Abstract. The Delphi method has been used as a main research method by a growing number of researchers in the Construction Engineering and Management (CEM) field in the past two decades. Although a number of studies are available on the use of Delphi, few researchers fully examine the potential of the Delphi method in the combined use of statistical techniques, which is an inevitable trend for future Delphi research. This paper aims to review the combined use of Delphi and other quantitative methods in the CEM field based on a structured literature review of 88 relevant papers. All of the 88 papers are systematically identified from ten well-known peer-reviewed CEM journals published in the period of 1990-2012. Topic coverage, application requirements, and statistical techniques in the 88 Delphi papers are reviewed. The mix use of the Delphi method with three advanced modelling methods, such as Fuzzy Sets, Analytical Hierarchy Process, and Analytical Network Process is also examined. These review results provide practical references for researchers having interests in applying Delphi method in CEM research.Keywords: Delphi method; Construction engineering and management research; Quantitative perspective; Review IntroductionThe Delphi method is a structured communication and consensus building approach amongst a group of experts on a complex problem (Chan et al. 2001). This method refers to an iterative process where consensus is often reached through rounds of feedbacks of experts' opinion and judgment on a particular subject (Hallowell and Gambatese 2010b). Although sometimes the reliability of the findings derived from a Delphi study may raise some controversy because of the inappropriate design and execution of the Delphi study, such as shortcomings of the survey instrument, poor choice of experts, weak bias control, unreliable analyses, and limited feedback during the study (Gupta and Clarke 1996;Keeney et al. 2001), the Delphi method remains a particularly useful alternative for the situation when objective data are unattainable, there is a lack of empirical evidence, or experimental research is unrealistic or unethical (Hallowell and Gambatese 2010b).As an established profession in the construction industry, CEM is a practice-driven field in nature. Many research questions in this field need to address the impacts of individuals, organizations and the society on construction management activities, particularly those on planning, forecasting and decision making activities (Fellows and Liu 2009). The key to resolve these problems should draw upon the collective knowledge and experience of selected experts in a given area. By contrast to other methods such as interviews, Delphi provides a more reliable and efficient alternative for solving these problems with high uncertainty (Chan et al. 2001). Therefore, a growing number of researchers have adopted Delphi method in CEM research since the early 1990s (Hallowell and Gambatese 2010b).Although many researchers regard Delphi as a qualitative method (Hasson et ...
The rapid growth of construction megaprojects worldwide has triggered a growing number of papers published in this area in the past two decades, suggesting that construction megaproject management has become an emerging area in the field of Construction Engineering and Management (CEM). This study aims to investigate the status and the trends in megaproject research by conducting a structured literature review. Eighty-five relevant articles identified from eight peer-reviewed CEM journals between 2000 and 2010 were analyzed based on the number of articles published annually, institutional and regional contributions, citations, and categorization of research interests and methodologies. Analysis results indicated that developed countries, such as the UK, the US, and Australia, have enjoyed significant advantages in megaproject research because of their longer experience, meanwhile, megaproject research in developing countries, such as Russia, India, Turkey, This is the Pre-Published Version. 2 and Vietnam, remains weak or lacking. These results also revealed that many theory-based findings have been reported in five sub-areas, namely, construction and site management, cost and schedule management, risks analysis and management, innovation and utilization of information technology, and leadership and professional development. The sub-areas of organization and stakeholder management, project planning and procurement, and project monitoring and control remain to be promising domains for future research, particularly in developing countries which have yet to develop a research tradition. Incorporating the complexity theory and institutional theory as the theoretical foundation in these sub-areas can further develop megaproject research through strengthened global collaboration in the future.
4Understanding the causes of corruption is one of the key topics in the research of 5 corruption in construction because it addresses the fundamental issues of the 6 widespread corruption risks in the public construction sector. Through an empirical 7 survey, this study finds a positively correlated relationship between the causes of 8 corruption and corruption risks in the public construction sector of China. The data 9 were collected from industrial practitioners and academics that had public 10 construction project experiences in China, and thereafter analyzed by factor analysis 11 and partial least squares structural equation modeling. The results show that the 12 causes of corruption could be categorized into two constructs, namely, the flawed 13 regulation systems, and the lack of a positive industrial climate. The results also 14 indicate that the most influential item on the construct of the flawed regulation 15 systems is negative role models of leadership, followed by inadequate sanctions, the 16 lack of rigorous supervision, and multifarious authorizations. The most influential 17 1 Professor and Head This is the Pre-Published Version. 2 item on the construct of the lack of a positive industrial climate is interpersonal 18 connections, followed by close relationships among contract parties, complexity of 19 public construction projects, and poor standards of professional ethics. This study 20 contributes to knowledge by examining the relationship between the causes of 21 corruption and corruption risk using a quantitative method. Recommendations on the 22 prevention of corruption are also suggested based on results obtained in this study.23
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