Managing sustainability efforts in building design, construction, consulting, and facility management firms

Abstract

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to investigate sustainability efforts in the managerial processes of design, consulting, construction, and facility management firms and to identify the differences between these parties. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire survey was administered to design, consulting, construction, and facility management firms in the USA to seek information about the state of sustainability efforts in these firms relative to strategic planning, marketing, business management, financial management, organizational structure, and people management. χ2 tests were performed on the data collected to determine if statistically significant differences exist between the project participants relative to sustainability efforts. Findings Sustainability efforts are related to a firm’s strategic positioning, reputation and experience, and hiring/employment policies, while profit margins are not higher in sustainable projects compared to traditional projects. Statistically significant differences were detected in three of the six items investigated, indicating conflicting interests among the parties. Research limitations/implications The study’s limitation is that it is limited to sustainability efforts in the USA. Practical implications It is concluded that sustainability demands have changed the nature of design, construction, and operation of buildings in ways that deserve special attention on the part of all parties involved. Originality/value The firms that participate in building construction projects need to adopt management practices that accommodate sustainable building design, construction, and operation in order to remain competitive in a market where demand for environmental sustainability has grown significantly in recent years.

Sustainable construction management practices in a Brazilian medium-sized city

“…Companies apply waste management techniques (60%), use sustainable or recycled materials (40%), design rainwater reuse (27%) and use photovoltaic generation (13%). Paula, Arditi, and Melhado (2016) evaluated sustainability efforts in design, consulting, construction, and facility management companies and show that the greatest efforts are related to the companies' strategic positioning, reputation and experience, and hiring policies, while profit margins are not high in sustainable projects compared to conventional projects.…”

Proposing a strategy map for coastal urban project success using the balanced scorecard method

“…Until now, there have been a number of studies on utilizing and implementing strategic management frameworks for the construction industry (e.g. Kazaz and Ulubeyli, 2009; De Paula et al , 2017; Aghimien et al , 2018; Rahman et al , 2018; Laryea, 2019).…”

“…Chan et al , 2010; Cheung et al , 2012; Hwang et al , 2013; Raisbeck and Tang, 2013; Osei-Kyei and Chan, 2015; Kavishe et al , 2018; Khattak and Mustafa, 2019; Hasan and Jha, 2019). In today's essential trend of sustainability, construction projects should integrate sustainability into project management practices from the identification stage to the implementation stage (Banihashemi et al , 2017; De Paula et al , 2017; Yevu and Yu, 2019). The unexpected challenges of climate change towards coastal urban projects must be first met by mitigation or adaptation policies which should be not only stopped at definition but also focused on actual implementation (Kamphuis, 2011).…”

Efficiency of Facility Management: Theoretical Aspects

“…Vadovaujantis atliktais tyrimais (Valen, & Buser, 2019;Paula, Arditi, & Melhado, 2017;Stinnett, & Gibson, 2016;Graubner, Pelzeter, & Pohl, 2016;Meng, 2014;Kurdi et al, 2015), kuriais siekiama išsiaiškinti standartizuoto ir tvaraus pastatų valdymo tendencijas ir teikiamą naudą organizacijoms bei visuomenei, apibendrinami rezultatai, suteikiantys galimybę įmonėms siekti tvaraus vystymosi (6 paveikslas).…”