The purpose of this paper is to explore the influence of ICT on construction supply chain management (CSCM). Furthermore, this research proposes a model for ICT that can be used to test and improve CSCM within the Nigerian construction industry. The relationship between ICT and CSCM was highlighted in an integrated model. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to validate the hypothesised relationship by evaluating the responses of practitioners working in construction project management related firms using a sample of 214 respondents. The findings of this study show a link between ICT and CSCM on five (5) of the constructs on targeted construction firms engaged in supply chain (SC)-related construction activities in Port-Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria. This research is supported by the Technology Organisation and Environment (TOE) Model as a key theory of technology adoption. With an average R2 value, the SEM model is 76%, which is commendable (high). The current study offers an empirical and theoretical explanation of various aspects of ICT and CSCM, particularly in the Nigerian construction industry. As a result, this study adds to the body of knowledge by providing crucial insight into the influence of ICT on CSCM throughout the entire construction supply chain. The knowledge gained will aid industry stakeholders and the government in developing policies that will increase ICT adoption in current practice.

Organizing function is the significant component of management guaranteeing the success of construction works. Many studies have been emphasizing on the topic of critical success factors (CSFs) within construction works, yet the results have rarely emphasized examining organizing behaviors within public construction work management; these less researched topics were the aims of this study. To fulfil this research aim, a regression analysis design was employed. Data were collected using questionnaires conducted from 139 professionals involved in public construction works management in Vietnam. The structural equation modelling (SEM) technique with partial least-squares estimation (PLS) was utilized to analyze the data. The results revealed 6 behavioral dimensions (i.e., structure organizing (OR1), authorization organizing (OR2), coordination organizing (OR4), human resource organizing (OR3), job organizing (OR5), responsibility organizing (OR6) to assess organizing function in terms of public construction work management. The study also reveals that structure organizing (OR1), authorization organizing (OR2), coordination organizing (OR4) have significant effects on management effectiveness (ME). In addition, coordination organizing (OR4) acts as the mediator of Human resource organizing (OR3), job organizing (OR5); while responsibility organizing (OR6) indicates an indirect influence through the mediator of OR5. The success of this approach is expected to reinforce the contribution of organizing function and suggest a useful tool for supporting the professionals in enhancing public construction work management.

This study contributes to the hybrid flow shop due to a lack of consideration of characteristics existing in real-world problems. Prior studies are neglecting identical machines, explicit and sequence-dependent setup times, and machine blocking. We propose a hybrid genetic algorithm to solve the problem. Furthermore, we also propose a mixed-integer linear programming formulation. We note a predominance of the mathematical model for small instances, with five jobs and three machines because of how fast there is convergence. The objective function adopted is to minimize the makespan, and relative deviation is used as a performance criterion. Our proposal incorporates two metaheuristics in this process: a genetic algorithm to generate sequences (the flow shop subproblem) and a GRASP to allocate the jobs in the machines (the parallel machines subproblem). The extensive computational experience carried out shows that the proposed hybrid genetic algorithm is a promising procedure to solve large-sized instances.

This study aims to identify and evaluate the critical success factors (CSFs) for international development projects (IDPs) from the perspective of key IDP stakeholders in Afghanistan. The study adopts a quantitative cross-sectional survey research design. Thirty-one success factors were identified and shortlisted through literature reviews and validated by experts and IDP management practitioners. The study's target population is the IPD senior management, IDP team members, and the general public. Amongst 500 questionnaires distributed, a total of 217 were returned and considered for analysis. The result of Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) revealed five key CSFs, namely: project cycle management, effective recruitment, continuous learning and adapting, project management method, and clear project goals and objectives. Besides, one-way ANOVA results revealed no statistically significant differences in the ranking of CSFs by the three groups of respondents. However, the post hoc test result indicated that the CSF 'continuous learning and adapting' was relatively rated lower by the general public. The findings of the study would assist the international community, their implementing partners, and IDP management practitioners in better management and successful implementation of IDPs in developing countries. It will also contribute to the CSFs theories and IDPM body of knowledge. The research is the first of its kind to examine the CSFs for IDPs in Afghanistan.

Job precedence can often be seen in various manufacturing process scenarios. For instance, in the context of flow shop scheduling, certain jobs must be processed before a specific job may be executed. Formally, this scenario is known as precedence constraint, which influences the optimal job sequence. Because of this practical significance, in this study, a two-machine flow shop scheduling problem in which transportation times, breakdown time, and weighted jobs are considered. In addition to that, an ordered precedence constraint is considered that ensures a successor job cannot start on any machine before its predecessor job has been done on all machines. This is the first study that deals with flow shop scheduling problems with transportation times, breakdown time, job weights, and precedence constraints altogether, to the best of the author’s knowledge. To solve this problem, a simple and efficient solution methodology is developed that assures optimal or near-optimal solutions effectively. The developed algorithm is tested on various test instances and results are reported, which will be useful for future comparative studies.

Airport Collaborative Decision Making (ACDM) flight scheduling plans rely on accurate predictions of both optimal and reliable aircraft turnaround times, which is one of the most difficult things to complete. In order to account for the effects of randomness and fuzziness on the turnaround process duration, this paper deals with transforming the probability distribution of well-fitted sub-processes into a cumulative density function, which is equivalent to the fuzzy membership function (FMF), and then using goodness-of-fit to determine the fuzzy membership grade of each turnaround sub-process. The turnaround time is calculated using the fuzzy critical path method (FCPM), which is a combination of the Critical Path Method (CPM) and fuzzy set theory. In order to verify this estimate, we created the FMF using historical data and compared it to turnaround times based on FCPM. A linear regression model is used to examine the relationship between arrival delays and the FCPM-based turnaround process. We also use historical data to generate fuzzy sets of different arrival delays using Frankfurt airport data from the summer of 2017 and conclude that delays are positively correlated with the FCPM-based turnaround process.

Scheduling plays an important role in service and manufacturing environments for the delivery of reliable products on time. The scheduling literature reveals that the vast majority of the investigated scheduling problems are for the deterministic case where all parameters of jobs are known in advance and are fixed. However, in some real-world environments, the assumption of fixed parameters of jobs is not valid since job parameters are uncertain. An uncertain parameter can be modelled as having a probability distribution, or it can be modelled as a fuzzy number, or it can be modelled as a random variable within some interval with lower and upper bounds, distribution free. If the uncertain parameter, e.g., processing time, is modelled as a random variable within some lower or upper bounds, it is called interval or bounded processing time. The objective of this paper is to survey the investigated scheduling problems with interval or bounded processing/setup times. The scheduling literature is reviewed, the addressed problems are analyzed, and classified based on shop environments (single machine, parallel machine, flowshop, job shop), performance measures, the approach taken in the papers to solve the considered problem, and interval/bounded processing times or setup times. Some future research opportunities with interval/bounded processing/setup times are presented.

Across the globe, the corollary of Green Cost Premium (GCP) obstructs the implementation of Sustainable Buildings (SB). Extensive studies into GCP proliferate, but the research norms rarely traversed theoretical contexts of GCP. The purpose of this paper was to explore the drivers of GCP from the contexts of the prevailing practice of SB using the theoretical lens of practice theory. Secondary literature comprising mainly peer-reviewed publications spanning 20years was critically reviewed. The results show some uncertainty regarding the effect of prevailing practice on the size of GCP due to the dearth of empirical studies. Secondary literature, however, showed that GCP is liable to variations in practice related to the level of knowledge and the implementation processes. The knowledge domain argued that the scope of GCP depends on regional issues including misperceptions, cost management deficiencies and sustainability accounting gaps. During implementation, GCP could also modify in response to changes in cost drivers, factors limiting innovative processes and challenges and barriers in the project environment. Engagements with practice have, however failed to embed this understanding into SB project implementation decisions and dynamics, as limited documented efforts aimed at mitigating the GCP exist. The paper offers a non-conventional perspective for assessing the dynamics of converging regional practices in SB that can contribute to GCP as well as lower the GCP when the practices are improved. GCP is susceptible to practice variations and answers to projects practices across regions. This portrays that the GCP can lessen through innovation of practice elements such as competencies and inputs (materials and procedures). The elements of scientific inquiry for GCP must be disconnected from currently established knowledge about SB systems to regional practices related to knowledge and procedures.

Education is the future. Education is the only way for a country to start developing and reducing poverty. In countries with medium incomes like Peru, the resources to spend on education is not unlimited. Therefore, it is necessary to have quality in investment. However, risks and uncertainty can make a project surpass its initial budget. Therefore, statistic based methods like Monte Carlo simulation is a powerful tool to forecast possible events that might endanger the profitability and sustainability of a project. Although there is not plenty of academic literature about Monte Carlo empirical usage, many projects employ this method to manage the possible risks the project could have. In consequence, the current research analyzed both risk and sensitivity of an elementary school building project. Both analyses showed that this project had huge probabilities to surpass the current profit and return estimations. However, the sensitivity analysis portrayed that the project could be endangered because of infrastructure overspending. Moreover, it indicated that students’ attendance is also a critical factor to ensure the sustainability of the project.

The integration between production and distribution to minimize total elapsed time is an important issue for industries that produce products with a short lifespan. However, the literature focus on production environments with a single stage. This paper enhances the complexity of the production system of an integrated production and distribution system by considering flowshop environment decisions integrated with a vehicle routing problem decision. In this case, each order is produced in a permutation flowshop subsystem and then shipped to its destination by a capacitated vehicle, and the objective is to sequence these orders to minimize the makespan of the schedule. This paper uses two approaches to address this integrated problem: a mixed-integer formulation and an Iterated Greedy algorithm. The experimentation shows that the Iterated Greedy algorithm yields results with a 0.02% deviation from the optimal for problems with five jobs, and is a viable option to be used in practical cases due to its short computational time.