Showing papers by "Bankole Awuzie published in 2016"

Green business models transformation: Evidence from the UK construction sector

Abstract: Purpose Sustainability has the potential to bring enormous benefits to our built environment. To release this potential, a change in business models is required. The purpose of this paper is to investigate green business models (GBMs) transformation by adopting five essential elements of green value creation and capture: green value proposition (GVP), target group (TG), key activities (KA), key resources (KR), and financial logic (FL). Design/methodology/approach In this qualitative study, 19 semi-structured interviews were conducted. Interviewees were selected purposively. The emergent data were analysed with the aid of themes. Findings It was observed that significant effort was being made towards enabling the transformation of certain elements pertinent to green value creation: KA and KR. This was particularly so when compared to other elements like GVP, TG, and FL. Practical implications Findings from this study should encourage construction managers to align their extant BMs to green activities hence enabling new approaches to green value creation and capture. Furthermore, the study will aid in improving the environmental and economic positions of the value chain within the construction sector. Originality/value This research is one of the few empirical academic works investigating GBMs in the construction sector.

The role of contracting strategies in social value implementation

Abstract: There has been an increasing demand for social value (SV) implementation to assume a cardinal position in the infrastructure delivery efforts of infrastructure client organisations (ICOs). However, whereas successful implementation has been recorded in some projects, monumental failures have also been recorded in others. This variance in implementation performance is a cause for concern. The mode of governance applied in an infrastructure delivery endeavour has been identified as capable of influencing the implementation of SV. This observation makes imperative an investigation into the role of contracting strategies – an integral part of governance modes – adopted by ICOs on SV implementation performance. This is the aim of this study. Using a case study approach, three infrastructure projects which used different contracting strategies were selected from two different countries, the UK and Nigeria. Semistructured interviews were conducted with ICO representatives on these projects and subsequently analysed using qualitative content analysis. Findings confirmed that the kind of contract adopted by ICOs influenced their ability to drive the successful implementation of desirable SV objectives through their supply chain. It is therefore recommended that ICOs ensure that the selected contracting strategies are capable of ensuring successful implementation of the desired objectives.

A systems approach to assessing organisational viability in project based organisations

Abstract: Purpose: Extant literature highlights the increasing inability of project-based organisations (PBOs) to meet infrastructure client’s expectations, particularly as it concerns the delivery of socio-economic outcomes during the delivery process. Unclear communication channels and poor processing of information especially as it pertains to client’s strategic objectives results in a misalignment of objectives among participating parties. As its central proposition, the purpose of this paper is to hold that unclear communication channels between parties within infrastructure project PBOs affects their degree of internal cohesion hence posing strong challenges to their overall viability. Design/methodology/approach: Applying the Viable Infrastructure Delivery Systems Model (VIDM); a model premised on the tenets of the Viable Systems Model, this qualitative study proceeds to assess a particular PBO within a developing country to understand its communication and control channels and to identify where gaps likely to affect the internal cohesiveness of the PBO, if any, existed. Whereas semi-structured interviews and project/policy documents were used as data collection tools, data were analysed using pre-set themes. Findings: According the study’s findings, an absence of a prevalent common identity was observed among the various parties to the PBO. Contractors’ capabilities to deliver on time and to budget based on their expertise remained pivotal within the PBO thus abandoning the attainment of the client’s pre-defined socio-economic objectives. Cases of faulty and ineffective organisational architecture, functional and communication issues were observed. Research limitations/implications: Based upon these findings, it is recommended that the VIDM be adopted at the commencement of the PBO lifecycle and used at various intervals by project managers and other stakeholders for assessing the levels of organisational viability. Originality/value: The methodology and findings resulting from this study represent information from fieldwork conducted by the author and as such have not been used elsewhere.

Barriers to the sustainable procurement of built university assets in sub-saharan africa

Abstract: The commitment of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to Sustainable Development (SD) seems to be yielding limited positive results. This is evident in the procurement of infrastructure within HEIs situated in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Besides being part of a wider study into Sustainable Procurement (SP) of infrastructure in SSA HEIs, this study reports on facilities directors’ perceptions of sustainable procurement in HEIs within SSA. A phenomenological research design was utilised. Forty-Three HEIs across two different countries in SSANigeria and South Africa were selected based on purposive and convenience sampling. Facilities directors in these HEIs were interviewed through face-to-face and telephone interview sessions. Documents concerning the procurement of infrastructure were also reviewed. Emergent data from these sources were thematically analysed. Preliminary findings indicate that Business As Usual (BAU) mode of procurement has remained the norm in most of the HEIs in spite of their profess commitment to SD. Some barriers identified include: the seeming obsession of HEIs, acting as clients, with low front-end cost of project delivery; poor awareness of what SP entails; absence of skills required to champion the cause of SP within such HEIs, and non-specification of SD based requirements in the contracts documents. It is expected that this study would contribute to deepening existing knowledge concerning implementation of SD in HEIs in SSA.