thematic analysis conducted on 115 scientific papers reveals a noticeable growth in adopting digital technologies to leverage a CE system. Moreover, a conceptual framework is developed to show the interrelationship between different I4.0 technologies to foster the implantation of CE in the construction industry. Findings Most of the existing bodies of research provide conceptual solutions rather than developing workable applications and the future of smart cities. Moreover, the coalescence of different technologies is highly recommended to enable tracking of building assets’ and components’ (e.g. fixtures and fittings and structural components) performance, which enables users to optimize the salvage value of components reusing or recycling them just in time and extending assets’ operating lifetime. Finally, circular supply chain management must be adopted for both new and existing buildings to realise the industry's CE ambitions. Hence, further applied research is required to foster CE adoption for existing cities and infrastructure that connects them. Originality/value This paper investigates the interrelationships between most emerging digital technologies and circular economy and concludes with the development of a conceptual digital ecosystem to integrate IoT, blockchain and AI into the operation of assets to direct future practical research application

Evaluation of Business Processes for Business Process Standardization

Companies often implement multiple process variants in their organizations at the same time. Often these variants differ widely in terms of efficiency, quality and cycle time. In times of highly volatile global economic markets, companies cannot afford unnecessary redundant business processes. Business Process Standardization has therefore become a major topic in the field of Business Process Management, both in research and practice. Management decisions concerning standardization are difficult and complex, due to limited project budgets, organizational and technological changes as well as the increasing challenges of globalization. Choosing suitable processes for standardization is the essential precondition for streamlining business processes in the first place and therefore for reaping the full benefits of Business Process Standardization. However, there is hardly any tool available that supports the evaluation of business processes for standardization. To close this research gap, we develop an instrument for the evaluation of business processes in the context of Business Process Standardization with the aim to help practitioners in their day-to-day operations. Our research aims at providing the necessary preconditions for companies to profit from the advantages of business process standardization and to support decision-making

Producción científica en educación relacionada con la legislación y la administración: un análisis cienciométrico

Contenido de la investigación: El objetivo general de esta investigación fue analizar la producción sobre legislación y educación en la categoría " Business, Management and Accounting" a través de un estudio cienciométrico de las publicaciones indexadas en la base de datos de SCOPUS. Las hipótesis fueron que los artículos de investigación en legislación y educación en la categoría Negocios, Gestión y Contabilidad en las revistas indexadas en SCOPUS en el período de estudio verifican las principales leyes cienciométricas: Lotka y Bradford y que la colaboración entre autores en esta producción científica es principalmente de carácter local o nacional. El objetivo general fue desglosado en 6 objetivos específicos: El primer objetivo fue conocer el desarrollo diacrónico de la producción científica en educación relacionada con la legislación e indexada en SCOPUS (Business, Management and Accounting). Toda la producción se encontró en el período entre 1970 y 2019, mientras que ha habido un aumento gradual en el volumen de producción hasta el año 2002, alcanzando el pico máximo en 2002, pero desde entonces, ha habido una disminución. Además, no hubo un patrón de crecimiento continuo, sino que se evidencian diversas fluctuaciones. Al principio del periodo estudiado, no se encontró producción durante cuatro años seguidos y entre 1999 y 2000 se ha producido un descenso de la producción, con una Tasa de Variación Interanual (TVI) negativa igual a -47, y en 2008, con una Tasa de Variación Interanual (TVI) negativa igual a -45, mientras que la TVI positiva más alta (sin tener en cuenta el incremento de 1975, ya que hubo 4 años sin producción) se alcanzó en 2001 con un valor de 207. En general, se ha pasado de producir 36 documentos en 1975 a 1052 en 2020; es decir, se trata de un incremento porcentual del 4072%. La media de documentos publicados es de 711 al año. En cuanto a la tasa anual de cambio, la tasa más alta se ha identificado en 1975, seguida de 1978. Comparando nuestro resultado con los resultados de Lopera-Pérez et al (2021), quienes realizaron un análisis bibliométrico de la producción científica internacional sobre Educación Ambiental en la Web of Science (WoS) dentro de las categorías Educación e Investigación Educativa y Educación, Disciplinas Científicas para las últimas dos décadas (2000-2019). Sus resultados mostraron el acelerado incremento de la producción de conocimiento en esta área, y presentan los principales contextos de investigación, así como algunas perspectivas educativas y de investigación. Dichos resultados contrastan con los nuestros, ya que encontramos una disminución de la producción desde 2002. En la misma línea, Gantman y Fernández (2017) analizaron la producción de literatura académica en español sobre estudios de organización y gestión entre 2000 y 2010 indexada en el Catálogo Latindex. El segundo objetivo consistió en describir e identificar las diferentes relaciones de redes de conocimiento que se generan. Se encontró que existe una colaboración relativamente baja (1,7) en la autoría en esta área, pero esta situación ha ido cambiando con los años. La colaboración entre autores y universidades fue identificada por Lopera-Pérez et al (2021), lo cual coincide con nuestros resultados, ya que se encontró que la colaboración comenzó a despegar y su incremento es notorio a partir del año 2008. El tercer objetivo consistió en visualizar las redes de colaboración nacionales e internacionales, tanto a nivel de autoría como a nivel institucional, e identificar patrones de colaboración. Este objetivo se responde en el apartado 6.1.6, donde se ha constatado que la mayoría han sido de autoría única, y los firmados por dos o tres autores representan un tercio del total. El patrón de autoría ha sufrido cambios en el periodo, pasando de un inicio en 1975 con predominancia en la publicación de documentos con autoría única frente a los de autoría múltiple hasta invertir la relación en 2019. El cuarto objetivo consistió en identificar los patrones de citación y colaboración. El análisis de las citas en las revistas analizadas indicó que el 39,7% de la producción no había recibido ninguna cita. Del total de documentos citados, el 12,6% sólo han sido citados una vez, y el 8,3% dos veces. El artículo más citado tiene 855 citas. Además, en cuanto a los años en los que se han realizado estas citas, el mayor porcentaje fue en 2003 con 944 citas, seguido de 2007 con 905 citas. En cuanto a los patrones de colaboración, al analizar en detalle el número de autores, se encontró que el 58,21% fueron de autoría única, y los firmados por dos o tres autores representaron el 34,37% del total. La media anual de los documentos sin colaboración resultó estar por encima de la media, lo que podría inducir que hay casi igualdad entre los documentos sin colaboración y los que sí la tienen. Sin embargo, este valor se debe en gran medida a los primeros años dentro del rango de estudio. La colaboración comenzó a despuntar y su aumento es notable a partir del año 2008. Por último, se determinaron los valores de los tres indicadores de colaboración más frecuentes en la literatura. Así, el grado de colaboración en el periodo es DC =0,66. El valor mínimo se produjo en 2002 y el máximo en 1970. Este valor fue casi similar al obtenido por las revistas de educación publicadas en Brasil (0,636) (Madrid, et al, 2017) y cercano al encontrado para el GD (0,75) en las publicaciones científicas colombianas en SciELO (Maz-Machado, Jiménez-Fanjul y Villarraga-Rico, 2016). Sin embargo, fue superior al encontrado para las categorías SSCI Demografía (0,605) y Estudios Urbanos (0,591) (Maz-Machado y Jiménez-Fanjul, 2018). El quinto objetivo consistió en establecer valores para los indicadores de la dimensión cuantitativa de la producción científica sobre el tema. A este objetivo se responde en el apartado 6.2.1 y 6.2.2. Se verificó la Ley de Bradford con las revistas que conforman el núcleo de Bradford siendo Chronicle of Higher Education y Journal of Management Education y estas dos acumulan 11526 documentos. Además, se verificó la ley de Lotka para el conjunto de autores que publicaron en las revistas objeto de estudio. El sexto y último objetivo fue identificar los temas abordados. Este objetivo se responde en el apartado 6.1.8. Se comprobó que los temas estaban relacionados con Gestión y Liderazgo en Educación, Educación Infantil, Educación Superior, Marketing en Educación, Educación Contable, Educación y Trabajo, Educación Turística, Educación en Salud Mental y Educación en Organización Industrial. Conclusión: Se ha realizado un análisis cienciométrico de la producción científica Business, Management and Accounting indexada en Scopus, donde se ha constatado los cambios sustanciales durante el periodo analizado desde 1970 hasta 2019, tanto a nivel de producción, como de colaboración entre autores y universidades, así como un análisis de la dimensión cuantitativa de la producción verificando leyes habituales en un estudio de estas características como la Ley de Bradford, Lotka y Bradford