40 research outputs found
Assessment of factors affecting maintenance management of hospital buildings in Jordan
No full text
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to identify and assess the factors affecting maintenance management performance of hospital buildings in Amman, Jordan. Besides, the operational state was evaluated and the practices of maintenance management were assessed.
Design/methodology/approach
In total, 70 items were identified through a rigorous literature review, grouped into seven categories, and a framework was developed. Besides, practices of maintenance management were assessed and the operational state was evaluated. The data were collected through distributing questionnaires to maintenance department staff in all public and private hospitals in Amman, Jordan. In total, 219 questionnaires were obtained and the data were subjected to an exploratory factor analysis. As well, descriptive, correlation, and inferential analysis were performed.
Findings
The analysis proved that 14 items representing four factors had significant effect on maintenance management performance and a new framework was established. Additionally, the results showed that Amman’s hospitals were found to be in an average condition and maintenance management practices were assessed to be efficient.
Originality/value
There is a gap in the literature in terms of researching the factors affecting the maintenance management of the Jordanian hospitals which has been a subject of extensive interest to many. A framework of the factors affecting maintenance has been proposed for the country of Jordan which the authors hope that would be developed further in future studies.
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Factors Affecting Risk Management in Industrial Companies in Jordan
No full textThis study aims to identify and rank the critical factors affecting risk management from the perspective of top and Lower Management in Jordanian industrial companies. Based on a rigorous literature review, critical factors affecting risk management are factors related to (1) flexibility and adaptation in the economic environment; (2) company characteristics; (3) external audit quality; (4) government rules and regulations; (5) top management and the board of directors; (6) organizational structure; (7) internal audit effectiveness; (8) trust; (9) human resources efficiency and training (10); communications (11); information technology (12); and the company's culture. Quantitative research methods were used. A questionnaire was developed and distributed to a random sample of senior managers of industrial companies in Jordan. Kendall and Mann-Whitney tests, RII, and EFA were used to analyze the acquired data. The results show that all discussed factors have an effect on risk management, and there is no difference between top and Lower Management's opinions regarding the ranking of the importance of those factors on risk management. This study provides an original perspective on the concept of risk management and the factors that impact it. These findings have important implications for Jordanian industrial companies' decision makers. Companies should apply the results to their strategies and policies to reduce risks
Factors Affecting Occupants’ Satisfaction in Governmental Buildings: The Case of the Kingdom of Bahrain
No full textSatisfaction is a very important factor in improving productivity and performance in the work environment. This study aims to investigate the levels of occupants’ satisfaction with the indoor environmental quality (IEQ) in the governmental buildings in the Kingdom of Bahrain and to investigate the impact of occupants’ demographics and building attributes (non-IEQ factors) on these levels. For these purposes, the study used a questionnaire that has 17 indoor environmental quality (IEQ) factors in addition to a group of non-IEQ factors. The questionnaire was distributed by hand or using email to 279 employees in the Bahraini governmental sector. The findings of the study revealed that occupants in the Bahraini governmental buildings are not strongly satisfied with IEQ factors, especially with sound privacy, followed by visual privacy and amount of space, and then noise levels. The findings also showed that for most IEQ factors, men are more satisfied than women are, those who work in enclosed private offices are more satisfied than those who work in open-plan offices, and those who have central air-conditioning at their workplace are more than those who have a wall-mounted air conditioner. The impact of age, nature of work, duration of working in the current building and at the current workstation, weekly working hours, and proximity to the window were also investigated. Accordingly, a group of recommendations was suggested aiming to improve the levels of occupants’ satisfaction
A framework to evaluate sustainable construction principles in government building projects: the case of Jordan
No full text© Emerald Publishing Limited. This article was originally published in
Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management. The version of record is available at: https://doi.org/10.1108/ECAM-01-2022-0040Purpose:
This study aimed to provide a framework that includes the principles of sustainable construction to evaluate their application in the construction of government building projects in various environmental, economic, and social aspects distributed over the project phases throughout its life cycle.
Design/methodology/approach:
Qualitative methods from literature review and analysis of sustainability assessment tools were used to design the framework. The designed framework included six main categories, comprising 19 indicators that include sustainable building principles to assess application levels in government construction projects. It was used to evaluate applying sustainability practices in Jordanian government construction projects. 133 questionnaires were distributed to a convenience sample of three government institutions concerned with the design, implementation, and management of government buildings in Jordan.
Findings:
After collecting the quantitative data, the results showed that there is an application of six sustainability principles during the initial planning, analysis, and design stages of Jordanian government construction projects. The results focused on the application levels in social sustainability principles versus environmental and economical, especially in the operating stages during the project life cycle.
Originality/value:
This study contributes by providing a tool to evaluate the sustainability of government construction projects and increase the efficiency and effectiveness of these types of buildings in both the short and long term by making them more sustainable. Subsequently, recommendations are made on reorienting government construction projects toward a sustainable building approach
Barriers to Adopting Lean Construction in the Construction Industry—The Case of Jordan
No full textDuring the last few decades, there has been a greater understanding of the role of lean construction (LC) in achieving better management of construction projects and enabling the application of the fourth industrial revolution in the construction industry (Construction 4.0), which in turn, has the potential to improve the practices and outcomes in the construction industry. This paper aims to identify the barriers to adopt LC practices by taking a case of the Kingdom of Jordan. A questionnaire that included 30 barriers that were resulted from a comprehensive literature review was distributed and filled by 326 respondents from the Jordanian construction industry. The findings showed that the absence of support from the top management, low awareness toward LC, lack of training, and the absence of transparency are amongst the most serious factors that hinder the adoption of LC. The findings in this paper might be helpful to improve the knowledge about LC and support the adoption of new techniques that might improve the performance in the construction industry
Exploring Implementation of Blockchain for the Supply Chain Resilience and Sustainability of the Construction Industry in Saudi Arabia
No full textThe construction industry plays an essential role in economic development since it is one of the largest industries all over the world. Blockchain has the potential to reshape the structure of all accessible networks in the future. Construction businesses are increasingly interested in embracing blockchain technology to improve supply chain sustainability performance and supply chain resilience in times of globally increasing risks and volatility. This study evaluates the readiness of actors involved in the producing of concrete goods to emphasize the necessity to bring blockchain into the construction industry, as it may be a solution for supply chain resilience and long-term sustainable growth. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used in collecting and analyzing the data and testing the hypotheses. Data were collected using an online questionnaire distributed to 300 employees who work within the biggest concrete producing companies in Saudi Arabia. 120 respondents completed the questionnaires. Additionally, confirmatory semi-structured interviews with experts in supply chain financing, IT departments, and procurement departments have been conducted; the study’s findings revealed a low level of blockchain knowledge within Saudi Arabia’s construction industry, since (90%) of respondents have not worked with Blockchain technology. Several technologists barely understand it, and the level of readiness is very low. However, there is a lot of potential, and it is worth investing in it combined with other technologies such as BIM technology. In this study, the authors have sought to provide a measure of Saudi professionals’ attitudes and understanding of blockchain technology solutions within the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. Furthermore, the study’s novelty aimed to provide a grasp of the conceptual, theoretical, and fundamental features of blockchain technology in the construction industry, as blockchain solutions could benefit the global economy by increasing levels of monitoring, tracing, and confidence in international supply chain resilience
The Relationship between Information Technology Adoption and Job Satisfaction in the Jordanian Construction Industry
No full textDespite the popularity of Information Technology and job satisfaction research, little empirical evidence exists of the relationship between IT adoption and job satisfaction within the Jordanian construction industry. This research fills these knowledge gaps by exploring the relationship between IT adoption and job satisfaction from the perspective of construction companies, contractors, consultants, and architectural and engineering firms in Jordan. Measures were developed using MSQ and IT Barometer surveys. Three hundred questionnaires were distributed to investigate this relationship among different companies from the Jordanian construction sector. Descriptive statistics were obtained and hypotheses were tested using multiple regression analysis. Results show that more investment in technology would increase employee job satisfaction regarding intrinsic, extrinsic, and general perspectives.</p
The Relationship between Information Technology Adoption and Job Satisfaction in the Jordanian Construction Industry
No full textBarriers to the Adoption of Digitalization in the Construction Industry: Perspectives of Owners, Consultants, and Contractors
No full textConstruction organizations are moving toward adopting digitalization in response to Industry 4.0. However, the slow adoption of digitalization has been observed. This study aimed to assess the level of digitalization adoption and evaluate the barriers to adopting digitalization in the Jordanian construction industry by all project parties in the public and private sectors. The study targets were achieved through a structured questionnaire using SPSS software for analysis through the following statistical tests: Normality test, Mann-Whitney U, Kruskal-Wallis H, and Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA). Most respondents used software at the design stage, and less than half did not use any software during the finishing stage. Regarding the barriers, twenty barriers to adopting digitalization were identified and grouped into five factors according to their importance: barriers related to the nature and system of the construction company, barriers related to the project parties, financial barriers, barriers related to system characteristics, and barriers related to construction project characteristics. Decision-makers should take the necessary measures to overcome such barriers depending on their importance. Previous studies have focused on the contractor\u27s adoption of digitalization while neglecting other parties. This contributed to the full adoption of digitalization from the contractor side, with a noticeable delay from other project parties. This study focused on revealing the most critical barriers to adopting digitalization in the Jordanian construction industry from all project parties\u27 perspectives based on their ranks. Furthermore, the study recommends effective strategies to overcome barriers as an update of past research
