Ekanayake, E M A C; Shen, G; Kumaraswamy, M and Owusu, E K (2022) A fuzzy synthetic evaluation of vulnerabilities affecting supply chain resilience of industrialized construction in Hong Kong. Engineering, Construction and Architectural Management, 29(6), pp. 2358-2381. ISSN 0969-9988
Abstract
Purpose: Demands for Industrialized Construction (IC) have intensified with growing construction industry imperatives to (A) boost performance; (B) reduce reliance on “in-situ and on-site” operations; and (C) strengthen supply chain resilience (SCR) not just for survival but also to fulfill obligations to clients in the coronavirus disease 2019–induced (COVID-19–induced) “new normal”. In addressing these imperatives, this paper targets more effective leveraging of latent efficiencies of off-site-manufacture, based on findings from a Hong Kong (HK)–based study on assessing and improving SCR in IC in a high-density city. Design/methodology/approach: Starting with the identification of critical supply chain vulnerabilities (CSCVs), this study developed a multilevel–multicriteria mathematical model to evaluate the vulnerability levels of IC supply chains (SCs) in HK based on an in-depth questionnaire survey followed by experts' inputs and analyzing them using fuzzy synthetic evaluation (FSE). Findings: The overall vulnerability index indicates that IC in HK is substantially vulnerable to disruptions, while production-based vulnerabilities have the highest impact. Top management attention is needed to address these CSCVs in IC in HK. Originality/value: To the authors' knowledge, this is the first structured evaluation model that measures the vulnerability level of IC, providing useful insights to industry stakeholders for well-informed decision-making in achieving resilient, sustainable and performance-enhanced SCs.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | fuzzy synthetic evaluation; industrialized construction; supply chain resilience; supply chain vulnerabilities |
| Index terms: | efficiency, density, Hong Kong, construction industry, coronavirus, survival, in-situ, survey, COVID-19, fuzzy synthetic evaluation, mathematical model, industrialized construction, methodology, top management, decision-making, vulnerability, supply chain resilience, questionnaire |
| Subjects: | Geography, research methods, performance management, management, health risk and incident analysis, environmental hazards, decision-making and optimization, industry analysis, health conditions and diseases, building construction, decision analysis, supply chain resilience, mathematical modelling, data collection methods, construction type, analytical methods, environmental science |
| Topics: | Health and Safety, Engineering Principles, Research Practice, Geographical Context, Risk Management, Sustainability, Construction Technology, Urban Studies, Supply Chain Management, Quality Management, Organizational Design |
| Descriptive scope: | 5 PCTEA |
N.B. Descriptive scope is a count of how many of the five facets of empirical research are indicated by the words used in title, abstract and keywords. It is not intended as a judgement on the research; merely a count of the kind of word we would expect to indicate Phenomenon, Concepts, Theoretical framing, Empirical techniques, Analytical techniques. If all five are present, then a code of “5 PCTEA” will indicate this. If you feel the coding for this record is questionable, we welcome discussion around the terms we matched or the way we categorized them. The facet you would expect may not be coded, or a facet may be coded inappropriately. This can also bear on a larger question, of which facets should be treated as defining in construction management research. Please get in touch, and we will look at it. More details here