Christopher Nigel Preece

Adoption of Building Information Modelling technology (BIM) Perspectives from Malaysian engineering consulting services firms

Purpose – Building Information Modelling (BIM) technology has been well received by the Malaysian construction industry, yet the adoption rate is extremely slow. Many areas of adoption issues and know how regarding BIM were investigated. However, no prior research has considered the perspective from engineering consulting services (ECS) firms. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to explore the overview and adoption of BIM from the perspective of Malaysian ECS firms, with its objectives first, to determine the perceptions, barriers, governmental support and intentions in adopting BIM, and second, to identify the key drivers for adopting BIM within two years. Design/methodology/approach – The primary data were collected from focus group interview and questionnaire survey to achieve the first objective, and subsequently, the second objective was achieved based on Pearson relationship analysis. Findings – The results show that the firms have a concept of BIM that equates to industry authorities’ norms; ye...

Examining retailers’ behaviour in managing critical points in Halal meat handling: a PLS analysis

Purpose– This research aims to examine the casual relationship between normative belief (NB), subjective norms (SN), retailer’s behavioural belief (RBB), retailer’s attitude (RATT), retailer’s behaviour intention (RBI), retailer’s actual behaviour (RAB) and retail performance (RetailP). Managing Halal meat becomes an issue for retailers due to consumers’ concerns for their religious belief. Design/methodology/approach– A total of 230 questionnaires were distributed among Malaysian meat retailers of which 178 useful questionnaires were collected to empirically test the proposed seven critical points in Halal meat handling. Partial least squares, a structural equation modelling approach was used to examine simultaneously the structural components of both the measurement and causal model for reflective and formative constructs. Findings– RBI and RAB are positively related to NB, SN, RBB and RATT in which motivate retailers for high RetailP and critical points in Halal meat handling. The empirical assessment supports the proposed hypotheses and supports RetailP as a formative construct measured by sales revenue, market share and customer satisfaction. Research limitations/implications– Empirically it was found that theory of reasoned actions (TRA) can be used to predict RetailP in addition to RAB. This study has significant policy implications alongside research implications despite some limitations. Practical implications– The current literature and stated policies are focussing solely on consumers to understand the issues in Halal market which may not reach the strategic standpoint for firms and the state in general. The Malaysian Government should appreciate the importance of the Halal business markets in which NB, SN, RBB and RATT are influenced by certain elements discussed in this study. Originality/value– This study is among the first few attempts towards “Islamic Retailing”. Prior literature applied TRA in a customer market verses this study examine the attitude and behaviour of businesses market (retailers) in Malaysia. This study explores retailers’ behaviour towards Halal value chain by integrating TRA and critical points in Halal meat handling.

International Medical Travelers’ Behavioral Intention: An Empirical Study in Iran

ABSTRACT A few studies have examined destination image (DI), hospital service quality (HSQ), hospital accreditation (HA), patient attitude (PA) on patient satisfaction (PS), revisit intention (RI) and word of mouth (WOM) in a tourism context. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of medical travelers’ behavioral intention in Iran. A total of 250 questionnaires were distributed with a response rate of 68%. Quantitative techniques were used to test the hypotheses within the structural equation modelling (SEM) using SmartPLS software. Our statistical results support the positive relationship between DI and PS, HSQ and PA, HSQ and RI, HSQ and WOM, HA and PA, PA and PS, PS and RI, and PS and WOM. However, the relationship between DI and PA, DI and RI, HA and PS, and HA and WOM were not supported. The research contribution, implication, and limitation are discussed.

A review of customer relationship (CRM) implications: Benefits and challenges in construction organizations

The management philosophy, namely, Customer relationship management (CRM) has been widely accepted and successfully applied across a range of sectors. However, there has been very little research efforts in the field of CRM in the construction industry. This paper provides a review of the CRM philosophy and technology, and considers the implications; benefits and challenges to construction organizations at a strategic business and operational level. Given the generally unstable economic and highly competitive marketplace, implementation of CRM throughout the lifecycle of assets may provide for more effective management of existing and prospective clients. The CRM approach would seem to be compatible with general trends in the construction industry towards more collaborative working and the paper provides that both the philosophy and technologies can be integrated with current initiatives such as building information modeling (BIM). Construction clients in the public and private sector are diverse in nature, complex in their buying processes and at varying levels of knowledge of the Industry. In addition to seeking value for money from their projects and assets, they have become more concerned about sustainability and environmental impact. It has been recognized that management of a broader range of business and project level stakeholders is necessary.

Value conflicts and organizational commitment of internal construction stakeholders

Purpose The possible effect of conflicts as the consequence of differences between personal and organizational values (OV) on organizational commitment (OC) of internal construction stakeholders was an unclear issue in the areas of organizational behaviour in the construction industry, especially in Malaysia. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to focus on this issue in the Malaysian construction industry. Design/methodology/approach This paper targeted professional project consultants, who are identified as architects, engineers, and quantity surveyors, as the internal construction stakeholders. The personal-OV and the level of OC of the stakeholders were evaluated through a questionnaire survey. To achieve the research objective, comparative and hierarchical regression analyses were performed. Findings The results generated by the analyses indicated a high level of value conflicts in the construction organizations which significantly and negatively affected commitment of the internal stakeholders. Originality/value Value conflicts in construction organizations are the agenda of this paper while not many empirical studies have been conducted on this issue in Malaysia. This paper through investigating the potential effect of value conflicts on the stakeholders’ commitment reveals the importance of interaction between personal and OV in construction organizations which contributes to the extant literature of organizational behaviour as to the construction literature.

Development of entry location, entry timing and entry mode decision model for construction firms in international markets

The international market expansion process involves a combination of many strategic entry decisions. Most previous studies have dealt with entry location, entry timing and entry mode (ELETEM) decisions in an isolated way by considering one dimension or a combination of dimensions in particular. Although there have been various models relating to international market entry decisions, there is currently no model that attempts to integrate the factors linking the ELETEM decisions for construction firms. The purpose is to determine a linkage between the ELETEM decisions by incorporating the factors that are mutually inclusive and have significant influence on these decisions. Forty-five (45) Malaysian contractors undertaking projects in international markets responded to the survey. The findings suggested that the mutually inclusive and significant factors (MISFs) influencing the ELETEM decisions were: the firm’s ability to assess market signals and opportunities, the firm’s resources and the firm’s experience in similar works. It was observed that the firms had adopted long-term strategies, repositioned their knowledge from research and development activities and readapted their resources and experience in their global operations. The findings led to the development of the ELETEM decision model to guide interested firms in making better decisions for their future international ventures.

Identification of Malaysian Contractors with Sustained International Operations (CSIO)

Competitive positioning and sustaining the gained international operations are difficult challenges that international construction firms commonly face. The aim of this study is to assess the level of Malaysian contractors’ sustained international operations (CSIO). The measurement scales for the CSIO were developed from secondary data provided by Construction Industry Development Board (CDIB) Malaysia on seventeen construction firms that have been operating in international market until 2013 together with the awarded project values, completed projects, countries of operation and diversity of projects. In this paper, a set of dimensions of CSIO were identified and the measures for each dimension were also established using a five-point scale. The findings reveal that the elements in the order of importance to determine the level of CSIO are the consecutive year sustained international operation, value of projects awarded, number of countries, diversity of projects undertaken, international experience and number of projects completed. The measurement tool developed in this study has enabled the identification and ranking of the most experienced and sustained international contractors in Malaysia. Further, the CSIO dimensions will be considered as independent variables as part of future research.