Download or read book Construction Industry Management Practices and Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises written by Blessing Okere PhD and published by iUniverse. This book was released on 2020-09-17 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The construction industry is a versatile sector that requires the effort of managers to engage in practices that create innovation. Management practices are the skills, knowledge, resources, and culture needed to attain successful innovation. Regardless of the importance of management practices, an established management practice that demonstrates how managers’ practices might boost innovation is limited. A review of literature associated with management practices and innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry led to the determination that a gap exists in the body of work about construction industry management practices and innovation in SMEs. The exploratory qualitative study investigated the research question: What roles do management practices have in innovation in U.S. SMEs in the construction industry? Study participants were 12 middle managers employed in small- and medium-sized construction organizations with three or more years of experience. Data analysis identified two themes. First, improving project management had three subthemes of sharing information, bringing new ideas, and efficient project management. The improving competitive performance theme had three subthemes of effective delivery of service, knowledge exchange and collaboration, and effective leadership, categorized as management practices. The interpretation of themes and subthemes provided enough information to determine that management practices and innovation in U.S. SME construction companies involved improving project management and improving competitive performance. The study results could be used to improve innovation capabilities in SMEs in the construction industry through the improvement of knowledge sharing practices, internally and externally.

Download or read book Construction Industry Management Practices and Innovation in Small and Medium Enterprises written by Blessing Okere, PhD and published by . This book was released on 2020-09-17 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The construction industry is a versatile sector that requires the effort of managers to engage in practices that create innovation. Management practices are the skills, knowledge, resources, and culture needed to attain successful innovation. Regardless of the importance of management practices, an established management practice that demonstrates how managers' practices might boost innovation is limited. A review of literature associated with management practices and innovation in small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the construction industry led to the determination that a gap exists in the body of work about construction industry management practices and innovation in SMEs. The exploratory qualitative study investigated the research question: What roles do management practices have in innovation in U.S. SMEs in the construction industry? Study participants were 12 middle managers employed in small- and medium-sized construction organizations with three or more years of experience. Data analysis identified two themes. First, improving project management had three subthemes of sharing information, bringing new ideas, and efficient project management. The improving competitive performance theme had three subthemes of effective delivery of service, knowledge exchange and collaboration, and effective leadership, categorized as management practices. The interpretation of themes and subthemes provided enough information to determine that management practices and innovation in U.S. SME construction companies involved improving project management and improving competitive performance. The study results could be used to improve innovation capabilities in SMEs in the construction industry through the improvement of knowledge sharing practices, internally and externally.

Download or read book Innovation in Small Construction Firms written by Peter Barrett and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2008-01-11 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Innovation in Small Construction Firms promotes the benefits of innovation, and stimulate innovation capability within and between small and medium sized (SMEs) construction firms in an effort to bring in a new 'can innovate, should innovate, want to innovate' culture to the construction industry. Presenting new theoretical and practical insights and models grounded in descriptive case studies, the issues addressed include: what is the motivation to innovate? what is appropriate innovation? how can small construction firms create, manage and exploit innovation? what practice-based models, tools and techniques support the capability of small construction firms to innovate well? how does this fit in the context of leading international work in construction innovation? Findings are contextualised in the broader literature to make them of relevance to policy makers, practitioners and researchers interested in small, project-based firms in general.

Download or read book Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the Built Environment written by Shu-Ling Lu and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2009-09-08 with total page 240 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the book’s Foreword by Trevor Mole, Managing Director,Property Tectonics; President of the European Association ofBuilding Surveyors and Construction Experts: ‘Shu-Ling and Martin have built on their research workand that of others to produce an understandable and readableinsight into innovation in small professional service firms. Theyhave successfully unravelled the complex behavioural andorganisational forces taking place and created a framework to helppractitioners understand the issues and to fashion the rightenvironment in which to foster innovation and deliver economicvalue.’ Small professional practices in the built environment arecrucial to the success and long-term viability of the design,construction and property industries. This research-based bookaddresses the urgent need to better understand the nature andprocess of innovation in these important firms. The authors offer an analysis of both why and howinnovation is a key competitive factor for small professionalpractices in the built environment. As these practices are locatedin different business environments and behave in different ways toother types of industry firms, the context-specific methodology todesign, implement and assess innovation in small professionalpractices presented in this book will appeal to researchers andpractitioners in surveying and design. Innovation in Small Professional Practices in the BuiltEnvironment makes a significant contribution to anunderdeveloped area of innovation by offering new theoretical andpractical insights and models grounded in results from a 22-monthcase study of a small professional practice.

Download or read book The Organization and Management of Construction written by David Langford and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2012-10-12 with total page 448 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The proceedings of the CIB W65 Symposium on the Organization and Management of Construction conference are presented here and in the companion volumes as state-of-the-art papers documenting research and innovative practice in the field of construction. The volumes cover four broad themes: business management, project management, risk management, IT development and applications. Each volume is organized to provide easy reference so that the practitioner can speedily extract up to date information and knowledge about the global construction industry. Managing the Construction Enterprise (Volume One): Covers the firm and its business environment, markets and marketing, human resource management strategic planning, and quality management. Managing the Construction Project (Volume Two): focuses upon productivity, procurement, international projects and human issues in relation to management performance of construction organisations. Managing Risk (Volume Two): incorporates discussion of risk away from regulation by government and those safety risks inherent in the construction process. Managing Construction Information (Volume Three, published in conjunction with Construct IT Centre of Excellence): incorporates material on information systems and methods, application of IT to the design and construction processes and how IT theory and applications are best transmitted to students and practitioners. The work represents a collation of wide ranging ideas and theory about construction and how research has contributed to the development of the industry on a global application of research to the problems of the construction industry.

Download or read book Innovation in Construction written by Seyed Hamidreza Ghaffar and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-03-23 with total page 466 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book tackles the complex topic of implementing innovation and the successful application of advanced technology in the construction industry. It provides a practical guide for the transformation of the industry by detailing appropriate and effective implementation methods, required skill sets and structural changes necessary to facilitate the practical and innovative application of technology. The construction industry is behind other industries in its level of innovation and adoption of technology, and is of critical importance to many of today’s global challenges, such as climate change, global warming and resource scarcity. There is therefore a need for smarter and more efficient ways of managing available resources. This book elaborates on how the innovative application of technology could offer hope for the construction industry in it’s imperative to rise to current and future global challenges. It includes the real-world case studies of innovative projects that go beyond the current state-of-the-art academic research, and have improved productivity, quality and performance in the construction sector. This book provides readers from both industrial and academic backgrounds with a comprehensive guide on transforming the construction industry with the efficient and effective implementation of technologies and modern methods of construction.

Download or read book Organizational Innovation and Change written by Cecilia Rossignoli and published by Springer. This book was released on 2015-10-07 with total page 275 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores a range of critical issues and emerging topics relevant to the linkages between information technologies and organizational systems. It encourages debate and opens up new avenues of inquiry in the fields of Information Systems, organization and management studies by investigating selected themes of growing research interest from multiple disciplinary perspectives such as organizational innovation and impact, information technology, innovation transfer, and knowledge management. The volume is divided into two sections, each of which focuses on a specific theme: ICT, organizational innovation and change; and ICT and knowledge management. The content of each section is based on a selection of the best papers (original double-blind peer-reviewed contributions) presented at the annual conference of the Italian chapter of the AIS, held in Genoa, Italy in November 2014.

Download or read book Risk Management written by Céline Bérard and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2018-01-04 with total page 324 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Risk management practices are growing both in number and complexity in businesses, notably driven by new regulatory standards that feature risk management at their core. Although large businesses are more likely to adopt a formal, holistic approach to risk management, the stakes are just as high for SMEs. Risk management in SMEs can contribute to a certain organizational, entrepreneurial and partnership dynamic which constitutes a real opportunity to evolve practices and improve performance. This book offers varied responses to this question by combining conceptual approaches, empirical illustrations and the associated managerial implications.

Download or read book Project Management Techniques and Innovations in Information Technology written by Wang, John and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2012-04-30 with total page 405 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "This book presents the latest research, case studies, best practices, and methodologies within the field of IT project management, offering research from top experts around the world in a variety of IT project management applications and job sectors"--Provided by publisher.

Download or read book Towards a Sustainable Construction Industry The Role of Innovation and Digitalisation written by Clinton Aigbavboa and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2023-04-23 with total page 817 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book gathers papers from the 12th Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Postgraduate Research Conference, which was held at the International Convention Centre, East London, Eastern Cape, South Africa, from July 10 to 12, 2022. The conference directly addresses the objectives of SDG9: “Building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialization and fostering innovation”. Moreover, the conference is designed to promote capacity development and transformation within the built-environment space by providing an all-inclusive platform to established and emerging researchers to discuss the recent advancements needed to move the industry forward.

Download or read book Challenges and Opportunities for SMEs in Industry 4 0 written by Ahmad, Noor Hazlina and published by IGI Global. This book was released on 2020-03-20 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Small and medium enterprises (SMEs) have been widely acknowledged to be an important agent of development because of their potential for addressing unemployment, inequality, and poverty, as well as promoting inclusiveness in economic development. The sector is critical for achieving the country’s sustainable growth. However, there is a lack of research on the adaptations SMEs are making in today’s technologically driven market. Challenges and Opportunities for SMEs in Industry 4.0 is a collection of innovative research on the methods and applications of modern business development and innovative strategies for small and medium enterprises in the age of smart industrialism. This book features a wide range of topics including business intelligence, collaborative manufacturing, and organizational networking. This reference source is ideally designed for managers, policymakers, economists, entrepreneurs, strategists, researchers, industrialists, academicians, educators, and students.

Download or read book ECIC2010 Proceedings of the 2nd European Conference on Intellectual Capital written by Susana Rodrigues and published by Academic Conferences Limited. This book was released on 2010 with total page 781 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book ECKM 2018 19th European Conference on Knowledge Management written by Ettore Bolisani and published by Academic Conferences and publishing limited. This book was released on 2018-09-06 with total page 628 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Advances in Construction ICT and e Business written by Srinath Perera and published by Taylor & Francis. This book was released on 2017-05-08 with total page 504 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This internationally conducted study of the latest construction industry practices addresses a broad range of Information and Communication Technology applications. Drawing on research conducted in the US and UK, this book presents the state of the art of various ebusiness processes, and examines BIM, virtual environments and mobile technologies. Innovation is a theme that runs throughout this book, so in addition to the direct impact of these new technical achievements, it also considers the management styles that helped them to emerge. Examples from industry are illustrated with case studies and presented alongside research from some of the best known academics in this field. This book is essential reading for all advanced students and researchers interested in how ICT is changing construction management and the construction industry.

Download or read book Construction Innovation written by Finn Orstavik and published by John Wiley & Sons. This book was released on 2015-03-02 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Construction innovation is an important but contested concept, both in industry practice and academic reflection and research. A fundamental reason for this is the nature of the construction industry itself: the industry and the value creation activities taking place there are multi-disciplinary, heterogeneous, distributed and often fragmented. This book takes a new approach to construction innovation, revealing different perspectives, set in a broader context. It coalesces multiple theoretical and practice-based views in order to stimulate reflection and to prepare the ground for further synthesis. By being clear, cogent and unambiguous on the most basic definitions, it can mobilise a plurality of perspectives on innovation to promote fresh thinking on how it can be studied, enabled, measured, and propagated across the industry. This book does not gloss over the real-life complexity of construction innovation. Instead, its authors look explicitly at the challenges that conceptual issues entail and by making their own position clear, they open up fresh intellectual space for reflection. Construction Innovation examines innovation from different positions and through different conceptual lenses to reveal the richness that the theoretical perspectives offer to our understanding of the way that the construction sector actors innovate at both project and organizational levels. The editors have brought together here leading scholars to deconstruct the concept of innovation and to discuss the merits of different perspectives, their commonalities and their diversity. The result is an invaluable sourcebook for those studying and leading innovation in the design, the building and the maintenance of our built environment.

Download or read book Commercialisation and Innovation Strategy in Small Firms written by Tim Mazzarol and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2022-06-30 with total page 506 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book focuses on the process of commercialisation and innovation management in small firms. Although commercialisation and new product development (NPD) has been covered quite extensively, relatively little attention has been given to how small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs) engage with these issues. The book explores this topic in depth, taking a close look at the reasons why decisions are made and mapping this behaviour against established theories and “best practice” models of NPD and commercialisation. The book uses case studies to analyse the relationship between entrepreneurial decision- making and commercialisation, and investigates how and why NPD and commercialisation decisions are made, which offers valuable insights from both a theoretical and applied perspective.

Download or read book The Changing Role of SMEs in Global Business written by Alkis Thrassou and published by Springer Nature. This book was released on 2020-11-08 with total page 258 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: SMEs are significant job creators and drivers of innovation and competition in most economic sectors. Furthermore, the traditional constraints of small and medium enterprises, such as geographic operations, are now being dissolved by technological developments. This means that there are new opportunities for SMEs, and their fundamental principles are being redefined: the aims, competencies, strategy, management, practice, and scope of these businesses are changing, with wide-ranging implications. This is the first part of a two volume work that incorporates scientific chapters on SME business theory and practice. Authors provide a balanced perspective of the present and future of SMEs across all business disciplines, including management, strategy, marketing, economics, and finance. While Volume II explores external issues such as contextual forces, the effects of the financial crisis, and macro-economic effects, this first volume focuses on the individual SME and internal issues such as innovation, quality, and digitization.