ESG implementation in the construction industry according to 2022-2024 surveys

Application of knowledge management technologies in Korean small and medium-sized construction companies

The purpose of this study is to research overseas expansion strategies for small and medium-sized construction companies(SMCCs) in South Korea. The research methodology employs PEST (Political, Economic, Social, and Technological) analysis within the construction industry. Findings suggest increased investment in research and development, adoption of eco-friendly technologies, and localization strategies. By enhancing competitiveness through advanced technology adoption and strengthening sustainable practices aligned with global standards, firms can mitigate political and economic risks. Policy implications include collaboration with government and relevant agencies to support Official Development Assistance (ODA) projects, provide financial assistance, manage risks, and establish integrated information platforms. Moreover, enhancing capabilities through education and consulting programs in technology, law, finance, and risk management prepares firms for international expansion. This study offers specific solutions to Korean small and medium-sized construction companies, emphasizing enhanced policy support to successfully pursue expansion and growth opportunities in the global market.

“Win-win strategy” for sustainable relationship between general contractors and subcontractors in international construction projects

ABSTRACT: Construction business competition in Surabaya is getting tougher and thus require good performance in a construction organization. Performance of the organization requires trust that each individual, team, or group can act achieve the desired goal. The level of trust in an organization is influenced by the organizational culture. This study aims to determine the organizational culture and the level of confidence in large and medium-sized construction company in Surabaya, as well as the relationship between the level of trust and organizational culture.Based on the research that has been done, large and medium-sized contraction company in Surabaya tend to Clan culture type than other type of culture (Adhocracy, Market, and Hierarchy), which is concerned with loyalty and tradition; with high degree of organization trust in contractor company. Organizational culture is positively correlated with the level of trust, making any type of organizational culture as an important asset for the company to increase trust in the contractor organization, and the Hierarchy culture that can be used as the primary reference organization in increasing trust.

This article proposes a system of indicators to evaluate the performance of companies in ergonomics for buildings. The system was developed based primarily on studies related to the performance evaluation of the construction industry and on Brazilian standards of ergonomics and work safety and had also the contribution of national and international indicators related to ergonomics, work safety, quality, sustainability, quality of work life and to organizational behavior. The indicators were named, classified and their components were assigned to compose the theoretical model SIDECE--System of Performance Indicators in Ergonomics for Building Construction (as for the Portuguese acronym), serving the major goals of ergonomics: health, safety and workers' satisfaction and production efficiency. The SIDECE is being validated along with the building construction companies in the city of Natal, Brazil, whose practical results, deriving from the application of instruments to collect field data, are under process, to be presented on the occasion of the 18th World Congress on Ergonomics. It is intended that the SIDECE be used by building construction companies as a support tool for excellence management.

The construction industry is a significant consumer of natural resources and a contributor to environmental issues and ecological instability. This has led to the emergence of sustainable programmes (green construction) which aim to minimise the impact of development projects. The objective of this study is to identify the critical success factor in implementing green construction and to the extent of familiarity among middle-sized companies in the province of East Java with the implementation of green construction projects and to ascertain the factors that affect the success of such projects. The case study subjects are four medium-sized construction companies in East Java that have experience in implementing green building projects. The data obtained will be analysed on mean using IBM SPSS software on each variable. The results will identify the top five critical success factors based on questionnaires distributed to respondents. The findings of critical success factors are as follows: Integrated planning and/or design, Adequate project funding sources (smooth payments), Classification/capabilities of implementing contractors, Effective communication among stakeholders, Competence and experience of the project manager, and last critical success factor is Applicable policies/regulations regarding green construction. These findings are expected that this research will contribute to a deeper understanding of the critical factors that influence success in implementing green construction projects.

To navigate the complexities and uncertainties of the construction industry effectively, small- and medium-sized construction companies (SMCCs) require a robust management approach rooted in their accumulated experiences. From the perspective of knowledge management (KM), this study examined how SMCCs implemented the knowledge management process (KMP) to enhance their performance in a highly competitive and rapidly evolving market. It also explored the characteristics of SMCCs in terms of KMrelated practices, investment allocations and strategic plans for leveraging KMP to improve performance. This study collected responses from managers of SMCCs with more than 10 years of working experience in residential, commercial and industrial projects in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, on how they drive their business in the Vietnamese construction industry using KMP factors. Employing the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) approach, the study ranked the activities of KMP, which encompasses five main criteria with 28 associated activities, from the perspective of SMCCs. The research findings indicated that KMP criteria, namely knowledge utilisation (KU), knowledge dissemination (KD), knowledge responsiveness (KR), knowledge storage (KS) and knowledge acquisition (KA), were prioritised in order of values of 45.6%, 25.1%, 13.9%, 7.9% and 7.5%, respectively. The findings suggest that SMCCs should focus on implementing KMP based on two crucial factors, which are KU and KD and adopt a peoplebased approach that emphasises tacit knowledge with technology support. Using empirical data, this study revealed how SMCC managers drive their business activities for SMCCs in the construction market segment. By integrating KMP into their existing construction activities, SMCCs can optimise their operating and management processes, ultimately enhancing their sustainable competitiveness in the market.

The accident rate in the construction industry is much higher than in other industries. In particular, small- and medium-sized construction sites need to be managed by differentiating them from large construction sites. In order to create and manage a separate management guideline, a quantitative study on the difference between the two groups should be preceded. However, in previous studies, research particularly based on empirical and quantitative data is insufficient and somewhat inadequate. In this study, through statistical analysis of small- and medium-sized construction enterprises and large-scale construction enterprises, this research statistically proves the difference between the risk of occupational accidents. Furthermore, through multiple regression, safety accidents and significant factors of small- and medium-sized construction sites and large-scale construction companies have been verified and considered. The result shows the day of the week, accident time, and workers’ contract type are significant factors affecting construction workers’ accident risk for SMEs, while only the contract type was identified as a factor influencing accident risk for large construction companies. As this study aims at recognizing the risk factors of small-sized construction companies, the findings can provide effective references for assessing and managing the risks particular to the small- and medium-sized construction enterprises.

Does company size matter? Validation of an integrative model of safety behavior across small and large construction companies

Building Information Modelling (BIM) is a modelling technology that provides construction professionals with digital tools for use in project planning, design, monitoring, and control. The potential advantages of putting BIM into practice are known to the Malaysian government. The Malaysian government has taken a number of steps to promote BIM in the hopes that Malaysian construction industry experts will utilize it extensively. However, significant difficulties are delaying the introduction of BIM in Malaysia. Implementing BIM typically presents difficulties for smaller businesses. Even though there are numerous benefits to utilizing BIM, small and medium-sized construction companies are still cautious to do so in the course of their work. This study examines BIM adoption in Malaysian small and medium-sized construction firms. The present degree of BIM adoption in Malaysia’s construction industry as well as the best tactics to encourage SME contractors in Malaysia’s construction industry to embrace BIM more effectively were the subjects of a questionnaire survey that was conducted. According to the survey’s results, SME contractors are still trailing behind in adopting BIM due to a number of obstacles that stand in the way of its adoption. In order to increase BIM adoption among SME contractors, it is crucial that government agencies successfully promote and encourage BIM use across the whole Malaysian construction sector. The importance of this study is in gathering data on the extent of BIM adoption among SME contractors, which might be utilized as a benchmark and reference for the development of BIM in the Malaysian construction industry.

Three-Phased Risk-Management Benchmark for Internationalization of Small and Medium-Sized Construction Companies

This study aims to assess the applicability and adherence to social sustainability indicators by large and medium-sized construction companies in Pernambuco, Brazil. The study measures the importance and influence of these indicators in companies’ decision-making processes. The social indicators from the Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) were selected as they come from a globally recognized and widespread organization. The research focuses on nine companies by conducting semi-structured interviews, site visits, and data validation through observations. The results indicate that most of the indicators were considered to have a high level of importance. However, these indicators are not as influential in decision-making as their importance suggests they should be. Currently, only 26% of the indicators are being measured by the companies, covering only three of the 19 GRI categories. The categories reported are occupational safety and health, local communities, and customer privacy. Most companies would be able to report the other 16 categories with minimal additional effort. A prioritization matrix is presented according to the importance and influence of the indicators and the effort to implement them. Overall, this study reveals that companies could easily measure most social sustainability indicators, making it possible to implement more sustainable decisions with less effort.

The construction industry has been a predominantly White/Caucasian Men community with a very low representation of women and people from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Even though companies have been implementing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) statements for many years, we still believe it is neither a diverse nor equitable field. To better understand how DEI statements declared by companies have been understood and recognized by employees, a survey was deployed nationwide to understand how professionals in the construction industry perceive their organization's DEI statements or policies. A complete data set was built from 249 participants. 75% identified themselves as men and 25% as women, and nobody identified with other gender identities. More than 80% of participants were White/Caucasian, 4% Black or African American, 4% Hispanic or Latinx, and 6% Asian. Participants are currently working in small (24%), medium (30%), and large (46%) construction and design companies located across The United States. Regarding the number of employees, companies are small, less than 99 employees; medium, between 100 and 499 employees; and large, more than 500 employees. Also, companies were grouped into four main types, building construction companies (67%), transportation construction companies (6%), special trade contractor companies (17%), and design companies (10%). For more than 65% of professionals in the construction industry who participated in this study, DEI was mainly related to proper representation of women and minoritized populations in the workforce; Merit-based transparent recruitment and promotion; equality, social justice, and nondiscrimination policy statement; and equitable payment and compensation. Other factors such as proper representation of women and minoritized populations at the top management level and payment structure transparency did not emerge from the results. We also found that 70% of professionals identified DEI statements in their companies and 30% of professionals did not identify or did not know about DEI statements. Looking at the company size, 85% of professionals in large companies identified DEI statements in their companies, but 71% and 42% of professionals in medium and small companies identified DEI statements in their companies, respectively. According to the company type, more than 80% of professionals working in design companies recognized DEI statements in their companies, but around 60% in construction and special trade companies. We can highlight that large companies have established policies and practices that result in better socialization and recognition of their DEI statements than medium and small companies. Also, construction and special trade companies need to strengthen their DEI statements and increase the representation of women and people from traditionally marginalized backgrounds. Results from this research give an idea about the current state of DEI in the construction industry and would contribute to the current effort to increase the diversity of the nation's construction workforce.

The construction industry performs many tasks scheduled and related to other activities. Companies must optimize their operations, increase efficiency, eliminate waste, and deliver better products to their customers. As a result, this study aims to identify the main challenges associated with the implementation of the Lean Construction model in small and medium-sized construction companies and optimize the implementation of this process using statistically-focused mathematical models. This study was conducted using the partial least squares (PLS-SEM) method and also carried out the principal component analysis to optimize Lean barriers so that they can be properly implemented in the construction industry. The most important obstacles are displayed, as well as the relationships with other factors. Significant relationships have been discovered between the barriers to Lean construction adoption, especially with regard to corporate culture, communication, training, leadership, and the influence of mentality on business and employee adaptability. Construction executives and managers can make well-informed policy and strategic decisions by having a thorough understanding of the main barriers to Lean implementation. This information enables them to focus on the implementation of Lean technologies in projects, to increase market competitiveness, reduce waste and enhance overall work efficiency.

This study attempted to discuss ESG activities for reconstruction projects as an effort for sustainable development of the construction industry. In particular, the purpose of this study is to analyze the importance and priorities of determinants affecting reconstruction ESG management activities in order to enhance the participation of the construction industry in ESG and its effectiveness in the domestic construction industry structure, which is composed mainly of small and medium-sized construction companies. The survey was conducted online with a quantitative survey of a group of experts working at construction companies, and the AHP (Analytic Hierarchy Process) for the analysis of determinants of reconstruction ESG management activities was conducted using the DRESS 1.7 program. As a result of the analysis, social factors were the highest in the relative importance between AHP tier 1 factors, environmental factors, society, and governance, and environmental and governance were sequentially the highest. In addition, as a result of analyzing the relative importance of the determinants of reconstruction ESG, the importance of waste treatment, which is an environmental factor, was the highest, followed by job preparation and safety, which are social factors. On the other hand, ethical management, resident participation, and management strategies were shown to be lower in order among governance factors.