Kar, S and Jha, K N (2023) Examining the effect of material management practices on material availability and waste reduction in construction projects. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 149(8): 04023065, ISSN 0733-9364
Abstract
Ensuring material availability and reducing material waste are two crucial aspects of material management to improve construction project performance and sustainability. Past studies have illustrated several material management practices without revealing their effect on material availability and waste reduction. This study fills these research gaps and aims to explore important material management practices by examining their impact on material availability and waste reduction in construction projects. This study identified 23 material management practices from a literature review and collected 107 responses from a questionnaire survey. An underlying structure of the practices was established, and factors were extracted from the exploratory factor analysis. A structural equation model was then developed to explore their influence on material availability and waste reduction. The results revealed six critical factors and associated practices that significantly and positively affect material availability and waste reduction: System for procurement and storage was found to have the highest impact, followed by on-site material control, procurement quality, procurement costing, central procurement database, and material planning systems. By revealing the underlying structure of the practices and establishing their positive influence on material availability and waste reduction, the present study adds value to existing knowledge. Construction practitioners can focus on implementing these crucial practices to ensure material availability and reduce material waste, which will enhance the project's success and sustainability.
| Item Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | exploratory factor analysis; material availability; material management practices; material waste; structural equation modelling; sustainability |
| Index terms: | construction project, management practice, questionnaire, waste reduction, exploratory factor analysis, structural equation modelling, literature review, construction practitioner, survey, structural equation model, costing, critical factor, database |
| Subjects: | data management, statistical analysis, management, sustainability assessment, accounting and finance, production management, professional development, data analysis and analytics, data collection methods, risk assessment |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Sustainability, Risk Management, Information Management, Research Practice, Project Management, Cost Management, Business Strategy |
| Descriptive scope: | 4 PCEA |
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