Determining the relationship between conflict factors and performance of international construction projects", Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, Vol. 21 Iss 4 pp. 369 -382 Permanent link to this document: http://dx.If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information. About Emerald www.emeraldinsight.comEmerald is a global publisher linking research and practice to the benefit of society. The company manages a portfolio of more than 290 journals and over 2,350 books and book series volumes, as well as providing an extensive range of online products and additional customer resources and services.Emerald is both COUNTER 4 and TRANSFER compliant. The organization is a partner of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and also works with Portico and the LOCKSS initiative for digital archive preservation. AbstractPurpose -Conflict was recognized as a major cause of inefficiency and limited performance of construction projects. Factors pertaining to conflict in construction are vast; however, there have been less recognition of these factors in international construction projects. The purpose of this paper is to provide in-depth understanding of conflict in this context and analyze how it influences project performance. Design/methodology/approach -A questionnaire survey was used to collect data from 161 professionals working in Malaysian companies, which are undertaking construction projects overseas. Findings -Analyzing the data using factor analysis revealed six new factors of conflict: external, internal, control-related, knowledge-related, mismanagement, and social conflicts. Further analysis of the data using partial least squares-path modeling (PLS-PM) affirmed a significant relationship between project performance and two factors of conflict only: internal and social. The results also showed that conflict contributes to about 27 percent of the variance in project performance. Originality/value -This paper provided a clear picture for project managers and team members about specific aspects of conflict and how to mitigate them to attain better performance of international construction projects.

The success of international construction projects is fraught with various challenges such as competitiveness, lack of resources, versatile global economy, and specific conditions in the host country. Malaysian contractors have been venturing into global construction market since early 1980s. However, their venturing was not successful all the time. The number of international projects awarded to Malaysian contractors has reduced drastically during the past decade. Taking advantage of this experience, this paper aims to identify the success criteria and success factors of international construction projects. The data was collected from 120 respondents using a questionnaire survey and analysed using principal component analysis and regression analysis. The results revealed three principal criteria of project success namely, Management Success, Functional Success, and Organisation Success. The main components of success factors include Team Power and Skills, Resource Availability, External Environment, Organisation Capability, Project Support, and Project Organisation. Further analysis emphasized the importance of strong financing capacity of contractors, project social environment, and competence of the project manager in achieving project success. The results of this paper can serve as a guideline for contractors and project managers to achieve success in this context. Future studies may provide in-depth analysis of success criteria and success factors specific for construction project type and host-country location.

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PurposeThe construction industry is a major generator of waste, which has a high potential to yield a substantial amount of waste into the economy as a valuable resource. Waste trading (WT) is a sustainable strategy for improving resource utilisation and transitioning the construction industry towards the circular economy. However, resource recovery through WT is greatly impeded by several barriers which have not been highlighted in previous research. This paper aims to determine the barriers for implementing effective WT practices in the Australian construction and demolition (C&D) sector.Design/methodology/approachTo achieve the aim of this research, a triangulation approach of quantitative and qualitative methods has been used. This mixed-method approach combines a comprehensive literature review, a questionnaire survey using an expert forum and semi-structured interviews with industry experts.FindingsThis study has explored a wide range of barriers to the practices of WT in the C&D sector, which have been categorised based on six perspectives. From a collective perspective, the technical barriers were found to be most important among other categories. The key individual barriers found in this study include the following: the high cost associated with sorting and processing of waste on-site, lack of consistent waste data and reporting system at project, industry and national level, insufficient secured and established market for reusable/recycled waste materials, lack of communication and coordination among stakeholders, lack of user-friendly and active web-based waste exchange systems (with reliable waste information) and lack of incentives from the government to encourage market development. Overcoming these barriers collectively would enable the wide application of WT, which in turn, would have a positive impact on the economy, environment and efficiency of the industry.Research limitations/implicationsThe outcomes of this study are based on the data collected only in the state of New South Wales (NSW) in Australia which is considered as the limitation of this study.Originality/valueThis study contributes to the body of knowledge of C&D waste management (WM) by providing the theoretical and practical implications of closing the loop material cycle by highlighting the importance of economic and environmental benefits of WT. In this study, WT has been recognised as a sustainable strategy to manage waste by identifying the barriers impeding the wider application of effective trading practices in the C&D sector. The findings are useful to WM businesses engaged to establish new circular business models and to government/regulatory bodies in developing initiatives and incentives aiming to promote WT strategies and market platforms. Further research is suggested to test and validate the findings from other jurisdictions of Australia.

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PurposeWaste diversion rate (WDR) is a key indicator of effective waste management and circular economy. However, it has not yet been widely used in the construction and demolition waste (C&DW) sector. This study aims to promote the application of WDR as an effective measure for waste management through the investigation of the current status of C&DW diversion in the Australian construction industry.Design/methodology/approachA mixed-method approach, which combines a desk study and a case study of 12 residential projects was used in this study. Data retrieved from the National Waste Database (NWD) were used for the descriptive analysis.FindingsThe analysis of the national waste data revealed that the national average WDR in Australia is 64%. WDR varies based on material types and across the states. The analysis facilitated the forecasting of the possible future trend of waste diversion in Australia. The studied projects from two states in Australia presented slightly different results. Most of the waste stream, except mixed waste, presented above 95% of WDR in each project.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough the studied projects showed a higher recycling rate, this study claims that achieving a higher rate of recovery by diverting the waste could not be assured unless accurate estimation is carried out with reliable and verifiable data. Lack of reliable data is considered as the limitation of this study. While the scope of descriptive analysis of waste generation and diversion covers the whole country, the case study analysis is limited to the states of New South Wales and Victoria.Originality/valueThe study highlights the significance of WDR in assessing the performance of effective waste management in the C&DW sector. WDR is a comprehensive measure that takes the output of the waste life cycle into account for benchmarking waste management. The results provide a critique of the current practices of waste management and the essence of the consistent, transparent and verifiable waste data to enable accurate WDR estimation in Australia. The outcome is useful for waste managers and policymakers in developing potential waste management strategies and C&DW specific legislation for building a more ecologically sustainable industry.