Current Practices and Insights on Supply Chain Risk Management in the Construction Industry: A Review

This paper reviews the related studies on the current practices and insights in supply chain risk management within the construction industry. Articles published between 2000 and 2018 are classified and analyzed using simplified systematic literature review, which is performed through the material collection, category selection and literature matrix. While the research on supply chain risk management started relatively recently, much of these studies were generic and not contextualized for the construction industry. Construction supply chains risk treatment and monitoring phase require further attention, with inputs from all the supply chain actors in the upstream linkage. Only peer-reviewed journal articles were considered in this study. And it is hoped that the findings will serve as a guide to construction managers who would like to better understand how risks in the upstream and downstream linkages of construction supply chains are managed. We acknowledged that the implementation of construction supply chain risk management is immature, and there is a dearth of literature in this area. This study also identifies the risk management process currently practised in the industry and provides a framework for literature classification. The study identifies literature gaps that can provide opportunities for future research in the area of CSCRM. It also discusses future research directions in this area

Contractor’s Technology Acceptance for Firm Sustainability Performance

The construction industry’s contributions to Greenhouse gas emissions have generated several discussions among the construction stakeholders in recent times. Granted that the construction industry has been contributing significantly to the economy as well as employment in most countries for decades, the industry’s resource consumption is, at the same time, damaging to a sustained human environment. This paper empirically explored the organizational technology orientation and perceived organizational usefulness that could improve construction Malaysian construction firm’s sustainability performance. Close-ended structured copies of questionnaire survey were employed to collect data from large Malaysian construction firms, and Partial Least Squares-Structural Equation Modeling technique was used to analyze the 172 responses. The results indicated that both technology orientation and perceived organizational usefulness are capable of influencing the construction firms’ sustainability performance. The implication is that this study’s model can predict the sustainability performance of the sampled construction firms. Some implications for research and practice, as well as future recommendations, were highlighted

Project Management Performance and Its Influence on Malaysian Building Projects

Working environment and safety behavior are the primary concern in construction projects which in the long run are part of the yardstick in measuring project management performance. Construction safety and performance should be thoroughly investigated empirically by illustrating the current state of accident and performance in construction industries. Entrenched in the Malaysian construction industry experience, three dimensions of the project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) can buffer the contractor’s and project manager’s performance in building projects. Following organizational control theory, this research investigated the effects project management performance (resolve cost, schedule, and quality) on construction projects among G-7 contractors operating in Kuantan Malaysia construction industries through a personally administered questionnaire. Structural equation modeling (SEM) opined that schedule and quality have positive and significant influence, while resolve cost has a significant negative influence on Malaysia construction projects.   Keywords: project management performance, building project, contractor, projectmanagers, client, constriction industries, PLS-SEM

Green supply chain nuances in east malaysian construction industry

The antecedent influence of technology innovation, regulatory regimes and stakeholders’ pressure on green supply chain management have been investigated disparately, with mixed results. This study aimed to explore the potential and specific effects of these selection pressure among sampled construction organizations in Sarawak Malaysia using the Triple Embeddedness Framework as an underpinning theory. Using a self-report online survey instrument, we sampled 350 contractors in Sarawak, and 114 responses were received after repeated reminders. However, after removing seven incomplete responses, only 107 usable surveys were considered for data analysis, denoting a response rate of 30.6%. Data screening was then carried out using SPSS version 23, while SmartPLS version 3.2 was used to assess the measurement and structural models. The findings suggest that regulatory pressure and technology orientation positively relate to the contractors’ green supply chain management. There is also a significant mediation of technology orientation in customer, regulatory pressure and green supply chain management relationships. This study contributes to the construction project supply chain body of knowledge by channelling the Triple Embeddedness Framework toward green supply chain management by providing empirical grounds from the hypothesized relationships. Stakeholders’ unification is also suggested for sustainable upstream and downstream integration

Does government policy matter? Factors influencing contractors' risk attitudes in the Malaysian construction industry: A structural equation modelling analysis

One of the critical factors responsible for the successful management of construction projects is individual factors. These factors play a significant role in the decision-makers' attitudes towards risks management. Many previous studies regarding the management of construction projects have focused on the factors contributing to the success of risk management. However, little attention has been given to factors severely affecting the decision-makers' risk attitudes with particular reference to an individual's risk factors in the construction industry. Therefore, this study aims to identify the factors affecting contractors' risk attitudes and then determine its relationship with government policy. Theories of planned behaviour and organisational control were used to develop the theoretical framework that investigated G-7 contractors in the Kuantan Pahang, Malaysian construction industry. A review of relevant literature and questionnaire was employed to identify the factors affecting contractors' risk attitudes (personal factors). 112 copies of a structured questionnaire were analysed with a response rate of 80%. Structural Equation Modelling SEM was utilised to test the hypotheses developed for the study. The results of this study, through SEM, proved that personal factors (working experience, professional competence and physical health) have a significant influence on contractor risk attitudes in the Malaysian construction industry. The findings of this research also confirm that government policy (rules and regulations) plays a moderating role in enhancing the relationship of personal factors affecting contractors’ risk attitudes in construction companies in Malaysia. The findings of the study provide more understanding of the personal factors that affect contractors' risk attitudes to facilitate contractors' decision-making process and serve as a useful reference for further studies in the field of construction project management

Analysis of some factors driving ecological sustainability in construction firms

Construction management scholars, institutional investors, and construction practitioners are strongly emphasizing firms’ needs to respond adequately to the harmful effects of construction on human societies and the environment. This study contributes to the ongoing discussion on the environmental dimension of the triple bottom line of sustainability within the construction industry by considering regulatory framework and a set of organizational capabilities (organizational culture, flexible design, quality orientation, product diversity, and customer loyalty) that have been highlighted to aid firms’ achievement of ecological sustainability. Using survey data of Malaysian large construction firms, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the mediating role of organizational capabilities in the regulatory framework and ecological sustainability relationship. The findings of this study established how proactive firm core competencies can strengthen construction businesses in developing nations to discover new avenues of performing environmentally sound construction businesses. It also demonstrated how a favourable regulation targeted at the unique configuration of large construction firms in Malaysian context could contribute to their environmental sustainability performance. The limitations and future research directions are also discussed

The role of organizational culture on sustainable construction among Malacca Malaysian Construction Industry: A partial least square approach

This research studies the influence of organizational culture on sustainable construction among G7 contractors operating in Malacca, Malaysia. As there are opinions buttressing the need to integrate culture that reinforces devotion towards sustainability in an organization so as to ensure a successful sustainability adoption in project’ activities. Therefore, in response to this apprehension, the objectives of this study are to investigate the significant relationship between adhocracy culture and environmental protection and to investigate the significant relationship between hierarchical culture and environmental protection. To achieve this, quantitative research was conducted with a proportionate stratified random sampling used to choose 100 construction companies mainly G7 that are registered under the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Malaysia operating in Malacca. A total of 90 valid and completed questionnaires were returned representing a 90% response rate. The validity, as well as the reliability of the items in this research, were assessed using the PLS-SEM measurement model and it shows that the results are reliable. The two hypotheses were tested and the result showed that adhocracy culture (AC) variable has a significant positive relationship on sustainable construction (β= 0.525, t = 3.722, p = 0.000) as organizational culture with dynamism, which is represented by adhocracy is concluded to be influential in sustainability, and also play a critical role in a society in the context of sustainability and corporate citizenship. Implications for practice and future research were also discussed

The impacts of social responsibility on the environmental sustainability performance of the Malaysian construction industry

Properly harnessed social responsibility is vital for construction organization’s environmental sustainability as it provides are source for their competitive edge in construction project delivery. This study examines the impacts of social responsibility on Malaysian construction firms’ environmental sustainability performance. Across-sectional survey of 185 questionnaires was administered to respondents from Malaysian G7 construction firms. PLS path modelling out comes show that social responsibility and coercive pressure are positive predictors of environmental sustainability performance. The results also established that despite the charitable nature of social responsibility, construction firms are still obliged to be socially responsible through investment in environmental and social responsibility activities. This could result from conformity with guidelines that mandated them to spend on social responsibility activities and secure legitimacy from multiple stakeholders. Our results also reveal that coercive pressure transmits the positive effects of social responsibility on environmental sustainability performance. Thus, it was established that coercive pressure is a positive mediator and a facilitator that plays a complementary role between social responsibility and environmental sustainability performance. The implications and recommendations for future research are also discussed

An Evaluation of environmental sustainability performance via attitudes , social responsibility, and culture: a mediated analysis

Demands for environmentally sustainable construction are driving firms towards the adoption of environmental sustainability practices, and the rising regulatory burden to reduce impacts on the intending users and other stakeholders may demand firms restrategising their internal factors and level of compliance towards environmental sustainability in project delivery. Using a cross-sectional data collection method , 185 respondents from Malaysian G7 construction firms participated in this research. We utilised partial least squares path modelling for data analysis. Our findings established strong empirical evidence for the hypothesised positive effects of company culture, managerial attitudes and coercive pressure on environmental sustainability performance. However, social responsibility is revealed to have no effect on environmental sustainability performance. This is not unconnected with the fact that most Malaysian firms incur more social responsibility expenditure in the social sector than the environment. Our findings also established that coercive pressure is a positive mediator and a catalyst that plays a complementary role between managerial attitudes, company culture and social responsibility, and environmental sustainability performance. Policy implications and future study's directions are equally discussed

The Influence of Organizational External Factors on Construction Risk Management among Nigerian Construction Companies

Background: Substantial empirical research has shown conflicting results regarding the influence of organizational external factors on construction risk management, suggesting the necessity to introduce a moderator into the study. The present research confirmed whether rules and regulations matter on the relationships between organizational external factors and construction risk management. Methods: Based on discouragement and organizational control theory, this research examined the effects of organizational external factors and rules and regulations on construction risk management among 238 employees operating in construction companies in Abuja and Lagos, Nigeria. A personally administered questionnaire was used to acquire the data. The data were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. Results: A significant positive relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management was asserted. This study also found a significant positive relationship between rules and regulations and construction risk management. As anticipated, rules and regulations were found to moderate the relationship between organizational external factors and construction risk management, with a significant positive result. Similarly, a significant interaction effect was also found between rules and regulations and organizational external factors. Implications of the research from a Nigerian point of view have also been discussed. Conclusion: Political, economy, and technology factors helped the construction companies to reduce the chance of risk occurrence during the construction activities. Rules and regulations also helped to lessen the rate of accidents involving construction workers as well as the duration of the projects. Similarly, the influence of the organizational external factors with rules and regulations on construction risk management has proven that most of the construction companies that implement the aforementioned factors have the chance to deliver their projects within the stipulated time, cost, and qualities, which can be used as a yardstick to measure a good project. Keywords: construction risk management, Nigeria, organizational control theory, organizational external factors, rules and regulation