1,720,999 research outputs found
The ugly side of construction: modern slavery in the 2022 FIFA World Cup program
No full textModern slavery is an illegal and unethical practice that is widespread across several sectors, including construction. This article investigates the mechanisms and motivations for employing modern slaves in construction projects and the role of “political will” in fighting it. To this end, using a cross-sectional single case study, the article examines the case of Qatar’s construction of the infrastructure for the 2022 FIFA World Cup—a large construction program in which modern slavery has been extensively documented. Our theoretical lens is the Fraud Triangle Theory (opportunity, pressure, and rationalization), which is rarely used in construction management but is useful for investigating illegal or unethical phenomena. The findings document the various factors contributing to modern slavery, including the kafala system, confiscated passports, debt bondage, contract substitution, salary abuse, program time constraints, cash flow shortage, and weak internal control systems. This article’s key novel theoretical contributions relate to identifying why modern slavery occurs in construction projects using the Fraud Triangle Theory and highlighting the importance of “political will” in fighting modern slavery worldwide
Turning a Blind Eye: Ignoring Modern Slavery in the Race to Construction Project Completion
Full text linkModern slavery is an illegal and unethical phenomenon affecting more than 40 million victims worldwide, with many of them employed in construction. This article aims to investigate why modern slavery continues to exist on construction sites managed by companies that have pledged to fight it. Primary data were collected using semistructured interviews with 22 experts working in construction companies in three organization for economic co-operation and development (OECD) countries (UK, Australia, and Switzerland) and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis. The construction companies were the unit of analysis, and their managers were the primary source of information. The results present the mechanisms that explain the difference between the official antimodern slavery statements of construction companies and the empirical observations on construction sites. The primary mechanisms are a lack of awareness, training, response, and responsibility, as well as alternative priorities. The results further show the role and importance of reporting cases of modern slavery in addressing it. The risk areas of modern slavery in construction projects, which include the lower tiers of subcontracting and the supply chains of construction materials, are identified. Furthermore, the article discusses the reasons behind the trivialization of modern slavery in construction companies: the presence of alternative priorities, the fear of reputational damage, blame-shifting, and minimizing the problem. Finally, we propose recommendations for construction companies and managers to help address modern slavery and offer areas for future research. This article presents two key novel contributions. First, we discovered a disconnection between construction companies' official antimodern slavery statements and the reality on construction sites. Second, we identified the reasons behind this disconnection
Social sustainability of energy infrastructures: The role of the programme governance framework
No full textThe energy infrastructure literature focuses on the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainability, neglecting the social dimension. Particularly obscure is how the programme governance frameworks of energy projects and programmes shape their social performance. We address this gap in knowledge by leveraging a cross-case analysis of comparable energy infrastructures planned and delivered in contexts with different programme governance frameworks (i.e., Iran, Italy, Nigeria, Norway, Saudi Arabia, and the USA). This article first clarifies how investigating social sustainability at the infrastructure/project level is inadequate, showing that the overarching programme governance framework - set at the country level - is a major driver for social sustainability. Second, this article identifies three perspectives to examine the link between the programme governance framework and social sustainability: 1) Types of contracts, 2) Leadership of the infrastructure programme, and 3) Maturity of the legal and regulatory framework. These perspectives are combined to provide a novel analytical framework, useful to both examine the present status and plan future energy infrastructures. Last, this article discusses the findings from a policy perspective deriving a research agenda
Special Purpose Entities in Megaprojects: Empty Boxes or Real Companies?
No full textMegaprojects involve organizations called "Special Purpose Entities" (SPEs) also known as "special purpose vehicles." Despite their relevance, particularly for governance, SPEs are under-investigated. In the project management literature, there is neither a widely accepted definition of SPEs nor a clear understanding of what it does. This article presents an extensive literature review, which considers three domains: legal, financial, and project management. Four outcomes are presented: the definition of SPE, the typology of existing SPEs, comparisons of existing SPEs, and descriptions of SPE uses in megaprojects
Small Modular Reactors: Licensing constraints and the way forward
No full textSMR (Small Modular Reactor) is an acronym for a group of nuclear power plant designs receiving an increasing deal of attention from the industry and policy makers. A large number of SMRs need to be built in the same site and across the word to compensate diseconomies of scale and be cost competitive with large reactors and other base-load technologies. A major barrier is the licensing process, historically developed for large reactors, preventing the simply deployment of several identical units in different countries. This paper, discussing Ramana, Hopkins and Glaser [1], enlarges the view to all the SMRrelated implications on the licensing process, presenting their legislative implications and market effects. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved
Modern Slavery in Projects: A Systematic Literature Review and Research Agenda
Full text linkIt is estimated that 40.3 million individuals are victims of modern slavery, including those exploited in projects. In project studies, there are growing research streams on topics, such as ethics, sustainability and fairness, yet modern slavery is vastly ignored. This article presents a systematic literature review on modern slavery. After summarizing the main forms and consequences of modern slavery, it focuses on construction projects explaining the structural conditions making construction projects prone to modern slavery, the kafala system, and what can be done to address modern slavery. Lastly, the article introduces propositions, a research agenda, and implications for practice
Deeds not words: barriers and remedies for Small Modular nuclear Reactors
Full text linkThere is a growing interest in Small Modular nuclear Reactors (SMRs) driven mostly by the concerns in decarbonising the electricity and heat sectors. Despite the expected advantages of SMRs with respect to large reactors (e.g. construction schedule reduction, lower upfront investment per unit) and at least two decades of studies, investments in SMRs have been extremely limited. Leveraging a literature review, in-depth discussions, and a questionnaire survey, this paper aims to identify and rank general elements hindering SMR construction, specific licensing and regulatory elements affecting SMR construction, and elements favouring or hindering the reuse of SMR modules. The results show that financial and economic issues (including perceived investment risk, availability of cheaper technologies to generate electricity) are the main barriers for SMR construction. Government support for financing the first-of-a-kind and developing a supply chain could allow overcoming these barriers. Time, cost and risk of the licensing process are critical elements for SMR construction; therefore, policies should be in place to support stakeholders. The economic feasibility can hinder the opportunity of reusing SMR modules. Design and interface standardisation are the main enabling factors of reusing SMR modules. Further studies on SMR decommissioning through a “circular economy” lens are needed
The divergence between actual and estimated costs in large industrial and infrastructure projects: do we know the reasons?
No full textDigging in the megaproject's graveyard: Why do megaprojects die, and how to check their health?
Full text linkThe pressure to complete Infrastructure Megaprojects (IMs) is enormous; once started, IMs are commonly considered too costly to be stopped. Still, despite this widespread belief, several IMs are terminated during delivery/construction. Notwithstanding its empirical and theoretical relevance, few studies investigate IMs termination during delivery/construction. This paper aims to develop further the “reverse escalation of commitment” theory which sense-makes the termination of IMs. We take a critical confrontation of the existing literature addressing two questions: (1) Why are IMs terminated during delivery/construction? and (2) How does the project termination process occur in IMs? By analysing 30 unfinished IMs, we identified the six determinants for IMs termination, contributing to the development of reverse-escalation of commitment theory by providing a processual perspective of the four most common patterns leading to IMs termination. Finally, we provide a checklist for identifying key elements leading to IMs termination
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