The establishment of corporate objectives regarding economic, environmental, social, and ethical responsibilities, to inform business practice, has been gaining credibility in the business sector since the early 1990’s. This is witnessed through (i) the formation of international forums for sustainable and accountable development, (ii) the emergence of standards, systems, and frameworks to provide common ground for regulatory and corporate dialogue, and (iii) the significant quantum of relevant popular and academic literature in a diverse range of disciplines. How then has this move towards greater corporate responsibility become evident in the provision of major urban infrastructure projects? The gap identified, in both academic literature and industry practice, is a structured and auditable link between corporate intent and project outcomes. Limited literature has been discovered which makes a link between corporate responsibility; project performance indicators (or critical success factors) and major infrastructure provision. This search revealed that a comprehensive mapping framework, from an organisation’s corporate objectives through to intended, anticipated and actual outcomes and impacts has not yet been developed for the delivery of such projects. The research problem thus explored is ‘the need to better identify, map and account for the outcomes, impacts and risks associated with economic, environmental, social and ethical outcomes and impacts which arise from major economic infrastructure projects, both now, and into the future’. The methodology being used to undertake this research is based on Checkland’s soft system methodology, engaging in action research on three collaborative case studies. A key outcome of this research is a value-mapping framework applicable to Australian public sector agencies. This is a decision-making methodology which will enable project teams responsible for delivering major projects, to better identify and align project objectives and impacts with stated corporate objectives.

Licentiatavhandling (sammanfattning) Luleå : Luleå tekniska universitet, 2005. / Härtill 3 uppsatser + 2 appendix.

This dissertation presents the development of a new framework for international commercialization of innovative structural products in residential construction. Development of his framework required the examination of six subjects related to international commercialization. 1) commercialization models previously developed, locally and internationally, 2) barriers to the process, 3) stakeholders, actions, and decisions critical to the process, 4) characteristics of innovations that are suitable for international use, 5) characteristics of foreign markets that are ideal to adopt such innovations, and 6) strategies to overcome barriers The framework development was based on one structural product, SIPs. This product has been successfully developed and implemented in the United States and is being considered for commercial use in Saudi Arabia. Structural product clusters are particularly appropriate because of their innovative nature and their major influence on the structure of residential buildings. The study relies on sequential explanatory mixed-method research design, consisting of two distinct phases (Creswell 2003), to gain insight into processes surrounding commercialization. The rationale for this approach is that quantitative data and its results provide a general picture of the barriers to international commercialization in the available sample, which can mapped onto an initial framework. The qualitative data and its analysis help to refine and expand statistical results by exploring participants' actual decision processes that can be also mapped to a second framework. Both data sets can be merged, mapped onto one final framework. Variables related to the six subjects, mentioned above, were distilled from literature into open-ended questionnaires for two groups of key stakeholders in the supply chain of innovative structural products: 1) SIPs stakeholders in the US and 2) stakeholders of innovative structural products in Saudi Arabia. The primary purpose of the open-ended questionnaires was to ensure usage of correct terminology used in this study and to encourage full, meaningful answers—capturing all possible factors affecting the process of international commercialization. The author collected responses using web-based surveys. The results yielded the development of a reliable instrument to be implemented in further steps of this research. Next, the researcher collected variables related to the questions from previous open-ended questionnaires into closed-ended questionnaires to collect the data (on perceived barriers to international commercialization), using web-based surveys, and performed a preliminary analysis of the data using frequency analysis. This process yielded market-based strategies for developing an initial framework for international commercialization in residential construction. Subsequently, a focused examination of barriers to international commercialization was needed. The researcher collected such data through an applied understanding of the specific development processes for SIPs to be introduced to a new, international market, namely Saudi Arabia. Based on the model's structure, the researcher conducted six case studies of real stakeholder processes along the supply chain, SIPs development domestically and internationally, and tracked data for real risks of the commercialization process. Findings suggested perceived versus actual risks and barriers to the commercialization process for an integral product to the residential construction process. This was an important distinction because of proposed development methods and the application of market diffusion. Based on the barriers identified, the researcher developed market-based strategies to be incorporated into a second framework. This framework along with the initial framework and the literature-based framework have been triangulated to develop one final framework. The final framework was then introduced to a few experts in the industry to increase its validity. / Ph. D.

Bakgrund: För att förbättra kommunikationen mellan aktörer i byggprojekt under produktionsskedet finns stor potential i att implementera nya information- och kommunikationsteknologier. I litteraturen förklaras implementeringar av dessa teknologier utifrån flera olika aspekter. En aspekt vars inverkan dock inte studerats i stor utsträckning är hur den tidpunkt som byggprojektet befinner sig i påverkar implementeringen, trots att tidsaspekten är en av projektet som organisationsforms viktigaste särdrag. Syfte: Studien syftar till att utforska förutsättningarna för implementering av informations- och kommunikationsteknologier i byggproduktion under olika faser av produktionsskedet. Metod: Studien utgår från teorier kring innovationsprocessen, implementering av innovation och teknologi tillsammans med teorier kring projektbaserat arbete och spårbundenhet i organisationer. Studien är genomförd som en fallstudie på byggbolaget Skanska där två byggprojekt undersöks i dess produktionsskede. Intervjuer genomfördes där faktorer bakom implementeringsprocessen av informations- och kommunikationsteknologier och förändringar av förutsättningar för denna process mellan två tidpunkter, produktionsstarten och mitt i produktionsskedet, kunde visas. Slutsatser: Studien visar att förutsättningarna för implementering av teknologier i byggproduktion förändras under produktionsskedet. Två huvudsakliga skillnader i förutsättningar identifierades, större tillgänglighet av tidsresurser och förekomst av aktiviteter som formar normen vid produktionsstarten jämfört med mitt i produktionsskedet. Studien visar även att dessa förutsättningar har en stor inverkan på implementeringen av teknologier vilket hindrar implementering av teknologier efter produktionsstarten. / Background: To improve communication between actors in construction projects during production phase there is great potential of new information and communication technologies. The literature explains the implementations of these technologies from several aspects. One aspect, which needs further research, is how the period which a construction project is in impacts the implementation, since the time aspect is one of the most important characteristics of a project. Purpose: This study aims to explore the prerequisites for implementing new information and communication technologies in production during different periods of the production phase of a construction project. Methodology: This study is based on theories on the innovation process, implementation process of innovation and technology together with theories on project management and path dependency in organizations. The study was conducted as a case study at the construction company Skanska, where two construction projects were investigated in their respective production phase. Interviews were conducted where factors behind the implementation process of information and communication technologies were shown. Changed prerequisites for this process between two of the project’s phases, the production start and the middle of production phase, were also revealed. Conclusions: This study shows that the prerequisites for implementing technologies in construction change during the construction phase. Two major differences were identified; greater availability of time resources and the presence of activities that form the norm, at the start of production compared to the middle of the production phase. This study also shows that these prerequisites have a major impact on the implementation of technologies, which result in difficulties in implementing the technologies after the start of the production.