A reflexive capability model for sustainable e-business environments in construction supply chains

Despite the increasing significance of e-business worldwide and construction market leaders developing innovative e-business applications, the widespread uptake in the Australian construction industry is lagging. There has been considerable literature related to e-business adoption focusing on drivers and barriers to adoption. However, there has not been an investigation that has applied fundamental supply chain theory concepts. In this paper a reflexive capability model for the individual firm in relation to e-business is developed which relies upon merging economic and social practices through an industrial organization economic theoretical lens and social science theories of communication. The reflexivecapability model proposed within this paper describes a framework for theorization of the different degrees of e-business adoption exhibited by individual firm&rsquo;s and accounts for social-cultural, organisational-structural, communicative and economic (market and supplychain) barriers, influences and pressures to adopt e-business.The model is proposed for the construction supply chain to enable awareness, engagement and realization of e-business technology and achieve long term construction e-business sustainability.<br /

Putting leisure to work : city image and representations of nightlife

Increasingly ubiquitous references to night-time economy within urban revitalisation agendas mark the concept as a standard component in a globally circulating 'post-industrial city' script. The merit of the concept rests upon an assumed capacity for diverse and vibrant nightlife to contribute to urban quality of life and city marketability. Its attraction to cities seeking to expand the profitability and utility of the spectacular landscapes of consumption established along waterfront and within inner-city locales reclaimed from post-industrial disuse are readily apparent. However, only certain kinds of nightlife convey the prerequisite cultural sophistication necessary for making a 'correct' contribution to the desired city image. Consequently, nightlife is cast as a site of problematic behaviour and nightlife policy settings aimed at shifting the dominant cultures of night-specific consumption become implicated in demarcating the boundaries of appropriate activity. This paper examines these themes with respect to Newcastle, Australia. Through an analysis of the representations of nightlife cultures in local policy and planning, this paper argues that a significant contributor to the sense of crisis permeating Newcastle's after-dark urban culture has been the entanglement of nightlife in urban renewal and city re-imaging processes

Economic, social and cultural impediments and drivers for the adoption of e-business innovations within the industrial structure of the construction sector

The importance of the influence of economic, social and cultural characteristics underpinned by the unique supply chain industrial structure of the construction sector for the diffusion of e-business technologies in the construction industry is investigated. This is reported on through a detailed analysis of twelve firm case studies in a supply cluster around a state government agency responsible for development and implementation of eBusiness policy and infrastructure procurement. A theoretical model was developed which relies upon understanding the core upstream and downstream relationships which firms locate themselves within which are codependent with their market economic structure and firm and individual behaviour. Five key impediments and five key drivers were identified in this study which account for and are hierarchically subordinate to inconsistent adoption patterns and perceptions of advantage. Within these primary impediments and drivers over thirty interrelated secondary drivers and impediments were identified and these interrelationships are described. It is the complex inter-relationships between and across the primary and secondary impediments and drivers and the strong influence that the supply chain industrial structure plays in many of these relationships that is the major contribution of this research. The study forms part of a national project which involves three major supply clusters around a large client which are contributing to the development of an adoption profile. The profile is dependent upon defining the firms and market and structural behavioural characteristics and the trigger points for impediments becoming drivers. The outcome of the research are recommendations aimed at government agencies' and industry market leaders' policy, process and practice towards creating sustainable eBusiness environments of the future and the impact is the response by these organisations to the pathways to adoption strategies

Tender for the night : after-dark cultural complexities in the night-time economy

The concept of the night-time economy emerged in Britain in the early 1990s in the context of strategies to counter de-industrialization and inner-urban decline. Despite registering a shift towards more fluid, fragmented and diversified structures and rhythms of work, leisure and urban space, a framework that acknowledges cultural complexity has not, in practice, characterized night-time economy policy. After-dark cultural complexity has been obscured, instead, by a discursive concentration on those night-time economy leisure practices entangled with rapid, high-level consumption of alcohol, especially among young people. This reductionist discourse-oscillating between stimulating and controlling leisure cultures-has restricted policy development within a complex governance environment composed of many (in)formal organizations and levels of government. This article addresses the confusing, contradictory influence of a polarized night-time economy policy agenda and exposes the contrasting multilayered complexities of the diverse cultural practices of urban nightlife. By engaging with cultural complexity as integral to the city after dark, new conceptual trajectories are proposed that can point the way towards a more effective framework for understanding the lived experience of night-time culture

The role of investment, exchange and accumulation of non-economic capital international project performance

Recently there has been an increase in construction firms internationalising. The internationalisation process particularly, market entry strategies has been well researched. There has been less research concerned with investigating long term sustainability for exporting firms. The cornerstone of a sustainable business model is construction performance. Construction performance is a combination of project and client organisation objectives and the design and construction process. An understanding of client and project objectives as well as process is impacted upon by cultural factors. Client organisational and project objectives is a critical part of the early stages of a project which involves brief development. Firms involved in design stages achieve sustainability through an explicit understanding of non economic factors. Non-economic factors have been identified as cultural, social and intellectual capital which ultimately underpin financial capital. This paper explores how exporting firms invest, accumulate and exchange 'softer' capital to achieve sustainability. The preliminary results of an architectural design firm case study are presented. The findings indicate that project and process performance can be improved through various strategies. Project performance can be enhanced through accumulation of social and cultural capital to develop intellectual capital and process performance can be increased through accumulation of cultural in exchange for social capital

Internationalisation of Australian construction design firms: final report

This project aims to assess the extent of economic sustainability of working in international markets by Australian construction design-related firms. This investigation also identified barriers and success factors firms experience, which ultimately increases or reduces their exposure to financial risk. This study explored new research territory by developing a detailed understanding of the way three successful firms have maintained their longevity in various international markets. The firms are not considered to be large firms by international standards. The manner in which the firms achieve long term sustainability, deal with problems and barriers in international markets and develop successful strategies rely upon being adaptable to different markets and changes within markets

Adopting reflexive capability in international briefing

Purpose: The aim of the paper is to investigate the architectural firm's role in the briefing process on international projects and to identify the strategies of successful firms to overcome barriers. Design/methodology/approach: A model is developed based on a critique of briefing models and international design management theory. The development of a reflexive capability model borrows cultural theory concepts of capital and reflexivity. The model is based on maximizing reflexive capability through the management of social, cultural and intellectual capital. Two case studies of architectural firms identify barriers during the briefing process and strategies to overcome these barriers. Data collection involved 16 interviews with senior management and design team staff. Findings: There are various barriers and strategies used to achieve success in the briefing process. However, the management of a firm's capital is key to successful briefing on international projects and is a characteristic of reflexive practice. Reflexivity is based in a positive interpretation of change, and a continual responsiveness to change by participants in a system. The study provides useful information on management of the design and briefing stages of international projects. Research limitations/implications: The study is limited by the number of case studies used and the difficulty of generalisability of findings. Practical implications: The research is that it provides useful information about how to approach constant change during briefing for the architects and clients who work on international projects. Originality/value: The model is original and has value as it assists in explaining why some firms are more successful than others. The case studies provide new knowledge on international projects and the briefing process. The value of the paper is for the academic community, professionals in the built environment and clients involved in international projects