Ojo, E M (2016) Assessment of green supply-chain management in South African and Nigerian construction firms. DPhil thesis, University of Johannesburg, South Africa.
Abstract
The subject of Green Supply-Chain Management has received attention in recent years among different industries. The huge consumption of resources by the construction industry has called for sustainable practices in construction. Green Supply-Chain Management (GSCM) has evolved as a tool to minimize the overall environmental impact in an organization. There are surveys and anecdotes about how companies are adopting GSCM. There is numerous literature on Green Supply-Chain Management in developed countries like the UK, U.S. and Asia; but only a few studies have been carried out in Africa. This research reveals a research gap regarding the implementation of GSCM in Nigerian and South African construction firms, to which this study responds. This thesis aims to provide a holistic assessment on Green Supply-Chain Management in South African and Nigerian construction industries. This research is descriptive in nature and the research design has been developed in parallel with conducting the research. Triangulation was adopted in this research; using past literature, a well-detailed questionnaire and interviews. Four hundred (400) questionnaires were sent by email, online and by visits to sites and offices; but only one hundred and sixteen (116) questionnaires were responded to and returned for analysis. While fifteen professionals in South African and Nigerian construction industries were interviewed. The results derived from both the questionnaire survey and interview provided a strong evidence that Green Supply-Chain Management is still at an infancy stage in the two countries and it is a practice that brings about sustainability in a construction firm. Although, it is an expensive venture, in the long run it yields great profit and gives a company a competitive edge. Several Green Supply-Chain Management definitions emerged from the questionnaire survey, all pointing towards environmental management and sustainability. In other words, GSCM is found to be compliant with environmental standards to bring about sustainability. The majority of the respondents’ suppliers are certified as Environment Management System (EMS) recognised bodies, like ISO 14000, to ensure that the materials which are used for construction are environmentally friendly and make the structure last for the entire intended life cycle. It was found that there are laws in place to ensure compliance of such practices. Approximately, forty two percentage (42.2%) of the respondents from the questionnaire survey agreed that they practise GSCM; however, the interview conducted revealed that it is not practised in all projects. Rather, it was found that it depends on the client’s requirements and tendering requirements. In some projects, the Green council has a say in the matter and this ensures total compliance. From the literature review and the empirical findings, this research provides contributions to knowledge, as well as having managerial implications. It contributes to knowledge by providing conceptual and empirical insights into how GSCM is practiced and implemented in other industries and construction industries in developed countries. This study serves as a platform for an awareness campaign of GSCM in Nigerian and South African construction industries and a basis for future study in GSCM in Africa. This study also provides suggestions and guidance to governments, construction firms, contractors, suppliers and clients across the chain, as well as construction/project/environmental managers proposing an optimised model for the selected case for GSCM practice and implementation.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Doctoral) |
|---|---|
| Thesis advisor: | Mbohwa, C and Akinlabi, E T |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | sustainability; construction firms; standards; compliance; environmental impact; government; life cycle; tendering; client; professional; supplier; UK; interview; questionnaire survey |
| Index terms: | Asia, questionnaire, evidence, environmental impact, developed country, consumption, triangulation, interview, manager, compliance, ISO, management system, literature review, profit, construction firm, survey, construction industry, implementation, environmental management, future study, environmentally friendly, platform, sustainable practice, Africa, research design, life cycle |
| Subjects: | standards development, data analysis and analytics, regions and continents, data collection methods, research design and methodology, value management, sustainable practices, industry analysis, management, contractual arrangements, economic analysis, evaluation and assessment methods, organization, environmental impact, consumer economics, practitioner, sustainability assessment, sustainable design, health safety and environment, development economics, digital design |
| Topics: | Stakeholder Management, Roles and Professions, Business Strategy, Research Practice, Organizational Design, Digital Applications, International Construction, Procurement, Sustainability, Health and Safety, Geographical Context, Project Management, Quality Management |
| 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