El-adaway, I H (2008) Construction dispute mitigation through multi-agent based simulation and risk management modeling. PhD thesis, Iowa State University, USA.
Abstract
The construction industry is regarded not only as a backbone of the nation's economy but also as an integral indicator of its efficiency and effectiveness. However, as a result of the risks and complexities that are naturally inherent with construction projects as well as the diverging interests of the parties involved, claims and disputes could be considered an unavoidable consequence of the construction processes. In fact, over the years, the frequency and severity of claims and disputes have significantly increased to the extent that the estimated total annual cost of construction conflicts and disputes in the U.S. is $5 billion. That said, the main goal of this dissertation was to develop an integrated and coherent methodology for mitigation of construction disputes through both, multi-agent based simulation concepts and risk management modeling principles. In this regard, the associated work carried out under this research has: (1) developed an innovative method for using logical induction decision support in construction claims and disputes; (2) created a multi-agent system for construction dispute resolution (MAS-COR) that will simulate legal discourse in construction disputes; (3) developed a new method for addressing the issue of risks in the construction industry using portfolio insurance; and (4) created an innovative way for mitigating negative effects of contractor's construction claims and disputes using a risk retention approach. It is conjectured that the attainment of the aforementioned objectives, as detailed under this dissertation, would mitigate the negative effects of claims and disputes in the construction industry and thus, have a positive impact on the contracting parties, their projects, the construction industry as a whole, and consequently, the nation's economy.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Kandil, A |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | decision support; insurance; conflicts; dispute resolution; disputes; risk management; simulation; construction project |
| Index terms: | decision support, construction project, construction process, methodology, risk retention, mitigation, multi-agent system, construction claim, agent, complexity, efficiency, dispute, contracting party, total annual cost, insurance, risk management, effectiveness, dissertation, resolution, modelling, construction industry, construction dispute |
| Subjects: | conflict resolution, payment, decision analysis, building construction, industry analysis, systems engineering, performance management, research methods, production management, financial risk, artificial intelligence, economic analysis, analytical methods, financial and cost management, risk assessment, research dissemination and communication, practitioner, dispute resolution |
| Topics: | Digital Applications, Contract Administration, Site Management, Business Strategy, Cost Management, Research Practice, Roles and Professions, Stakeholder Management, Legal Issues, Quality Management, Project Management, Engineering Principles, Risk Management |
| Descriptive scope: | 3 PCT |
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