Sustainability in the Construction Industry

This assignment examines the influence of sustainable development practices on organizations within the construction industry. It analyzes both primary and secondary data to demonstrate the effectiveness of sustainable practices in enhancing organizational performance. The research highlights the challenges faced by smaller organizations with limited capital in implementing these strategies.

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Professional project
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Executive Summary
This is a research, which focuses on the impact of sustainability in construction management.
This study will consists of five parts, which includes the introduction, literature review,
methodology of research, findings and analysis and conclusion. The present condition of the
global environment is degrading due to the depletion of the natural resources, which will
cause a long-term effect on the sustainability. The quality is degrading at an rapid rate and it
will keep on happening if sustainability practices are not maintained. The construction
industry is one of the major contributors for the depletion of resources at a global level.
Moreover, it has taken a lot of time for the organization sin various countries to incorporate
sustainability in the construction management industry. Thus, the conclusion that can be
drawn from the study is that the sustainability development procedures will have a lot of
impact on the sustainability of the organization. The primary and the secondary analysis of
the data clearly shows that sustainable practices have been effective and has been able to
facilitate the improvement of the performance of various organization in the construction
industry.

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Table of Contents
1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................................................3
1.1 Research Aim.......................................................................................................................3
1.2 Research Question................................................................................................................4
2.0 Literature Review.................................................................................................................4
3.0 Research Methodology.........................................................................................................7
3.1 Research Philosophy............................................................................................................8
3.2 Research Approach..............................................................................................................8
3.3 Data collection.....................................................................................................................9
3.4 Data Analysis.......................................................................................................................9
4.0 Findings and analysis.........................................................................................................10
5.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................16
Reference..................................................................................................................................17

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Topic: Impact of Sustainability in construction management
1.0 Introduction
This is a research, which focuses on the impact of sustainability in construction
management. This study will consists of five parts, which includes the introduction, literature
review, methodology of research, findings and analysis and conclusion. The present condition
of the global environment is degrading due to the depletion of the natural resources, which
will cause a long-term effect on the sustainability. The quality is degrading at a rapid rate and
it will keep on happening if sustainability practices are not maintained. The construction
industry is one of the major contributors for the depletion of resources at a global level.
Moreover, it has taken a lot of time for the organization sin various countries to incorporate
sustainability in the construction management industry (Ibrahim & Kirui, 2017). This has led
to the development of various concepts such as sustainable building, green building and
sustainable construction. The community of research initially was focused on the
environmental issues and assessment problems. However, the perception of the people have
changed which shows other areas of focus such as material productivity and energy savings.
The approach of the researchers have become holistic and its consists of economic,
environmental and social development.
1.1 Research Aim
The aim of this proposed research is to identify and undertake research on the impact
of sustainability in construction management industry, which will illustrate the change in
practices of the construction management industry. The study will also evaluate the various
economic, social and environmental practices so that the overall assessment of the
construction management can be done.

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1.2 Research Question
 What is the impact of sustainability in construction management?
 What is the significance of sustainability in construction management?
2.0 Literature Review
Sustainability Policy
Sustainability is now incorporated in organizations over various industries. It is one of
the prioritized concerns of the companies to maintain sustainable development in their
operation process. It is both to address the social responsibility of the business and to revenue
generation. The Construction business is also have sustainable policy and is not excluded
from the concept. The policies incorporated in the businesses widely vary from each other to
identify themselves separately from the other similar competitions in the market. The
findings of Zuo et al. (2012) in their work support the evidence and demonstrate a trend of an
increased level of disclosure of organization’s commitment in achieving the sustainability.
They mainly focus on conservation of energy and efficiency, greenhouse gas emission
reduction and assimilation of renewable energy sources in the projects to achieve the
sustainable development.
Advantages
Sustainability is no doubt necessary in the construction business to address the
challenges of global warming and other recently raised issues. Besides these necessities of the
society, sustainable approach in construction business can bring growth in the industry. It has
various advantages of in the operation that is potential in reducing the production cost of the
business. Khatib (2016) conducted a detailed study on the materials used in construction
industries. He has presented detailed in-depth overview of the materials and recyclability of

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the products. His study shows that most of the products used in the construction business can
be reused by the company such as the timer, plastic frame, waste stone chips and many more.
Moreover, Khatib demonstrates the alternative materials that can successfully replace some
of the products utilized in construction to increase the sustainability of the industry.
The work of Ogunbiyi et al. (2014) has successfully identified several advantages of
implementation of sustainable construction. It not only benefits the companies in improving
the corporate image and sustainable competitive advantage, but also improves the process of
flow and productivity. It also helps them to incorporate the environmental consideration and
increase the quality of it and facilitates in increasing compliance with the customer’s
expectations. Ogunbiyi and his team have also identified the most common tools that are
utilized in the process by various organizations that are daily huddle meeting, value stream
mapping, and value analysis. The amalgamation of these tools for attaining sustainability in
construction business results in waste reduction, value maximization and health and safety
improvement not only for the workers, but also to the other stakeholders of the society. Use
of sustainable approach in construction business not only reflects the financial improvement
in the business but also results in the non-financial sectors that can prove advantageous for
the business. Harris and McCaffer (2013) have classified the non financial indicators under
some broad areas that are customer satisfaction, product and service quality, operational
performance, employee commitment and social and environmental performance data. These
indicate a steady growth of the business in the target market.
One of the important tools that proves useful in maintaining sustainability in
construction industry is the Building Information Modeling that not only shows its efficiency
in formulating geometric model of a building’s performance, but can also assist in the
management of construction project. One of the most significant effects of using the tool in
construct is the reduction of the cost and control over the project life cycle. Hence, it can be

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concluded from the report that the sustainability in construction management also reflects the
cost benefit to the organization (Bryde, Broquetas & Volm, 2013).
Yeheyis et al. (2013) in their work “An Overview of construction and demolition
waste management in Canada: a lifecycle analysis approach to sustainability” demonstrate
the waste management in the construction business. Their research shows that the waste
generated from the construction in Canada is about 27% of the total solid waste deposited by
the municipality. However, the implementation of sustainability in the construction industry
has resulted into recycling the usable materials that decreases the cost of the business. The
report shows that over 75% of the construction generated waste has enduring value that can
be recycled, retrieved and reused in the future projects. A proper implementation of
sustainability is now mandatory in Canada to address the increasing C and D waste volumes,
shortage of landfills and long term adverse environmental, economic and social impact. The
conceptual sustainable waste management framework successfully maximizes the reduction,
reuse and recycle of the waste materials and minimize the disposal of construction waste by
utilizing the sustainable strategy in the projects.
Stakeholder Engagement
Bal et al. (2013) in their work have addressed the importance of stakeholders’
engagement in attaining sustainability in the construction sector. Some of the stakeholders are
marked as important in decision making, whose absence may lead to failure of achieving the
sustainability. Their study concludes with the suggestion of understanding the various
sustainability agendas of the stakeholders and measuring their performance for achieving the
sustainability related goals. It is important to follow the mentioned steps for attaining success
and using cent percent of the advantages out of the utilization of stakeholders in the process.
Challenges of Sustainability

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There is very few research works exists that address the issues of incorporating
sustainability in the construction. Glass (2012) is one of the few scholars who have worked
on the challenging issues of the sustainability approach of construction industry. Glass’s
work reflects the challenges around data durability, reputation management, stakeholder
engagement and the nature of the industry. The report suggests the companies to balance the
commercial drivers with demands for high-profile sustainable and enhancing corporate
sustainability.
Literature Gap
The above review of the literature demonstrates some of the advantages of
sustainability in construction industry, engagement of the stakeholders, and versatility of the
policies incorporated by the organizations. However, only few articles exist in the market that
addresses the disadvantage of sustainability in construction. A hypothesis could be form that
sustainable approach will potentially reduce the quality of the building constructed. Hence,
there is ample amount of scope in the existing literature as it fails to identify the challenges
and disadvantages occurs due to the use of sustainability approach in construction industry.
3.0 Research Methodology
Research methodology demonstrates the various research techniques, approaches, and
design. The research is one of the most significant part of the research as it will help in
obtaining the result of the study. In this present study, the justification for choosing each of
the methods has been provided. The advantages and disadvantages of choosing a technique
has been discussed thoroughly in the study. The methodology of research consists of
postulations that have been predefined in the study, which will be used to execute the study
(Mackey & Gass, 2015). The methodology of research shows be precise and exact which will
help in producing similar results when used in studies of similar topic.

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3.1 Research Philosophy
The source and nature of the study will be included in the philosophy of the research.
The research philosophy will consist of the creation of the knowledge which may seem to
intense but there are mainly four types of philosophy in research. The research philosophies
are positivism, interpretivism, realism and post positivism (Taylor, Bogdan & DeVault,
2015). The philosophy of the research that has been selected for the study is positivism, as it
will help to identify the hidden truth within the area of the study. Moreover, the scope of
observation for the field of study will improve when positivism is used as the philosophy of
research.
3.2 Research Approach
The hypothesis is one of the most significant part of the study as it will help to
differentiate between the inductive and the deductive approach of research. The theoretical
assumptions that have been made in the research will be validated with the help of the
deductive approach, which means the deductive approach is used for the validation of the
existing theories whereas inductive approach will used for the formulation of new
generalizations and theories. The objective of the research and the hypothesis will be used for
initializing the research where as the implementation of the research question will be done
with the help of the inductive approach. Thus, the deductive approach is the most appropriate
approach for the study, as it will help in the validation of the existing theories (Flick, 2015).
3.3 Data collection
The data collection method that will be used for the study is a mixed method where
both the primary and the secondary analysis of the data will be done. The primary analysis of
the data will include quantitative data where the data will be collected through questionnaires
and surveys. The questionnaire will consist of close ended and random sample will be taken

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as the sample population. This will help to maintain the reliability and the validity of the test.
The secondary analysis of the data will include the thematic analysis and qualitative data will
be taken into consideration. The secondary data will be taken from five peer-reviewed
journals, which will help to analyze the perspectives of different authors (Silverman, 2016).
This will provide a better dimension to the current field of the study. The thematic analysis
will be sued to create themes, which will support the primary analysis. Randomization is used
is to select 50 respondents which will be the sample size for the research. This research will
consist of mixed methods which will offer a better understanding of the study.
3.4 Data Analysis
The research will consist of both quantitative and qualitative analysis of the data,
which means the primary data, will used to analyze the perspective of the population sample.
The secondary analysis of the data will be done by identifying common sets of patterns
within the research. The secondary analysis will include the thematic analysis, which will
analyze various journals and articles, which will help to understand all the dimension of the
study. The conclusion from the existing journals will be linked with that of the primary
analysis of the data (Panneerselvam, 2014). The analysis will have to be in alignment with
the objectives and the goals of the study. The creation of the theme will be on the basis of the
goals and objective of the current field of study.
4.0 Findings and analysis
1. How far do you agree that sustainability is significant in construction management?
Options No. of response Percentage of the Total respondents

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responses
Strongly agree 15 30% 50
Agree 20 40% 50
Neutral 1 2% 50
Disagree 10 20% 50
Strongly disagree 4 8% 50
Table 1: significance of sustainability
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
30%
40%
2%
20%
8%
Significance of Sustainability
Graph 1
Analysis
This shows that the majority of the respondents are in agreement that sustainability
has a significant impact on the business environment in construction. The graph shows that

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70 % of the respondents are giving positive feedbacks about the sustainability management.
Thus, it can be deduced that sustainability is significantly important for the organizations in
the construction market.
2. How far do you agree that sustainability has a strong influence on performance of the
organizations?
Options No. of response Percentage of the
responses
Total respondents
Strongly agree 10 20% 50
Agree 20 40% 50
Neutral 0 0% 50
Disagree 17 34% 50
Strongly disagree 3 6% 50
Table 2: Impact of sustainability on organizational performance
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
20%
40%
0%
34%
6%
Impact of sustainability on organizational
performance

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Graph 2

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Analysis
The graph shows that 60% of the respondents feel that sustainability will help to make
improvements in the organizational performance. However, there is no clear majority, as 40
% of the respondents do not agree and this means that the sustainability is not preferred by all
the organization as it increases their cost structure and it will be difficult to monitor the triple
bottom line of any organization.
3. How far do you agree that business sustainability is influenced by the reputation of the
organizations in the market?
Options No. of response Percentage of the
responses
Total respondents
Strongly agree 7 14% 50
Agree 10 20% 50
Neutral 3 6% 50
Disagree 11 22% 50
Strongly disagree 19 38% 50
Table 3: Influence of reputation of the organization on sustainability

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Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
14%
20%
6%
22%
38%
Influence of reputation on sustainability
Graph 3
Analysis
The analysis of the data shows that majority of the respondents feel that reputation of
the organization does not have any influence on the sustainability of the organization.
However, there are 34% of the population agree that reputation will have influence on the
sustainability of the organization. This means that its depends on the perspective of the
different organization, there may be influence for some organization and it may not influence
for the other organizations in the market.
4. How far do you agree that sustainability will help to minimize the consumption of energy?
Options No. of response Percentage of the
responses
Total respondents
Strongly agree 18 36% 50
Agree 17 34% 50
Neutral 0 0% 50

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Disagree 5 10% 50
Strongly disagree 10 20% 50
Table 4: Impact of sustainability in minimizing energy consumption
Strongly agree Agree Neutral Disagree Strongly disagree
36% 34%
0%
10%
20%
Impact of sustainability in minimizing energy
consumption
Graph 4
Analysis
The analysis of the graph shows that the sustainability practices in the construction ill
help to reduce the consumption of energy. This will help to save the natural resources that are
used in the construction business. This means that sustainability will help in conserving the
environment and contribute to the corresponding society.
Secondary Analysis
The analysis of the peer reviewed journal shows that sustainability will have a lot of
impact on the construction management industry. It is seen that the review of the most of the
journals have proven that the most of the organization are using the sustainable practices to
gain competitive advantage in the market. The organizations that use a triple bottom line has

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a better reputation in the market and are able to acquire capital very easily. This shows that
sustainability will have a great influence on the construction management industry. The
future trends in the market suggest that most of the organizations will be suing the triple
bottom line as a means to gain competitive advantage in the market. The international
standard organization (ISO) has been promoting the practices, which has to be used in
construction management (Zhang et al., 2014). This shows that all the organizations are
trying to change their business model in order to incorporate the triple bottom. However,
there are lot of risks that are involved in the market. The organizations will have to be made
sure that whether the incorporation of the sustainable practices is feasible for the organization
or not. Thus, the organizations who are of small scale and medium scale have limited capital
may face problems if the strategy does not work for them.
5.0 Conclusion
Thus, the conclusion that can be drawn from the study is that the sustainability
development procedures will have a lot of impact on the sustainability of the organization.
The primary and the secondary analysis of the data clearly shows that sustainable practices
have been effective and has been able to facilitate the improvement of the performance of
various organization in the construction industry.

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Reference
Flick, U. (2015). Introducing research methodology: A beginner's guide to doing a research
project. Sage.
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. M. (2015). Second language research: Methodology and design.
Routledge.
Panneerselvam, R. (2014). Research methodology. PHI Learning Pvt.Ltd..
Silverman, D. (Ed.). (2016). Qualitative research. Sage.
Taylor, S. J., Bogdan, R., & DeVault, M. (2015). Introduction to qualitative research
methods: A guidebook and resource. John Wiley & Sons.
Bal, M., Bryde, D., Fearon, D., & Ochieng, E. (2013). Stakeholder engagement: Achieving
sustainability in the construction sector. Sustainability, 5(2), 695-710.
Bryde, D., Broquetas, M., & Volm, J. M. (2013). The project benefits of building information
modelling (BIM). International journal of project management, 31(7), 971-980.
Glass, J. (2012). The state of sustainability reporting in the construction sector. Smart and
sustainable built environment, 1(1), 87-104.
Harris, F., & McCaffer, R. (2013). Modern construction management. John Wiley & Sons.
Khatib, J. (Ed.). (2016). Sustainability of construction materials. Woodhead Publishing.
Ogunbiyi, O., Goulding, J. S., & Oladapo, A. (2014). An empirical study of the impact of
lean construction techniques on sustainable construction in the UK. Construction
innovation, 14(1), 88-107.