Search Results (143)

Achieving sustainable delivery is a critical goal in international engineering projects, which involve interdependent actors—such as contractors, suppliers, and designers—engaged in simultaneous cooperation and competition. This study investigates how coopetition, conceptualized as intensity and balance, affects sustainable delivery performance through dynamic capabilities. Specifically, we introduce exploitation and exploration as mediating capabilities and examine their effects under coopetition structures (horizontal vs. vertical). We use hierarchical regression analyses, relationship critical tests, and the fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) approach. Using survey data from 172 global projects, the results show that exploitation and exploration partially mediate the relationship between coopetition intensity and sustainable delivery performance, and fully mediate the effect of coopetition balance. The analysis uncovers a structural differentiation in capability efficacy, showing that exploitation yields stronger effects within horizontal structures, whereas exploration exerts greater influence under vertical structures. fsQCA reveals three complex configurational pathways to sustainable delivery performance, demonstrating the compensatory configurational pathways in which structural characteristics can, under certain conditions, substitute for dynamic capabilities. This study extends the application of coopetition and dynamic capability theories to the context of international engineering projects and underscores the crucial role of governance structures in shaping capability development and sustainable delivery outcomes. Full article

To achieve the “dual carbon” goals, green construction technologies (GCTs) are in transition from pilot projects to full-scale promotion in the Chengdu–Chongqing Economic Circle. Previous studies have largely overlooked the quantitative analysis of parameters influencing stakeholder decision-making and the consideration of risk preferences in the process of GCTs of application. Based on evolutionary game and prospect theory, this study establishes a tripartite evolutionary game model involving the government, owners, and constructors. Through model derivation and numerical simulation, it analyzes the strategic evolution and parameter sensitivity of each stakeholder at different lifecycle phases of GCTs. Results uncover a three-stage path: strategy adjustment range, fast convergence range, and slow convergence range. Government funds achieve peak efficiency in the fast convergence range. Owners react most strongly to incentives, contractors to cost changes. State-owned enterprises rely on policy signals, whereas private enterprises focus on market returns and risk expectations. Targeted promotion mechanisms and policy recommendations are proposed, offering a theoretical basis and practical route for precise government intervention and low-carbon transformation of the construction industry. Full article

The COVID-19 pandemic intensified labor shortages and safety challenges in Jordan’s construction sector, revealing systemic vulnerabilities in its reliance on migrant workers. This study evaluates an advanced robotic bricklaying system through simulation of 10 residential buildings (80 units) under Jordanian building codes (JSBC 2020) and strict pandemic constraints, including workforce absenteeism rates of 30% based on ILO data and Ministry of Health density protocols. The simulation-based analysis, which focuses specifically on standardized housing designs, demonstrates 84% faster bricklaying (6.75 vs. 43.2 days/unit), 94% productivity retention during absenteeism, 15% mortar waste reduction (advancing SDG 9), and 60% lower transmission risk versus manual methods. Despite higher rental costs (15,168 JD vs. 12,946 JD/unit), accelerated construction timelines substantially reduced overhead expenses, yielding a rapid <5-month payback period. Policy recommendations target vocational training programs and financial subsidies for small contractors, aligning with Jordan’s Economic Modernization Vision (2022–2024). Limitations involve architectural irregularities and supply chain dependencies; future work requires field validation to complement these simulation findings. Full article

A scientifically systematic credit evaluation system serves as a crucial safeguard mechanism for maintaining a healthy business environment in the construction market, effectively regulating industry entities’ behaviors and promoting ecosystem optimization. Current credit risk assessment relies excessively on financial data, neglecting the importance of corporate operational conditions. This study focuses on constructing a credit risk assessment model for construction general contractors. Innovatively incorporating both short-term financial status and long-term operational development factors, the research integrates grey relational analysis with a two-dimensional cloud model to establish a comprehensive credit risk assessment system featuring visualization of evaluation results. The methodology involves three key steps: (1) establishing a dual-dimensional credit risk indicator system covering financial and operational aspects; (2) determining risk factor weights through grey relational analysis and generating three-dimensional cloud diagrams using reverse cloud generators; (3) visualizing corporate credit risk levels through cloud mapping. Empirical analysis of representative Contractor A, utilizing Wind Financial Database data and field research, demonstrates the model’s significant advantages in critical risk factor identification and comprehensive credit risk assessment. Full article

The construction industry faces significant payment processing challenges characterized by delays, disputes, and cash flow constraints affecting contractors. Traditional systems rely on fragmented, paper-based processes lacking transparency and real-time integration between project progress and financial transactions. This paper proposes a decentralized application that integrates BIM 5D capabilities with Solana blockchain technology for automated construction payment processing, called DB5D. The framework consists of several components: a web-based 3D viewer utilizing Autodesk Forge for BIM visualization, construction schedule integration from planning software, Solana blockchain programs using Program-Derived Address (PDA) and Cross-Program Invocation (CPI) for secure payment processing, and decentralized document management through InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) with Content Addressable Archives (CAR) compression. The system enables direct linkage between measurable project progress and automated payments by allowing stakeholders to extract quantities from BIM models, record construction task completion with supporting documentation, and trigger blockchain-based token transfers upon client approval. Comprehensive validation involving construction industry professionals confirms the framework’s practical viability. It demonstrates significant improvements in payment transparency, administrative efficiency, and scalability compared to existing blockchain implementations, while enabling economically feasible micro-payments throughout project lifecycles. Full article

Elite capture, a power structure problem involving rent-seeking, hinders sustainable water resources management. Governments play crucial roles in instilling public legitimacy in water governance, a common-pool resource that benefits from cooperative solutions such as pilot competitions, co-monitoring, and inter-agency coordination. A study of South-to-North Water Diversion Projects in China showed how, when governments outsource small projects to local sub-contractors, a method named moderate supervision (ruo jiandu) can enable effective oversight, which is superior to a bidding model with strict supervision (qiang jiandu). The concept of moderate supervision was initiated in 2023, before which most small projects had been left in a risky state with no supervision (ling jiandu). Analysis of a case in Shandong Yellow River Water Diversion Irrigation Area involved semi-structured in-depth interviews. Findings revealed that an elite-government-villagers tripartite spiral was composed of 3 dimensions reshaping a positive elite culture: first, a whitelist of qualified local contractors; second, co-monitoring of multiple stakeholders with influence exerted by a three-tier mobilization system; third, inter-agency coordination innovatively enabling smooth functioning between policy entrepreneurs of formal institutions and local social governance of informal ones. Policy implications to underscore real-world applicability are provided. Full article

In recent years, China has vigorously promoted the EPC mode in the construction industry. However, under the weak trust environment of China’s construction industry, both owners and general contractors are involved in the design stage of EPC projects. Owing to conflicting interests in the design stage, there is a two-stage design interest paradox between the owners and general contractors of Chinese EPC projects, and this causes significant difficulties and challenges for project implementation. To resolve this paradox, this study proposes the “DART-PDCA” design management model by integrating value co-creation theory with the PDCA cycle. Applied to the Yuzhou High-speed Rail Station Square and Related Infrastructure PPP Project and the extended case, the model demonstrates how it resolves the paradox by (1) establishing structured dialogue platforms for aligning evolving design intentions, (2) enhancing information access and transparency through agreed protocols, and (3) facilitating dynamic risk assessment and allocation mechanisms. The results confirm that (1) the two-stage design interest paradox negatively impacts design management quality in China’s low-trust environment; and (2) the “DART-PDCA” design management model effectively resolves this paradox, leading to demonstrable improvements in design management quality, efficiency, and stakeholder alignment. This research forges novel interdisciplinary linkages among owner–general contractor relationships, design management, and EPC projects, providing critical insights into managing multi-organizational dynamics in complex EPC project environments. Full article

Products with complex structures are structurally intricate and involve multiple professional fields and engineering construction elements, making it difficult for a single contractor to independently develop and manufacture such complex structural products. Therefore, during the research, development, and production of complex products, collaboration between manufacturers and suppliers is essential to ensure the smooth completion of projects. In this process, a complex supply chain network is often formed to achieve collaborative cooperation among all project participants. Within such a complex supply chain network, issues such as delayed delivery, poor product quality, or low resource utilization by any participant may trigger the bullwhip effect. This, in turn, can negatively impact the delivery cycle, product cost, and quality of the entire complex product, causing it to lose favorable competitive positions such as quality advantages and delivery advantages in fierce market competition. Therefore, this paper firstly explores the mechanism of complex product manufacturing and the supply network of complex product manufacturing, in order to grasp the inherent structure of complex product manufacturing with a focus on identifying symmetrical properties among supply chain nodes. Secondly, a complex product supply chain network model is constructed with the Graphical Evaluation and Review Technique (GERT), incorporating symmetry constraints to reflect balanced resource allocation and mutual dependencies among symmetrical nodes. Then, from the perspective of supply chain, we focus on identifying the shortcomings of supply chain suppliers and optimizing the management cost of the whole supply chain in order to improve the quality of complex products, delivery level, and cost saving level. This study constructs a Restricted Grey GERT (RG-GERT) network model with constrained outputs, integrates moment-generating functions and Mason’s Formula to derive transfer functions, and employs a hybrid algorithm (genetic algorithm combined with non-linear programming) to solve the multi-objective optimization problem (MOOP) for joint optimization of delivery time, quality, and cost. Empirical analysis is conducted using simulated data from Y Company’s aerospace equipment supply chain, covering interval parameters such as delivery time [5–30 days], cost [40,000–640,000 CNY], and quality [0.85–1.0], validated with industry-specific constraints. Empirical analysis using Y Company’s aerospace supply chain data shows that the model achieves a maximum customer satisfaction of 0.96, with resource utilization efficiency of inefficient suppliers improved by 15–20% (p < 0.05) after secondary optimization. Key contributions include (1) integrating symmetry analysis to simplify network modeling; (2) extending GERT with grey parameters for non-probabilistic uncertainty; (3) developing a two-stage optimization framework linking customer satisfaction and resource efficiency. Full article

The Norwegian construction sector has long struggled with conflict, particularly in large-scale and complex projects, where adversarial practices, rigid procurement systems, and insufficient early collaboration are common. This study explores how partnering contracts, which are collaborative delivery models designed to align stakeholder interests, affect conflict dynamics in real-world settings. Employing a mixed-methods approach, it combines semi-structured interviews with 21 experienced Norwegian construction professionals and a structured survey of 33 industry experts. The findings reveal that partnering can foster trust, improve communication, and reduce adversarial behavior through mechanisms such as early contractor involvement, joint goal setting, and open dialogue. However, participants also identified critical risks: superficial collaboration rituals, ambiguous roles, and unresolved structural inequalities that can exacerbate tensions. Importantly, the study emphasizes that partnering success depends less on the contract itself and more on cultural alignment, stakeholder competence, and long-term relational commitment. These insights contribute to a more nuanced understanding of how collaborative contracting influences conflict mitigation in the Norwegian construction sector. Full article

The impact of work engagement and burnout on medical activities, physicians’ performance, and quality of care has gained interest over the last decades. However, the effect of demographics, job-related, and organizational variables on burnout and work engagement in young endocrinologists has not been fully investigated. To assess the impact of demographics, job-related, and organizational variables on burnout and work engagement in young endocrinologists who joined the Italian Association of Clinical Endocrinologists. The levels of burnout and work engagement were assessed by the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, respectively, as a part of an online survey of the “Associazione Medici Endocrinologi” addressed to young members (31–40 years). Eighteen MANOVAs were applied to analyze differences in burnout and work engagement based on demographic, job-related, and organizational factors. We collected responses from 160 young endocrinologists, mainly women (80.6%), aged 31–35 years (33.8%) and 36–40 years (66.2%). Most were in a stable relationship with (40%) or without (45%) children. Most of them worked in hospitals or local healthcare districts (35.6%), as independent contractors (31.9%), or as Ph.D. students or residents (25.6%). Multivariate analyses found no statistically significant differences in burnout and work engagement due to demographics (gender, age, and partnership) and job-related variables (type of job and contract). On the other hand, organizational variables (levels of conflict amongst colleagues, more than expected time spent working, and no involvement in team-building activities) were associated with higher emotional exhaustion, lower dedication, and less vigor. The novelty of the study is that both burnout and work engagement can be affected by organizational variables in early-career Italian endocrinologists, highlighting the need for supporting the healthcare system to overcome this gap. Full article

As technologies such as Building Information Modeling, the Internet of Things, and cloud computing spread, digital transformation in construction is widely seen as a path to greater efficiency and sustainability. Yet multiple stakeholders and persistent information asymmetry often hamper genuine cooperation, undermining digitalization’s potential. This study constructs an evolutionary game model involving government, contractor, and service providers under incomplete information. A combined subsidies-and-penalties mechanism is introduced to derive replicator dynamics and identify conditions for an evolutionary stable strategy. Numerical simulations show that insufficient subsidies and weak penalties typically result in a “low-level equilibrium,” with superficial or absent cooperation. Strengthening government subsidies and imposing more stringent penalties triggers a threshold effect, significantly increasing contractors’ and service providers’ willingness to participate, thereby leading to a stable cooperative equilibrium. Service providers, in particular, influence success or failure through their cost–benefit structures, which affect contractors’ confidence in adopting digital solutions. This research extends evolutionary game theory to a three-party construction digitalization context, providing practical guidance for balanced subsidy–penalty strategies and incentive-compatible mechanisms. Overall, it underscores how coordinated policies and stakeholder alignment can overcome moral hazard and achieve sustainable digital transformation in the construction sector. Full article

High-Speed Rail (HSR) has long been proposed as a transformative infrastructure project for Australia; yet, despite multiple feasibility studies and significant government expenditure, it remains unrealized. This study investigates the key barriers preventing HSR implementation. To achieve this, a novel mixed-methods approach that triangulates a comprehensive literature review, in-depth expert interviews, and broad stakeholder survey was employed. The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) was used to quantify the relative importance of the identified barriers. Simultaneously, qualitative insights were gathered through interviews with industry leaders, government officials, and infrastructure experts. This dual approach provided a comprehensive understanding of the challenges. The findings highlight the importance of external factors. These include political uncertainty, financial constraints, and systemic logistical challenges, which go beyond technical feasibility. Based on these insights, this research identifies critical early-stage risks and contributes to a re-evaluation of HSR not solely as a transport solution but also as a vital tool for regional development. Refining cost and time estimation methodologies using reference class forecasting, fostering proactive political engagement to secure bipartisan support, enhancing private sector collaboration through early contractor involvement and risk-sharing mechanisms, and developing a national upskilling framework to address workforce shortages were also key findings. The study has garnered industry recognition and support, with experts acknowledging its contribution to the ongoing discourse on HSR implementation in Australia. Full article

This article presents the value-added production-sharing contract (VAPSC), an extension of traditional production-sharing contracts (PSCs), which encompasses raw materials production, subsequent processing, and the final ‘sharing’ of goods. Developing countries often face challenges in oil and gas exploration, production, and sector development, necessitating new collaborative frameworks between governments, industries, and international companies. The study justifies the economic terms of VAPSC that align with Lebanon’s national regulations, focusing on offshore gas production and the subsequent production and sale of liquefied natural gas (LNG). The research evaluates VAPSC application in Lebanon through a case study involving offshore gas field development, LNG plant construction, and consequent LNG-sharing. Results demonstrate the VAPSC potential to promote petroleum sector development by generating added value for both the state and society, as well as economic efficiency for the contractor. The research contributes to contract theory by introducing VAPSC as a novel framework for integrating hydrocarbon extraction, subsequent processing, and value-added product distribution, offering a replicable model for other resource-rich developing nations. The main findings include the design of a new type of contract—VAPSC—along with an economic-mathematical model for optimizing government-investor partnerships and the definition of key contractual terms. Full article

Increasing environmental pollution has reinforced the necessity of implementing circular economy (CE) as a sustainable approach to reducing resource consumption, waste generation, and carbon emissions. Despite the construction industry’s significant environmental impact in terms of global carbon emissions, water consumption, and biodiversity loss, only 12% of its materials exhibit circular characteristics, necessitating improvements in terms of circularity in construction projects. This study develops a CE-based decision-making model for contractor selection, focusing on off-site construction (OSC), which offers greater circularity potential than conventional construction methods. The decision-making model, established through literature analysis and expert discussions, utilizes the fuzzy analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to evaluate CE criteria and employ the fuzzy Technique for Order Preference by Similarity to Ideal Solution (TOPSIS) to determine contractor suitability. The findings indicate that Material Circularity, Energy Circularity, and Product Circularity are the most influential criteria, with green procurement emerging as the highest-priority factor. The model was validated through a hypothetical case study involving four contractors experienced in sustainable construction. The results demonstrate the model’s capacity to produce sensitive outcomes in terms of decision-making. Full article

Dutch housing associations, being semi-public construction clients, have been assigned an important role in helping to realize the national goal of a CO₂-neutral housing stock by 2050. To achieve this goal, a growing number of housing associations have added sustainable retrofit projects into multi-year programs. Those programs are being implemented by entering into strategic partnerships with retrofit contractors. The aim of this paper is to explore the rationale behind this asset and property management approach, the process, and the organizational conditions and consequences for the partners involved. To do so, a cumulative case study for research, including seven cases, was conducted. The findings show that the rationale is primarily about improving and accelerating the retrofit process by using the knowledge, competencies, and resources of the supply-side partners as effectively and efficiently as possible. This novel approach increases the retrofit rates and tenant satisfaction with the process. Trust is key in the collaboration between housing associations and contractors. For this, partner selection is an intensive and careful process. The factor hindering the upscaling of the approach is the cultural and organizational changes needed on both the demand and supply side. Full article